"Discreet" appears on nearly every luxury charter operator's site. It's a claim that costs nothing to make and, from an advisor's side, is genuinely hard to verify before you've put a client on the boat. This is the checklist worth running through before recommending an operator for a high-profile guest — not what we say about ourselves, but what to ask any operator directly.
What the NDA actually covers
A meaningful crew NDA is signed before every embarkation, not once at hiring, and names guest identity, itinerary and imagery explicitly rather than relying on a general confidentiality clause. Ask to see the standard text. An operator confident in their protocol will show it; one who can't produce it probably doesn't have a real one.
Where the client's name actually travels
Booking, berthing and provisioning each involve a moment where a name could leak into a system beyond your control — a marina register, a port authority form, a provisioning order. Ask specifically how the guest's identity is handled at each of those points, not just whether the operator is "discreet." A serious answer will be specific about each step; a vague one is a signal.
No-photography policies, honestly assessed
A no-photography rule is enforceable as a condition of crew employment and guest agreement — not as a technical guarantee against every phone on a nearby boat. The honest operators say this plainly rather than overselling an absolute guarantee. What's worth checking is whether it's a trained, stated protocol crew actually follow, not a line added to a brochure.
Anchorage choice is part of privacy, not separate from it
Paperwork protects what happens on the contract; anchorage choice protects what happens in view. A popular cove in Ibiza & Formentera in August means other boats and onlookers regardless of NDAs. An operator worth recommending can speak specifically to lower-traffic alternatives — our own approach to this is covered in how discretion works in practice and in marina and anchorage selection across the islands.
Working with us
We handle this the way described above — NDA'd crew, name-minimised booking and berthing, and anchorage choices made with privacy as a factor, not an afterthought. Details on how the referral relationship works for travel advisors and concierge desks are on our partner page, and ground-logistics detail — transfers, provisioning, aviation coordination — is on our concierge page.