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Terms and Conditions... |
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Chicago Sailboat Charters is a DBA of Seit Inc. |
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Rates - Your rate is the published rate
at the time you make your deposit and includes all fees and taxes. Rates do not include gratuities,
which are customary, and typically range from 15-20%. |
Cancellations and Rescheduling - One rescheduling (not cancellation) at least 14 days in advance of your sail
is allowed at no charge. Cancellations or rescheduling at least
10 days in advance are charged a $40 processing
fee. Cancellations or rescheduling fees are as follows:
2 - 9 days in advance - 25% of sailing fee before any discounts, 8 - 48 hours, 50%.
2-8 hours - 75%. No shows and shorter notice cancellations
are charged 100% of sailing fee.
Special Events Due to very high demand (both by guests and our staff!) cancellations
at least 14 days in advance are charged a $100 processing fee. Cancellations at
least 10 days in advance are charged a 25% cancellation
fee. Cancellations 3 - 9 days in advance are charged 50% of sailing fee. Cancellations 8-72 hours in advance
are charged 75% of sailing fee, and no shows are charged the full sailing fee.
There is no rescheduling of special events since there is only one of each specific event per season. |
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Delays - On
very rare occasions, unforeseen
events (e.g. changing weather, minor maintenance
needs, etc.) may cause us to delay your sail for up to 1 hour. If your sail is delayed more than 1 hour, we will give
you the option to cancel or reschedule at no charge. It has not ever happened, but
if for some reason we have to cancel your sail (e.g. mechanical issues, illness,
etc.), we will do our very best to accommodate you by rescheduling, trying to get
you on one of our other boats, or canceling at your option. In no case
will you be charged a fee for a cancellation or rescheduling that is caused by us. |
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Waves and Sea Sickness - Waves and heavy wind are sometimes a part of sailing.
Sometimes waves that are 2-4' or 3-5' re ok to sail, and
other times they are not. It depends on current conditions, trends, and forecasts. The captain will decide if it is
safe to sail. We have taken many groups out in 3-5' waves that very
much enjoyed their sails and had no problems. We have also taken a few out in small
waves that had 1 or more members get ill. Should the captain deem the conditions are
suitable for sailing, and you choose not to go out for your sail, we cannot refund your sailing
fee.
Should you go out for your sail and your group asks us to return early due to rough
conditions, we cannot refund your sailing fee, no exceptions. This policy is consistent
with other charter companies around the country.
Options you will have if you decide to come in early will include dropping
off of some members of the group and going back out, or coming back to the harbor and
hanging out on the boat for the duration of the charter. |
Bad Weather - We do not guarantee sunshine and clear skies for
your sail, but we do guarantee that we will sail only under what your captain considers
safe conditions. If the weather is too rough to sail, there is lightning approaching,
or there is persistent rain, we will notify you of the cancellation of the charter
as early as possible, an attempt to reschedule will be made, or we will refund your deposit.
If there is scattered showers
we will sail. This is up
to the captain's judgment, and only the captain's
judgment. Think of it as a baseball game; if
they play baseball in it, we sail in it.
If you wish to be certain to sail on a "perfect weather day", we strongly
suggest booking your sail only 24 hours in advance, or purchase our Sunny Day Insurance.
We will cancel sails due to weather as early as possible if we know there will be
bad weather. We monitor radar and wind conditions, and
are very
good at judging if we should sail or not.
In uncertain circumstances, we normally can tell you only about 30-60 minutes before
hand if we will get to sail, but not earlier. Sometimes we may have to cancel at
the last minute due to changing conditions. Therefore, you should plan to be at
the harbor in time for your sail, and perhaps have an alternative plan should we
not be able to sail.
*** Should you choose not to come out even though we have not cancelled your sail
due to weather, and it turns out that we could have sailed, you will be responsible
for the full cost of the sail. *** |
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Restricted items - Dark liquids and sauces are never allowed (e.g.
red wine, tomato sauces, grape juice, etc.). If you wouldn't want it to stain your
white dress shirt, we don't want it to stain our gelcoat. Please see the FAQ
or ask us for specific details. |
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Rain - To reiterate, rain does not cause
us to cancel a sail unless it is persistent rain, and more than showers. This is
for the captain to decide. Should the captain deem the conditions are suitable for
sailing, and you choose not to sail, we cannot refund your sailing
fee,
no exceptions. This policy
is consistent with other charter companies around the country. |
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Delays - Your sail may be delayed or have interruptions due to
weather conditions. We will do everything we can to keep right on schedule but some
things are beyond our control. |
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Children - In general, we require one adult passenger (not counting
crew members) per child under the age of 10 for safety and logistical reasons. Any
damages caused by children will be charged to the person booking the sail. Please
call us with any questions. Generally, children weighing less than 20 lbs generally
cannot be fit with a USCG Type I life preserver, and therefore cannot legally be
on a charter boat. Please call us to discuss this. Please see
here for USCG regulations. |
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Sunny Day Insurance - If you are set on making sure that the weather
is perfect for your sail, we offer a cancellation insurance for an additional 15%
of the charter price, that allows you to cancel and only lose the
Sunny Day Insurance
Policy. Please click here for details. |
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Alcohol - Any passenger consuming alcohol must be at least 21,
and passengers assume legal consequences due to illegal drinking of alcohol. Should
you become intoxicated, or show up intoxicated, the captain reserves the right to
cancel the sail at any point and you will be responsible for the full cost of the
sail. Translation - if you are looking to get hammered, don't book a sail. |
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Illegal Substances - Under NO circumstances are illegal substances
permitted on board. Any passenger bringing illegal substances on board will be held
responsible for all damages that may be caused by such action, including but not
limited to: entire cost of vessel due to confiscation by authorities, loss of income
due to vessel down time, liability for injuries, legal fees incurred by all parties,
etc. |
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Inappropriate behavior
- Should passenger actions or behavior make
the crew feel that safety is compromised, or that they are unable to focus on sailing
the boat and maintaining safe conditions, the sail may be cancelled without warning
and full fee will be due. |
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Damages - Passengers will be responsible for damages caused due
to their actions should such actions be inappropriate or contrary to the terms and
conditions, and general prudent behavior. Adults will be responsible for damages
caused by children whom they have brought on board. Damages may include, but are not limited
to: labor and materials necessary for stains caused by prohibited substances (such
as red wine or grape juice), tobacco burns in gel coat, and any damages caused by
passengers that would not be considered reasonable under the circumstances. Should
the vessel experience any downtime due to damages caused by passengers, passengers
will also be responsible for any loss of revenue. |
Swimming - Swimming is at your own risk! Please tell us in advance of your sail if you think you may
want to swim. The captain reserves the
right to forbid swimming based on conditions and the situation. Should you decide to go swimming, you acknowledge that
you assume all risks. Any adult that gives a minor in his/her care permission to
swim is solely responsible for the safety of said minor. At least one adult guest per child in the water must be present.
Strict adherence to the captain's guidelines must be followed or your sail may be
ended early with no refund. We don't mess around when it comes to safety.
Last updated 7/12/09 |
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