Conditions of hire
Hirers must be over 18 years of age.
The minimum number of people required to hire a boat is 2 adults. The number of passengers on board may not exceed the maximum amount of passengers the boat is licensed for.The Hirer must comply with the rules of river navigation, and also any instruction(s) or directions given by Le Boat and/or the applicable river or waterway authorities. The Hirer must restrict his/her cruising to those waters permitted by Le Boat as notified by Le Boat to the Hirer. The Hirer must not cruise after nightfall, nor engage in any towing, sub hiring or lending of the boat.

If you Change or cancel your booking
If, after our booking confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example your chosen departure date, boat or destination, we will do our utmost to make these changes, but it may not always be possible. If you or any member of your party is unable to proceed with the holiday, you can transfer the booking to a substitute person, providing they satisfy all the conditions applicable to the original booking and your request is received by us at least 14 days prior to departure. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing signed by the Lead Name or your travel agent. The price of your holiday may increase or decrease to reflect the changes requested by you.

You will be asked to pay an administration charge of €50 per booking amendment and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. Please check whether your holiday insurance will cover any changes or increased costs resulting from a change.
Should you request a major alteration within 10 weeks of departure date (such as a change of departure or return date or location) or if you want to amend your holiday departure date to a date not within the current year then this will be treated as a cancellation and re-booking.

You or any member of your party may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification (by post or email) from the Lead Name or your travel agent on your behalf must be received by our After Sales Team. Cancellation will be effective on the date which it is received by Emerald Star/Le Boat.

Note: If the reasons for your cancellation are covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

Parking Surcharges:

2012 Le Boat Parking Prices are in Australian Dollars - AUD
Base	Parking	Garage Parking	Base	Parking	Garage Parking
Castelnaudary	$60	-	Narbonne	$60	$85
Decize	$60	-	Nort Sur Erdre	$60	-
Doulle	$60	-	Trebes	$60	-
Fontenoy	$60	-	Horning	$15	$30
Hesse	$60	$85	Sommerleyton	$15	$30
Boofzheim	$60	$85	Portumna	$15	-
Saarbrucken	$60	$85	Belturbet	$15	-
Jarnac	$60	-	Carrick	$15	-
Le Mas	$60	-	Benson	$35	-
Messac	$60	$85	Laggan	$60	-
Dinan	$60	-	Port Levante	$60	-
Port Cassafieres	$60	-	Casier	$60	-
St Gilles	$60	-	Precenicco	$60	-
St Jean	$60	-	Marina Wolfsbruch	$35	-
Tannay	$60	-	Potsdam	$20	$40
Beaucaire	$60	$85	Jabel	$20	$40
Branges	$60	$85	Woundsend	$35	$85
Chatel	$60	-	Strandhorst	$35	-
Chatillion	$60	-	Migennes	$60	-
Gray	$60	-	Homps	$60	-

Cancellation and Amendment Fees:

• More that 70 days prior to pick up: 40% ( Deposit payment)
• 70 - 43 days prior to departure: 60% of total rental
• 42 - 15 days prior to departure: 80% of total rental
• 14 days and under prior to departure: 100% of total rental
• Amendments: €50 fee applies

Cancellation - If we cancel or amend your holiday
The arrangements for holidays are made many months in advance and it is sometimes inevitable that changes or cancellations may need to be made. We reserve the right to make such changes should they become necessary. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your travel arrangements.

Sometimes we may have to make a major change to your booking, this would include, but is not limited to, change of cruising area, change of departure date and change of boat to a lesser model. If we have to
make a major change to your holiday (other than due to your default in payment) we will:

In all cases, except where the major change arises due to reasons of Force Majeure or due to insufficient bookings to operate a particular base we will pay compensation as detailed below:
Period before departure within which a major change Compensation is notified to you or your travel agent

Force Majeure means Such circumstances include, but are not limited to: the destruction or damage of the boat through fire, flood, explosion, storm or weather damage; accidental damage; criminal damage or any other force outside of our control. These also include flooding, shortage of water, obstruction, repairs to any waterway, lock or navigational equipment, shortage of or non availability of fuel, riots or civil strife, industrial action or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, port blockades, war or threat of war, and actual or threatened terrorist activity or similar.
We strongly recommend you provide us with an emergency contact telephone number in case of any unexpected changes that need to be made to your holiday at short notice.

Insurance
Le Boat has comprehensively insured the boat the subject of your Hire, and its equipment. The policy covers damage or loss to the boat and its equipment and also no less than €7m third party liability. This policy extends to cover any incident caused by the Hirer or the Hirer’s passengers/crew. This policy is included in the cost of your Hire.

The policy in place has certain reasonable exclusions in respect of certain actions by the Hirer or the Hirer’s passengers/crew. These include wilful damage or gross negligence, person being under the influence of drugs or alcohol or as result of not obeying the instructions of a member of Le Boat staff. If the insurer fails to indemnify Le Boat because of the above then the Hirer is responsible for all costs incurred by Le Boat and any third party in connection with the relevant Hire.

Le Boat insurance does also not cover the refundable damage deposit if there is evidence of gross neglect. If the damage is in excess of the refundable damage deposit the Hirer will be expected to cover all costs. The Hirer shall be deemed to be responsible for each of his/her passengers including, without limitation, the minors in their care.

Emerald Star/Le Boat insurance does not cover the Hirer's personal belongings. We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance.
 
Damage Waiver
Insurers charge Le Boat an excess with every incident and also the cost of claims potentially forces up the premiums we pay. To encourage a duty of care from you, the Hirer, and to contribute to covering this cost you must purchase with your Hire either of the following:

Please note the damage waiver options do not cover any acts of gross negligence, such as damage occurred if cruising outside the instruction given by Le Boat or rules of river navigation, cruising under the influence of alcohol or drugs, running aground or cruising single handed as stated in the conditions of hire.

Group Event Bookings
We accept bookings for group events and activities but reserve the right to charge an additional fee, which will be charged at the Base Manager’s discretion and payable locally. Bookings for group events and activities are required to leave a refundable damage deposit (see Clause 8, Option 2) to encourage duty of care.

Fuel Deposit
Before departing the base on board your cruiser, you will be required to leave a fuel deposit. This deposit is towards the cost of the fuel charges as described on page 2.

Embarkation / Disembarkation and Cruising Route
Boat embarkation time is from 16.00 - 20.00 (short breaks in Ireland is 14.00) on your start day and disembarkation must be by 09.00am on the return day. Available boats will be allocated to clients strictly on a rotational basis from the time a client arrives at the base and presents himself/herself for boarding.

For an additional fee(s), and subject to operational constraints, priority boarding from 13:00 and late check-out from 12:00 can be pre-booked and will be detailed on your Booking Confirmation Invoice. Le Boat reserves the right to make changes to the times/and or direction of the cruise. Minor changes will not entitle the Hirer to cancel or to claim a refund or other form of compensation.

Navigational Restrictions
Our Brochure offer a number of cruising suggestions for each region based on our experience and knowledge of the area. At the start of your Hire you will receive detailed cruising information for your region, clearly stating which waterways are navigable and which are prohibited or restricted. The Base Team will also advise on any specific routes which are prohibited or restricted, or procedures falling under the control of Inland Waterways Authorities for your cruising area. Our Customer Guarantee, as set out on our website and in the Brochure, does not cover cruising in areas that are prohibited or restricted. Hirers who require assistance (towing/haulage) as a result of cruising in prohibited/restricted areas will incur an additional charge, payable locally in local currency. Please contact the sales team prior to departure if you wish to cruise on any waterways not covered in our Brochure.

Accidents and Loss of Equipment
If the Boat is involved in an accident of any nature, the Hirer must immediately contact the base and complete an accident report form (found on board the boat) and ask any other party involved to complete the same form. The Hirer must not ask for any repairs to be carried out without Le Boat’s agreement.

On arrival, the Hirer will be asked to check the boat for external signs of damage and indicate these areas on a separate form. The Hirer will also be asked to sign an inventory list detailing all critical items of inventory for which a separate fee is charged should they not be returned, or returned damaged (‘Boat Inventory’). Should any Boat Inventory be lost, stolen or broken, the Hirer must report this on return of the boat. A separate fee for certain items lost or damaged will be charged. This must be paid for locally and in local currency. Such items include, but are not limited to: gangplank, TV/DVD remote controls, mallet, pegs, parasol, outdoor table and chairs.

Bicycle Theft Waiver
This weekly charge of $11/ €7 or two week charge of $18/€11 can be booked and paid for on arrival. With this option you will be fully covered if the bicycle is stolen.

Technical Assistance
Le Boat has a breakdown service during normal working hours every day of the week. We will endeavour to attend and repair a breakdown or technical incident as quickly as possible. The Hirer will have no claim against Le Boat for any failure caused by the Hirer including but not limited to grounding, and in such instances Le Boat reserves the right to recover from the Hirer any expenses incurred.
 
Return of the Boat
The boat must be returned by 09:00 on final day of your Hire to the designated Le Boat base as agreed at the time of the booking, or as otherwise agreed by you and Le Boat in writing, unless you have booked and paid for a late check-out. Late returns will incur an abandonment fee of £330 / €500 (approx. AU$750*). All customers must return the boat in a reasonably clean state with the following completed:

(a) all rubbish neatly bagged up and left on deck;

(b) all crockery and utensils cleaned and re-stored;

(c) beds stripped of bed linen;

(d) decks mopped.

If the boat is left in an unsatisfactory condition a cleaning fee of £60- £110 / €60-€120 (approx. AU$90 - AU$180*) will be charged to the Hirer, dependant on the size of boat. You may be required to pay an additional cleaning fee of £60- £110 / €60-€120 (approx. AU$90 - AU$180*) dependant on the size of the boat and we will take care of the final cleaning of your boat. In this case all you are asked to do is to bag up your rubbish and leave it on deck and strip the beds of the bed linen.

Fuel Charges
IFuel is charged according to market rates and is subject to fluctuations in diesel prices. The hourly fuel charge is £3-£9/€4-12 (approx. AU$6 – AU$18*) depending on boat type and usage. Le Boat charges for fuel according to the amount of hours the engine of the boat has been running during the Hire. At the start of your Hire you will be informed how much the per hour charge will be and the current engine hours on your boat will be agreed and recorded with you. Before departing the base, you will be required to pay a fuel deposit as advised to you by Le Boat prior to embarkation and payable locally in the relevant local currency, as set out in the Le Boat Price List.

Hirer's Suitability
The Hirer must accept responsibility for the proper conduct of him/herself and any members of their party. Le Boat is not responsible for the conduct of the Hirer, any passengers or any other third party. You must, at all times, strictly comply with, and ensure that all members or your party comply with, the laws, customs, foreign exchange and other regulations of all places visited in connection with the Hire. We will not accept responsibility or liability for any passenger who contravenes any law or regulation of any country visited.

We reserve the right to terminate without further notice the holiday arrangements of any client who refuses to comply with the instructions or orders of the company staff, its agent or other responsible person and whose behaviour in their opinion is likely to cause distress, damage or danger or annoyance to other customers, staff, any third party or to property. Upon such termination our responsibility for your holiday ceases and we shall not be liable for any extra costs incurred by you.

Boat Descriptions
Boat layout plans, specifications and illustrations in the brochure are general guidance.
Some models within boat classes have minor variations. To the extent permitted by law, Le Boat does not guarantee the accuracy of, and disclaim liability for, any errors or other inaccuracies relating to the information and descriptions provided on our website or in the Brochure

Pets
You may take a maximum of two domestic pets on board our boats. To allow for additional cleaning, a supplement of £35 / €40 / $65 per pet is payable by you. You are required to bring a basket/blanket for pets to sleep on and to refrain from letting pets lie on bedding or settees. Please do not leave pets unattended on your boat. If despite paying the pet cleaning supplement the base manager feels extra cleaning is required on the return of your boat, you will be required to pay an additional boat cleaning fee.

Passport and Visa Requirements
Whilst we are able to provide basic advice to clients regarding passports and visa requirements, it is the responsibility of each traveller to obtain information and advice from the appropriate Embassy or Consulate as to the exact requirements of the country in which your Hire is to take place and to ensure that the traveller has the correct passport and visas (if any). If you fail to do so, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer, nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your Hire.