Berth

What is a yacht berth?

In marina and harbour usage, a berth is the specific, numbered docking space allocated to an individual yacht - the "parking slot" on the quay or pontoon. It is distinct from a mooring (which fixes the yacht to a buoy or seabed anchor in open water) and from docking (the act of bringing the yacht alongside any structure). Berthing implies a formal, contracted slot at a marina with shore power, water, security and provisioning access.

Berth types vary by marina geometry. Alongside berths position the yacht parallel to a quay or pontoon along its full length. Stern-to (Mediterranean or Med-moor) berths sit the yacht perpendicular to the quay, transom to the wall, with the bow held off by a bow anchor or a pre-laid lazy line - the dominant configuration in Mediterranean superyacht harbours because it packs more hulls along a fixed quay length. Finger pontoon berths use a short individual pontoon between hulls, common in northern Europe. Hammerhead berths are the T-shaped end positions reserved for the largest yachts.

A second, narrower meaning persists on board: a berth is a fixed sleeping space - typically a crew bunk, a single in a twin guest cabin, or a fold-down Pullman set into the bulkhead. A four-berth cabin sleeps four. The shipyard and crewing meaning has not displaced the marina meaning, but it remains live in interior specifications.

Why it matters for yacht owners

Berth availability is a binding constraint at the top of the market. Above 50m LOA, the number of berths that can physically accept the yacht in any given Mediterranean port is small, and at flagship Riviera marinas the waiting list for a permanent contract runs years. In Monaco, long-term private berths at Port Hercule are effectively reserved for Monegasque residents and trade through a private secondary market at multiples of the official tariff.

The cost line is meaningful even for visitor stays. Peak-season berthing for a 50m-plus yacht at Port Hercule, Port Vauban or Porto Cervo runs into four-figure euro day rates, and Grand Prix or Cannes Film Festival weeks command published premiums that can exceed €150,000 for a single week in the prime central slots. Annual contract value at the most sought-after addresses is a recurring topic in trade press, with private long-term berths in Monaco reported to trade at multi-million-euro values. For a buyer, the practical question is rarely the headline rate - it is whether the berth can be secured at all for the cruising calendar.

Key facts

• A berth at a marina is the contracted docking slot for a specific yacht; distinct from a mooring (buoy or anchor) and from docking (the act).
• Mediterranean superyacht convention is stern-to (Med-moor) berthing, with bow held by anchor or pre-laid lazy line.
• Peak-season day rates for 50m-plus yachts at Port Hercule, Port Vauban and Porto Cervo regularly exceed €2,000 per day.
• Most sought-after Mediterranean berths for superyachts: Port Hercule (Monaco), Port Vauban (Antibes, IYCA), Porto Cervo (Sardinia), Marina di Portofino, Marina Grande Capri, Marina di Loano, Marina Genova.
• Long-term private berths in Monaco are effectively closed to non-residents on the primary market; secondary-market transfers reportedly command multi-million-euro values.
• Annual mooring contracts elsewhere on the Riviera scale roughly with metre of LOA per year, with significant variance by marina, season inclusion and contract length.
• Surcharges of 20-40% above the headline rate are typical once electricity, water, waste, security and concierge services are added.
• On board, "berth" denotes a fixed sleeping space - crew bunk, single in a twin guest cabin, or fold-down Pullman - and "four-berth cabin" describes capacity.