Crew Life
Are computer-based programs the way forward, or is the old fashioned way of paper logs and the ‘Chief’s way of doing things’ still the better option?
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You know the moment – that awkward silence when your interviewer asks: “So, do you have any questions?”– and you can’t think of a thing to say! Well don’t be thrown by it anymore – with a bit of preparation you can turn this to yo...
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Reporting from the dark side: The trials and tribulations of Croque Madame and five things no one tells you about life as a superyacht chef.
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You never get a second chance to make a first impression. However, while many of us are aware of the importance of making a ‘good impression’, few people stop and think about exactly what a ‘good impression’ means – either to them...
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What are the 5 Ps? Perfect preparation prevents poor performance! The only time it is ever acceptable not to prepare properly for a job interview is when you don’t really care whether you get the job or not...
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Of all the crashes that Mat Barker saw in his past life as a derivatives trader, nothing prepared him for the day The Blue Peter snapped her mast.
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Chief stewardesses often get a bad wrap for nagging and over-reactions to trivialities. But, as Mrs Steele argues, sometimes you just have to stand your ground.
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At the Monaco Yacht Show 2011 the MCA announced that they had removed the 'glass-ceiling’ and would now accept sea time gained on yachts towards unlimited certification. What at the time might have seemed just a rather insignifica...
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Charter guests and owners will use, touch and sleep in the linens on board. They will notice and appreciate luxurious softness, but will also remark on scratchy towels or bed linen. The interior of the cabins need to make a great ...
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Mission impossible. On pain of dismissal, engineer Mel Thunderbolt must fly to MTU headquarters in Germany and carry a 37kg turbocharger back to Sardinia...all in 24 hours.
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Warsash Superyacht Academy announces the launch of its new mobile learning platform dedicated to supporting the training of superyacht crew.
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OnboardOnline recently caught up with Jenny Howarth to talk about the milk run summers, the joy of turtles, and what it's like to finally unpack your bags.
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10 years ago, choice in yacht uniforms was limited. The fit mattered, but not how uniforms matched the yacht or the personality of the crew. Fortunately, as the industry evolves, suppliers are pushing the boundaries, with fashion...
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September is upon us and the two biggest autumn boat shows in the Med are about to unfold, with Cannes this week and Monaco at the end of the month. If you’re looking for work, it’s tempting to think a boat show is the place to be...
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Over the last ten years, I have heard an extraordinary number of times that the most frightening experience for crew was when they joined their first yacht and were expected to drive the tender.
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Tired of serving the same old cocktails? Ever thought of garnishing a cocktail with a sprig of lavender and a macaron? Do sherbet, olive oil and pink peppercorns feature in your cocktail repertoire? In the first of his series fo...
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While almost everyone has had some kind of employment disaster where things didn’t work out, we then have the problem of answering awkward questions about it from potential new employers or crew agents.
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When I first joined the ‘glamorous’ world that is the yachting industry, I would hear from people here and there that ‘this isn’t for everybody’. If you can identify with the majority of the following points then perhaps seeing th...
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It's the end of the season, you and your team have been working your behinds off all summer, and not only is everyone tired and crotchety, but you can almost taste the delicious freedom that is just around the corner. But, be warn...
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Engineer Mel Thunderbolt loves boats. Sailing them, working on them and fixing them (although she could happily do without the shore power cable system.) Join her as she describes her sheer love of yachting, a lucky escape from an...
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Charity for charter, or charter for charity? It may be totally legal but, on some level, it doesn't feel quite right to me. Call me old fashioned..
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A person's IQ (or intelligence quotient) has widely been considered the most reliable indicator of their potential to succeed in life. However, if you think about the people you have worked with over the years, my bet is there’s s...
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Once stress gets its big fat foot in the door of your psyche it has a nasty habit of barging right in, making for the sofa and taking up unwelcome residence in the living room of your mind.
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We are unconsciously drawn to the need to add pressure in our lives, yet sometimes the pressure turns into unproductive stress. The trick is to maintain enough pressure to produce the magic, without allowing it to tip us over the ...
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Odd socks, whingeing crew and mugs left in the sink...it's clearly time for a mid-season hissy fit.Jo Morgan on what drives us batty when life in the crew mess gets messy.
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You work all day together, you socialize together, and you may even share a cabin. But how much do you really know about the people you work with? Recent revelations about a convicted paedophile working as a superyacht captain hav...
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Alison Rentoul is known to many as The Crew Coach. However, she took a few knocks herself before deciding to dedicate her career to helping others avoid many of the same pitfalls and guide them up the ladder.
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In an industry where ‘attention to detail’ needs to be ‘obsession to detail’, it is perhaps no surprise that yacht crew have a bewildering array of ‘pet hates’ and phobias.
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We engineers have to have ‘know-how’ on every little thing, but I'd take a pair of overalls and the hot sweaty heartbeat of the engine room over a chamois any day.One day I will find myself doing an oil change on the main engines ...
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There's an excellent chance that you'll travel over water this month. The forecast is for blue skies, except for when it will be raining, or gloomy. Or nighttime.
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