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Yachting Features

Virtual Reality (VR) isn't a new concept, but the yachting industry is awakening to the shift in the digital landscape and looking beyond predictable sales and marketing campaigns.
The days of miniature scale yacht models in bro... Read More
The days of miniature scale yacht models in bro... Read More

Despite well thought out safety standards and increased training for yacht crew, incidents will happen and one doesn’t have to go too far to find them, reported and unreported. In this article I recommend that all levels of manage...
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The role of a P&I Club (Protection & Indemnity) is to provide vessel operators with liability insurance in the event of a claim in relation to cargo, collision, damage to/loss of property, people (including crew and passengers), p...
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As we’ve already heard earlier in this series on safety in yachting, around 80% of incidents and accidents at sea are caused by human error, often due to a loss of Situational Awareness. Could these have been avoided? Absolutely....
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Much of the language used in the media around cyber is designed to spread fear and uncertainty. It’s deliberately emotional with the intention of causing some form of reaction, if only to read the article. This is a distortion of ...
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The topic of safety covers a lot of ground, so it’s difficult to decide where to start. Without trying to be comprehensive I have picked a few key issues that I think are crucial to the safety of yachts: compliance to the rules an...
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When I was asked if I would write something on this subject, at first I was a little unsure how (and if) safety and recruitment are related. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that so much of what we do thro...
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In 1988 'The Superyachts' published by Boat International offered the following definition: “A superyacht, we feel, is generally large and at the same time it meets the highest standards of design and construction. It is, addition...
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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a reported 80% of incidents and accidents at sea are caused by human error. The interesting question is why? Are we putting people in positions of authority without the appropriate training? Ar...
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The Monaco chapter of Young Professionals in Yachting (YPY) is now in its fifth year, with an even stronger vision to attract the very best of yachting’s next generation. The first YPY opened its doors in Fort Lauderdale in 2009 a...
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The use of technology has played an invaluable role in ensuring the safe arrival of sailors and crew members for hundreds of years, from the sextant to radio to satellite. From the perspective of a superyacht engineer there are ma...
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Currently there is no regulatory requirement for any deck officer (including Master) following the attainment of their last CoC, to be formally re-assessed (post ECDIS certification) as to the level of their navigational skills at...
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I have watched the growth of the superyacht industry over the last 27 years and in my opinion it's one of the most exciting and stimulating careers at sea that anyone could have. But I also believe that we don’t train people prope...
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An open reply from Captain Adrian Croft to the article 'Big Changes with Small Thinking written by Captain Rod Hatch - Part 2 in our series 'Perspectives on the Safety Culture in Yachting'.
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SOLAS, STCW, MARPOL, ISM and ISPS were all drafted to improve safety at sea, while MLC 2006 has enshrined seafarers’ rights to a safe place of work. None prevented the sinking of M/Y Yogi in February 2012 or the fatal accidents on...
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The origins of yachting, like the word itself, probably originate in the Netherlands (which seems kind of appropriate to me). The first yachts were light, fast vessels used to convey important persons or messages and they evolved ...
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Working on a superyacht conjures up a lot of things but risk of life and limb isn’t one of them. If you listen to insider stories on incidents and near misses you start to wonder, although the yachting industry is characteristical...
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Like many industries, yachting has its share of unsung heroes doing all manner of skilled and important jobs that we never hear about. Following Matt Hyde's article about riding a yacht in transit, we wanted to know how these yach...
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It happened recently near Cannes and the general public knew nothing about it. A superyacht was involved in three MOB incidents, a fire broke out on board, SNSM lifeboats were scrambled, and a burns victim was airlifted by a naval...
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The crew carrying out Sea Shepherd’s Operation Nemesis recently returned to Fremantle after a three month whale defence campaign in the Southern Ocean. Reflecting on the outcomes, we spoke with the captains of M/Y Ocean Warrior an...
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For decades yacht owners have been using yacht transport services to get around the problem of range or to save on engine time and avoid wear and tear. It's also an opportunity to give the crew some down time between seasons. What...
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Nautical Structures is known as the go-to powerhouse for tender handling and boarding systems for superyachts, a niche that's far more creative and diverse than one might think. With a new service hub in Fort Lauderdale and some e...
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There are many myths and differing perceptions about the causes of crew turnover, but it remains a challenging issues for the superyacht industry. Last year Impact Crew conducted a crew turnover survey to identify the facts and di...
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Marine wildlife has been a passion of mine for many years and when Sea Shepherd announced in early 2015 that they were building a new custom patrol vessel in Turkey, I wanted to get involved. Unfortunately the timing was off but l...
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With the ease and convenience of technology comes a new set of issues. Cyber attacks at sea have increased and it seems hackers can access pretty much anything. Another more sinister abuse of the internet is cyberbullying. It can ...
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I'll be honest: I wasn't sure whether or not to publish this piece. There are exceptions but, for many people, 2016 was a stinker! Smiles still abound, but when something like this comes across my desk I have to stop and think. It...
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With Hurricanes Matthew and Nicole currently wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, Bahamas and USA, and already having beaten down Haiti, I thought it appropriate in this month’s column, to discuss how yachties can become more socially...
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This year for the first time I attended the Voiles de St Tropez on the press boat for OnboardOnline. Arriving at the Voiles Village the sense of expectation was palpable and with its infamous location and sailing prestige, synonym...
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In yachting, crew pregnancy is often a taboo subject, especially when it comes to medical insurance, and many crew members believe pregnancy cover doesn't exist or that it's very expensive. Following the hugely popular article by ...
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‘Bullying and harassment’ is an oft-used phrase, but do people really know what the difference is, and how to deal with it? Both take place in workplaces around the world but, according to Nautilus, the seafarers' union, being at ...
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