Crew Life
If you love yachts, and I mean really love yachts, then you have to love classic yachts. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a motor yacht, a tender, or a sailing yacht; for sheer head-turning elegance there’s little to beat the classi...
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The Ship's Cook Certificate (SCC) is required for all cooks who cook for crew and work onboard MCL compliant yachts with 10 or more crew. Read the summary on the latest details.
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As the summer warms up, the heat is on and you’ve been very busy with guests, by now your crew’s desire to go above and beyond the call of duty could be starting to wane.
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To accompany the launch of our new Jobs Board, below is a brief description of the role of each crew member, with average salaries listed. Please be aware that both roles and salaries vary from boat to boat and this should not be...
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This article isn't about a watch-keeping function or whether there is a risk of a collision.It's about how you communicate as captain, which reveals much about your leadership style.
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Working as a yacht chef, you sometimes come across treasured ingredients you haven’t seen in years. In Antibes I found a small market stall which had 8 stalks of ruby red rhubarb.
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Healthier products in cleaning caddies mean healthier stews and a healthier ocean, and it's naive to think that strong, chemically laden cleaning products will do a better job.
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The multicultural nature of the yachting community is a gift that is often taken for granted, and perhaps some hurtful or even dangerous behaviours have crept in with this cultural shift.
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Ed Thomas guides us through how to survive the stress and absurdities of a long charter, from how to keep yourself positive to the benefits of speaking in a West Country accent.
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In St Petersburg last week, the River Neva and its historic backdrop of palaces and museums was plastered with triangular advertising billboards that you and I would identify as sails. Competition sailing is big business. Mark Tur...
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The epicentre of the yachting world – the Riviera – is also home to one of the world’s most definitive wine styles: Provence Rosé. The two go together like summer and sunshine.
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Wouldn't it be great if it didn't cost a fortune to create professional stowage. Doesn't everyone want a beautiful walk in china store to house the yacht's collection of plates, flatware, glassware and accessories?
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As a leader one of the most important skills you can master is the art of making your crew want to do what you want them to do. Not only do you not have time to personally crack the whip continuously or micromanage every single cr...
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Explaining the art and science of housekeeping, “The Stewardess Bible’s Guide to Housekeeping Perfection” hones in on misjudgements that can be costly.
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Vulnerability is often seen as weakness, but is in fact a valuable building block in good leadership. If you challenge your hiring habits, you will have a better crew dynamic- and a happier owner.
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Does your boat have a snack cupboard that would make make Willie Wonka jealous? Are you eating crew dinner and then the boss' leftovers? Are you going out every night possible and not getting enough sleep?
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It’s not an easy transition onto land. For most us ‘yachties’ it’s the light at the end of the tunnel: to live in your own place, have your own big bed, maybe a pet.
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Sailor Nat Lemieux speaks to OnboardOnline about the problem with motoryachts, the joy of free toothpaste and the paper-work heavy future of yachting.
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When hiring crew for the season it can be tricky to decide the best way to find the best people. Is it worth the effort of sourcing them ourselves, or should we stick to working with crew agencies?
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You're feeling exhausted and the guests haven't even arrived yet, and the season has only just begun. This hectic schedule may be unavoidable in the busy world of yachting, but how you look after yourself within this scenario is ...
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Almost all newcomers to the yachting industry will have to dockwalk; it's almost a rite of passage. Here are some hints by Ed Thomas on how to raise your chances of success.
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Have you ever wondered why you get along with some people and not others – or why some crew members instantly click with the team while others just never seem to blend in? The answer is values. Values are the big WHY behind everyt...
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Whatever the outcome of the search for the Cheeki Rafiki crew, the sailing fraternity will need to take a long hard look at this incident to see whether lessons can be learned for the future.
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Stews often fear or dislike cleaning suede. In her third Q-Tips and Toothpicks column, SYSA's Isobel Odendaal gives some advice about the care and cleaning of this difficult fabric.
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Studio Lambert, an independent UK television production company is researching a documentary for Channel 4 about the recruitment of domestic staff for private homes.
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At this year's PYA Sea Changes seminar in Antibes, Captain Roger Towner made clear that the UK Government was fully implementing the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 from the 7th August 2014.
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Non-profit association dedicated to professional yacht Captains initiates programs with respected travel, hospitality and financial management companies.
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As the first guest trips and charters draw closer, don’t be tempted to rush your recruitment process – making a poor hiring decision could cost you dearly as the season goes on!
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Stewardesses often tell me they would love to work on deck.In some girls I definitely see the potential, in others not so much. I think they see my tan, and how much fun it appears to be, but it hasn't always been that easy.
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Those of us who've been in yachting for a while can often feel a bit sorry for some of the new crew arriving... but perhaps there are a few things we can learn from them too.
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