What are you worth? Not a question most people are asked very often. But let’s put it into context.

What do ex-Yachties think they should be paid when they leave yachts?

So, now do you see what we are talking about? The problem we see all too often is crew leaving the Superyacht industry with unrealistic salary expectations. As you know, Superyachts and their crew are our business and we talk to literally 1000’s of you each year and EVERY single one of you have different salary expectations.

So, here are a few things that will affect the question “what are you worth?”:

• The jobs you are applying for.

For example, a Captain moving into a Yacht management role can expect to get paid “relatively” well as they will be using their yachting experience to do their job. Especially if they have non-maritime qualifications such as a degree in management.

• Previous qualifications.

Did you have a degree before you started on yachts? If so this could be helpful and may get you a job relevant to the qualifications you have.

• Your age and how long you have been in yachting for.

The longer you spend on yachts the less relevant your prior experience becomes. For example, you may well have a degree in marketing but, if you haven’t used it since university and you are now 32, you can only realistically look at applying for graduate positions. BUT, remember you will be VERY OLD for a graduate and so need to be exceptional in an interview in order to get the job.

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Let’s think about this logically:

1. You are a first officer who has worked on yachts for 10 years since the age of 18. You have no qualifications except for your yachting ones (OOW) and are thinking about leaving yachting and getting a job. Your current salary is €84,000 per year tax-free which roughly equates to £110,000 before tax in the UK. This calculation is due to tax, national insurance, etc. Realistically there is no real chance that an experienced first officer will walk into a £100,000 per year job in the UK.
2. You are a 2nd Stewardess on an 80m charter yacht and, including tips you earn €72,000 per year. To put the same amount in the bank each month you need a job that pays £63,000 after tax or approximately £90,000 per year. That’s high level executive money just in case you were wondering.

What is realistic?

To put this in context the average UK graduate starting salary is just over £24,000. Medicine and dentistry pay graduates the most at £35,000 but that’s not you! The average non graduate salary in the UK is in the region of £25,000 compared with £40,000 for graduates. This is lifetime average by the way! Working in Central London adds about £10,000 per year to this figure. Remember, you aren’t 18 and have life and work experience so should be looking a bit higher than these starting salaries and averages.

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So, What are YOU worth?

Well, that depends on what you want to do. Here are a few real examples:

• Yacht manager for one of the larger companies – £30,000 – £45000, depending on company and location.

“When I left yachts I interviewed with a few yacht management companies and some (no names mentioned) were offering as low as £25k but I was expecting it. This is a hard job. Long hours, lots of travel and you never switch off. But it is rewarding and a great job.” – Superyacht Contents, Managing Director.

• Sales for a tender manufacturer – £12,000 per year basic, plus commission. Realistic salary of £30,000.
• Front of house/ reception in a high end hotel – £21,000 – £32000
• Events manager – £24000 – £36000, depending on clients and hours.

I know what you are thinking, “How do people live on such a pittance?” and the answer is we all cope just fine. It is a massive adjustment but everyone makes it. The key here is to find a job you like and that makes you happy. Otherwise, it isn’t worth it.

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Any other high-paying options?

Yes of course there are – Set up your own business.

If you make a success of it you could earn a lot of money. But don’t forget, it takes massive sacrifice, a large investment of your own savings, and a LOT of never-ending, pretty much unpaid work. And that’s just to get the business off the ground. Have a look at our Life After Yachting articles to see what lots of other ex-Superyacht crew have done.

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Hopefully you have a few things to take away.

1. The job you have is likely to be one of the best paid jobs you ever have. So, be sensible and save. Then life won’t be so hard when you do come home.
2. Only 2% of people in the UK earn over £100,000 per year. So, the odds of you being one of them straight out of yachting is highly unlikely. Not impossible but improbable.
3. Be realistic. Your first job after yachting is likely to pay you between £20,000 and £40,000.
4. Don’t expect the world as it only leads to disappointment. What are you worth? Realistically……..

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Superyacht content and Crew Family office are always here to help Superyacht Crew on their journey so please do get in touch if you would like some advice.

CrewFO is pairing up with Wilson Halligan this February with a live ‘Stew Lounge’ seminar where Green crew can gain invaluable advice from Wilson Halligan, as well as finance tips from CrewFO.

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Read More: The 5 Most Important Finance Tips For Superyacht Crew 

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This month, Captain Luke discusses whether job security exists in the yachting industry, the steps you can take now to secure a better future for yourself and what he knows now that he wishes he knew then…

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Beware Of Curveballs

A few years after starting in yachting, someone cast a statement in my direction: “You really should have 6 months salary saved up just in case”.

And I started to think about that thought as I tuned out her voice: “In case of what?”, I thought.

Fast forward a few months later and boom…UNEMPLOYED.

Over the next decade, I was party to a whole array of curve balls to my career.  Yachts being sold, recessions, yachts being laid up and being cut down to skeleton crew.

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Start Thinking Longer Term

What didn’t make sense to me then, but does now, is we tend to overestimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in future years.  By that I mean we have grand plans this year, but next year is too far off to worry about, so who cares right?  

Wrong!

In no way shape or form did I ever think I’d be here in yachting nearly two decades later! I used to hear things like: “Luke, when are you going to come home?” or “Luke, when are you going to get a real job?”.

In that same time span, I’ve made money, I’ve lost it, I’ve had it stolen from me, I’ve had two kids and met an amazing woman. All of this has been an epic roller coaster of a ride that I wish I’d taken precautions for much sooner on in my career.

I had no role model that I could relate to, so I just continued to blaze my own trail. I didn’t think I could benefit from saving at several points, as I wasn’t thinking long term. I was focused on just living!

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Read More: Seahub’s Yacht Engineering Grant For 2023

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‘Your ability to stay on a yacht for an extended period of time isn’t really up to you’

You might be asking what does all of this have to do with job security?  

If you haven’t picked up the undertone of this article, your ability to stay on a yacht for an extended period of time isn’t really up to you. You may have the best intentions, but then the boss lists the boat for sale, or maybe it catches fire and you don’t have a job anymore?

The list of how and why your job might end is endless, so this is where you have to be prepared.  

I don’t need to tell you what to do, you are an adult, but if I were to tell my 30-year-old self one thing, it would be this:

• Make saving money a non negotiable.
• Think of saving money for your future self.
• Start with 10% now,… and if you don’t believe me, look at the difference compounding has on your money if you start at 20 vs 30 vs…my age.

But all that aside, have fun, be amazing, keep learning and be the best version of yourself you can be!

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Captain Lord Luke Hammond recently launched Reffr – A new yacht crew recruitment platform. Reffr aims to solve the problem of connecting people with the right jobs, which opens up amazing opportunities for recruiters, captains, and businesses that join the platform.

If you would like to be involved in the prelaunch, head over to www.Refrr.io – The solution to yacht recruitment that helps all, and sign up to be one of the founding members.

Many yachties have used this Facebook group to ask for references about certain vessels, is this the answer to the ‘referencing dilemma’, or is it simply a group for gossip?

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Yachties Are Seeking More Genuine Feedback

There are many social groups on social media for yachties to become a part of, these groups are mainly set up for job-seeking, product recommendations, general work advice and for sharing social events.

In recent years there has been a shift in how tolerable certain longstanding behaviour has become in the industry. Issues such as bullying, discrimination, sexual assault and disputes over pay are becoming a bigger part of the conversation throughout the industry, and a recent Facebook group titled ‘Yachties: Name, Shame and Fame’ seems to reflect this shift. The group has over 19,000 global members that are based across all of the common yachting locations. The number of users only continues to build.

The group has been used most commonly to ask anonymously about certain vessels, in the last month over 45 users posted enquiries about boats that they have either interviewed with or were considering working aboard. The comments below these posts are not anonymous and vary from encouraging praise to outright dismissal of the said vessel. It seems that this is an attempt to fill the gap in genuine ‘reviews’ of certain vessels in terms of their work environments, perhaps a more honest idea of what to expect when taking a job onboard a boat that is seldom revealed or even known about when speaking to recruiters.

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Exposing Toxic Behaviour?

Aside from these enquiries though, some users have posted claims of a serious nature on the page, including a story of sexual assault from several users about the same individual within the industry. There is no doubt that these posts are important and necessary to warn others within the industry of dangerous individuals, but there is also the question of the credibility of certain claims. Recently, the group’s administrator came up with one solution for this by asking that everybody who posts a claim provide some sort of evidence:

“We now require some form of evidence attached to your post. It can be screenshots of messages, another person corroborating your story, or official documentation. We deny a lot of posts because of no attached info. This page can affect careers and the admin team is serious about making sure each post is valid” – The Group’s Administrator.

Sharing experiences and discussing certain boats with fellow yachties is nothing new within the industry – a practice that was inevitably going to find its way onto social media sooner or later. The Yachties: Name, Shame and Fame group ultimately seems to point towards the need amongst yacht crew for more honest and nuanced appraisals, either of vessels, or of individuals.

There are of course flaws to this method, social media has always been an environment that seems to breed conflict, but there is no denying that there appears to be a need for yacht crew to express themselves and, at best, this group seems to be an attempt to protect one another from potentially toxic environments.

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Community Safeguarding

We know that when yachts undergo the recruitment process to find crew, they request references from past employers, but what about references about a boat? With no dedicated Human Resource departments onboard yachts, and often no clue of the nature of the people you will be working and living alongside, it is no wonder that more yachties are asking their community members for references.

The group undoubtedly has sparked some interesting debates and discussions amongst yachties, and until more protocols are put in place that ensure a consistent safeguarding of crew, this seems like many yachties answer to gaining true references.

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Are you finally winding down after a busy season of boss trips and charters?

Whether you are crossing the Atlantic or in the middle of a shipyard period, ensure you take some time for yourself. Start considering these 5 healthy, positive Superyacht Crew finance tips to set yourself up for post-yachting financial freedom!

1) Get your seafarer’s tax in order:

We’ve all heard various stories whilst sat in the crew mess clutching onto our coffees, but what really is the benefit of a tax return?

• It confirms your position as a seafarer and therefore (assuming that you qualify for Seafarer earning deduction, you won’t have to pay any tax! Woohoo!
• It acts as proof that you are reporting your income to a tax authority. Doing so will stop the banks from freezing your assets, which seems to be on the rise if you can’t prove you have declared your earnings!
• Your tax return (SA302) acts as official proof of income. This is essential for superyacht crew who are wanting to apply for a mortgage. You cannot get one without it!
• You are in the system. This is a good thing as it solidifies that you are a superyacht crew member but still a UK tax-paying resident.
• It’s great for your credit rating!
• Your money has been declared and is therefore safe.
• Not only can you get a mortgage, but it also means that you can set up a pension, ISA, plus other investments which are extremely tricky to do as a non-taxpayer.

If you are a UK citizen and would like some advice on your tax returns, it’s never too late to get things back on track. So please feel free to reach out to us at Crew FO. 

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READ MORE: Yacht Crew tax returns: It’s time to get them done before the deadline

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2) Turn that goal of yours into a reality:

You have an amazing job, a great salary, and that’s not even including the tips that you make on top. Start making the most of your financial situation and stop allowing your doubts or lack of knowledge to get in the way of achieving and sculpting your ideal financial future.

Investments:

• Crew Family Office love to discuss investments and have assisted our Superyacht crew members in making healthy decisions financially, so don’t be shy about getting in touch. Whether it’s stocks and shares, ISA’s pensions, or alternative investments, make sure you are doing something. That money of yours needs to be working for you!

Mortgages:

As a Superyacht crew member, there are lots of things that are great about your job. But these things can also make stuff like mortgages a little tricky. Here are some things you need to think about:

• Proof of residency is essential for mortgage applications.
• Can you prove you have a job and get paid? Your crew tax return is perfect for this as it gives you official proof of income.
• How much do you earn, ensure you keep copies of payslips and your contacts.
• Where is your bank account? Offshore tends to be a lot more trouble and expensive than its worth these days. Try to ensure you bank in the same country you are a resident of. There are lots of multi-currency bank account options out there however I’m going to let you into a little secret. Revolut is not a bank!

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3) Superyacht Crew Property Investments:

Superyacht crew & property investments go hand in hand. It is by far more popular than investing in stocks and shares, ISA’s, pensions etc. Why is it?! Well, crew feel they know where they stand with bricks and mortar. Not only that, we can ensure that there are professionals shoreside to manage and keep tabs on your properties for you, which is extremely reassuring for most.

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4) Foreign Exchange:

Are you getting paid into an FX account, if not, why not?

If you aren’t using an FX company then the chances are that you’re losing a decent amount of money every month for no reason whatsoever.

Let’s look at an example:

Sarah has just started her first job on a superyacht. She is from the UK and has a bank account back home with HSBC in £.

• The yacht she is working on pays her €2400 per month which is paid straight into her HSBC £ account.
• Sarah is in the Carribean, and is spending money in $ using her £ card.
• When Sarah needs cash, she uses her £ debit card.

Without realising it, Sarah wastes a lot of money doing this.

• Getting paid € into a £ account means that her salary becomes £2112, due to poor exchange rates!
• Spending money on a card in the wrong currency costs a lot. Most banks charge a fee plus, their exchange rates aren’t great.
• Using a UK debit card in a foreign ATM will also cost you. From the exchange rate, a card fee and possibly a 3% surcharge.

 

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READ MORE: Understanding The Seafarers Earnings Deduction & Spending Time In The UK

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5) Phone Tariffs:

Spent half of your summer relying on your boat’s slow wifi due to not having enough coverage?CrewFO can provide physical and e-sims with flexible, 30-day contacts. Meaning, whether you’re in Monaco one month and then heading home to South Africa on leave the next, we can keep you connected the whole way without wasting time and money on different sim deals!

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So, what are you waiting for? Start making these top 5 Superyacht Crew finance tips this winter and you’ll be set up for financial freedom in no time!

For more information on Superyacht Crew finances, visit crewfo.com

To contact us, visit hello@crewfo.com, or call us on +44 203 290 2031

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with too many tasks and projects? Or after a busy day, you realised that you didn’t accomplish what you needed to? Don’t worry – you are not alone. Read on to see Yachtsmermaids tips on time management hacks for yacht stewardesses.

Society today focuses on pushing the narrative that we must constantly do more and get more done. Whilst I agree with the importance of achieving more, trying to do more constantly can cause a lack of focus – not to mention the stress it generates. In fact, over the past 10+ years as a Yacht Stewardess Mentor, this is one of the most common problems Marien, Founder of Yachtsmermaids has seen among Chief Stewardesses and Heads Of Department.

If you’re feeling less productive these days and wondering how to deal with and what can help, keep reading below to learn Marien’s Top 10 Time Management Hacks for Yacht Stewardesses.

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1. Prioritise Your Self-Care Routine

Mental health plays a massive role in how you feel daily, including how you feel at work. Making your personal routine a top priority will support your mental, physical, and emotional health and productivity levels.

Here are a few self-care practices that will support your productivity and well-being:

• Hydrate.
• Move your body (exercise, dance, etc.).
• Meditate, practice gratitude, or try intention setting.
• Set a bedtime; the choices you make before going to sleep significantly impact the following day. If you know you need to be on your A game the next day, know your limits and learn what creates optimisation for your day.

Most importantly, get more sleep and turn off the phone a few hours before bed so it doesn’t negatively impact your rest. 

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2. Plan your day

If your schedule varies and is inconsistent, give yourself 4-5 minutes the night before to plan your day. This simple practice will have a massive positive impact on your productivity, I promise.

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3. Verbarise  your to-do list

To Verbarise means making sure that every item on your to-do list starts with a verb. It seems simple, but adding a phrase like ‘go to’ in front of ‘laundry cleaners’ or adding ‘brainstorm’ in front of ‘theme nights’ can trigger you into action and will make your to-do list easier to tackle, so you’ll get more done.

Remember, when you Verbarise your to-do list, you can’t just pick any verbs. Instead, pick easy, small, and do-able verbs. One-step actions that you can accomplish in one sitting or one errand. Something like ‘plan birthday party’ is too big because ‘plan’ is a project and includes many smaller steps. When you see ‘plan’ on your list and don’t want to go near it because it’s overwhelming. What if it were ‘make guest list’ or ‘buy candles?’ Then you can start taking action on your to-do list without overwhelming yourself to get more done.

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4. Simplify to amplify

When you know what’s important, it’s much easier to ignore what’s not. Create a list of the crucial tasks for the month or week and divide them into two sections, urgent and important; once you have the list choose what job you need to do yourself or if there is someone else that can do it for you, which brings me to the next hack.

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5. Delegate

Although the number one reason most Chief Stews under-delegate tasks is the fear of failure due to putting important tasks in someone else’s hands, there are other reasons, too. Some feel that proper delegation takes longer than simply doing the task themselves, and others even question their own ability to choose the right person for the task at hand.

Inside module 3 of the YM Self-Leadership course, I teach you how to take advantage of your team’s weaknesses and strengths to create better productivity; click here to learn more. Remember that delegating will not only bring your productivity levels higher but will also build trust, open communication, and engagement among team members. Plus it stimulates creativity, develops skills in your team, and creates a positive culture onboard.

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Read More: Yacht Crew Guide To Dealing With Issues Onboard

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6. Put your life on airplane mode

Did you know that every time you resist a temptation or exert any kind of self-control, you start to drain your cognitive fuel tank? Choosing to use your limited mental fuel on important things vs. blowing it on stuff that doesn’t will ensure you become more productive.

So if you want to use your cognitive fuel tank wisely, here is what you need to do: turn your phone off, put your computer on focus or turn off notifications, and tell the crew or other people around you for a certain amount of time you will not be available unless it is an emergency. Also, do creative tasks first, such as writing emails, or putting together a team building exercise or training for your team, etc.

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7. Avoid Multi-tasking

Psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity. Multi-tasking may lead to difficulty concentrating and maintaining focus.

Do your best to focus on one task at a time by keeping your area clear of distractions, including putting your phone away and setting aside dedicated time for specific tasks. And remember, estimate how much time each task will take you as a baseline. It’s ok if you take longer or less, as this will help you figure out what tasks are more time-consuming than others. And always start with the urgent task that needs your cognitive fuel, in other words, mental energy or working memory.

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8. Make a onesie

Whatever you are working on, especially on the computer, clear the area from all to-do lists, notebooks, files, etc. Grab a piece of paper and just write the one you are focusing on (don’t forget to Verberize it!) and have it near you to remind you that is all you have to achieve right now.

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9. Have your own Stew Book templates

Expecting a vessel to have an efficient Stew Book, aka Standard Operating Procedure Manual, is a pitfall for your career. If yachting has taught me one thing, it’s that preparation is the key to success. As a professional stewardess, you always need to be ready to hit the ground running, and that includes having a Stew Book template that you can quickly customise to your team and vessel without spending days behind the computer.

That’s why I created the Mermaids Kick-Starter Bible to support Top-Notch Chief Stews with this big time-consuming task. With over 90+ interior templates, the MKSB will save you time and energy, as there is no need to recreate them. They are digital and editable! These are clear-cut, tried, and tested templates that you can use every day in a hectic season to keep your interior team on track. Merging your knowledge with these guidelines will create the perfect interior system for your team and vessel, whether private or charter. You can download the MKSB templates here.

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10. Plan your work duties around your cycle

Yacht Stewardesses have been conditioned to adjust to a man’s workplace, environment, schedule, and approach to productivity for a long time. Exploring productivity at work through a female paradigm could be the key to unlocking your productivity genius zone.

“Each phase of your cycle provides you with amazing brain superpowers; it’s essential to know what those are and when they happen so you can plan ahead to take advantage of them.”

What if the secret to successful project planning and execution was embedded in the female hormonal cycle? What if you knew the exact time of the month you should be leading that team meeting or activity or asking for a promotion? Learning to sync your female hormonal cycle with your work and life schedule is the ultimate bio-hack to harness your energy and productivity.

The MKSB Productivity Training is the only one available in the yachting industry that teaches women how to use their monthly periods as a productivity tool.

Want to read more about Yachtsmermaids or discuss time management hacks for yacht stewardesses? Let’s connect here!

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For more Superyacht Content Crew Mess articles, click here.

Seahub have announced another round of their exciting engineering grant for 2023, focusing again on the importance of mentorship within the yachting industry.

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Importance of mentorship 

The importance and value of good mentorship in yachting is fast becoming more recognised within the industry. Junior crew members can often feel like deers in headlights when it comes to breaking into, and subsequently understanding the route to a long and successful career in the industry. Unfortunately, many inexperienced crew members are burned by bad experiences and may receive lack- lustre advice on turning what may have started as a great adventure into an illustrious career. 

“The impact a positive mentor can have on a young crew member is immense”

Both ex-superyacht engineers, Sam Wheaton and Matt Hyde of Seahub understand the importance of good mentorship in the yachting industry, so much so that they created a grant for young yacht engineers that allows nominated hopefuls to gain access to a raft of resources to help advance their careers and troubleshooting capabilities.

Aside from continuing to grow their platform with Seahub, mentorship in yacht engineering is an area that the proactive duo put their energies into, a cause that they are clearly passionate about:

“The impact a positive mentor can have on a young crew member is immense. There are so many routes to success and tough lessons along the way that if some of these can be shared early on, it can make a profound difference” 

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Read More: From Superyacht Engineers To Shoreside Entrepreneurs 

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Rare Opportunity For Yacht Engineers

The first Seahub engineering mentorship grant was awarded to Jackson Pinney, of M/Y Aurora in 2021, who called it a ‘rare opportunity’. Pinney was granted $3000 towards engineering courses at the school of his choice, access to Seahub’s database of OEM manuals, and education on PMS.

Additionally, Pinney was given access to a vast network of contacts formulated by Wheaton and Hyde after 20+ years of combined experience in the Superyacht industry. Ongoing support and engineering advice were also at the disposal of the mentorship winner, an undoubtedly invaluable aspect of the program. 

The initial round received over 75 applicants, including crew that had applied themselves, and others who were nominated by their fellow crew members. Wheaton said of the first round:

“One of the biggest surprises was the number of nominations we received from Captains who wanted to put their engineers forward. Captains included stories of engineers who had saved a charter with an out-of-the-box repair that ensured a charter went smoothly. ”

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Mentorship Program 2023

After the success of the first program, Seahub will follow a similar format for round two, launching the competition globally. The second round welcomes applications from yacht engineers and other superyacht crew members who wish to nominate a deserving candidate. Wheaton states that “This year’s candidate will ideally be towards the start of their career and have plans to be involved in the yachting industry long term”.

This year’s recipient of the grant will receive a $3,000 contribution towards training, as well as access to Seahub’s database of manuals and technical data sheets (of over 3,000 files). These resources can be utilised to implement maintenance plans and troubleshoot issues as the candidate advances through their career, Wheaton explains:

“We use [these resources] to create and implement maintenance plans so as the recipient of the grant advances through their career, they have an idea of what a good maintenance plan for a vessel that is 40m, 50m, 60m, 70m etc looks like”

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Seahub’s unique engineering grant is an exciting and invaluable opportunity for promising yacht engineers to excel in their careers, for more information on how to apply, or to nominate a fellow crew member, visit the Seahub website or email: info@seahub.com.au

The current managing director of Crew & Concierge, Sara Duncan worked onboard yachts for many years before certain unexpected events propelled her transition back ashore. Duncan spoke to us about some of the more challenging aspects of her life after yachting, including working alongside parenting, experiencing a data breach, surviving a recession and what advice she has for women in the industry.

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Unexpected Transitions

Starting her career as a yacht stewardess, Sara Duncan’s goal was to travel. Travel she did, working in various different roles onboard yachts including Vava (47m), Tatasu, Illusion and on some sailing yachts.

It wasn’t until 2006, when Sara became pregnant, that her life at sea changed:

“I think becoming a mum is a massive transition in itself; losing the elements of being at sea and not having your boat family around is a hard transition. There is also losing the financial side; you have to adapt to be a parent, but also adapt to a new way of living that can be expensive and shell shocking”

Sara briefly left her life at sea to set up a chocolate business, but found that the financial draw of yachting brought her back into the industry: “The golden handcuffs brought me back to sea. I had a chocolate fairy kitchen at home where I made beautiful handmade chocolates that I sold all around London. I delivered them to children and had chocolate parties”.

Rewarding as her chocolate business was, Sara realised that she did not want to completely leave the yachting industry, and decided to channel her years of experience and contacts into a recruitment agency. In 2007 Crew & Concierge was born, and in 2013 Duncan relocated to the UK to focus solely on the business.

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Business Trial And Error

Widely recognised as one of the go-to recruitment agencies in the industry, Crew & Concierge has continued to grow since its inception in 2007, they even published a stewardess manual ‘Secrets Of A Stewardess‘ – but this success didn’t come without challenges. Duncan speaks about how events such as the 2008 recession impacted the business: “I overcame it by diversifying and working 2 jobs. Another thing [I’ve learnt] is software development, learning how it works, and how other people work”.

Speaking of software and tech, the company has also faced challenges in that area, but Duncan now sees those challenges as achievements in terms of business lessons. In 2020 Crew & Concierge experienced a data breach that saw delicate information compromised from their database. Like many challenges though, Duncan now sees the incident as an important learning curve: “[It] was tough, but gave me lessons in so much about business, and how to ensure that it doesn’t happen again”.

Duncan also took time to hone her management skills, this has been one of the biggest areas of focus for her:

“Learning to be a boss is the hardest thing, especially as an empath. I’m not educated in this, I didn’t go to a business college or university, so dealing with managing has been a process. As well as losing staff that you’re very fond of as it’s their time to move on, it’s hard to deal with on a personal level, and learning to make that divide.”

The time spent obviously paid off as currently Crew & Concierge employ 11 individuals. Duncan also runs ‘Personal Staffing‘ and ‘SHORESIDE’ alongside it, which she hopes will grow into the same level of success: “We’re aiming to get PS as big as, or bigger than C&C, and we will continue driving C&CS, using our network to get people in high-end positions”.

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Read More: Finding Purpose And Starting A Business After Yachting

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Yachting Regrets And Predictions

After many years in recruitment, it’s safe to say that Duncan has a clear understanding of how the industry works. Due to this, she is able to forecast how the industry will change, and also what it currently lacks:

“I would like to see more women in the galley as well as more female skippers. I would like to see more management courses for heads of departments and more humanities departments to support teams in a professional manner”

As for career regrets, Duncan says she would have liked to pursue cooking more: “I would have taken on as many cooking courses as I could to fast-track myself into the galley department. I enjoy cooking, and the galley gives you independence, room to create, and is financially very rewarding. It’s a very transferable skill. Mentally, it would have been more rewarding, despite the high pressure.”

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“I’d like to inspire other women who have ended up alone, to do it as well”

Overall, Duncan doesn’t regret her choices to move her business shoreside, explaining that it allows her to focus on family and her personal life (a typical yachting challenge): “The good side of [moving ashore] is being able to see family, and watch my daughter grow up. The bad side is having a commitment to a business, the growth of which is very demanding”

Duncan recognises that her path to success may not have been seamless, but wants to send a message to other women that it is possible:

“Having been married to my business and raising my daughter, some can say there have been bad sides – the transition is not easy, but worth it in so many ways. There are definitely upsides of being ashore. Running a business with a young child is a hard job. I’d like to inspire other women who have ended up alone, to do it as well”

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Build a better work/life balance

What Duncan’s story conveys is that the path to success is seldom linear, she states that for her: “Success means building a future for my daughter, and seeing what I’ve achieved”.

Duncan also wants to send the message that a work life balance is possible in life after yachting. Her goal for the next five years is to help crew transfer their skills ashore: “[I want to] drive Crew & Concierge forward to enable other people to have careers ashore, helping them to build a better work/life balance and giving them the confidence to transition to shore when they’re scared of leaving the industry”.

Duncan’s advice for crew that are considering their life after yachting?

• Have a plan and don’t lose sight of it.
• Stay focused and don’t look back.
• If you work hard enough, you will succeed ashore.
• Don’t open another recruitment agency.

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For more Life After Yachting articles, click here.

Crew & Concierge welcomes the announcement of a new division of the company that will recruit personnel for shoreside positions with Shoreside.

The company will provide a full-service recruitment resource for the superyacht industry, sourcing naval architects and designers, interior designers, project managers, yacht managers, pilots and engineers.

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The Shoreside database will draw on an international pool of expertise across the superyacht industry as well as industry professionals who are already shore-based to provide crew that are seeking shore-based positions access to more opportunities.

“We’ve been entrusted by our clients to recruit crew for their superyachts and private residences for over 15 years, and we are delighted to now be working with some of the most highly regarded names in yachting to help grow their office, design, and corporate teams. Our comprehension of various industry roles means that we’re able to recruit for more complex on-shore positions – roles that require a distinct skill set and experience that goes beyond the norm.”

– Sara Duncan, Founder and Managing Director of Crew & Concierge and Shoreside.

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Read More: Don’t Miss Porto Montenegro’s 2023 Winter Games

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Shoreside promises to utilise its international database of qualified and highly experienced individuals to its full potential, claiming that: “This will help the industry to better retain knowledge and expertise, and offer better career progression”.

Shoreside recruits staff for charter and brokerage houses, office-based and administrative jobs, marketing teams, bookkeeping departments, and accountancy teams.

A reputation for professionalism, efficiency, and effectiveness in recruiting skilled personnel for specialised roles on shore and at sea has made Crew & Concierge the go-to team for international marine industry recruitment.

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Effective immediately, Quay Crew has partnered with CrewPass to include detailed criminal background checks for crew and yachting professionals as a standard in their recruitment process.

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It will be possible for owners, yachts, management companies, and the wider yachting sector to have successful candidates go through the comprehensive selection process at no additional cost to them. Several recruitment agencies have already integrated CrewPass, enabling candidates to gain ‘approved status’ and distinguish themselves from competitors. The partnership with Quay Crew, however, includes the service as part of the standard recruitment fee.

As a result, clients could save £199 per candidate on the current cost of processing checks through CrewPass.

With CrewPass, criminal background checks, ID verification, and certification validity checks are conducted on individuals, resulting in an approved certification lasting two years. Unchecked candidates will also benefit from this partnership, since they can proactively sign up for £9.99 a month.

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Read More: Yacht Crew Guide To Onboard Complaints

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‘Going That Extra Mile’

Tim Clarke, co-founder and Director at Quay Crew, said: “The safety of yacht owners, their families and guests has always been of paramount importance, but as the yachting sector and its recruitment and referencing processes mature, a growing number of yachts are now requiring full criminal background checks of crew”

“We’ve always followed a stringent referencing and document validity process, but this added level of due diligence offered in partnership with CrewPass goes that extra mile”

Clarke added: “When yachts put it into perspective, background-checking staff is an excellent way of protecting vulnerable groups onboard with whom crew interact on a one-to-one basis, such as High Net Worth individuals and children. Simple reference checks are not sufficient to fully comprehend a candidate’s suitability or history.

“Even on land, employers should feel confident that they are doing everything to ensure the safety of their business, existing employees and clients/customers.”

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UHNW benefit

Conrad Empson, Managing Director of CrewPass, added: “Yachting is, by its very nature, an international and fluid industry, with people frequently moving around the world. This can make it fairly easy to take on new identities, leaving entire lives behind, with no straightforward global protocol to follow for background checks.

“With the average Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) individual having a net worth in excess of $30m, they are often targets of crime. And following Covid, many have sought the isolation, solitude and freedom that owning a superyacht can offer, which is why there has been such a flurry of build and brokerage activity.”

“It’s therefore paramount to ensure those yacht owners, and anyone operating in the industry, are afforded the top level of security from the people who work with and for them.”

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Most likely, your experience as a crew member onboard yachts will be full of adventure, lasting friendships and great memories, but sometimes disputes do happen and things can go wrong. In that case, you will need to know the correct way to raise issues onboard in order for your concerns to be taken seriously.

Here is your step-by-step guide to onboard complaints, who you can reach out to for support and which yachting organisations you might want to join as a crew member.

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Know Your Contract Inside-Out

Before anything, refer to your contract.

It is crucial for any crew member onboard any vessel to have a legal work contract prior to joining a vessel, this will most likely come in the form of a SEA (Seafarer’s Employment Agreement), which is MLC (Maritime Labour Convention) compliant. Under MLC 2006, Seafarers should be properly informed of their rights and an onboard complaints procedure should be outlined.

Not only is it crucial to have a contract, but it’s important you actually read it and understand it as soon as you join a boat, then you will have greater knowledge of what your rights are before you even need to deal with an issue.

Your SEA should outline several things such as your allotted annual leave time, your repatriation rights and your notice period should you leave the boat or be fired. Oftentimes, you may even be asked to sign an NDA. To further understand what NDAs may mean for you onboard, read this article by maritime union Nautilus. If there is anything you don’t understand you should ask your head of department or your captain. Failing that, you can contact the management company that issued the contract for more clarity. PYA (Professional Yachting Association) outline exactly what your contract should include on their website.

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Try To Resolve Issues At The Lowest Level First

By this I mean that you should try your best to resolve any onboard issues with your fellow crew members first before taking your concerns outside of the boat. At sea, minor problems become magnified and can snowball into bigger conflicts, try to nip initial irritations in the bud by speaking out and expressing your feelings in a diplomatic way.

If certain issues do become untenable, typically the first port of call should be your head of department. Of course in some cases you may have an issue with this person themselves, therefore you must inform the Captain. The next step would be to inform the DPA of your management company – this means the individual within the company who is responsible for your vessel. On most boats, there is usually a notice board in the crew mess that informs crew of who the DPA is, along with their contact details.

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Read More: Support For Yachties Now Available Via Whatsapp

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Who To Contact Outside Of The Boat

There are several organisations to reach out to when you need unbiased advice or if your issue is unable to be resolved onboard or with your management company.

Nautilus International

The self-proclaimed ‘voice of the maritime industry’, Nautilus is a trade union for seafarers, and provides representation and support for all yacht crew, regardless of your rank. Nautilus offers 24/7 services to members globally and can advise crew on all matters such as bullying, payment disputes and unfair dismissal. To read more about their services and discover how to join, visit their informative website here.

“The superyacht sector is both complex and international. Our team can help you to understand your rights, and assist with contractual and jurisdictional issues on both commercially operated and privately operated yachts through our worldwide network of lawyers”

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The PYA

The PYA can be a port of call if you experience issues onboard your vessel. They are able to advise you on rights and wrongs.

Members can get accurate, unbiased advice from PYA staff on certification, training, safety, and regulations, but also offer a ‘Member Assistance Service’ in which a knowledgable and experienced PYA professional can advise crew on matters such as “contracts of employment (Seafarers Employment Agreements – SEA’s), unlawful stoppage of wages/salary, poor accommodation, bullying, and harassment, career progression and advice”.

To make sure crews are fairly represented, the PYA attends policy meetings with the MCA and other administrators. The PYA claims to ‘work hard to ensure that the future of the Superyacht industry is being shaped to take into account the best interests of the people who actually live and work onboard yachts’ – and to ensure that crew voices are heard. Read about their membership fees and how to join here.

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Flag State

The ‘Flag State’ is essentially the ‘nationality’ of the yacht you are working aboard. If your vessel is registered to the Cayman Islands for example, the yacht will be governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands. There are many reasons why an owner will register a yacht to a specific location, namely due to tax reasons and sometimes because of the ease of registration.

Flag State is one of the highest authorities you can go to when issues arise, therefore prior steps must usually be taken first when making a complaint.

You should be able to find the contact details for the Flag State representative of your vessel in the Onboard Complaints Procedure. To read more about what the Flag State means for yacht crew, read the PYA’s informative article here.

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Lastly, never feel too intimidated to raise any issues onboard, as long as you have a contract you are legally liable to refer to its terms if you feel that something is amiss. If more crew members feel confident in raising issues, less disputes are likely to happen and the industry can continue to be an exciting and prosperous environment for crew.

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To keep up to date with the latest Superyacht Content crew articles, sign up to our Newsletter here:

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Former Superyacht Captain and co-founder of OceanWave Monaco crew training academy, Mark has taken the time to share his Life After Yachting experience with crew members in need of inspiration.

About Mark

With over 30 years of experience in the yachting industry, I worked my way up from deckhand, all the way to Captain. Now shore-based, I have a passion for helping crew to achieve the highest potential within their yachting careers. I am qualified to train in a wide range of disciplines, and I am currently teaching Powerboat Level 2, PWC , Food Safety Level 2 and 3, as well as being a fully qualified assessor for the Ship’s Cook Assessment course. I also regularly teach STCW on behalf of other training schools.

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How long did you work as crew? What was your role on board? and what yachts did you work on?

30 years. From Deckhand, all the way up to captain. First 5 years on sailboats, however, I soon realised that unfortunately there was more money working on Motorboats.

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When did you leave the Superyacht industry and why?

I haven’t really left the Superyacht industry, after a career based around dealing with owners’ requests onboard, my business partner and I took the opportunity to use our experience to help crew by creating OceanWave Monaco. Happily, this also allowed me the freedom to spend more time with my family and get to see my daughter growing up.

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Prior to leaving, did you plan an exit strategy as to what land-based job you’ll transition to?

Yes. The most important lesson I learned as yacht crew that’s stuck with me to this day is that you’re never too old to learn.

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What is your current job role and where are you based? 

I am one of the directors of OceanWave Monaco, but not so important that I don’t still train. The aim of OceanWave Monaco crew training academy is to:

• To provide a conducive environment to learning for Superyacht crew
• To provide confidence to the candidate to exceed their expectations
• To adapt to different learning techniques and skills
• And most importantly, we provide a fun and enjoyable environment for learning!

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Can you tell us more about OceanWave Monaco and how the concept around the business came about, as well as the name? 

We are a yacht training company based in Monaco, however, we also have our main classroom in Antibes, as this is the centre of yachting. We also do a lot of onboard training.

Myself, and my business partner, Duncan Biggs, saw an opportunity to fill a gap that other maritime training providers were not filling, which was onboard training, either daytime, evening, or weekends, to fit in with a yachts schedule. We had also worked out that it is sometimes cheaper for a yacht to fly us in when training multiple crew on the same subject, as opposed to the vast expense of sending lots of crew to a training facility. Obviously, this only works for certain training courses.

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What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting your own business? and what is the most valuable skill you learned on board that helps you in your job now? 

Try not to get too stressed, you only have one life. The importance of being able to communicate and being open and truthful.

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READ MORE: Life After Yachting: Chief Officer to Aqua Marine Senior Manager, DPA & CSO

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What was the hardest struggle you faced since leaving the industry? 

The money. Going from a yachting wage to running a business.

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Did you always know that you wanted to start your own business in the Superyacht industry? 

No. To use one of those awful phrases, it came ‘organically’. If you could go back to the start of your career,  would you change anything? I.e, financial choices, ways you would have enhanced your cv, extra courses, and so on. Yes, I’d go down the engineering route. You get rotation, roughly the same salary as the captain but with none of the stress apart from keeping the engines going.

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What does success mean to you?

Knowing our candidates come away from our training being inspired and fulfilled by our courses.

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Where do you see Ocean Wave Monaco  in the next 5 years? 

That is a very good question, what with Covid, the war in Ukraine, and energy prices soaring, it’s been a challenging few years, but we’ve sustained our standards and commitment throughout. Hopefully, we will still be providing amazing courses in the future. We’re already growing as a team and this will enable us to reach more candidates, provide more courses and help more crew reach their potential.

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Lastly, can you share 3 pieces of advice for crew members thinking about their life after yachting.

Use yachting to your benefit, just like yachting uses you.

• Get on the property ladder as soon as you can. (It took me far too long to realise that.)
• Put half your salary away, pretend to yourself that you only get paid half of what you do, and save the rest.  You’ll be surprised at how it can accumulate a nice little nest egg, or it can give you that cushion and security when looking for your next job.
• Relax, it’s only yachting. If you’re not enjoying the boat you’re on, leave. Life is too short, it’s not worth being unhappy in a job that you don’t like.

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For more information on OceanWave Monaco, click here.