Quarantine free access to Australia from New Zealand

Both New Zealand and Australia are enjoying extremely low Covid cases. Plus almost no community transmission.  Australia established quarantine free access for New Zealand arrivals by air some months ago. This open access is now also available to superyachts. Just in time for the completion of the America’s Cup.

David Good, CEO of Superyacht Australia commented. “The last two vessels to apply to enter Australia from New Zealand have been approved to do so without quarantine requirements upon arrival in Sydney. The vessel occupants will be able to step off and go ashore as soon as they receive a negative Covid test result on arrival. This is now available to superyachts and occupants who have been in New Zealand for longer than 14 days for arrival into New South Wales.”

“Each vessel injects millions of dollars of economic contribution through the extensive use of contractors and tradesmen whenever they are in a port or marina. Australian shipyards are some of the best in the world. So it will be great to see these yachts making use of our skilled marine trades and shipyards. Which will keep these vessels in the region for longer,” stated Good.

“With the Olympics in Japan in a few months, it is likely that many of these vessels will remain in the Pacific.  At least for the remainder of this year. Hopefully the next staging of the America’s Cup will again be held in Auckland with a compressed turnaround to encourage even more into the Pacific,” concluded Good.

160 superyachts were expected to attend the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland. Covid reduced that number to 20. Although heavily reduced, the economic spend of this fleet is still estimated at tens of millions.

For more information on who to contact for assistance please see below

Australian International Marine Export Group | Superyacht Australia | Australian Commercial Marine Group Suite 4401, 4 Daydream Street, Warriewood, NSW, Australia 2102
t: +61 2 9956 8906
e: info@aimex.asn.au | info@superyacht-australia.com

w: www.aimex.asn.au | www.superyacht-australia.com | www.commercialmarine.com.au

Australian International Marine Export Group | Superyacht Australia | Australian Commercial Marine Group

FOR MEDIA INFORMATION CONTACT: David Good
Chief Executive Officer
AIMEX, Superyacht Australia and ACMG Ph: +61 2 9956 8906

Mob: +61 (0) 413 375 820 Email: dgood@aimex.asn.au

Australian International Marine Export Group | Superyacht Australia | Australian Commercial Marine Group

About AIMEX

The Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX) is the peak body for the marine export industry. The objective of AIMEX is to develop and promote Australia’s international competitiveness in the marine sector. AIMEX represents some of Australia’s most successful international brands, emerging companies and firms that showcase exciting innovation and technological development.

About Superyacht Australia

Superyacht Australia is the peak body for the Australian Superyacht Industry. Our key focus is to develop and promote Australia’s international competitiveness as a destination for the global superyacht fleet, to increase visitations of superyachts to Australia and to promote the capabilities of the Australian superyacht industry to service a visiting vessels’ every need.

About Australian Commercial Marine Group

The Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG), created under the AIMEX & Superyacht Australia umbrella is the leading industry body supporting, developing and

PORTER x PAIN

A new clothing line set up by two yachting brothers from the two corners of the world

Perched on the swim platform after a long day on charter, Matthew Porter and Nicholas Pain thought “Imagine if we put all of these hours into our own business..”

They knew they wanted to design clothes and had been bouncing ideas back and forth for a year before it all came together.

Fate made it happen

Life took precedence after a while as Matthew headed back to the UK to start a family. Nicholas continued to clean windows in exotic countries. During this time, countless hours of video calls with ideas started to come together. Designs were drawn up and samples were received.

Another clothing brand? Yawn

When they started telling people about Porter x Pain they were met with the same response.. “there are loads of people with clothing brands out there.”

This may be true but not everyone has worked on Superyachts. We know the attention to detail that they have from working for years in an industry where perfect means room for improvement. From the reusable bag, they are delivered in to the spritz of fragrance when you open your package. Everything has been mulled over, refined, and will continue to improve as they learn more about the industry they have burst into.

Nicholas is from Australia and Matthew is from the UK. With friends in yachting meant that their first few orders came in from New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, and America. Even though Porter x Pain is based in the UK their customer base is worldwide.

On the website porterxpain.com they currently stock t-shirts, caps, beanies, and socks. With hoodies, shorts, and other items in the final stages of samples and available soon. Enter discount code “SYC” at the checkout as they are giving all Superyacht content readers a NICE discount!

There is also a competition to win some clothes on the instagram page @porterxpain until 12.00 GMT Monday 15th March so get your last-minute entries in.

From Teaspoons to Main Engines: But what is actually in between?

We all know Global Services are one of largest Superyacht supply companies in the world. What we are certain you didn’t know is what they can actually supply. Here are 6 really cool things that you can order direct from them.

Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1

Is this the coolest thing you have ever seen?

The impossible, made possible, with the Hydrofoiler™ XE-1 by Manta5, the world’s first water-bike that replicates the cycling experience on water. Yes, you read that correctly. Cycling on water. Using the same technology as America’s Cup sailboats, the Hydrofoiler XE-1 expands cycling possibilities on a whole new water frontier.

Global services are an official distributor for this super cool piece of kit. Want to see this and more? Global have a vast Toy store full of amazing toys like this in their superyacht supply inventory. Check it out here.

Mobile Phone Contracts for Crew

Whilst you are flicking through your phone looking at the Global Services APP you may need to make a call! Lots of crew rely on data these days for their calls but, you still have to buy data somewhere. Whether it is for you, or a complete package for all the yacht phones, Global can supply these too. They don’t just supply the latest and greatest phones but the contracts too. Add to this the fact that they manage your contracts and make sure there are no horror stories and it’s another win. Oh, and it’s very competitive too. Have a look here

Zip Taps

How annoying is it at morning tea break when the kettle takes too long to boil? You’ve had one sip of your drink before “back to work”. It literally ruins your life twice a day!

Global has you covered. Just get in touch and order a new Zip Tap. Instant boiling, chilled or even filtered water at the touch of a button. This is a very popular product right now and is also discounted via Global.

Order direct through the Global APP for this to arrive with your next delivery.

Now all you need to do is persuade your chief engineer to fit it for you!

Tenders

Really? Yes you heard this right, Global can supply you with new and used tenders. Imagine this, you are on charter in the med and somehow your tender is damaged beyond repair. Your insurers will cover it but that doesn’t help you get a new boat does it?

This is where Global steps in. Due to their new relationship with Superyacht Tenders they are able to spec and order a new boat for you. They can also supply an interim tender to keep the boss happy until the new one arrives. There are no surcharges here and Global will match and sometimes beat the manufacturer’s price for the new boat. How’s that for service?

Global can supply anything from a 5m RiB to a 17m chase boat. And everything in between. Plus, if you have an old tender you need to get rid of this can be taken in part exchange too. Total no brainer as far as we are concerned.

Eco-Friendly cleaning products

Sustainability is a huge subject in yachting right now and rightly so. Global are taking this very seriously and therefore offer a large range of Eco Friendly cleaning products. Ecoworks Marine is one company growing quickly within the Superyacht industry and Global are happy to be able to do their bit for superyacht supply by offering such bio friendly products. These include;

• wash down soaps
• Surface cleaners
• Fabric Cleaners
• Sanitisers

Global also supply produces such as Bio D and Ecover so you can rest assured that all your cleaning requirements are covered and your eco conscience is clear.

Miele Appliances

We all know how busy the laundry can be on charter and also what a nightmare it is if a machine fails. Luckily Global has you covered here too. They offer a full range of appliances and spares with healthy discounts. So, next time you need new parts or machines get in touch to add them to your Global order.

So, if you didn’t realise you could buy all these things, imagine what else Global can supply you with. Their team supports a huge number of Superyachts worldwide and prides themselves on saving you time, money and stress with every order.

Get in touch to experience Superyacht Supply at its best.

We all love Gin don’t we? It may not be the “all day drinking partner” that Rose is in the South of France but is still Super popular among guests and crew alike.

Wilsonhalligan, in partnership with HMS spirits have sent us this great list of Gin cocktails for you to WOW your guests with, and maybe even try yourself when the charter is over!

Gin

Gin’s rise in popularity over the past few years has been phenomenal and whether your guests enjoy the high-quality classics or prefer more unusual flavours, there’s no doubt that you’ll get more than a few requests for gin cocktails this season.

Here at WH we have carefully selected our top 5 gin cocktails that will impress owners, guest and crew alike. We teamed up with Ben from HMS Spirits, to show you how to make the most of his brilliant gins.

HMS Spirits have won numerous awards for their exceptional gin, with every batch being carefully hand crafted here in the UK.  Ben’s family’s naval background is the inspiration for the beautiful nautical themed bottles, which look stunning on any superyacht bar.  From the classic Negroni to new twists on traditional favourites you’re sure to find something here that will impress.

Negroni

This popular Italian cocktail is often enjoyed as an aperitif and the secret to the perfect Negroni is balance.  Reach for the best spirits you have on board and use equal parts gin, vermouth and Campari.

Ingredients

• 25ml gin
• 25ml sweet vermouth
• 25ml Campari
• Ice

Pour the gin, vermouth and Campari into a mixing glass with ice. Stir well until the outside of the glass starts to feel cold.

Strain into a tumbler and add 1 large ice sphere or some fresh ice.  Garnish with a slice of orange or blood orange when in season.

Earl Grey Martini

A sophisticated twist on a classic martini, this cocktail requires a little advanced preparation but is then quick and simple to make for guests.  The bergamot oil from the Earl Grey tea gives a lovely citrus hit and you could even get creative with the way you serve it…

Ingredients

• 700ml bottle of gin
• 1 tbsp of good quality loose-leaf Earl Grey Tea

In advance, put the earl Grey Tea in a large jug and pour over the gin.  Stir for about 45 seconds and then strain through a tea strainer back into the bottle.  You may still see small particles of tea in the gin so strain for a second time through a coffee filter.  You can then store this gin until ready to use.

• 85ml infused gin
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons simple syrup

Pour the infused gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker over ice.  Shake and strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass.

Lavender Spritz

Perfect for a party or afternoon cocktails, this pretty cocktail, with a light floral twist, will be sure to delight your guests.

Ingredients

• 200ml red vermouth
• 200ml white vermouth
• 200ml gin
• 1tsp dried lavender
• Soda or tonic water
• Lemon wedges
• Fresh lavender sprigs

Pour the red and white vermouth and gin into a jug or bottle and add the dried lavender and leave to infuse overnight.

Allow 50ml per person and serve over lots of ice, topped up with soda or tonic water. Add some lemon wedges and a sprig of lavender.

French 75

 Rumoured to have been created in the New York Bar in Paris, this is a great combination of gin and champagne, the perfect cocktail for any celebration.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar syrup
• 50ml gin
• Champagne

Pour the lemon juice, sugar syrup and gin into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice.  Shake well then strain into a champagne flute.

Top with a little champagne, wait for the bubbles to settle and then fill up some more. Swirl gently with a cocktail stirrer and garnish with a strip of lemon zest.

English Garden Cocktail

A refreshing summer cocktail that is really easy to make.  Perfect for large parties and events as you can multiply the ingredients and serve from a jug.

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin
• 25ml St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 75ml Apple Juice
• 10ml Lime Juice
• Cucumber Ribbons

Shake all the ingredients and strain into a tall glass or jug with filled with fresh ice.  Garnish with cucumber ribbons and a sprig of mint.

Let us know how you get on. We are just off to get the cocktail shaker out!

Thanks to Wilson Halligan and HMS Spirits.

West Nautical hosts bespoke bridge and engine room Command and Control crew training course at South Shields Marine School

West Nautical, in partnership with Kate Gillespie and the South Shields Marine School, hosted a Covid-19 safe bespoke “Command and Control” course to a team of 9 delegates from the same new build Motor Yacht. The delegates consisted of a 3-person engineering team and a 6-person bridge team made up of 2 captains, 2 chief officers, and 2 OOW’s.

Utilising South Shields Marine School’s 360-degree bridge simulator and two-story full mission engine simulator. The emergency scenarios were based on a virtual vessel with representative equipment to replicate that which will be found on board the delegates vessel. The bridge and engine simulators can operate independently or be connected in order to run emergency scenario training as it would be on board a vessel. The West Nautical team utilised both options during the course.

West Nautical Bespoke Training

This was a fully customised course commissioned to West Nautical by Captain Stuart Frize. He had attended the Command and Control course previously, for the officers of his vessel which is due to be delivered in the Spring.

Captain Frize said –  “The West Nautical Command and Control course is unique amongst simulator courses that I have attended. In 3-days we are able to break down, build, and fine-tune our emergency procedures and abilities. The post drill debriefs involving video, voice, and data analysis are crucial for Officers and Engineers to gain a new perspective on their strengths and flaws. The immediate lessons learned and improvement to their confidence and abilities are remarkable. I highly recommend this course to other new build and Operational Captains.”

Training can go ahead despite Covid

This course goes to show that even during the global crisis of the coronavirus pandemic, some employers and shipping companies continue to invest in training their seafarers. West Nautical and the South Shields Marine School were delighted to deliver this bespoke course following the strict protocols to ensure all personnel involved were safe.

Over the 3-days, the delegates were put through a wide range of scenarios. The aim was to improve emergency responses, communication, and resource management, as well as implement their new ISM systems which are still in their development stages. These scenarios were designed by West Nautical in order to provide invaluable training in a realistic environment. Scenarios included collision, fire, flooding, abandon ship, medical emergencies, piracy, equipment, and engine failure. All whilst “navigating” in very busy shipping lanes such as the English Channel, Singapore, and Kattegat Straits.

The delegates varied in experience. Some of them had not been at sea for over 18-months as they had been in the shipyard overseeing the new build. Not having worked together previously, the course gave the officers the opportunity to build relationships in the most stressful of environments.

A success?

After each exercise was completed, the delegates gather in a classroom for a detailed debrief. This included video playbacks of the scenario and step-by-step analysis of actions taken which either improved or heightened the scenario. Geoff Moore, West Nautical managing director said:

“After running similar courses to this over the past 6 years, we realise that the real learning is done in the debrief, not during the exercises. We have seen time and again the huge improvements in human response and behavior from delegates after we openly discuss what went wrong, what went well, and what they learned whilst alongside their peers”.

For further information about the West Nautical bespoke training Command and Control course or to sign up for the next course contact training@westnautical.com

For the latest Yacht crew career and training advice, click here.

[avatar user=”Gemma” /]

Sustainability Musings by Gemma, @SeastainableYachting 

The world is a complex, interconnected place and it is in a constant flux of change. It is also changing at a terrifying rate. From global warming, deforestation, water security, pollution, waste, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, soil erosion to dwindling resources –  sorry, were you reading this for good news? 

The last few years have felt like these issues have gone from being ‘some day’ to something that we are now seeing the impacts of every single day. They are so big and complex, I find myself thinking surely someone has got to fix it from the top? How can, I, little old me, be expected to change anything? 

I imagine that is how you also feel? But amongst this pending doom is something we should all cling to – hope. Hope that we can turn it around. 

It’s true, we can turn it around. Times are changing, sure, maybe too slowly, but change is happening. Even in the process of typing this, there are new eco-friendly products in development, shipyards breaking through sustainable. Technical advances and even crew buying their last pack of plastic water bottles. Whilst I certainly don’t have the answers to fix the whole industry, what I do have is lots of ideas that will make a difference to our industry. 

There are changes you can make without political agendas and without big businesses having to dig deep to find their conscience. I have actionable changes, just for you…

Introducing Seastainable Yachting 

The industry is built upon a passion for the ocean, a drive to constantly improve and a commitment to please and offer the best to our clients. So, why on earth would we not want to protect its future? 

Sustainability needs to be on the top of every agenda. Enter  Seastainable Yachting. This purpose driven platform was founded by me back in 2019, for more information check out this interview. I have started this monthly column as a way of opening up the sustainability conversation even more.

Make a change

Making sustainable changes onboard can be overwhelming. Wondering if it really does make a difference? It does. I want you to use those feelings to fuel some active hope. Sitting and waiting isn’t the solution to any problem. Doing something feels better than doing nothing, every time. Seastainable is about doing. Changing some of the things we do, we buy, changing the way we, as crew, run Superyachts. 

But changing habits is hard work. Ask anyone that has tried to loose a few pounds or tried to stick to a new fitness regime. But also ask them how they succeeded – in small acts everyday. Making small changes builds into bigger shifts in social behaviour. Look at how quickly we all ditched plastic straws or stopped travelling in lockdown. 

Small acts multiplied by millions will transform the world (and, more importantly, our industry) So, read on for my top tips to make changes today. 

Top tips for making changes

• Get motivated:

  Find your ‘why?’, why you actually want to make changes? Why you want your boat to be run more sustainably – if my introduction wasn’t scary enough, please contact me for more information on why you should be wanting to make changes!

• Quick & easy does it:

  No-one will continue with anything if it isn’t easy to start with. Look at what can be changed easily without too much upheaval and start with that. 

• Don’t run before you can walk:

  Similar to picking easy tasks. Start with one – do not go out with the mindset to change everything. When you put your sustainability goggles on believe me you will see everything differently and want to change everything there and then but you have to start with a means to continue. 

• One step at a time:

  Yes being a ‘zero waste’ yacht would be amazing  but, completely overwhelming. Imagine where you are at now and where ‘zero’ would be – I know without even setting foot onboard your yacht that’s too much. So break it down into manageable milestones. 

• Progress not perfection:

  Quite simply, all progress is progress. Don’t beat yourself up about making it perfect, yet. 

• Be realistic:

  You work onboard a yacht with a unique set of circumstances, things change. Sustainability is such a huge topic, pick specific goals you want to happen onboard first. 

• Write it down:

  Accountability goes a long, long way. Display your changes and goals visually in the crew mess for everyone to see. I have some simple but effective downloadable infographics.  

• Don’t do it alone:

  You have a team onboard for a reason, this is a whole crew activity, involve everyone in your proposed changes. You also have Seastainable, I founded the platform to help others make changes, get in touch. 

• Set deadlines:

  Don’t procrastinate. Set timelines on when you want things to happen, e.g. by the time we leave the yard we will be doing X instead of Y. 

• Accept mistakes:

  Forgetting your reusable shopping bags doesn’t make you a failure – think about what went wrong and why and give yourself a better chance next time. 

What does our new future look like? 

Lastly, I want to end these columns looking out into the future and the wider world, bringing these thoughts back into our industry. 

Since the Covid pandemic this phrase of ‘new normal’ is being thrown around a lot. How should the world make its comeback? Should we go back to the way things were? Have we realised we can change certain things in our lives that really weren’t working out too well anyway? 

What does our industry need to do for our ‘new normal’?

• We need to clean up; clean up our workplace, the oceans
• We need to expand better; using the framework of circular economy 
• We need to create a better industry; a fairer, equal, more diverse one 
• We need to collaborate more; noone can prosper alone to solve these issues 
• We need to embrace positive change; and to implement these changes throughout the industry 

Thank you for reading, for additional information and resources please drop me an email or check out the website. 

£100 fine? Really? For not doing a tax return?

That’s what we thought but it turns out this is true.

We saw this mentioned on Social media and so we decided to do a bit of research. After all, we don’t like to see adverts or headlines which may mislead crew or, worse still cost them money they don’t need to spend.

Tax and what to do about it can be stressful enough for crew without having various “tax specialists” trying to scare you into doing something unnecessary. So, we spoke to Crew Family Office, the most popular crew tax company in the Superyacht industry to find out the truth.

So, what’s the truth?

We had a great chat with Mark Upton from CREWFO who told us everything we need to know. There is good and bad news. So here we go;

1. If you are British and work on a yacht you need to declare your offshore income. This is law
2. To declare your income you need to do a tax return.
3. Your tax return must be submitted by the 31st January each year
4. If it is late you will get a fine from HMRC

Whilst this sounds like a massive pain it turns out to be nothing like as bad as you think. I went through the process on the CREWFO website and it takes about 10 minutes. EASY. We can see why they are so popular!

There are obviously a few bits of key information the CREWFO team needs such as;

1. Personal details like, DOB, address, NI number, UTR number (if you have one)
2. Employer details, days in the UK and amount you have earned.
3. Copies (electronic obviously) of payslips or bank statements

Once they have this which I obviously had saved (I am a super organised Captain) then my draft return was sent over for my review within 24 hours. Now THAT is what I call GREAT SERVICE. 

The bad news

1. If you are British crew and your tax return is late you WILL get a £100 fine. The fine WILL get bigger if you are late paying it.
2. If you have never done a tax return before but should have, you WILL get a fine if/ when you get caught. These fines can be quite big!
3. To do your tax return you need to gather some information which is a bit of a pain. CREWFO are very good but they cannot read your mind. They need info from you! Do them and yourself a favour and keep records!

Now, the good news

1. 1000’s of crew do their taxes every year. Believe me it is not rocket science.
2. Once you submit the info, CREWFO do the rest. There is no real work involved for you.
3. It is very unlikely you will have any tax to pay as long as you meet the requirements for the SED (seafarer’s earnings deduction)
4. Once it is done you are a UK tax payer. This is a GOOD thing!
5. You can now do things like apply for mortgages, set up investments/ pensions etc and make the most of all the other benefits as yacht crew that other people don’t get!

The final word from Mark at CREWFO was this. “I understand that seeing an advert warning crew of fines can be stressful and a little bit scary. But, there are so many crew out there who still don’t understand what they need to do or just think they will get away with not doing anything. A little bit of a nudge may help them avoid a fine. If a bit of tough love can help save you a fine then you can thank us later”

So, what can we take away from our experience?

1. British crew can get a £100 fine. The headlines you see are not lies or click bait.
2. Doing your tax return is easy. Well, getting someone like CREWFO to do it is easy. CREWFO look after 1000’s of British crew and do tax returns for all of them. Crew love them, so do we, and you should too!
3. There is no downside to doing a tax return. British crew;
   1. Won’t have to pay tax
   2. Will be in the system
   3. Can then have access to mortgages, investments and all the other things which crew put their money in to.

Finally, as a Captain one thing I still find hard to believe is this. British crew still don’t seem to get how lucky they are compared with almost every other nationality in yachting. How many crew wish they could file a tax return and still NOT have to pay any tax? You get all the benefits but none of the negatives. Do yourselves a favour, think of your future. It all starts with tax!

A big thank you to the team at Crew Family Office who not only helped us get to the bottom of what we have been reading, but also showed me how easy it actually is to file your tax return. And avoid the £100 fine!

CrewFO was set up specifically to assist SuperYacht crew with the difficult things in life like tax. If you have read this article and are not sure what to do next, get in touch or go to www.crewfo.com