What makes a good crew

For the majority of those in the yachting industry it is the love of the sea, of sailing, of travel and adventure that puts them there. It is the pursuit of a dream and many are prepared to make sacrifices to achieve that dream. Captains may become virtual surrogate parents to their crews. And to their owners!

Deckhands will spend countless hours polishing already clean windows, buffing already sparkling chrome work. Endless early morning bare foot patrols across dew wet decks, walking and talking in whispers so as not to wake the guests below.
Engineers will miraculously fix the leaking fridge, mend the grumbling air con, repair the water makers, fix the stews hair dryers and mend the chefs food mixer.
Stewards and stewardesses will work long hours on those late night parties with little or no sleep, then spend much of the following day getting the yacht back to sparkling whilst serving endless hangover cures to sad and sorry guests.
And of course the chef/s will be serving three course meals for crew at the same time as preparing canapés for twelve guests while mixing a round of milkshakes for the owners children.
And all may be asked and will be expected to forgo being with their children/family over holidays, birthdays and Christmas when required.

The brochures, the movies, the novels make it seem like magic. The ‘magic’ is sheer hard work but done so discreetly and so elegantly that it seems effortless from the outside. The professional yachting industry is on the brink of many far reaching changes, many more yachts, new regulations with new educational standards are being introduced. Lots of new and bigger yachts, needing lots of crew, crew who can meet this new challenge.

What makes a good crew are people who can deal with all of the above with a smile on their face, cope with the stresses and strains of living and working on top of one another and get along. Good crew have realistic expectations, a good attitude and are there to make the most of the opportunities that yachting can provide.