Reasons to love yachting

Some people ask me, as they look at me, baffled, over a glass of wine in the local pub, 'Why? Why yachting? What is so great about it?'

To my mind if you don't get it, you don't get it but having tried to explain for a few years on my own I asked some of contacts to tell me why they liked yachting. This is what I got from them. But my reasons are first!

• Swimming at midnight with the phosphoressence off the greek islands
• Dolphins playing chase with the boat in Turkey
• The fireworks display in Monaco with champagne on the foredeck
• Saying goodbye to happy charter guests and knowing they'd had such a good time because of us crew
• Cooking a really good meal and watching everyone enjoy it ... Jen Errico, Yacht Chef
  
  

• Long warm evenings at anchor in quiet bays
• Dawn mid Atlantic
• Crewing at La Nioularge, St Tropez
• Successfully handling crises
• The end of a charter when everything has gone well
• Landfall after a couple of weeks at sea ...Bruce Maunsell, Delivery Skipper, NZ
  
  

• Money
• Clean engine rooms
• Beautiful places
• My position as an engineer
• Tenders ... Jurica Jerkovic, Engineer
  
  

• Friends
• Travel
• Money
• Dolphins
• The crew mess ... Anna Garland, Chef
  
  

• Meeting my partner
• being involved in building 2 of the most complex yachts in the world in great locations
• meeting and making really good friends and also really good work colleagues... Chris, Captain
  
  

• Manifesting my confidence and individuality as the captain
• Earning the trust of my crew and owner
• Spending 4 years doing one thing really well without a lot of distractions... Andy Smith, Captain.
  
  

• Name dropping with my friends back home (work on a charter yacht with loads of celebs)
• Not worrying about money
• The mediterranean season
• Tips ... Chantelle Carter, Stewardess
  
  

• Paying back my student loans
• The owner letting my dad join the yacht for the crossing from the Caribbean to Palma. It was amazing. G Mackenzie, First Officer, S/Y