YACHTING LIKE IT IS

SPECIAL FARCES

2009-09-08T13:07:00.001-04:00

How do you really know if someone is a good actor unless you know them when they are not acting. For this reason I have to assume that Angelina Joilie is not normally a moody, pouting bird that seems to be using those big eyes and child bearing lips to say naughty things to me. If I am to believe she is a good actor I have to believe that she is in fact a a rather timid, giggly sort of a girl who is more interested in her gardening than my trousers. But I will probably never know.

The point is, if you are smart you can exploit the unknown and pray on peoples ignorance to portray a set of circumstances that will encourage them to believe you and pay you for your services. To an extent we all do it. For example; Engineers will tell you that you need a 'new one' because of what may happen if the 'old one' fails with the boss on board which of course is your worst case scenario. Of course in most cases the engineer would believe what he or she is saying to be absolutely true but you get the point. This sort of fear tactic is countered in most cases, by the fact that most of us have experience and knowledge that allows us to make an independent decision.

Security is slightly different however. I am slightly concerned by the number of people telling us that yachting is a dangerous risk and crew need to be trained in some sort of weapons use to defend against it. Not because they have a great deal of yachting experience and know where owner's like to go or how yachts operate but because they were trained in security. Yachties are exposed to quite a few security risks as recent events in the Caribbean have highlighted. But the truth is, training them to leave their Rolex behind and travel in numbers is far more important security advice than teaching them how to defend against an armed attack.

Lets be honest the ISPS convention is about as useful as a chocolate condom. It is a politically motivated convention which is aimed at a small sector of the maritime industry and yachts are just caught up in it. ISPS actually tells you how to search for a bomb. Well that is totally against conventional wisdom which clearly says if you think there is a bomb anywhere near, go somewhere else. When someone calls in a bomb threat do the police ask for help to find it? NO they evacuate. Security is a bit like religion; It is very difficult to say anything against it as it can be seen almost as blasphemy. Guns and crew do not go. Train crew how to say "don't touch that" in Russian. Now that is smart and may save a guest's fingers but teaching them how to employ military evasion tactics is scaremongering. Piracy is a problem and if a yacht needs to go to an areas where pirates are, then they should take protection. Yachts use painters to paint and AV people to install the AV system, so then, what's wrong with using security experts to protect against insecurity.

LEAVE WELL ALONE

2009-09-08T13:06:00.002-04:00

Aren’t holidays great! Most yachties are obviously in the business of making other peoples holidays great but nonetheless holidays are worth working for. I should know I am on one. Tuscan sun, pool, food, pool, food, barbecue, food, pool, all mixed with copious amounts of wine, children and locals with nice big tasty tomatoes. Just the thing to recharge the batteries. If only I could get past the red blotchy phase and develop a tan it would be perfect.

Different yachts all seem to have different arrangements for holidays for their crew. Some give flights, some only allow you to take what leave has accrued. Some yachts include weekends, some don’t. Some have formal arrangements, some less so. It is quite interesting that something as important as a crew member’s leave, time off, holiday, break, furlough or whatever you may call it, are treated very differently by practically every yacht I have come across. For me it is very important for crew to take a break. We have all seen the martyrs who refuse to take leave or those who would try and accrue as much leave as possible and try and take cash instead on leaving the boat. As they tire or get ‘burned’ others can be affected by their behaviour. For a growing number of yacht crew their leave is the only time they can use to train for qualifications that will keep them on the career ladder.

What if there was a standard of accepted practice for every yacht? Would it be better or worse. Inevitably some would win and some would lose compared to current arrangements as yachts can be famously both generous or mean. But, what would surely happen is that crew would know where they stood and value judgements would be unlikely cause issues on board. It sounds a bit far fetched, a standardized leave arrangement for yachts but think about it. What if it went beyond just leave and there was a standardized contract.

We all know the rules and we know how to write the rules and they cannot be so dissimilar from one yacht to another that a relatively off the shelf contract would not actually serve a useful purpose. Any extra requirements could be in the form of an addendum pertinent to a particular yacht. The Dockwalk is advocating ‘contracts for all yachties’ and as we know it is already the law in most cases to provide crew with a contract. However we still do not all get them and the forums a full of people who have fallen out with the captain because of leave issues or the interpretation of a grey area that should have been clarified in a contract.

When the MLC comes into force which is said to be “soon” by those in the know, it will make contracts much more common and so having a streamlined one, that is used by many might actually make it more acceptable for the parties that must agree to definitive terms. I know I would use such a contract if one existed in fact I can’t imagine why more crew don’t have contracts it seem like madness to me. But what do I care? I am, after all, on holiday.

KEEN AND GREEN

2009-09-08T13:05:00.004-04:00

It may have snuck in while you weren’t looking, it may have been welcomed with open arms by some but Environmentalism is at last part of the yachting industry. There is no question that pollution, prevention and control have been with us for some time but they are specific measures imposed on us by various conventions, their existence means many crew have been exposed to rules regarding protecting the seas we live and work on. However what is different about a positive environmental approach is that it is voluntary and therefore can and should be inventive and customized for a particular yacht and not some prescribed policy intended for gigantic ships.

For me the best and worst thing about the environmental efforts made by the yachting sector is that it seems to coming from owners and not crew. The majority of ‘green yachts’ are arguably green because of the capital infrastructure invested in by the yacht owners; sophisticated sewage treatment plants and efficient machinery and the like. Very few yachts are mandated to actually operate with an environmental agenda. Admittedly some yachts often do have a sign saying; ‘think of the environment before printing this email!’ but that is not necessarily making the best use of the knowledge available and in some cases is more of a fad than a policy.

It is a fact that you simply cannot buy a ‘safe’ yacht it has to operated in a ‘safe manner’. The same can be said for yachts that want to reduce their environmental impact and operate in a green way. Of course designing in or equipping a yacht with technological efficiency gives one a head start to a green operation but unless the yacht’s operators are on the same page it’s benefit can be potentially very small.

So what will it take to get crew on board with the environmental operating improvements that can reduce a yachts impact on its environment and why should they bother?

Well there are more reasons now than ever but two stick out that would be easy to justify even in the mind of the staunchest global warming denier, and, they are surely out there.

Firstly in these poor economic times, savings and economies are undoubtedly what owners want. A great part of reducing ones carbon keelprint is by reducing emissions which means operating more economically. A simple saving and direct benefit to the owner you don’t even have to care about reef degradation to see the benefit of that.

Secondly a reduced keel print is a very big selling and marketing point for a yacht these days. Having talked to a number of designers and brokers in the last few months there are definitely the first signs of demand in the sort of yachts that are operating with some level of greenness. There has been reported to be a resurgence in interest of large sailing yachts because of this very reason, together with interest from buyers and owners wanting to know how they can make their yachts greener.

The simple point I am making is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t care about the environment it makes sense to operate yachts with an environmental agenda firmly in place. Just what such an agenda might include in terms of an operational approach is a large topic but one thing is for sure and that is that it will need to be part of a strategy and not simply a tactic. There is more and more information being put out there about what crew can achieve in terms of environmental efficiencies but the industry needs more communication and more commitment on the part of the crew themselves. In turn they will certainly need support and access to the information available on just what their options may be.

It may not be long before we see consultants and technicians visiting yachts to design a Green operational document in the same way that security people or AV technicians do already. In the mean time anyone who has developed any smart green operating strategies, please share them with us. IYT and Save Our Seas are working on developing some educational materials and their relevance will be improved with your input.

CENTS AND SENSIBILITIES

2009-09-08T13:05:00.002-04:00

Now it would seem to me that the US and Ft Lauderdale in particular is starting to suffer from a rather unfair reputation as a bit of a difficult yachting destination in view of the rules and regulations that are in force here. I have spoken with several crew recently who had seen numerous forum posts and headlines that seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill.

There are undoubtedly some very specific rules with regard to immigration and cruising in US waters for foreigners and foreign flagged vessels. However, for most these rules rate in complication terms somewhere between booking a hotel room online and using Google earth to find your house. Just not that difficult!

There always plenty of hurdles to overcome and hoops to get through when travelling to any foreign destination. Try taking a yacht to the Ukraine if you want difficulty. Even the Bahamas is notorious for changing the cruising and fishing rules and these affect most that go there in yachts unless you go there to do something other than cruising and fishing.

If you read the yachting press you would be forgiven that the US is a place preoccupied with security where crew are routinely turned away from the airport by special forces agents with a ‘top gun’ fixation, Stars and Stripes boxer shorts and very shiny black boots. But in fact if you come here for genuine reasons with the standard paperwork and visas, you have nothing to fear from the authorities who are doing more than their job requires them to do.
So I am starting a campaign to promote Ft Lauderdale and I would like to hear from any of the many thousands of people who come during their yachting endeavours and find it a pretty straight forward place to do business. Just a few of the attributes I am aware of are listed below I would like to hear of more.

It is easy and relatively cheap to live, eat, drink and shop. It has numerous recreation opportunities including parks, beaches, casinos and very big shops where they accept the dollar which is worth a lot less than the Euro.

Every golf course has golf carts. The weather is generally pretty good. The keys are close by and so too are some of the world’s best amusement parks which are just a few miles north. There are plenty of supplies and suppliers where you can get pretty much anything that is needed to make a yacht work and shine. The place is crawling with subcontractors who are always keen in these times to find work and make a deal, meaning that it is great value because of course you can use the dollar.

As the season turns in the next couple of months and boats start to head south, Ft Lauderdale becomes a strategic staging post which is why it was and is an important stopping off point for yachts.

Don’t be put off by the few who have fallen foul of the rules the vast majority continue to recognize that Lauderdale is a very easy place to do business and excellent value. See you there!

C-WORD BOUND

2009-09-08T13:04:00.002-04:00

Well, the title undoubtedly means different things to different people and I would bet that to the demographic that run and manage yachts, the "C" word probably stands for the ultimate in profanity. And that is just it. Sometimes yachting is a small world and until you can look with objectivity upon it, the perspective gained aboard yachts is difficult to benefit from.

To give you an example, no matter how used one gets to a regime of hard work and sleepless nights. No matter how demanding you think owners and charter guests can be, it is not until you have a child that you realize quite how ill prepared you are for sleepless nights and demanding people. If my child was a charter guest she would be more demanding than a particularly high maintenance Russian, rapper with very low ethical and moral standards, who is prone to indecision and who has recently had a really bad deal/album and has decided that the only way to cheer up is to have a really big party. I suspect my child is perfectly normal, although the howling at full moon, hairy hands and emotional control she wields is a little worrying. If I made a movie it would probably be called "A British Werewolf in Lauderdale."

Perhaps it is a part of growing up; the generation ahead of me, when they’re not lamenting the days before the MCA, usually tell me that things are all normal and so I pass on the same sentiment to those behind me and so on. Growing up is, frankly, relatively simple to most and the landmarks were in retrospect, pretty obvious. For me, growing up was punctuated by my interest in the shopping catalogues at home. For the first part of my life they were heavy and a danger to me as I wanted to eat them. As I got older they interested me because of their bright colours. Then I started reading them because they had pages and pages of toys. Next I read them because they had pages and pages of bikes. There was a short gap where I refused to read anything, swiftly followed by a return to the catalogues because they had pages and pages of ladies ‘undies’. I don’t have catalogues around the house these days, but, I suspect that I would pick one up today and turn straight to the tools section, as, I am told, they have pages and pages of them.

There are undoubtedly many more of life’s landmarks that I have yet to pass. Sadly there is one I can cross off the list as of last week, and in reaching it I am afraid the catalogue analogy has become obselete. I have come into contact with what arguably most people in the world refer to as the ‘C’ word. You see to many people the ‘C’ word stands for Cancer. And folks of a certain age talk about cancer like my generation talk about kids: Someone you know has always just found out that they have got a new one. Not sure how big it is or which kind but the test is definite.

One of my old crewmates, who should in fact be too young for cancer, has just found out that he has got it. We were never really that close and despite the fact that I am sure he thought I was only a mediocre captain, we stayed in touch these years and drank and remembered guest trips gone by. Yachting had not prepared me for the news, like most of us in this game I felt pretty resilient to what the world has in store. Well until I spend a night watching the Deadliest Catch and realize that ‘rough weather’ is a relative term. I had never faced the prospect of being susceptible to getting ill or old for that matter. Obviously there are many other yacht captains who have yet to face the fact that they are in fact, actually mortal but that is quite different. The majority of today’s yachties are too young for Cancer and so it is rare to come across it and in fairness normal to being ill prepared for it.

Fortunately my sick friend has saved enough to get the right treatment in his home country without being a burden on others. He is a tough little bastard and I sincerely hope that he makes it through, if only, so that he can get his first command and realise that I was not such a bad captain after all.
There is no lesson in this tale or moral point I would make, except perhaps for; ‘don’t smoke’. But, when you hear such news it puts many of our whinges into context. Yachting just isn’t as bad as some of the forum posts may have us believe and if it needs changing well, we can do that too.

PS I have just received a catalogue in the mail for another former crewmate and after a thorough read I note that Victoria’s Secret has no tool section but is still a remarkably engaging, maybe I am getting younger.

UNTRADITIONAL ESTABLISHMENT

2009-09-08T13:03:00.002-04:00

There is often a chorus of experienced voices suggesting that the yachting industry needs to have higher standards of training. No one could disagree with this contention, in this or any other industry for that matter, so it is unsurprising that it is a point that is regularly raised. However, what is often interesting is that those advocating this training regularly suggest that it is the basic 'old school' seamanship skills that need to be better taught. Indeed, it would be nice to have crew members aboard a yacht that could do more than tie the standard bowline or use a different knot or splice when appropriate. Or, at the very least, be able to use a hand bearing compass or pelorus and employ any number of seamanship skills that are often reportedly lacking.

Some suggest that sailors have an advantage though it is probably fair to say that most modern, large sailing yachts are more interested in carbon fibre rigging than natural fibre whipping. Despite this, their goal of making the best use of the elements gives them a potentially better platform to learn the more traditional seamanship skills.

It is worth considering that, what seems to cause accidents these days is more often than not, considered to be a failure in using modern technology as opposed to good seamanship. For example on a recent visit to a repair yard, one large yacht under repair had hit a bridge when the autopilot failed. The engineer was severely criticised for not using adequate wiring and the captain chastised for not using the device's remote control correctly. The accident, was in fact caused by a failure of that device. One could justifiably argue that, operating such a large boat using a remote control device in a busy area was in fact un-seamanlike but that point was never raised.

Relatively few accidents are, it seems caused by a failed splice or a poorly armed lead, but many problems could be attributed to failing to observe the fundamentals of good seamanship. How does one teach these skills? This I would suggest is best done on board for the reason that it is about using a certain mindset and applying a set of values independently and consistently.

On the other hand, many modern chart plotters do not automatically correct for the offset of the particular chart in use as the operator zooms in and out through the different scales available. Many inexperienced navigators have been known to believe totally in the information given by the GPS without undertsanding it's limitations or potential errors. 'Training out' these obvious technical errors seems relatively straightforward and, on the horizon, there are likely to be more training requirements focused on using modern navigational electronics with the least exposure to error.

The debate should then, not be whether we need more training but what sort of training do we need to avoid the very real mistakes that are happening all too often. And, how do we deliver this appropriate training consistently and in an suitable medium? As an aside and with sustainability in mind, one could also ponder, how do we fund it? Certain elements of training are surely best implemented on board for many reasons as they should be taught in the context of an operational mindset. But, the yachting context is not a utopian world where crew are willing to spend money on anything but that which is required by the law. Combine this with the fact that there are some out there who would put profit before standards and training becomes a conundrum.

So, to summarise, formal training should be focussed on what equipment we use in this ever changing modern age of black boxes and interfaces. On the job training can be used to get across the values that allow us to employ even the very latest technology in the safest possible way.

DANGER MONEY

2009-09-08T13:02:00.001-04:00

Is it me or have there been a few mishaps recently. The coverage by the yachting press has been very fast and I am sure perfectly accurate. But apart from the slightly sad finger pointing, it is a little confusing to me as to what those in the industry actually think. As a captain my first gut reaction on hearing such news is initially, glad no-one is hurt and ‘hope it doesn’t happen to me’. And then, like most I hope, I want to know what happened so that I can avoid getting into the same situation. In short if there are any lessons to learn I would like to learn them quickly at someone else’s expense. Now of course the investigation takes time and the ‘truth’ can take a while to come out so, in the mean time hearsay will fill inevitably fill in the gap.

We all may have our own theories about what causes such accidents as the few we have seen recently, but one suggestion that keeps coming up in the forums and blogs, bars and docks is quite disturbing: Fatigue. It has long been known in the marine industry that fatigue keeps rearing it’s ugly head as a cause of mishaps. Indeed even at the STCW basic safety training level we warn people of the dangers of fatigue. Fatigue is the reason robots have an advantage over people. It is the reason that one form of torture is sleep deprivation. It is the reason that you just do not upset mothers of newborn babies. We all know that Fatigue, lack of rest, tiredness, exhaustion or whatever else you may call it, causes or, more correctly, can cause any number of accidents.

It is arguably straight forward then; there is an association with safety and fatigue. More than an association in fact; a relationship. Admittedly a sort of sordid, ‘don’t want anyone to know as it’s dirty and un cool, relationship’ granted, but a full on relationship nonetheless. My concern is therefore very simple. In the same forums, bars and docks where people have identified fatigue as a threat to yacht and crew member’s safety, and suggested that, for example, anchor watches are too difficult to contemplate in some instances. There are many who are demanding tips because of the crazy number of hours they work. Now call me old fashioned but what I am hearing is this. It is dangerous to get to a point of fatigue unless of course a charter guest is offering a bonus.

Tips are for excellence not risk. Especially if the risk is to the guests who don’t even realize it. Would an owner or guest ask a pilot to over extend his or her flying hours? I doubt it very much. Would an owner ask a company accountant to ‘bend the rules’ a little with regard to taxes, well maybe that is not a great example. My point is this; what is it about yachting that means we are happy to interpret the rules and do as we think best. Ask most yacht crew about the “hours of rest” and they laugh out loud. It would not be quite so funny if you woke up early, with a very sudden jolt to find that you are anchored by the keel and starring on most yachties’ facebook pages.

So what is it to be, danger money or an incentive to give the very best? Are tips worth the risk?

ANG SANG HERO

2009-09-08T13:01:00.001-04:00

Ang Sang Suu Kyi is again in the news headlines as she waits at the mercy of Myanmar’s military dictators. In court, prosecuted on some very spurious charges, she will shortly find out if she has been found guilty. Whatever the court decides, Ang Sang Suu Kyi still remains the focal point of hope for legitimate rule in Myanmar, quietly suffering the humiliating torments of her jailers.

What has this to do with yachting? Teak is the simple answer. Not just any old teak but Burmese teak, (Myanmar is the present name for Burma), and more importantly ‘old growth’ Burmese teak. It is the standard deck requirement for the modern superyacht. In fact it has been the standard deck on yachts and ships for hundreds of years and remains arguably the best natural material for the job it does. These days however most vessels use cheaper substitutes.

Other countries produce teak, but Burmese teak is the stuff they prefer to use on yachts. Good quality teak is sold to the yachting industry from a number of sources outside Burma, since sanctions have been imposed by the USA and EU on trade with Burma. However, much of it is said to originate from Burma where its sale helps support the military regime there. So there we have it, yachting needs teak and therefore supports a regime that refuses to acknowledge some of the very basic human rights and thinks it is fine to torture Tibetan Monks or anyone else who disagrees with them.

The generals in charge of Myanmar do use the money they make from selling off the countries resources like Teak, for some very needy causes. They after all need lots of guns and bullets and golf courses for their senior officers.

Now yachting is not known as a natural refuge for the politically correct, but it would seem to me that Burmese Teak is something that yachts could cope without, both for moral and environmental reasons as there is little evidence of sustainable harvesting the teak used on yachts. There surely must be acceptable alternatives. Every year at the boat shows, they seem to be showing something made of plastic bottles that looks and feels just like teak. And, after all, the look of teak that owners want isn’t like teak at all really. It is like newly laid teak, which, traditionally only lasts for a few weeks until it returns to its naturally silvered luster.

Now, if my wife was to wear a gigantic diamond on her finger people would almost instantly realize that I could not have afforded it and they would soon surmise it was a not real. But, if I owned a shiny new Feadship and I put fake, ‘forever golden’ teak on it, no-one would be any the wiser and no-one would dare say a word even if they thought I was a cheapskate.

So what is wrong with fake teak or synthetic teak? Is it inferior, is it just not the done thing or is it that yachting doesn’t care about the potential for supporting Myanmar’s generals through the purchase of real Burmese Teak whichever label they are using to sell it?
Where do you stand on teak?

MATES VS CAPTAINS

2009-09-08T13:00:00.002-04:00

I would be prepared to bet that there is a glut of captains out there. The talk these days is of the value of experience and not simply qualifications alone. As less and less boats have been bought and sold over the last year, more captains than normal have been forced to seek the assistance of the crew agencies than the oft used connections with brokers and yacht management players. It all points to the market seeking a higher ascertainable quality of captain.

The high numbers of applicants available and looking for jobs mean that employers have to work hard to screen desirable attributes above and beyond the standard qualifications and this in turn means that decision makers are forced to confront general notions of what is better or worse in a Captain’s CV.

At the apex of crew positions are the captains of large yachts. Anything is large if you have to polish it but large here is meant to be around the 50 metre mark, full displacement boats. One of the standard contentions I hear of regularly is the difference between a captain that has worked up from smaller to larger boats, compared to a captain who has accumulated the majority of their experience as a mate. But with emphasis arguably focused beyond simply the ticket you hold and more how you got it. Is there a particular benefit to either or is personality and ability the predominant factor. Let’s be honest boats and jobs are all different, so is there a general benefit of one set of experiences over another?

The route of a captain from small to large yachts is often a very different learning environment to that of a large yacht alone. Perhaps the biggest difference is the reliance on many smaller yachts of the captain as an engineer. Or at the least a troubleshooting engineer. For any captain who has also served as a yacht’s engineer there may well be benefits down the line to knowing what the hell the engineer on a large boat is talking about. Perhaps in some cases it relates to a higher level of respect for engineers. On many large yachts, the mate does not get very close to the engineering of the vessel very often if at all.

The lack of formality sometimes acceptable on smaller boats is often not suited to larger vessels. Imagine a vessel with only four crewmembers observing the strict duty roster of a larger vessel and being on watch one out of four nights? Informality is a particular issue where there is a formal safety management system as required by most flag states on larger vessels. There is simply too much physical work to do on a small vessel to be able to keep up to date with the sort of paperwork required by some larger vessels that operate mini ISM for example.

Larger vessels do tend to travel further on average than smaller vessels so it may be the case that experience as a mate could yield more sea time. However small vessels seem to do more short trips and so the experience of leaving and entering ports for a small boat captain could be significantly more than a large vessel’s mate. The same could be said for boat handling. Not every Mate aboard a large yacht is given the opportunity to ‘drive’ and many are not what you may call a safe pair of hands when it comes to handling a yacht.

What about management experience? The mate of a large yacht is a tricky management position. Sometimes he or she has to represent the crew to the captain and sometimes it’s the other way around. All the while a mate has to earn the respect of the crew, captain and guests. It can be an awkward position, calling for balls, brains and diplomacy in equal measures. Compare this to a captain who has only dealt with a few crewmembers at most in a less structured setting. If this was the sum total of your management practice; installing and maintaining a disciplined, ordered workplace that is both enjoyable and motivating could be a significant challenge.Well at first glance is does seem that there are clear differences between the typical paths taken to get to the ‘top’ in terms of yacht jobs. But the question is whether the differences are relevant. I am interested to get feedback from the industry, as advising crew members on which route to take, is an inevitable part of the work of someone in my job.

BRAIN TRUSSED

2009-09-08T12:59:00.002-04:00

There are a number of people I do not trust. A few of those fall into the following categories: People that sell cars, the sort of people who allow dogs to lick their faces and fat people who claim that they don’t really watch TV. I would simply choose not to do business with these types of people if I could. There is no particular reason for me not to trust them, I just don’t. It is a subjective thing.

In nearly every occasion I would prefer to get some sort of a reference before I would consider paying anybody to do anything. Apparently I am nothing more than normal, well except the phobia about the dog lovers and fat people perhaps. It seems that getting a reference is quite normal these days. As a yacht captain they were vital to me. The Industry expanded at such a rate that pretty much anybody with a white van could make a good living the marine service industry. Most, I am sure were excellent, but many were awful. And by awful I mean really, very, bloody awful. It would always start with turning up late and demanding a credit card just in case the boat was late to pay!

It would usually deteriorate until a few days before you had to sail to meet a charter or owners, they would tell you the parts that were needed to make the necessary repairs were unavailable. Fortunately one usually factored this sort of work standard in to the equation and so the sailing date you told the sub contractor was a little earlier than it was really intended to be. However, the owners would quite often push the date ahead in any case so any advantage you had gained through cunning could easily be lost.

The reason I make this point is not to condemn the sort of sub contractors that make repairing yachts about as fun as interviewing librarians for a particularly menial task, but to suggest how to support the good guys.
It is normal fare for a few yachties around the dinner table or at the bar to be complaining about the most recent disastrous sub contractor. It is much rarer to hear a captain or senior crewmember, unprompted, extolling the virtues of a particular company or technician.

So my suggestion is to compile a list of recommended sub contractors and service providers. Not a directory. They would only make the list if a captain, yacht or management company could provide a written reference for them.

Now before you say this idea is about as original as my idea for a story about a young wizard who goes to school on a magic train, I am not saying it is. I am simply suggesting a yachting Angie’s List. As for a name I would suggest Mike’s List of course.

When the economy starts to improve wouldn’t it be good ensure that the best sub contractors were recognized. It is not an act of kindness it is simply aimed at reducing those riding the gravy train in favour of those that can be relied upon.

UNDER COVERED?

2009-09-08T12:52:00.001-04:00

We are starting to see the first signs of a turn in season. Young and frankly not so young, would be crew members are starting to come to Lauderdale and book their entry level courses. These days we don't just teach them what the rules require but try and provide them with an insight into what is expected of them in a yachting job. Most ask all the right questions about the industry and contrary to what many say in these very forums, most of the newbies we see are humble and determined to succeed, not freeloading backpackers.

One question that keeeps coming up more and more these days, is the issue of insurance or health coverage. Many crewmembers are apparently unaware of the coverage that their yacht extends to them. Sadly in many cases, the only time you find out is when you are forced to make a large claim only to realise too late that you are not covered. I asssume that the reason the topic is coming up more and more is related to the fact that crew members both new and experienced, are realising that salaries are not what they once were and inevitably the overall package including health becomes of more significance.

Having discussed the coverage most boats offer with freinds in the business, it has been more of an eye opener to find out that many expereinced crew members do not know exactly what their boat covers them for. Very few people seem to be aware of the limits.

Most people are aware that the owner is legally responsible for much of the cost should a crew member be taken ill or injured on board a yacht. However in many cases it would seem that the 'health' policy insures the owner against a huge claim and little more.

Several policies have exclusions for things like adventure sports which can of course mean skiing, hang gliding or free fall parachuting. But some policies have the caveat that means they are allowed to determine just what 'adventure' is. This has included surfing, riding a mountain bike and a host of other things which, to your average yachtie, are hardly considered as adventurous. Clearly insurance executives should get out more!

What about holidays? Take a few days off in the Keys and rent a scooter and you are probably on your own if you have any sort of mishap. The US health system makes Italian shipyards look second rate when it comes to making you part with money. The doctors have a ritual of making you wait as long as possible in a room decorated by a tasteless aunt. You drop your trousers, a cough later and you are robbed of a weeks salary.

There are experts around who can tell you just what you on board policy is worth. I HASTEN TO POINT OUT THAT I AM NOT ONE OF THEM, ALTHOUGH I WOULD BE HAPPPY TO REFER YOU. in terms of coverage and it might be interesting to know what you have. If you are a captain it is something that you should know intimately as it is undoubtedly becoming more of a concern to crew members. Don't forget there are soon likely to be more legislation changes that will require our responsibilities to be stated in black and white and so Insurance or health cover will have to be disclosed clearly. I would guess a few people would be quite shocked by what they find.

ROCK ON!

2009-09-08T12:50:00.001-04:00

Last week I was asking for any information that could lead to us identifying common issues that could have contributed to the recent 'spate' of groundings in the Med. The number of responses and views convince me it is worth staying on the topic and sharing some more thoughts on the issue. I have spent much time during the last week reading reports made by the MAIB and others, that I have found on the internet. In general it would appear that in many cases where human error of one sort or another is cited as a cause, it is the fundamentals of seamanship that are not observed. Sounds obvious I know, but the problem with many accident reports is that they focus on much of the minutae that may have been part of the series of mistakes that led to an accident.

Now, taking it a step further there would appear to be a few reasons why these fundamentals were ignored which could be loosely grouped as follows:
1 - Ignorance. This would seem to reinforce many of last weeks' respondents opinion that lack of experience is a factor. If you are not aware that there exists a risk, then it would be natural to question why you are in such a decision making position.
2. - Complacency. This factor could be caused by over confidence or simply considering routine, the nature of navigation of yacht operations and not stopping to consider the 'worst case scenario'.
3. - Bad Judgement. This factor that could be caused as a result of fatigue, stress, illness or indeed pressure. By pressure I mean pressure that we often feel to achieve the goals that are commonly set for us by our peers.

As I looked into various accident reports, I saw that even the most experienced masters can excersise bad judgement or complacency or a mixture of both. So it would seem that inexperience may not be the obvious cause of accidents that some have suggested.

There are always technical failures which could be considered as causes, but in many cases accidents were as a result of poor or no contingency planning or putting a vessel in the position where she was solely reliant on her equipment performing without failure. This could in turn be described as the essence of "good seamanship".

Take for example the very sad case of a large square rigged sailing vesel that foundered off the coast of Cornwall nearly fifteen years ago. The vessel was wrecked when her main engines, which she had been using to reduce leeway as she passed through a channel on her way to rounding a headland and making her entry to port, failed. Three lives were lost and the very expereinced master was charged with the responsibility and fault.

A huge amount of research went into defending the master and there were undoubtedly a chain of technical events that led to the engines failing and the crew being unable to restart them in time to steam away from the danger. However, the fundamental issue of sailing too close to a lee shore was largely accepted to be the cause as the master was left with no options when the engine failed. In short poor seamanship.

Now there are certain vessels that could be argued to be more prone to certain risks by virtue of their inherent make up of crew compared to the job they perform. If we take vessels in the 100-120 range for example it could conceivably be difficult to operate the vessel to it's guest's full demands by day, what with watersports, fishing, dining, traveling and the like and then carry out a full anchor watch by night if the vessel was tasked to be on the hook. If you take a vessel with six crew including a captain, engineer and deckhand if they were keeping an anchor watch as well as undertaking their normal duties, that could be quite a workload and probably would cause a danger of fatigue after a few days even in good weather.

So if such a vessel did not observe anchor watches and I know several do not, what are the alternatives? Stay alongside, rely on electronics or perhaps just keep going and hope that guests change their mind about anchoring. It could be a very difficult position to find oneself in; trying to please the guests and keep the crew on the go day and night.

If the captain did not bring up the issue of fatigue and set the limits for the owner or guests, one could argue that this showed ignorance of the risks or inexperience. If on the other hand, the captain just did not bother with an anchor watch as he or she did not consider the risk significant one could suggest complacency. Of course if the captain made a bad choice of location to anchor or failed to use a sensible scope then judgement would be called into question.

Given that there are so many factors that can contribute to a mishap, it is worth reiterating that in many cases it would appear to be failure to observe some of the very basic rules of seamanship that causes problems. How long does it take to learn those skills? There can be no doubt that seamanship is like the learning the piano; you can do it all your life and never master it.

YACHTING ROCKS!

2009-09-08T12:48:00.001-04:00

Another yacht on the rocks. Is it me or is this getting a little too common? One could be forgiven for thinking that there may be some sort of similar reason for all these groundings as it seems to be more than just coincidental. Every one has an opinion about just why these things happen and sadly too many would seem to publish their opinion before the facts are known, but perhaps after this season it is worth looking into what exactly went wrong in so many cases.

As we all are aware, one an individual basis the pertinent flag state will investigate and publish the results of these cases so that any lessons may be passed on to other mariners. But, is anyone looking for commonalities in all of these cases and trying to find if there is a common thread. Assuming that different flag states use different people and are focussed on the merits of each case separately, it will be some time before we can draw any meaningful conclusions. Given the basic laws of proabability it would seem sensible to try and understand if there was an underlying trend that is leading to such accidents:

Fatigue, lack of expereince, unusual weather or currents, space aliens and their tractor beams all may have had a part to play. Perhaps there is a certain type of equipment failure common to all of the yachts that have found themselves on the bricks this year. In the Bahamas it is quite a regular occurance as there are very few navigational marks and navigation over there can take a while to get 'one's eye in', but the Med? I have tried to look back and see if there have been other seasons where quite so many yachts have grounded and my research is still ongoing.

If anyone has any facts or knows where I might find them I would bee happy to do the work in researching any links between these accidents and so I would glad of the input of others out there. This is not a witch hunt and I am not asking for opinions in the absence of facts but I am concerned enough to think that we should look a little more closely at just what is happening.

Perhaps we would bee able to offer advice to captains, insurers, training companies and owners themselves if the research turns up anything useful.

SIZE MATTERS

2009-07-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

I hope you have all seen by now "SHORT SALES" topic and the most observant of you will have surely recognised the "Lady Amelia's" diminutive stature. If you look at the videos section you can also see a short movie taken during the launch and sea trials of the boat. Now all that remains is for me to explain why we made it.

There is a very simple idea behind the Lady Amelia. I felt that it was difficult for crew members to learn the basic concepts of handling large full displacement yachts. Many do get the opportunity to take the helm but many more do not have a chance. I have seen a great number of crew whose boat handling experience is limited to the week they did their 200 ton licence and driving the yacht's tenders. This led me to make a scale model vessel with true scale handling characteristics. In order to get that feeling the boat had to be 8' LOA and nearly 150lbs in weight.

In order to control the vessel we have made a bridge control system again exactly like one you would find on a yacht. Throttles, steering and bowthruster will all look and work like the real thing.

The intention is that we will be able offer a hands on practical boat handling opportunity that will be close to the real thing. What's more we are going to prove it:
IYT will be holding a boathandling competitions. It is open to any teams of 3 people. There will be a number of heats leading to the finals which will take place during the FLIBS.

The competition is against the clock. And consists of a straight forward handling manoevre; leaving a dock, rounding a mark and docking at a another location. Each of a team get a go and the fastest two times are recorded. As the competition progresses there will be slightly more complex courses laid out and stricter penalties for touching the dock or infringing the rules.

There are likely to be some decent prizes depending on the level of support and so far it has generated lots of interest.

Obviously there will be a number of rules which I will take delight in enforcing but in principle we hope to bring back respect for the ancient art of handling a vessel well. We hope to remind crew that simulators and electronics can only get you so far, the wind and tide need to be felt and seen.

So if you are interested drop me a line with you email and I will add you to the list of entered teams.

Good Luck

PROGRESS

2009-07-29T10:19:00.001-04:00

There are few who would say that the yachting industry is like any other. It is unique in so many ways which for some allows certain tolerances that are not acceptable anywhere else. For others, this,often grey area, that many in yachting enjoy, is frustrating as the industry does appear to be at times, a little old fashioned.

Things however, do appear to be changing and there are signs that 'normal' business standards could be imposed upon the yachting fraternity. One of the factors is likely to be the good old Martime Labour Convention or MLC. Within the next couple of years this convention will compel yachties to adhere to a very tight set of rules which are, mostly, in effect already anyway. For example, it will require contracts for all seafarers. Indeed it is likely to require that these contracts are legal and that the employment process was also legal. This would then seem to make it difficult to specify race and gender when hiring a crew member if, just supposing, the crew agent was based in the US. Local laws would not allow this to happen. Now this sort of thing is blasphemy to a yachty. "How dare they!" they say or at least most of the ones I have talked to say that. Can we really imagine CVs without pictures? What a terrible world that would be!

What about hours of rest? The STCW standards will have to be rigidly adhered to. Failure could mean fines and a whole heap of paperwork. "Madness!" I hear yachties cry." What would life be like if we only were allowed to work for 91 hours a week!

Like it or not it is going to happen and it is nothing more than inevitable progress. My point is that whilst I am aware there will be a lot of people keen to point out that yachting will fall to pieces if they are not allowed to say that they need a hot, white, piece of totty to fill the stewardess role. I suspect that plenty of others will welcome the sort of changes that the MLC may bring with it.

My reasoning is this: It would seem to me that stereotypes are starting to be broken in this game and this, I would venture, is the result of a new generation of young yachties who are not allowing themselves to be pigeonholed. I cannot honestly say what the 'average' 200 ton student looks like these days. Male, female, old, young, black, white. This week for example it is the first time that the ladies out number the men on the Master of Yachts course.

A few years ago the various accents one would hear aboard a yacht were quite predictable, nowadays that just isn't so. I have seen perhaps twenty different nationalities pass through IYT's training facility in Ft Lauderdale this year already.

When the MCA imposed the rules regarding licenicng and training requirements, it is fair to say that the majority of yacht crew that I met were dead against it. There was a purvasive attitude that suggested that it was simply unecessary to try and regulate the business. However I sense that when the MLC knocks on the door many will welcome it with open arms.

The question then is this. Are we really undergoing a period of change and is this positive progress or interference? Can yachting improve as an industry if it observes yet more regulations?

ODE TO ANONYMOUS

2009-07-29T10:16:00.003-04:00

I have read with interest the views about anonymous posting and I see the dilemma. On the one hand the forums are great for promoting open debate and the mask of anonymity quite likely encourages the shy or fearful. However it also encourages the shysters and apparently champions the cause of the poor speller and gramatical buffoon. The forums contain more cheap shots than Business Class on Aeroflot.

I have therefore written a poem which I believe is a first on Docwalk.com. It is dedicated not to the concientious poster who after careful consideration considers his or her name irrelevant and may challenge the views of their peers causing an awkward pause at dinner parties. You know, the "...our management company has a policy that....etc etc".

The ode is aimed more at the "your a wanker if you think that cos your rong!" type of poster.

The other thing to remember is the poem sounds better if you say it quite slowly in a Scottish accent. Imagine narrating Braveheart, that sort of thing.

ANONYMOUS, anonymous I read your wrote and ponder thus:

Are you simply incognito or ashamed to face the rest of us?

Are your missives so dismissive so as to belittle others posts?

Are you simply angry and vociferous, perhaps a little bitter, more than most?

The pen, my friend, is mightier than the ‘F’ word, so your profanity is for naught

Try hyperbole or onomatopoeia, ding, now there’s an interesting thought

You see, to make a point seem credible you first must garner some respect

And this means respecting others’ views even if you stridently object

One’s nomenclature in certain spheres betrays, at times, ones learning

And your's my friend is not the sort that appeals to the discerning There, their, they’re, they may all be the same to youBut they’re homonyms to most of us. Did you ever go to school?

Anonymous, anonymous if you are truculent or spiteful It is difficult to opine without the same response; a reactionary cycleA master debater you’re nowhere near but literally you come closeAs a poster though, you have our ear so don’t abuse your hosts

Now it is a fact, that using tact might, I’m just supposingRender names a little hindering when the facts are worth exposing

And so the case for saving face could in fact have groundsSo to the forum, to the debate let this subject do the rounds

GREEN FLASH!

2009-07-29T10:13:00.002-04:00

We have seen, of late, a number of “Green” yachts. Perhaps the most notable is the recently launched Huisman sailing yacht "Ethereal". Built for an owner who has much experience in the environmental sector, Ethereal juxtaposes technological innovation with common sense strategies in order to reduce its impact on the environment. Several other companies are offering or marketing yachts and boats with a hybrid propulsion system. Yet more companies are manufacturing and selling machinery that will reduce the waste generated by a yacht both from the head and the exhaust, to virtually nil.

Even the boat shows have grown wise to the potential for ‘green’ to colour their advertising and PR strategies. This years Antibes show although lacking in Gucci and Manolo foot prints, did manage to offset its own carbon foot print using a company who specialize in this form of guilt alleviation.

So, at last, it seems that the concept of environmentalism is taking root in the yachting sector. The green revolution, long considered no more than a hippy uprising by many is now being recognised as a marketable concept for yachting.

Not long ago yachts for sale or charter were using the number of flat screen TVs in their advertising blurb in order to influence would be customers. Things moved on and internet access and more recently ‘zero speed’ or ‘at anchor’ stabilization became features proffered by the ‘marketeers’ in order to convince the potential charterer or owner that this is the boat for them.

The question is then, is this the time when ‘greenness’ can be used as an effective branding and marketing tool for the yachting industry? Well it might. After all who could possibly argue with the concept of offering customers, even very rich ones, a morally sound choice for their yachting endeavours. Indeed perhaps the question is, who could be foolhardy enough not to if there exists a green alternative?

The small problem we face is that the bulk of advertising and therefore marketing effort in the yachting sector, is aimed not at owners, but at the other actors in the business. Yachting is a peculiar perhaps unique industry, in that it’s consumers are a very small minority compared to the rest of those people involved in the business, from building to operating yachts.

So why is the Green marketing aimed at owners not operators, managers, crew and the like? Well for the most part it’s the majority of other actors who influence owners or spend their money. This is where the problem lies, as this group is arguably not usually a demographic of green thinkers or not enough of us at any rate.

The point is, no matter what you use to power a vessel or how efficient the air conditioner is or what sustainable or organic plants are used to make the carpet, they are all just marginal reductions in an the carbon keel print of a yacht. You cannot buy a green boat, in the same way you cannot buy a safe boat the reality is; Eco friendliness or safety are functions of the operation of the boat. The greatest contribution an owner can make to the ecosystem is to educate and direct his or her crew, to operate the boat in a more environmentally sound way. One can operate a lifeboat unsafely and one could argue SY Ethereal could surely be operated un-economically.

So again, it is the crew who are the most important part in reducing the carbon used and the waste generated.

This brings up the question where do crew learn the techniques that can be adopted to reduce the carbon keel print or the measurements they can make to monitor their effectiveness. These tools are simply not readily available.

Does the industry need an environmental training course? Are owners too rich to worry? Are yachts so few that the combined farting of the world’s population of seagulls makes a bigger hole in the ozone layer?

Questions to ponder, as never forget that not everyone who goes to sea actually gets to see the green flash.

TAKE THE TRAIN

2009-07-29T10:11:00.002-04:00

I am actively involved in the training of yacht crew, for the very simple reason that I know a bit about the yacht training business. I received my yachtmaster instructors ticket more than twenty years ago and for years battled with the elements up and down the Solent and the English channel in the sort of weather that they make moody postcards of. Not particularly rough or windy but just cold, relentless and greyer than ZZ Top's beards.

What struck me as I worked hard to gain experience and sea time was that all of my students, or customers as we used to call them, were there voluntarily. They had chosen to don waterproofs and gloves in the middle of the sailing season and learn. Some chose sailing as a means of pitting their character against the elements, some wanted to learn a new skill and some just wanted to meet new people who also like wearing wellies. They mostly loved the idea of becoming skilled in the art of navigation and respected the time honoured art which is seamanship.

Now, in the professional yachting sector I am still quite shocked by the fact that many yacht crew are put off learning and seem to almost resent the requirements made by the authorities such as the MCA. The result is that my company IYT and all of the others sell courses which our customers need to take but sadly do not always want to take.

Every time I talk to a captain, broker, manager or owner they are crying out for courses that can teach basic seamanship; splicing, whipping, ropework, ship husbandry. They often ask about courses such as basic watchkeeping or management, accounting, yard/refit management and team building. Sadly anyone who is in the yacht training business knows that these courses, although very useful, would also be very hard to sell because the appetite for learning doesn't seem to be apparent.

Converesly, we are seeing a growth in the number of interior based courses which are voluntary and not obligatory. Such courses seem to be on the increase as interior crew are often so busy that they dont actually receive any useful training that is relevant on other vessels. The interior role is at last being respected as a specialisation and not just a fun lifestyle job. I have met a number of interior crew who actually have degrees in hospitality, catering and management. There not that many captains with that level of education!

The fact is there is a very limited requirement for training in the yachting sector in real terms, particularly when compared with the responsibility and salary and many experienced folks are noticing that there we are losing many of the traditional skills that we were once proud of. So here is a question. What is missing if anything? What could tangibly be taught in the yachting industry that would have a direct benefit to yachts and owners.

I am genuinely starting to research areas where IYT could design and offer training in answer to a need as opposed fullfilling the prescriptive requirements of the industry's legislators.

REALITY CHEQUE

2009-07-29T10:10:00.002-04:00

It is now official: salaries are going down. At least for the entry level crew. It seems as though the market is starting to favour the employers rather than the employees. It is a very interesting change and whilst many will fear this means an 'across the board' reduction in salaries, a great number will recognise the fact that it may have some dividends for the industry.

For months people have been talking about the 'weeding out' effect of the current economic turmoil. The rather fanciful idea being, that non serious crew members would vacate the business and leave it to the more dedicated types. This may have some truth, but the reality is that there will always be a demand for a pretty face and so some less serious types will inevitably find work. What a boring industry it would be if we were all yacht spotting nerds. Frankly, there is something to say for the seasonal type; they often bring a new, refreshing perspective to the business.

However, for the weeding out to occur, it is the employers who have to change their practices not the crew to simply give up on their job search. By employers reducing basic entry level salaries, it is likely that yachting as a job will have to be more carefully considered by many. It is almost certainly the highest paid 'lifestyle job' in the world; at least I have never found one better paid. Of course the hours are sometimes long. But even with a Russian charter on board, they are nothing they are nothing compared to those of a young mother.

As one gets higher up the career ladder, the salary starts to become commensurate with the skills one has developed to become a successful crew member. But, at the very beginning, it would seem to me that it is all about training as novice crew members have less directly relevant experience, and so a high salary is just a bonus.

Many of the less informed have been crying out for apprenticeships for 'Yachties', but that was based on the fallacy that there was a shortage of crew and anyway, the idea of anyone funding a young crew member to travel around the world working at the whim of the rich and in most cases not paying any taxes, didn't really seem to take off. Funny that.

Now however, it seems as though "the market" has formed a de facto apprenticeship opportunity. It costs the owners less and needs only the commitment of the newbie to make it work. Who knows? It could be a good thing, the sort of thing that might even stick when the market gets back to something resembling normality and we look back at all the bankers we executed during the financial revolt and uprising of 2009 and talk about the bad old days.

LESS ON TIME!

2009-07-29T10:08:00.001-04:00

"The economy is back to normal!" Is the mantra I have been hearing recently. The Med' is fine and normal and salaries are soon to be back to telephone numbers. But is this reality? I can appreciate that confidence is a big part of the problem these days when it comes to economic activity and negative reporting has been shown to "scare" consumers away from their spending habits. But are we trying to be positive or are things really doing well again? I would be more delighted than most to find out that we are over the worst but I fear we are not quite there yet. I have hardly noticed any brokers smiling recently.

Perhaps the next round of Boatshows will provide an insight into the actions of owners and how they view the situation. Their activity is usually enough to inspire us all and there simply must be some better deals around than there were before the downturn. Yacht price inflation was surely getting out of control. The 'bubble burst' however, must have some lasting effects. Many new yachts were funded by speculators anticipating making a profit on the value of their boats upon launch. And several boat builders used this means to fund their building program. If the price inflation comes to an end and yachts are not immediately appreciating assets upon launch, can they be funded in the same way as they were so readily before? Obviously not, so maybe the order books will have a few future gaps in them, who knows?

Predicting the next few months of economic activity, is more difficult than training goldfish. No decent analyst is likely to dare to project their view of the future lest it haunt them later. But what of the recent past, there are surely lessons for us all to learn and analysis that would be useful.

When the market is good and expanding quickly it is very easy to lose the sense of just what got one's business there in the first place. Financial prudence often gives way to expansionism. In short, it is difficult to see the cracks in an empire when you plenty of plasterers on the payroll.

The costs of many services in the yachting sector soared over the last few years, well beyond the rate of inflation outside the yachting sector. This was almost certainly commensurate with what the market could tolerate as opposed to what the true value of those services was in respect of cost.

Now though, there is a trend that seems to be developing, that is greater care in spending aboard yachts. A growing number of captains I have spoken with, have pointed out that they are under closer scrutiny now than they ever have been before. This means they are unlikely to 'tolerate' such high prices for services.

I have seen a number of posts where people have commented on the cost saving measures they have employed since the downturn and you have to ask in many instances, why didn't you do that before? Will owners some day say OK carry on back to the good old days?
I point this out because I suspect that even if the market may be on the up and up, its legacy will be around for a while and the lessons we learn from this period will serve us well for the future.
Sadly though, lessons learned at the school of hard knocks are just not always easy to take on board.

FOUR STRIPES - YOU'RE OUT

2009-07-29T10:07:00.002-04:00

Jack Sparrow or Captain Jack Sparrow to be precise, of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" fame, is arguably what many captains may aspire to be like: Characterful, a little rogue'ish perhaps and although doubted by some ultimately respected for that unique ability to master a boat. That and movie star looks of course.

Perhaps some captains see themselves as more of a Captain Jack Aubrey, the ultimate master and commander. Able to make the toughest of decisions in an instant and lead the crew through the most treacherous and challenging of ordeals, all without ‘gore-tex’ foul weather gear.
Of course many captains have less ambitious or some may say a more ‘realistic’ outlook of their status. Surely however, few can say with honesty that at some point they were not seduced by the idea of putting to sea as master. It is unlike any other job, there is a heritage and honour to the rank of captain. A captain may have to rely heavily upon charisma and leadership but must remain aware that such tools are best used with diplomacy and tact.

In the yachting industry, captains need a unique blend of service, sales and graft. Despite sometimes having to deal with workloads that do not fit into anyone’s timeframe they must give the impression that things are running more smoothly than a Teflon coated baby’s backside. Some of the world’s greatest leaders were captains, Nelson, Drake, Cook and of course Kirk. The weak of character need not apply.

What then has happened to the respect that was once afforded to captains in the yachting business? Visit a forum and one will routinely read crew asking for advice having been poorly treated by a captain. That said it is also sad to see a few captains stereotyping anyone that did not serve a full apprenticeship 'before the yard' as a whining good-for-nothing.

The modern yachting sector has more than 4000 yachts that are or should be, professionally crewed. Considering this, ever increasing number there must be some damn good captains out there. Their boat handling skills are generally second to none and their emotional involvement in their programme is beyond the comprehension of anyone in the commercial sector.

However, the status of a captain seems a little shaky to me. When recently researching amongst crew I did not find one who said that when they are looking for a job they were not concerned about what the captain was like. There seemed to be so many differing standards that many regarded their next job as nothing more than a lottery. Most of the crew I spoke to regarded management abilities of captains as next to nonexistent. One senior crew member I spoke with told me that he did not care that his captain was never around if the boat was docked, even though it was having an adverse effect on the crew moral, because the moment he got his first command he would be able to disappear too. I was horrified, what an example to follow.

Of all the changes in the industry over the last few years, there seem to be very few captains involved. It is clear by some of the legislation and educational requirements that the involvement of captains as a level of management within the industry, could have helped inform policy. Of course it is difficult to get captains together sometimes but as senior decision makers it would be nice to see that they have some input into any number of issues. The “Seakeepers Society” actually does have a committee of captains that are actively interested in shaping environmental advances in yachting. The PYA has a committee bigger than the UN but no one knows what they do outside Antibes.

So my question is this. Are captains being bypassed by the industry through a waning respect in their authority, wisdom and integrity? If so why, and what can they do to reverse this trend.

WHO NEEDS THE LAW

2009-07-29T10:02:00.002-04:00

This is another week when I have been in touch with several yachties regarding issues with their employers. My suggestions are becoming more routine and while I am not in any way qualified to offer legal advice, it seems to me one question to assist people in coming to terms with, is, when to involve legal action if at all.

It is, to a degree, a largely subjective question, but to me it is a great shame that more crew simply don't know when to use the law or when the law is on their side. Instead many seem to regard invoking the law as a means of punishing their employers rather than a straightforward means of supporting their rights. The fact is that in many cases using the law is unnecessary, as ones' rights exist with or without a lawyer. Simply informing the employer who has wronged you of the correct way of doing things, and by doing so making them aware that you know the proper ethical standard, is often all it takes.

The most common problem seems to be that when a crew member leaves a boat there is often a disagreement about what money is owed. This is usually because of a couple of reasons:
Firstly the captain has no standard system of calculating leaving or termination benefits. (This would be just after coffee break on the first morning of "employment for dummies" course, but is apparently beyond many in the four stripe club to comprehend.) For some reason when a crew member leaves, the captain then tries to save as much on paying them their correct money. Usually the same captain who lectures you for hours on how he is perfectly happy spending the owner's money on the service he benefits from, but I digress....

Secondly, the captain or management often try to penalise leaving crew members. This is not speculation, but an observation of many instances. The yachting forums are full of such instances. I myself have experienced this very same phenomenon, the sort of; you're leaving us so I hate you now, playground mentality.

I am not sure why, but when there is a disagreement, it is the immediate course of action that either compounds or resolves the problems. More often than not the captain or manager will suggest that the owner adjudicates in the matter. And, surprise surprise, the owner says no. Poor stock market numbers, he did not actually spend much time getting to know the crew member, the boat is up for sale are often given as the owners' reasons and are absolutely ridiculous and unrelated to the issue.

However, the poor crew member is now under the impression that their case is between them and the owner who has already stated their position very clearly. More often than not, at this point, the lowly crew member will "put it down" to experience because "the owner is so rich how could you fight them," they will let it go. The truth is that the captain or manager probably did not even trouble the owner with such a question and the crew member was duped into dropping their issue. I know what would have happened to any owner I worked for if I went whining that a stewardess said she was owed ten days holiday pay and I said it was only two days. I would have been out on my ear.
The reality is that the position regarding what you are owed is not a function of the owner's discretion or shouldn't be, it is part of the written agreement of employment or the terms agreed on accepting the job.

Of course many crew still are not given a contract which makes it more difficult to relate your terms definitively. Even then there are tactics one can adopt to secure what you are owed. Part of the problem I hear time and time again from crew is that they fear reprisals from the captain. The "you'll never work in this industry again" issue. This is a great shame and dealing with this fear is the start of coming to terms as to whether to pursue legal action. One really should think of exactly what they are owed if there is a principle involved and whether they have the time and stomach to deal with legal proceedings. It is important to understand one's own real honest position and gut feeling on this before going further.

If resorting to the law is not for you then there a few well tested ways of making your point in such a way as you taken seriously. Seek advice from experienced crew; statistically they will have been through this before, read the blogs and forums for the latest on the subject.

If anyone is interested I will gladly share my suggested techniques for dealing with such issues and gladly recommend a bloody good lawyer if you still need one.

DRUGS AGAIN!

2009-07-29T09:59:00.004-04:00

Not long ago I was lambasted by the editor of "The Yacht Report" for speculating in an article that drug use was "rife" in the yachting industry. I didn't just wake up and come to that conclusion it was he result of listening to many tell of their use of drugs and receiving constant offers of drugs whilst travelling in yachting areas.

Now rather sadly the subject has come to the forefront again. A British yachting journalist has suggested that the use of drugs is "endemic" amongst yacht crew and importantly the context used, has aroused speculation as to whether the captain recently murdered in Antigua was in possession of drugs. The yacht report is asking for your feedback about just how many of you crew have used or know of drug use and seems to be suggesting that they feel there really isn't any problem.

This last week I was contacted by a young crew member who wanted help in ensuring that the correct procedure was used when they resigned their post. The crew member was leaving because of the captain and crew's repeated and public drug use. I helped the crew member in question and they left the boat without fearing the captain's threat to besmirch their reputation amongst the crew agencies.

After this event I started a facebook site called 'yacht crew against drugs' and have had quite a response including someone posting a message about a boat that is often rumoured to have a crew that like their 'drugs'. This was the first time the actual name of a boat was actually mentioned in public in a crew forum and both surprised and delighted me.

My point is that the drug situation is finally being taken seriously and crew are starting to say something about it. I want to be supportive and say well done but I am afraid my true reaction is; about time! How long do we have to wait for an accident or disaster before we as a group have the balls to report those who not only break the law but put lives at risk. If the best excuse you have is that you might be seen as a whistle blower then you are really rather weak in my book.

The MCA and the port state authorities around the world can't do anything unless there is evidence or witness testimony so report it. The owners of these vessels fund our whole industry, and yet apparently crew don't feel that they have a right to know, as they are rarely ever told anything about what is going on aboard their boat.

I am not talking about alcohol before anyone gives me that old crap, I am talking about drugs and suggesting that there is a problem and we should be proactive in reporting it and dealing with it.

Now it is up to you. If you have NEVER heard or seen drugs being used in the industry I would love to hear from you. I do not think you exist and I am hoping to be proven wrong.

MY ORIGINAL ARTICLE WAS CALLED FORCE OF HABIT AND WAS PUBLISHED AS A BLOG ON DOCKWALK.COM BACK IN OCTOBER. PLEASE HAVE A READ!

YACHTING AND AIDS

2009-07-29T09:57:00.002-04:00

Without doubt, GPS plotters, ARPA radars and SATCOM advances have made the lives of those in charge of operating yachts easier and easier. It is surely much easier to 'click' on a target than to 'plot' it on a chart and calculate the CPA and TCPA. Who these days can be bothered to use those damn paper charts to put down a position when there is a perfectly good screen in front of you doing just that, without the need of a degree in origami or the use of a parallel rule, dividers or a Breton plotter.

When using the sort of electronic gadgetry that is becoming common aboard the modern yacht how many of us actually receive any training whatsoever in the correct operation of this equipment. The journey to gaining one's masters licence can and should involve much class room training in the basics of navigation and chartwork. This has to be augmented with years spent at sea as a watchkeeper putting what we have learnt into practice.

Unfortunately there is no requirement to spend any length of time learning how to use the electronic aids to navigation throughly. The fact is, that these aids are just that, they are designed to assist with the job of navigation and rarely to substitute it entirely. Total reliance on their information in the absence of a context derived from being involved in the mental processes of navigation can mean that a yacht is susceptible to errors and therfore risks that few train for. This has just happend in the UK aboard a passenger ferry who was steaming slowly off the coast whilst waiting for the port of Dover to reopen. The watchkeeper was not using any other means of navigation and relying solely on the plotter. Unfortunately due to a lack of training in the use of this gear the watchkeeper had not tasked the plotter to show charted wrecks one of which the vessel hit.

The moral of the story is quite clear. Stay protected against the dangers of aids!

YACHTING AND AIDS

2009-07-09T10:01:00.001-04:00

One of the great advantages we modern yachties have over our predecessors is the technological improvements that the silicone chip and the nerds and geeks of the world have afforded us. Of course in most cases the advancements in navigation and technology come as a spin off from governments investing in targetting missiles and blowing people up but what the hell.
Without doubt, GPS plotters, ARPA radars and SATCOM advances have made the lives of those in charge of operating yachts easier and easier. It is surely much easier to 'click' on a target than to 'plot' it on a chart and calculate the CPA and TCPA. Who these days can be bothered to use those damn paper charts to put down a position when there is a perfectly good screen in front of you doing just that, without the need of a degree in origami or the use of a parallel rule, dividers or a Breton plotter.

The moral of the story is quite clear. Stay protected against the dangers of aids!

STANDARD EYES

2009-07-09T09:57:00.001-04:00

One of the things that the yachting industry has always taught us is that the normal rules of economies of scale do not apply. There are simply not enough yachts being built to make them significantly less expensive. Sure, experience from one build is often carried over to the next yacht and of course there are many lessons learned by yards and designers alike, but the fundamental 'custom' nature of yachts means that for many parts of a boat an owner is paying for the design and development costs as well as the cost of manufacture.

One way the motor industry, admittedly not the best example of an efficient business at present, has handled the idea of reducing development costs is through platform sharing. Basically different companies share the cost of developing a chassis and engine for a car of a given size and specific mission. They then build the car with a slightly different interior and panelling to get a fully branded model at a reduced development cost.

It is fair to say that certain yacht manufacturers have shared much of their engineering plans in the past, either deliberately or by copying good examples. Several builders have developed excellent set ups but as yachts get bigger it is arguable as to whether the space is being better utilised or that there is just better space available. Talk to an engineer worth his salt and he will tell you the problems and issues with an engine room, a newby crew member can tell the problems with the smallest cabin on board and in fact every crew member can improve their workplace to a greater or lesser degree.

The problem in the past has been the lack of a forum for input to the yachts operators, or crew, as we call them, but the time may just have arrived. The good old MLC or Maritime Labour Convention is being discussed right now, in a bar near you. There are working groups and steering commitees all representing the industry and trying to work with the various flag states, class societies and the industry types who wear suits to find agreeable compromise that recognise the specific limitations of yacht design.

However one of the areas for consideration is the accomodation and recreation size requirments for vessels. It is just possible that with a little common sense manufcaturers will agree certain parameters and limits for crew areas, workplaces and engineering access points. This could in turn mean that layouts and platforms could be desigend to fit varying sizes of yachts in consideration of input by crew as well as designers and builders.

It will take a bit of compromise from all sides but the MLC may drive a process of standardisation within thhe industry that will lead to better ergonomics for crew, easier manufacture for builders and ultimately better value for owners. So hop on the forums, take the time get involved and have an input. It just mmay benefit you in the future.

Your Industry Needs You!

2009-06-18T14:09:00.004-04:00

The increase in the ability of different social groups to communicate easily and efficiently has to be one of the main advantages of the internet revolution. Social networks carry with them the promise of never being out of touch and always staying in the loop with peers. Lets face it, even older people and when I say old, I am not talking old, as in a danger to other road users, but more, old, as in worried about the potential hangover more than the talent at the party, old. Even older people have mastered the art of writing in shorthand and adding "lol" to the end of every other sentence.

It is a relatively new phenomenon, and, particularly in an industry like yachting where plans are not easy to make the internet is the most reliable way of outside contact Online communications have greatly improved the quality of life for crew members who live and work it a very confined space. The ability for crew members to discuss various issues with each other, also means that in an industry that is constantly evolving and advancing at such a great pace there is the perfect opportunity to share information and educate people. In short, if crew members want it, they are now able to have a say in how the whole yachting industry develops. Issues such as terms of employment, training standards and like can be influenced by the weight of opinion.

The only ingredient missing is some form of representative body that is recognisable credible and sustainable. Now, mention a union and it usually causes a polarisation of opinion. Suggest an association and someone will whine about the PYA being an old boys club out of touch with reality. But forums, blogs and online discussions are something we are all learning to value.

How would any form of representative body work? Well it already does in a way. Dockwalk.com and of course others, are a medium that allows yachting industry players large and small to raise issues and comment on them. The online format gives an instant voice to people who cannot rely on anyone else to listen to them. It is a resource that will prove invaluable to the industry in the future as the potential flow of information can inform anyone who is equipped and savvy enough to listen. The important part is that it enables crew to represent themselves, this is even better than someone else representing them, its like a sort of individualist democracy.

All it needs is people to share their opinions and issues with each other online and try and be a part of the action. Here lies the small problem. A problem that I can relate to personally. The problem is you! I may be a little naive but for me blogging is about issues as much as entertainment. It is about ruffling feathers not massaging egos. But how the hell do I or any of the others involved in Dockwalk.com get any feedback if you don't respond. I have covered issues from corruption to environmentalism and not a dickie bird. Not so much as an anonymous, poorly spelled dig.

The potential for the input of crew members to inform and discuss is huge. It could limit what is prescribed for the industry without adequate research and encourage better management and design in yachts. How many times have you heard a fellow crew member say "...The people who built this thing have clearly never worked on board a yacht..." They probably haven't, but at least now they can hear it from people who do work on board yachts. Crew have always had a voice and now they have an amplifier. I for one am looking forward to hearing what crew have to say. I am almost sure I won't agree with all of it but I will inevitably learn from some of it. So keep talking, I for one am listening!

PARTY POLITICS

2009-06-18T14:06:00.002-04:00

As we expect the first brush with a hurricane of the year, the signs are there that the summer is passing by. For most of us in South Florida that is a good thing as it means an end to the stifling heat. However the Autumn does have its problems which start with an influx of elderly road users who find 50 mph a little racy and have no real respect for those new fangled indicators.

What really marks the end of the summer and the start o the Autumn is the Ft Lauderdale boatshow (we only have 74 days to go). The funny thing about this boatshow is that everyone will tell you just how much they hate it, that they find it really dull etc. etc. etc. But, I suspect that everyone in the yachting scene actually enjoys the spectacle. Lets face it, there is an abundance of free food and drink, you get to see friends who you haven't seen for weeks and anyway, it passes very quickly.

One thing that is however getting a little tedious is the 'Boatshow Party'. Each year they seem to get bigger and bigger and although billed as networking events, are apparently designed to make it impossible to to speak to or hear another person. Some of these parties cost a fortune to put on and great efforts are often made to encourage a theme. Sadly though, if you actually go, you will note that most of the younger crew members are in 'T' shirts, surf shorts and flip flops, slaps, jandles or whatever you call them. This lot look more like the sort of people you want cleaning up after the party, not attending it. They look as if they had just been thrown out of a surfer convention for being too scruffy.

There are also the "B" list yachting professionals whining on about what the industry used to be like before safety training and parties that were inundated with junior surfers with no smart clothes. You see them everywhere but only at night and, they all seem to have worked on Feadships and know the owner of every bar in the Caribbean like their brother.

The sub contractors who have made a living arriving late aboard yachts miraculously arrive on time, in vehicles so large you instantly know where the 95.00/hour goes. Sadly they and everybody else seems to drive home!

The sponsors smugly gather at the prominent spots anointing the lucky few with a personal greeting. They massage the burgeoning egos with stories about the owners they know. All in all the atmosphere is shallower than low tide in the Bahamas, but of course the food and drink is free.

So, here is a suggestion to make the boatshow party a little more social and a little less like a monkey's drinking festival. How about a boatshow picnic. Organised in the daytime, ideally on a weekend with food, music and no dress code. It could even incorporate some sort of team competition between boats or companies or whoever. Families would be able to attend and the sponsors would not only gain more exposure but they would benefit from people viewing them as compassionate. The young surferettes would be appropriately dressed and the "B" list would not show up; as I suspect there is a 'thing' with them and daylight. Attendees could actually talk to each other without the need for hand signals which are tricky when clutching a plastic cup full of watery beer and a soggy offering of something pretentious from chef someone or other. In short a picnic would seem to be a little more civilized affair than a party. It would hopefully offer the sponsors the feeling that they have bought the souls of a few Yachties for a few kegs of booze. In turn it may not leave the Yachties feeling like they have had someone try to buy their soul for a few kegs of booze.

Gravy Train

2009-06-18T14:02:00.002-04:00

The season is now underway in the Med. Rum has given way to wine, ribs to Moules and cool to culture.

Most crew members hired for the season in the Med were looking for Euros and this was a contributary factor in salary inflation increasing. What will happen when the yachts return to the US and Caribbean for the winter. Will crew still be demanding Euros? Or, will the inflated salaries be converted to dollars which will make them clearly visible for all?

The salary inflation issue has the potential to become a problem. Research shows that crew members do not become "happy crew" just because they are paid high salaries. In fact they are likely to stay in jobs they are unhappy in because of the money they are making.

The Euro/Dollar salary debate over the last year has caused a rather greedy attitude to pervade the industry. Crew seem more interested in salaries than itineraries and entry level crew are seemingly offered more advice about how much they should be earning than what the industry is really about. The yachting sector has been for a long time one of the few "lifestyle" occupations where one could make a good salary, but are we getting a bit carried away?

The general concensus among yachting insiders seems to be that the Industry has a problem with providing terms that will keep the majority of crew from continually changing jobs. How about investing in crew training or pensions or something other than cash as it seems that the accumulation of a cash target is often the point at which a crew member leaves a boat.

There is nothing wrong with earning as much as possible but how long will thhe industry tolerate the greedy attitude. There are many people out there who need the money and will be happy to work for less than the present average.

A couple of years ago the an Irish ferry company sacked huge numbers of Irish people and hired Eastern Europeans. They worked for less money but had high standards of training. The salary inflation rates amongst the Irish seaman were alot less than we face today in yachting. So, perhaps the writing is on the wall, perhaps owners will just continue to pay what we ask for or perhaps we are knawing away at the hand that feeds us. In any case it might be a good time to start thinking about what you enjoy about the yachting business and not what it can do for you.

CREW TESTEES

2009-06-11T09:31:00.003-04:00

Relative to all other blogs last week, my rant about drugs received far more attention and the most responses. This gives me some hope that the drug issue is still considered serious by others in the industry. But, there is still little concensus on what we can do about drug use. It seems to me that the policing we need should be considered carefully. At the moment it is the enforcement that is lacking. It is extremely rare for a vessel to be boarded and a routine check for drugs mounted and sadly the users know this. Enforcement is the responsibility of either the flag state or the port state. Neither seem very concerned with the problem.

There are those who are against the concept of random drugs tests and pre screening for crew. To them these things seem to conjure up images of SWAT teams of captains going from boat to boat with urine bottles trying to catch the humble innocent crew member who just happend to have a quick toke on a joint on their week off. However, that is a completely naive view of what would or should happen.

I would advocate a completely different approach based on dettering potential drug users from using drugs. Imagine if you will, that you are a policemen and your aim was to cut down on the road traffic accidents caused through excessive speed. There are two ways to go: Number one is to hide behind a tree with a speed gun and catch people speeding. Number two, is to drive up and down the road with a big blue flashing light at just about the speed limit.

The first method will undoubtedly catch speeders but that doesn't necessarily reduce the number of accidents as the number of speeders you catch is unlikely to be the total number who actually speed. The second method makes it clear that speeed is not acceptable as there is a police presence and speeding would be immediately noticable. This may not yield any prosectutuions but is likely to have a greater impact on the number of speed related acccidents as one is slowing down far more people.

During the battle for the Falklands, the British used very sophistcated weapons to shoot down the Argentine planes but they noticed they they kept on coming at them. It became clear after some research that although the missiles were accurate they didn't not provide the enemy with the disincentive to continue to attack. Nowadays the Britsh Navy uses what amounts to machine guns with a very rapid rate of fire. These guns send a huge amount of lead and tracer rounds into the air. This has been proven to be a huge deterrent to attacking enemies. Their brains essentially figuring that there exists a huge chance of being hit. This reduces their ability to follow through with an accurate attack.

So, my suggestion is to machine gun drug users from a boat with a blue flashing light atop of it. Or, provide a massive deterrent by having random tests as the norm. People would really quickly realise they would be caught in a random test and stop using drugs. If they did, then the losers who push the drugs just might leave the areas where we yachties hang out. If they leave, we might look forward to the day when walking back to one's boat in some areas was not quite so much like running the gauntlet.

So the basic question to pose to you this week is, how could the industry deter drug use. Would random tests work. And by random I am talking random in the sense that even the captain would not know who and when the test was likely to occur he or she would just see someone walking down the dock with a bag full of test kits.

We will see if people have any positive thoughts or suggestions on the matter.

And the Winner Is !

2009-06-11T09:27:00.003-04:00

Sadly the Oscars finished for another year. It is said that there are so many VIPs in one place during the Oscars that the limousine caravan can be seen from space. Slumdog Millionaire had taken most of the important awards and received much of the publicity, so I for one, hope this means that we will be able to get better curries in the USA. Is it me or was the new James Bond a little bit, well dull? No sour grapes of course.

Fear nought for those of you who love a good awards ceremony, as, just around the corner we have the Superyacht Awards. They don't have their own award name yet like OSCAR or EMMY but I'm sure there is a publicist in a loft apartment somewhere working on it. The BOATIES perhaps or YACHTIES maybe.

For us average underlings in the yachting sector their relevance is irrelevant. I am no more interested in what the average portly yachting executive is wearing this season than the next man and despite the glamourous nature of the evening gala I am sure I would not be paying much attention, unless of course I was invited. In which case I would be wearing my most electric of trousers, coupling them with a rakish pair of socks and smiling inanley as one does at an awards ceremony.

Now it is a fact that the Superyacht Awards have a bearing on the publicity a yacht receives for its design and performance and being recognised as the "best" is surely an aspiration for all boat builders. However, I cannot help thinking that the true value of a yacht could be influenced by a few 'crew choice' awards. I have compiled a few suggestions below but feel free to add your own and the Boat International media group will possibly choose the ten best and host a special awards ceremony: Hugh Jackman is already said to be hosting! Crew will be invited but unfortunately flip flops, slaps or jandles will not be allowed.

MY SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS YEARS POTENTIAL "CREW CHOICE "AWARDS ARE:
1. BEST CREW MESS ON A VESSEL UNDER 50M/OVER 50M
2. MOST COMFORTABLE VESSEL ON A CROSSING
3. FEWEST WATER TOYS ON A CHARTER VESSEL
4. BEST STOWAGE ON A NON DUTCH VESSEL
6. YACHT WITH THE OWNER WHO CHANGES THEIR MIND THE LEAST
7. YACHT WITH THE MOST MOVIES ON BOARD
8. VESSEL WITH THE SIMPLEST MAINTENANCE ACCESS
9. VESSEL WITH THE LEAST STAINLESS UNDER 50M/OVER 50M
10. VESSEL WITH THE BIGGEST CAPTAIN'S CABIN

AND THE WINNER IS...............

TRAGEDY

2009-06-04T10:21:00.002-04:00

For a while yet, the topic of conversation in yachting circles will be firmly focused on the tragic murder of one of our number in Antigua. The forums are already ablaze with opinions as to what we should think and do. There will be the inevitable 'crime is not an Antigua issue' versus the 'boycott Antigua' position but it will be difficult to develop any form of concensus. What is really important is to fully understand the issues that cause young people to walk around with guns and try and steal money, and, more importantly, why the police don't apparently appear to be able to do anything about it. If I can find drugs in most Caribbean Islands why can't the police. Just ask a taxi driver, they are the ones who offer the drugs to me pretty much every time I go to the Caribbean.

Whatever you think about Antigua it is a fact that you are statistically more likely to be mugged there than most places. This to me means risk and as a captain I would minimize risk where possible. There is nothing unique enough in Antigua to risk potential crime. The authorities need to understand that and pull their fingers out of their ass and deal with it. There is no doubt that Shirleys Heights on a Sunday night outside several rum punches, are part of a collection of memories that I will treasure, but I wont be going back until there is some commitment on the part of the authorities to make it safer. They will not make it safer because that is the right thing to do, they will only act if they are made to realise that the economy will suffer if yachts don't visit the place. That is the message they need to understand, if it is remotely dangerous we will not come. It is a time for action not talk on the part of the authorities.

The crime problems in Antigua are not unique by any means but statistics would suggest that they are getting worse. What is the root cause of most of these problems? Well you can dress it how you want but drugs would be up there in my view.

How crew deal with the potential security threats we face is an area that we could all generally improve upon. The present ISPS security requirement includes searching for bombs which is rather ridiculous, if you think there may be a bomb, looking for it isn't what I'd be doing; they have dogs for that. However none of the ISPS convention values training crew to detect and avoid problems areas in the places we visit, ISPS is to yachting what ashtrays are to motorcycles. The advice that captains give their crew on using taxis, travelling together and not wearing expensive watches etc. is far more relevant that the security advice that the yachting legislations wants us to learn.

SAIL IS GOOD POWER IS EVIL(2)

2009-06-04T10:15:00.002-04:00

The time is nearing, just a day or so to go and I am going yachting. This time though it's is purely for pleasure. What is interesting is that I am pretty sure that apart from yacht racing this will be the first time that being at sea aboard a yacht is not work. To tell you the truth I am very excited at the prospect. The boat I am yachting on is a small boat and it has sails for going downwind and an engine for getting up wind, at least I am told that when you do it just for fun, this is how the sail/motor combination work.

We will be sailing around the Virgin Islands and I am sure I will see many of the sort of big white yachts I used to call home. I intend to look out for them because I am expecting the very sight of them to have an effect on me. Now, I am obviously quite a big fan of yachting and although I have to say that a lot of big white motor yachts look too similar for my taste, I still love most of their lines. I don't really like their environmental impact or the overt ostentatiousness of some of their owners but they are fantastic machines to me.

However, apparently, the moment you step on a small sailing yacht for pleasure, it can be quite normal to suffer from some sort of physiological metamorphosis that leads you to hate motor yachts. The bigger they are the stronger your sentiments can become. I am not sure quite how it happens or if genetics pre-dispose me to be susceptible to the phenomenon but I will monitor the situation closely. Perhaps it could be like the Incredible Hulk and I will see a gigantic power yacht and start writhing around on the floor only to stand up and shout ..." Why don't you f*^K off in your revolting gin palace you bastards..."

Perhaps it will be a slow onset where I start to develop a rather cocky look, a jealousy of people with plenty of ice and then gradually hate the sound of generators even if they are miles away. Who knows how long before I am convinced that large yacht radars cause premature senility to cruisers and that big white monstrosities should be banned and only sailing vessels allowed in the better anchorages of the world.

The process is liable to be strange and if it happens I am not sure if it is reversible. I have been warned that the only cure is to stand on the bridge of a mega yacht looking down my nose and referring to sailors as WAFIs.

If any one has had any experience of this phenomenon or if any one can tell me it's name I would greatly appreciate it. Perhaps there are preventative measures I can take or exercises I can do, please help if you can.

Well, as I said, all will be revealed very shortly. I will of course report back next week if I have not been rushed to the psychiatric ward.

PAST ONE'S SAIL BY DATE

2009-06-04T10:11:00.003-04:00

Well, better late than never, I have returned from my travels in the Virgin Islands as a recreational sailor or cruiser. As it turns out sailing is a rather tricky business and sailing boats are full of immense hardships for their passengers. Firstly sailing boats dont 'sail' into the wind, in fact they hardly ever sail exactly where you do want to go, which makes the choice of destination dependent on the wind direction. This is somewhat compensated for by the fact that everywhere you end up going looks the same anyway: Nice bay, nice beach, lovely water and poor service in the overpriced restuarant etc.

Sailing boats are also pretty cramped compared to the their power counterparts. They lack some of the basic necessities like microwaves and walk in fridges and sometimes if you lean on the cooker it will actually swing quite a way send you to the floor and the bacon across the galley. The majority of sailing boats I encountered had loose cookers like this.

All that said, I would recommend that all yachties have a go at sailing because knowing about the wind and the effect it has on boats is actually a very useful thing to know. A boat at sea is largely at the mercy of the elements and understanding how to work in harmony with the elements is the only way to operate a sailing yacht.

Enough romancing, there are of course, as I suspected, a few changes that take place when you start sailing. Especially if you are on a relatively small yacht. I was particularly interested to see how and when the process of disliking powerboats started to take effect. For me I managed to resist the full force of this phenomenon. However, when a huge power yacht's tender nearly ran us down while we were in our tender and tore through the anchored yachts leaving a wake that was completely unecessary with a little bit of knowledge of engine trim and common courtesy, I could see how some sailors could develop a dislike for powerboats.

What was a very surprising revelation was that 'cruisers' share many stereotypical features on the whole but also differ by nationality.

For example, all cruisers are pretty tight, some even prefer to use their sails to save money on fuel. All cruisers are quite hairy. Backs, armpits or chins they is more hair on a cruiser than your average person.

All French cruisers have at least twenty people on each yacht. All German, male cruisers wear thongs well past the time when they ought. Who really needs tanned buns? Apart from the obvious. All British cruisers wear shorts that were designed before the first world war and at the first sniff of a drop in temperature these shorts are immediately exchanged for long trousers in a faded red colour.

Anyway you get the point. What is interesting is that until you actually become a cruiser even for a week, it is hard to understand just why they do it. Now though I get it, I do actually understand just what all the fuss about being on board a yacht purely for pleasure is all about. Let me tell you, it is much better than working on a boat that is for sure.

Save Fuel

2009-06-02T09:53:00.002-04:00

Tough times call for tough measures, a mantra that anyone could agree with. But, tough times are subjectively determined and as yacht crew how do we value what a wealthy owner sees as tough times. If they own a yacht, times cannot be that tough right? Well there are clear signs that times are getting tough for yacht owners.

After talking to a senior executive in the insurance industry it emerges that there is a significant reduction in the use of yachts. The reduction in use corrolates with the increase in the price of fuel. So, despite the fact that fuel is a relatively insignifcant cost in comparison to the purchase price of the yacht, it does appear to be affecting owners.

The week Ford announced that its F150 truck which had be been the best selling vehicle in the US for nearly 200 months consecutively was now down at number five, after four Japanese models with sigificantly better economy. It seems the message has got through that trucks burn a lot of fuel. Nearly fifty years of marketing, branding the "truck" as a birthright of every sport loving, jean wearing, beer drinking American male has probably come to an end. Truck maketing is about rough, tough, outdoorsy, fishing things: Beer, girls and fighting. How on earth do you tell this demographic that with a smaller engine and perhaps a vehicle slightly smaller than a house, they may prove more economic. It is going to be like asking them to have a penis reduction.

The point is that they didn't stop buying the trucks out of choice or a concern for the environment, don't forget they need trucks. They stopped buying them because they make no sense as they are hopelessly uneconomic. They never really have made sense. Lets face it the majority serve little practical purpose save as a mobile status symbol. An opportunity to look down on the rest of us, albeit from the cheap seats.

What has all this go to do with yachting? Well there is a parallel, yachts are about extravagence and indulgence and in most cases they were not designed to be efficient. But until recently the only reason proffered to make boats operate efficiently, was in order to help the enviroment. Who cares. Very few yacht crew have made eny effort whatsoever to serve the interests of the environment and fewer owners still, have made any effort to reduce the carbon keelprint of their yachts. But now there is another reason to try and operate efficiently; the cost of fuel. For the first time all the ingredients have combined to conspire against extravagence. The environmental benefits could be huge in the long run. Yachts could be designed to be fuel efficient and crew could be supported in their efficiency initiatives by owners.

It may be for the wrong reason but at last there is the potential momentum in the market place to serve both the interests of the environment and the pocket. Designers have a chance to blow the dust of their ideas for small diesel electric plants or solar powered battery charging and the like. Yacht crew can be innovative and find ways of saving fuel by simply turning off lights that aren't needed and replacing inefficient bulbs with more efficient versions. Captains can be more efficient in determining economic speed by monitoring the fuel burn rate and improving trim settings in order improve economy. They may take a little longer to get there but its for a good cause!

Owners will at last have the impetus to encourage efforts to save fuel. It is not just the Green agenda on a flight of fancy but a reality check. Fuel is a significant factor in operating yachts and the sooner we adapt the better. The world may be addicted to fuel but the first course of treatment with any addiction is to recognise there is a problem. There is a problem!

YACHTING BUZZWORD GENERATOR

2009-06-02T09:45:00.003-04:00

It is a little known fact that the yachting industry lacks the normal industry level of buzzwords associated with a business of comparable size. Or to put it another way it lacks the proprietary vernacular vocabulary. Without such management jargon yachting is doomed to remain a cottage industry, and, is possibly even further doomed to be run by executives from the car making industry who are about to learn SUV really stands for Severely Uneconomically Viable. The idea of the buzzwords is to quite simply turn relatively straightforward phraseology, into the sort of complex sounding terminology that impresses the sort of people who drive BMWs and wear earpiece phones. These ridiculous earpieces are of course the "Leathermen" of the outside world. A world where Blackberry's are not especially imported for the owner's breakfast, sometimes referred to as the 'real' world.

The point is that buzzwords are typically introduced to an industry at a certain point that is quite difficult to define; somewhere after an industry has its own magazines and designated media but before it has it's own celebrities with TV programmes. As we have yet to watch TV shows such as: Who Wants to Be An Engineer or Captain Idol (lord knows there are plenty of idol captains) it would seem the yachting is ready for a buzzword phrase generator. Simply look at the three columns below which list yachting words spiced up with the odd bit of office jargon and sprinkled with one or two marketing terms. Combine a word from each of the columns in order to make a phrase that can be slipped into emails to the boss, the broker, the manager or even the crew. These meaningless buzzwords can form the basis of an excuse or explanation as necessary.

1 2 3
YACHT ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING
OWNER LOGISTICAL PROCUREMENT
PLANNED HORIZONTAL SYNTHESIS
CREW CALCULABLE SAFETY
GUEST QUANTIFIABLE MANEUVERABILITY
DESIGNED TRANSITIONAL MOBILITY
CAREER RECIPROCAL DYNAMIC
ENGINEERED PROPORTIONAL CONTINGENCY

So next time one is suffering from a bout of CAREER TRANSITIONAL COMPLEXITY think seriously about employing a PLANNED CALCULABLE SYNTHESIS approach. If the yacht looks as if it may be late leaving the yard try telling the boss that the DESIGNED TRANSITIONAL CONTINGENCY is being effectively utillised. And, if a guest is upset that they couldn't get a berth at their favourite venue, point out there was no time to use the yacht's PLANNED TRANSITIONAL PROCUREMENT procedures. Backhanders could be passed off by the dishonest as a CAREER RECIPROCAL DYNAMIC but stay well clear of a boat with HULL CALCULABLE COMPLEXITY. The buzzword phrases are endless, and, in most cases meaningless and pointless, just the sort of language that is likely to flow around the industry before we have our very own Gordon Fu*#+*g Ramsey.

LOOKS QUALIFIED?

2009-06-02T09:40:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately the industry rewards boat jumpers. It allows them to escape poor management, find better salaries and refresh their agendas. This may be good for the crew in the short term but it has damaging impact on the industry as a whole. Poor continuity has been associated with low standards of consistent, preventative maintenance, crew morale and fundamentally owner's enjoyment of the yachts they own. The problem is regularly attributed to the crew themselves and even blogs on Dockwalk.com have in the past suggested it is an issue that could be addressed by educating the crew themselves. However the problem is more likely to be yacht management. By this term I mean the management influence over the boat be it the captain, owner or management company if one exists.

The management on board yachts is absolutely fundamental to the success of the crew as a harmonius team of employees. Crew turnover is in fact a response to poor leadership and therefore a symptom of an underlying issue not the cause of the problem. There can be no doubt that the industry has created a culture where for crew, the way up usually involves another boat. The training structure is so long and expensive that leaving a vessel is a prerequisite for attending courses. The salaries are so disparate from boat to boat that a crew member is forced to seriously consider what they are earning and there is always another salary survey around the corner to cause unrest.

What is the point of a salary survey every few months? None, it is about as pointless as photographing a badger with colour film. Again, it causes crew to react to the perceived notion that they are undervalued. This reaction is quite different to a proactive action.

Just look at how we hire crew in the first place. We get resumes or CV's depending on where you are from and the first thing we are faced with is a picture. Some would say that it makes no difference, but why do we have them? Are they supposed to look qualified? The answer proferred by most is that its what owners want! This old chestnut indeed has some relevance; some owners surely do make attractive people a stipulation, the problem is that as the industry grows we should learn what we need to do better and clearly hiring crew in the way we do now is a part of the problem.

A recent article in dockwalk also explored the issue of stereotyping in the yachting sector. Unfortunately the present system of applying for crew positions allows the ignorant the opportunity to make ill informed stereo-typical judgements when seeking new crew members. Not everyone does it admittedly but it does happen all too regularly.

If one accepts the notion that crew are not always to blame for the high rate of turnover it allows us to explore the many ways we can take responsibility for the problem and endeavour to adjust the way we hire and manage crew. The definition of idiocy must be to continue to do the same thing time after time and expect a different outcome. But what are the solutions and who is to blame? Does it matter? Well most captains have no management training and nor is there any requirement to do so. Most owners place trust in their captains at the expense of the crew. Many captains forget that they are employed because of the owner's will and not because they are great captains.

For a crew member considering employment aboard a yacht, the crew turnover is arguably the single most important factor to base a decision on. The shortage of crew that is heralded at every opportunity or more fashionably; the shortage of "Good Crew", will undoubtedly mean that reduced turnover will become a higher priority than ever before and crew leaving boats all too regularly will be seen as voting with their feet rather than conforming to the stereotype of "those that are just not committed enough."

High salaries may come down in real terms as we realise that they keep unhappy crew on board and do not actually make crew happy. Owner's will have the last say as should be the case. But lets not kid ourselves, high crew turnover is not the a necessary evil it is the symptom of a problem elsewhere and usually higher up the management chain. It maybe the owner, it maybe the captain, it maybe the boat or it maybe the itinerary, the point is that it may not be the fault of the crew themselves. Until we eradicate some of our old ideas like insisting on pictures on applications, we will only have our self to blame for poor recruiting choices and high turnover. What else would you accept at face value?

EXPERIENCE COUNTS

2009-06-01T16:15:00.002-04:00

Just what is the 'right' sort of experience to help in getting a job or advancing one's career? Experience is a subject which keeps coming up these days, as crew accept that qualifications alone are simply not enough to ensure they stay ahead of the game and stand the best chance of getting the best jobs. Few crew are willing to spend money on training unless it is directly prescribed by the MCA or pertinent authorities. This means that separating one CV or resume from another is a matter of looking carefully at experience. The qualifications alone don't even get you through the door

Quite recently we at IYT trained two young guys for the IYT Master Of Yachts 200 tons licence. They actually sat next to each other and within a day or two realised that their experience was pretty similar. Both had served aboard similar sized yachts for over a year. Both had logged plenty of days on board and had travelled more than 10,000 miles at sea. However their experiential similarities stopped there. One of them had been trained as a watchkeeper by the captain, mate and bosun to varying degrees. He was able to plot fixes, correct charts and use the radar effectively, both to navigate as well as to plot targets. He had been involved planning passages and included in weather routing discussions from time to time. He was regularly briefed on night orders and knew exactly when to call the captain which was whenever he needed to.

The other fellow had worked on board a yacht where the most important training he had learned, revolved around what the owners preferences were and what the captain's likes and dislikes were. Although used as a watchkeeper he was trained to monitor the position only on the plotter and not to touch any of the electronics if he wanted to keep his job. Only the captain and the mate were permitted to do so. This fellow did recall seeing paper charts on board but they were kept in drawers that neither he nor anyone except the captain was allowed access to. He did not actually ever recall seeing a chart opened on the bridge except the one time the captain was showing the owners wife her range of beach choices. He was forbidden to wake the captain at night unless it was extremely important and the radar said there was a potential collision.

As you can imagine this guy failed his master of yachts course. Despite a great effort on his part he was simply not able to get to grips with basic navigation techniques to the standard required. He was invited to take a re-test but only after getting more experience hopefully of a more constructive kind.

The point is that until he realised his experinece was actually quite limited himself, it sounded pretty good. The boat was a busy charter yacht and surviving a year in your first position was respected highly by the crew agencies.

The two of them have both found jobs even in this climate ,one on the basis that he is a qualified watchkeeper and the other on the basis that he can work hard and will survive a busy charter season wearing a smile at the end of it.

Whilst gaining experience is vital it is worth remembering that qualifications such as the MOY 200tons and the RYA yachtmaster are not issued simply in recognition of time served. Nearly all tickets require seatime and continued on board training in addition to sitting in the classroom and writing exams. The on board training and experience is vastly different from boat to boat and that experience is what is marketable and provides the key to gaining a comparative advantage in the jobs market, which iets face it is more competetive than ever.

STEREO TYPING?

2009-06-01T16:11:00.001-04:00

Stereotyping could be described as ascribing homogenous characteristics to a group, without empirically ascertaining or respecting the accuracy and value of individual characteristics of those that make up that group. The phrase is sometimes confused with Stereo Typing which is the act of operating a keyboard whilst using an Ipod.

Stereotyping is usually recognized to be an unhealthy way to view any generic class, as it often serves to describe a group in an oversimplified, demeaning or assumptive way and we all know where that can lead. Often, stereotyping is used in ignorance and without any real malice intended. I would contend most people are guilty of stereotyping to some degree. “What do women know about cars?” “What do engineers know about joining in?” or “What do management companies know about anything?” These are phrases that might be commonly heard in the yachting business and are examples of stereotyping although other less polite descriptions may also apply.

One group of people that is commonly referred to as a homogenous stereotype is the yacht owners. Yachting serves the interests of yacht owners. That is why the industry exists. It is the only industry where those in the process of production and operation greatly outnumber the consumers. So how does the will of owners become translated into action? Well for different specific interests there are different people involved in informing owners and listening to their lists of likes and dislikes. Brokers, designers, builders and yacht crew all have an active part to play in translating wants into haves for yacht owners.

Ask any seasoned yachting veteran about what owners want and they all apparently know the exact answer, but how many have they actually worked for. A good captain of twenty or thirty years in the business has probably worked for, how many owners? Ten, twenty? That is all well and good but there are thousands of owners, so what do they really know about ‘what owners’ want’. It is a fact that we have a gender and race imbalance in yachting. Recent articles would suggest there also to be an issue of ageism but is this the will of owners? Or, are we possibly guilty of putting words in their mouths and assuming we can judge their views.

For sure there are good and bad owners that make working aboard a yacht a pleasure or a pain but, they are all surely very different. It would be a mistake to assume owners are a homogenous mass of male, racist, pedantic, tattoo hating, perverts whose principle aims in life are to screw crew out of holiday pay and ogle exclusively white stewardesses. But if one listens to many in the business, one could be forgiven for thinking that many owners conform to this stereotype.

I often write about change and often get the response that owners will never tolerate new legislation or rules. However, if an owner owns or runs a business he or she already understands and complies with far more regulation than yachts. If the owner has a plane or a chauffeur then they have already come to terms with personnel limits like ‘hours of rest’ for example. And yet, when resistance to the MLC is defended it is often owners’ interests that are cited.

Who knows, are owners views being properly represented by us? Or are they corrupted by a stereotypical assumption that we know what they want?

FREEZE PEACH?

2009-06-01T16:06:00.003-04:00

The digital age is second nature to us these days. It is more difficult to be out of touch than in touch for many of us. In the old days cell phones in the Bahamas were so ridiculously expensive I once convinced the owner that he should not waste his money on providing me, his captain with one. I remember looking forward to going there as the peace and quiet was fantastic. That is, until he realised the best time to catch me was at mealtimes on the boat phone.

The communications available to yachties these days are terrific. The yachting websites are great for providing relevant news and "Facebook" means one is never out of contact with friends family and even 'boat next door' acquaintances. The yachting forums have proved a great tool for communication and I believe to a great extent, have empowered individuals to at least understand the industry better and clarify their position within it. If one has a question these days from mixing "Awlgrip" to securing holiday pay, it can be posted and answered in minutes.

However, this has raised the issue of what is acceptable to be displayed on a forum and perhaps more importantly just what isn't. Well we all seem to agree that profanity is unacceptable. No matter how profane one's spoken language is, writing it down is just low class, short trouser stuff.
My concern however, is for two reasons. I am in business and from time to time things are stated that affect my business. Also I have a real issue with racism and I have been appalled by some of the, usually anonymous, comments people have made about other nationalities. We all make reference to other cultures and I am sure we all find amusement in commenting on the fact that, for example, Floridians can barely drive. But it does get worse; a lot worse, and can be vindictive and I think, inappropriate for the forums.

One subject that has bothered me recently as it affects both my hatred of racism and potentially my business is this talk on the forums about the legality of 'foreigners' coming to Ft Lauderdale to look for work. I understand that people should be allowed to speak freely, but deliberately misinforming others of laws in the name of protectionism is worrying. If people are put off Ft Lauderdale, my business inevitably suffers and that is cause for concern.

But, on the other hand, think of the connotations of a moderator censoring the opinions of others. Already, it is apparently OK to state unsubstantiated interpretations of the US visa laws, but try mentioning the name of the yacht or captain who fired you for no reason or who's behaviour you wish to contest and the forums will hide it. Is that fair? I would say in most cases it would be most unwise to be publishing the names of yachts, owners or senior crew who you have a beef with, but is it right to remove such things from an open forum? Obviously it is beyond a limit for the publisher and they are forced to make such choices, rightly so. But how do we define limits or do we rely on unwritten rules, perhaps wisely?

Free speech is an important part of most of our lives and it is a concept which protects the ignorant as well as the informed. Ensuring that it is respected and not abused on the forums is only going to become more complicated as time moves on and more people get involved.

Just Say No

2009-05-25T11:06:00.001-04:00

Undoubtedly, corruption is a very strong word. It is usually associated with politicians, senior business figures or third world governments. Most often when we hear of corruption it involves sordid meetings, sexy women, Swiss bankers and big numbers. But make no mistake, there is nothing romantic or glamorous about corruption. If you 'sell out' you cannot buy your respect back. You have placed a value on your character and you have to live with it.

What is the point of writing about corruption? Well it is not an unusual thing to find in the yachting industry. Don't be shocked. With a little imagination one can relatively easily see how the industry sometimes works better with the wheels greased.

Just imagine you are desparate to get into the dock at Monaco and figured that a few Euros might just do the trick. Perfectly normal for yachting eh? Nothing wrong with that, just a little incentive. Now imagine if you will, that you were stuck on the yacht outside the harbour with a valid booking but get told..." sorry mate, had a technical issue and we can't take you." Only to see the first yacht cruise in. Now corrupt people are suddenly not so popular are they?

The problem with corruption is that it is a tricky thing to stay clear of. The majority of payment structures in the yachting sector are commission based, so it would be natural to encourage someone to spend money in such a way as to earn a commission. The problem is that at times, the person being offered the commission is already being paid. So, if for example a captain was to be offered a commission if he or she used a particular vendor it would be totally corrupt. Simply, because they are being paid to put the owner's interest first. That goes for all of the crew.

In the Med people often talk of suppliers coming to the boat and offering 'personal discounts' whereby they return, in cash, 10% of the cost to you if you bought from them. But ask anyone to name one and you get some funnny looks but never an answer. There is a very distinct "Not my business" attitude that precludes people from reporting on what is illegal and dishonest behaviour.

Yachting has a lot to learn from other forms of business, transparency and accountability are on their way to our agenda. The stakes are way to high these days to allow selfish or subjective judgement to determine where money is spent on behalf of the owner's out there. As with many things the vast majority of people are honest and do their utmost to protect the owners interests, it is just the few bad apples that need to be dealt with. And they are out there, we all know it, in fact we can probably name half a dozen crooks I know I can.

The answer is simple: if offered say no! I didn't say it was original, I just said it was simple!

Bargains Galore

2009-05-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

Saving money is not a concept commonly associated with the yachting business. The money spent on yachts after their purchase is significant. it is a widely held view that yachts operate like small businesses, captains are sometimes even referred to as CEOs of individual businesses. Yet, when procuring the goods and services that are needed to keep yachts in working order and in their shiny best condition there is hardly any way of securing pricing at less than retail rates.

There are a number of chandlery companies around the world that supply yachts with everything they need and yet the great majority of what they sell is not stocked but sourced and then shipped direct from the manufacturer or actual stockist, be it wholesaler or distributor, to the yacht. There is nothing wrong in principle with this idea but as chandleries are often no more than procurement agents it would seem that the yachts should be able to get a better deal than they do.

How difficult would it be for yachts to deal with the manufacturers or wholesalers directly and would there be a cost reduction? The answer is that it yachts do not qualify in the eyes of business as individual enterprises so they are not always eligible to purchase at cheaper rates. Were they able to there would have to be significant reductions in costs.

The mark-ups on products in the yachting industry are usually associated with the fact that suppliers are providing high levels of service and this costs. However the with a little planning this convenience level would not be required. Lets face it if you call a chandlery company with a last minute request it is often because you failed to plan ahead. If it is an urgent part requirement as a result of a failure that you call the chandlery for, they are only going to call the stockist and have it shipped from there directly to you. And, if you called the chandler would it have been any more difficult to call the stockist directly. This is a much simplified point of course but the fact remains that yachts are spending huge sums of money on service and mistaking it for the actual cost of parts and spares.

The economic downturn may result in a push from owners to require crew to increase efforts researching and eventually procuring goods at better rates. Everyone is being affected by the rising cost of living and to assume that yachting is insulated from the problems would be foolhardy. Many captains seem to be under the impression that owner's are not concerned with reducing the costs of ownership of their 'toys' but statistics show that they in fact reduce spending in times like these so saving money is clearly a consideration. The bottom line is that it should be pert of the objective of anyone running a yacht to seek efficiency in what they do. In the absence of a profit margin in order to reflect efforts in this regard, it comes down to the conscience of those that spend money on behalf of their owner's as to whether to seek to reduce costs or not.

There are few initiatives in yachting to save owner's money. Most new ideas come at a cost to owners, but, the concept of "Collective Procurement" is one that provides a new system to enable yachts join together to access reduced prices on parts, supplies or indeed labour. The system is simple and pretty normal in other industries. Get people together and use this buying power to negotiate discounted rates with vendors. So captains, managers and senior crew be aware that better prices are possible and owners will appreciate you making use of them. They did not get rich by wasting money!

A LOT OF IT ABOUT

2009-05-22T15:59:00.003-04:00

There has for along time now been much discussion about the training that novice yacht crew receive. In the not too distant past the most a newbie got was where to drink in order to meet captains and find work. Things have moved on and today most incoming yacht crew are recommended to undertake the STCW95 basic training course. Although it is not required for every crew job that a crew member undertake the course, it is common sense that it is a good idea and frankly without it you stand little chance of getting a job.

What other information should yacht crew know in order to get the best out of the experience of working aboard yachts? It would seem to me that in general terms yacht crew are ill prepared for work aboard yachts because it is not easy to find impartial information. On arrival at a crew house what the average newbie gets is a jaundiced view of the industry that undervalues training and gaining long term experience in favour of getting to "know the right people".

On the other hand many of those offering advice have a vested interest in making money out of the crew member so how can you be sure that this advice is trustworthy?

Well I have a vested interest in selling 'yachties' 'training courses ,let me be upfront about it, that said I would not try and sell them something that wouldn't benefit them. In fact I would like to teach them more and more information about yachting as a career. Everything from personal security to personal insurance coverage for both health and persoanl equipment. What about information regarding setting up dealing with tax, setting up bank accounts and maintaining access to their cash whilst travellig around the world? Every bit of this infomation would benefit the crew member.

As a captain I had to teach new crew members all these things but I find that unless they work on a concientious boat they are unikely to be taught on the job. If they were able to receive better training at the start they would surely be better prepared and equipped to go to sea as yacht crew.

The crew houses seem to be one place where gossip and rumour spreads like wild fire and rarley is it very accurate or productive. Incoming crew are generally left with the impression that the training schools are there to make money and don't care about crew. In fact the oposite is true we know that crew are our sole customers and we more than anyone want to ensure they stay with us throughout their career. However what concerns me is the wrong information crew receive about things that are really important. Things like travel and health insurance, visas, contracts and the like.

Crewmembers have little in the way of representation or places to find out exactly what they need or what they don't. There are few publications on the subject and even the web has little to offer. The forums are useful but not always easy to navigate around.

The answer is not straight forward but if a new crew member is asking for advice try and be open minded and think positively. Advise not what is "a waste of time" but perhaps what could be useful. If you don't know the exact rules or laws pertaining to their questions don't tell something you don't know about definitively.

There is simply too much bad advice being offered to the entry level crew member it is up to all of us to help them avoid it. If we want to have crew stay in the industry and not hop from boat to boat it would help if their first steps were made on a firm footing.

HIT THE BOTTLE

2009-05-22T15:54:00.003-04:00

I am never really sure how to talk to people about the environment. If you are surrounded by green types who cycle to work and sit cross legged, it is easy to feel that you are not doing enough to protect the world from man's abuse of it. With a simple sideways glance they can can make you feel too guilty to admit that you have ever eaten at MacDonalds. It is simply no use telling yourself that they use real pieces of chicken because for sure the chicken was in a small cage without so much as a little chicken window to see out of.

On the other hand living amongst a bunch of yachties can often have the opposite effect. Mention that that the yachting world could do a little more to reduce its impact on the environment and it is easy to feel that you are asking for them to shave their heads or for the fellas at least, stick their genitalia in a vice. Trying to instigate a policy of recycling on board is often met with sighs, groans and questions as to whether or not global warming is really a bad thing, if England will be growing pineapples in a few years.

The fact is that doing something to help the environment is better than doing nothing. And for those minds who are not receptive or think that yachting is exempt because "the boss still flies his dogs around in a private jet", it is important to find the small steps that that are not seen as hurdles or or an attempt at getting them to give up their deckshoes in favour of slip on sandals.

There is one thing that could be removed from every yacht in the green cause, and, save the crew work and the owner money.

Bottled Water!

It takes six bottles of water worth of water just to make 1 bottle of water. The plastic packaging is manufactured using enough noxious chemicals to make Napalm seem like a mild irritant. More importantly, tests have shown that bottled water is no better for you than non bottled water if you can remember what that was like. On board a yacht, the storage of water is nothing short of a pain in the behind.

Despite our reliance on bottled water, apparently no designers have ever considered where to put it. It has to be stored in lockers outside and all over the boat and its sheer volume and weight act together to make it cumbersome and difficult to move around. Except, that is, when moving one bottle at a time. Most captains will tell you how many bottles they have picked up after crew and they are apparently taken anywhere with ease.

So why bother to remove them from yachts? Well it is easy. It requires only a change in mindset, just a little one and the benefits are instant: More storage, less garbage and less money wasted. These benefits are realised by the crew and owner of the yacht, so it is in their joint interests to ban bottled water. Guests will still want their Evian or luxury branded spring water of course, that is probably not going to stop, but we on the service end of the wealth gap can still set an example.

Ban bottled water! It is not going to save the world but at least it is a step in the right direction. A small step maybe. As the Chinese say; even the longest journey starts with the smallest step, or was it the first step, or was it the 'rongest journey? Anyway, in a few years there probably won't be any plastic left to make bottles, as the Chinese will need it all to make the cups they will sell to us in order to drink tap water. Lets just hope as they get richer they buy more yachts.

Green Mean Yachting Machines

2009-05-22T15:51:00.003-04:00

Nobody needs a yacht. Outside our world, in the great scheme of things yachts serve no purpose. They are the essence of indulgence, the reward for success and the object of desire. One could say the same for choccolate, champage or jewellery. The difference between any of the other luxury items and yachts, is that a yacht is a polluter. A significant polluter. Serving the interests of the very few, yachts contribute to the environmental problems that face the masses.

It is difficult for some to view yachts as anything other than things of great beauty and technological mastery except of course Benettis, but it is important to take a pragmatic view of yachts in order to fairly view their carbon signature. It is true to say that compared to the carbon output of cars or flatulent heards of cattle the yacht is a relatively minor problem for the world to come to terms with, but here is a solution. It is not often that a humble yachtie has the chance to solve a world problem but here we go.

First all yachts should calculate their carbon keelprint. This is a matter of using an equation which takes into account tonnage, horsepower, build mass and type of material and number of people/days used per year together with the engine hours. People/days are the same whether they are incurred by crew or guests. The equation is tip top secret but suffice it to say, it works. It would take a trained flag state surveyor to calculate the application of the equation. The survey would make allowances for the proactive carbon savings made on board.

These proactive carbon savings would include design features and consideration of the environmental managment system (EMS) employed on board. This would encourage the operational practice of the yacht to be environmentally sound.

Having used the equation, a value is assigned to the yacht in question. This is the yachts "Carbon Keelprint". This value is used to further calculate an allowance for the amount of carbon emitted by the yacht for a year. This is termed in carbon units. The exact number of carbon units assigned to a yacht are pre agreed by the flag state of the yacht and they can be broken down on a pro rata basis if the yacht changes hands. The value can be augmented by purchasing more carbon units if necessary.

When a yacht reaches its allowance, it is taxed at a pre-agreed rate per unit over and above its allowance. The tax is to be used for projects that benefit the marine environment. The Sea Keepers society for example.If a yacht does not use its carbon units it can sell a pre agreed proportion of them to other yachts who wish to travel further afield, do more charters or use more guest days.

The whole scheme would encourage greener operation of yachts, and mean that yachts who do not care to operate in such a manner are paying something back.

Yachts with low "Carbon Keelprints" could ues it in their marketing and owners could choose to buy or charter yachts which are demonstrably less harmful to the environment.

Make no mistake this whole scheme would involve the cooperation and support of a very mixed demographic but if they all put their enjoyment of the sea at the top of their wish list who knows what could happen?

Industry is starting to use the very same principle in its management of emmissions by combining market forces with legislation. If the various cap and credit schemes that are coming in to effect are sucessful, shipping and transport will follow shortly. For a big white yacht there will be nowwhere to hide.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

2009-05-22T15:49:00.002-04:00

Life as a crewmember aboard a yacht is a unique occupation and despite the fact that a yacht is designed for bobbing around the oceans, it offers great protection against the harshest conditions many face.

Turn on the news and you hear the banks have no money to lend because the money they lent for property purchases wasn’t being paid back, because the property got too expensive because the banks were lending too much money to people who couldn’t pay them back . So the property prices crashed which meant the people who owed the banks didn’t have the money to pay them back which means the banks have no money to lend……..And so the cycle goes on.

Add oil prices, currency fluctuations, a bit of political turmoil and you have headlines for the next few months. But, let’s be reasonable. The doom and gloom mostly affects those with property, credit and those who work in offices or factories ashore where the word ‘commute’ brings tears to the eye.

Yachties are actually very lucky indeed. So what if there aren’t many charters this season. More time for snorkeling, diving, fishing , kite boarding and enjoying the place for yourself. Some yacht crew might even get the odd weekend off this season. A season without too many tips is not exactly as bad as not making one’s mortgage payments which is the prospect for many in the US and Europe.

What about groceries and the cost of living? Well, when was the last time a ‘yachtie’ paid for a bar of soap or a carton of milk? Yachts even provide deodorant to their crew, something I have never understood.

The last few years have seen unprecedented salary inflation, better and better terms for nearly all crew and huge advances in career mobility given the large numbers of yachts being built. Engineers are treated like gods, beautiful stews are worshipped like goddesses, the parties are apparently endless and the travel is seemingly limitless. Jobs may not be growing on trees this season but in truth have they ever?

Undoubtedly the world is in a little turmoil but this is a time when ‘yachties’ should be grateful for their lot it’s a whole lot better most.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

2009-05-22T15:47:00.001-04:00

Is it me? Or does it seem that there so many crew agents sprouting up, we will soon have one each. Imagine that, each with our own private agent. Every time I open a magazine or view a yachting website there seem to be another 200 new crew agencies, each offering what all the rest should have been offering but have so far failed to do, or that's what they say. I am getting all sorts of people asking me for references from my old crew members. Of course I don't want to let my old shipmates down but I am beginning to wonder who these people are that are requesting, in some cases, rather personal information about people who in many cases I call friends.

There are agencies that offer pretty much anything you want to hear these days. From a revolution in crew placement to the promise of crew who are better than everyone elses, despite the fact that in most experiences the crew they offer are the same as every one elses. How many crew sign up to one agency alone? None, they sign up to most if not all of them.

I am sure that all of the new placement agencies with their new niches do a very professional job. Indeed the increase in numbers should mean more competition, but competition should in turn lead to a reduction in costs to the consumer. I have asked a number of captains if this is the case and the concensus seems to be that crew placement is not getting any cheaper. Interestingly many of what I would describe as the new agencies seem to be trying to communicate with the crew themselves to suggest that it is the crew who are the customer. This is simply not the case. It is the yachts who are the customer, the captains and owners, the crew are not the customer of crew agencies.

None of this would matter but I just can't help wondering if too many people are benefitting from the high crew turnover which is endemic of the industry. It seems that it is not in many peoples interest to reduce this turn over and promote retention. I do not suggest that the crew placement agencies promote turnover deliberately, indeed the more established agencies would not be here now if they did and of course their warranty is desireable. It must be a concern if vast numbers of, as yet unproven placement agencies, are capitalizing on what is surely a problem worth resolving.

But how on earth do we promote retention of crew aboard yachts? there are heaps of ways but one new approach was highlighted by John O'sullivan on his blog in these very digital pages. He suggested and has indeed tried using a psychometric personality test with some success. These tests are designed to give character trait information that could be very useful when trying to mix and match a crew complement aboard a yacht. Such tests are widely used in industry and have proven very effective in many applications. They are not expensive and compared to the costs associated with regularly changing crew they would be less than cheap. Will it become the norm? Will it even become accepted? Who knows, but it could be worth a try if we are serious about keeping crew for longer.

FLIBS OVER OVER FLIBS

2009-05-22T15:45:00.002-04:00

Well the boat show is finally done. The last few days have caused my wife to think I am a stranger, my liver to think I am the enemy and my feet have threatened me with desertion. Once they have held the election tomorrow I can turn on the TV start to put my life back together.

I have noticed a few things about this boatshow which fortunately took place under rather good weather. Sunny enough for the visitors to be delighted with the Floridian climate and yet cool enough to to avoid having to spend most of the day talking to people with sweaty armpits.

Is it me or are the people who work at the entrance to the show and check tickets all very similar. I would love to know the criterion for recruiting these people but they are clearly seeking a certain look and style. It is quite possible that they are all from the same island or laboratory and I suspect that they also work at other shows around the world and take their little stools with them. Or perhaps the organisers have a bunch or unifoms that they send to the other shows around the world and simply find locals who fit them and like being perched on stools all day. It is quite uncanny these people almost seem programmed but they are incredibley disciplined and don't miss a trick.

I also noticed that is was possible to make a call from my cell phone easily anytime I chose. This must mean that attendance was down. Normally the volume of "roamers" means that half the calls you make or indeed someone makes to you, are lost, dropped or whatever they call these days.

I noticed the food has not improved much. We understand that the concessions cost lots of money but some of these people are taking the piss. The sort of food available at FLIBS would be banned in Monaco or Antibes on the grounds that the cholesterol or fat content could be recorded in the Guiness book of records.

And what about the boat show uniform. Polo shirts or any shirts with a logo on the left lapel just would not cut it anywhere in Europe. People who want to sell you millions of dollars worth of toys wear shirts and ties in Monaco or Antibes. They look sharp and smart and and dare I say chic.

I think the FLIBS needs a style makeover. Dump the friers and bring in seafood and salad bars. Dump the beer that tates like water and the water that costs more than champagne and bring on the wine and Pimms. Dump the polo shirts and bring in jackets and ties. And what about programming the security people to smile?

FACE BOOK

2009-05-20T13:36:00.001-04:00

This week I received a message on my Dockwalk.com account, it invited me to get into contact wih a saucy sounding lady I think called Mary. Before I had a chance to think that I should perhaps have reconsidered that provocative photo I use on my profile, I found out that another Dockwalk.com member had received the same message. I was then told that as many as five hundred members had received a message from Mary. Now she is either really keen on finding a fella or some half wit has played a trick on all of us.

I don't think that Mary exisits at all, in fact, I think that Mary is probably a Ukranian schoolboy or a Hacker from Wales who has found a way of getting our bank account details if we reply to Mary's open invitation for love.

The fact remains that I bet there were one or two out there were a little disappointed to hear that Mary was not offering exlusive commitment. Let's be honest, it is no way to start a relationship!
It is just so easy these days to communicate with each other. Social networking is to communication today what morse code was many years ago. The fact is that it makes it easy, affordable and accessible to everyone, but, yacht crew particularly benefit, as staying in touch with one's friends and family is far more important when stuck on a boat in the middle of a busy charter when you can't afford to use a cell phone. Or just when you want to share a particularly exciting experience.

What is interesting is that people are still perfectly happy to tell complete strangers all sorts of personal information on their Facebook pages. After the boatshow parties of late and the general fun that was had by all, it is interesting to see how people portrayed their particular brand of fun. Frankly, it was good to see people enjoying the very social side of yachting, but it is worth remembering that many people can form an opinion of your personality by looking at your page. If there are too many pictures of you draped half naked a cross a bar with a cigarette in your hand it cannot be good if your resume says you are a non smoker who likes the occasional social drink.

I would not advocate completely changing your personal 'home page', but I would suggest people remember that any of the social networks can be a great sales tool that could be applied to help you get ahead in the present competitive jobs market. If a stranger has one page to get an impression of you, just make it a good one!

BLOAT SHOW BLUES

2009-05-20T13:33:00.001-04:00

To say there seems to be 'some uncertainty' about how the yachting industry is going to weather the global economic crisis is a bit like saying Victoria's Secret has some moderately attractive models, a rather large understatement. Traditionally boatshows are seen as a weather vane for the market sentiment which is in turn seen as an indicator of problems to come. The Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is just such an indicator and this is the first year I haven't managed to be given a bundle of free tickets so I suspect things might be tight. There have indeed been recessions and downturns before, but the climate for this show is both unprecedented and one might say 'unpresidented'. Cliches abound about how the super rich can ignore the prevailing economic climate, but as is so often the case in yachting, these cliches are usually based on the misnomer that yacht owners are all so wealthy that they are not affected by the downturn. Time will tell, but it would be sensible to assume that many owners will indeed be affected. Owners and charterers are the only consumer in the yachting sector and unlike any other business you care to think about, these consumers number but a tiny minority compared to those providing goods or services to the yachting industry. The signs are not great; Charters are down, crew agencies are reporting less job requests and there are not that many people in the industry walking around with the sort of grins that would make James Brown seem a bit sulky. But, just how prepared are we in the yachting industry for a bit of a decline. Will the boatshow bring a sense of doom and gloom or will we continue to subscribe to the 'it will never happen us while there are the Russians, Chinese and Indian billionaires in the making' sentiment of years gone by. The last few years have seen massive inflation in the costs of yachting. Ultimately, it is the minority who will decide what value means to them. If there are going to be economies made, crew can expect to take their turn. We have all benefitted from salary inflation and better and better terms of employment, but now might be a good time to think about long term job security and not short term savings. The days of the Robin Hood school of yachting, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, may be over for good. History shows that consumers come out of tough times more demanding and less inclined to waste money. Yacht crew are more insulated than most from the economic problems that face many in the world. Many have no property, debts or financial responsibilities other than their own recreation. In a week or so we will have a better idea as to whether FLIBS was a flop or not. Let's hope the show allows us some sense of optimism, after all if the rich are struggling with stock declines and cashflow 'glitches' , what better to way to get away from it all than on the sundeck of a shiny white yacht. If that happens despite the crunch, the humble yachtie may still get some credit.

JOB SEEKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE

2009-05-18T15:34:00.002-04:00

Over the last few weeks I have been in touch with a number of, how can I best describe them, 'hopeful newbies' to the yachting industry. They have come to Lauderdale to find fame and fortune. Most are rather better prepared than Dick Whittington was and none are under any illusion that 17th St is paved with gold.

The fact is that they all get different information on exactly what is involved in getting into the yachting industry and how they should get that first opportunity to prove themselves. So, I would like to offer a bit of positive advice to anyone looking for a first job as a deckhand or stewardess and hopefully dispell some of the myths that I hear from entry level yacht crew.

The yachting industry is still growing and statistically anyone with the right qualifications, which start with the STCW 95 basic training, coupled with the right atttitude, has good chance of finding a position. If you have come to Lauderdale to find a job, don't be disheartened by the first bit of bad news you hear. The last couple of weeks have been unprecedented in the history of the global market economy and it is probably fair to say that many boat owners are affected in some way. For that reason confidence in the yachting sector has taken a tumble and there is some uncertainty over the future of plans for many yachts. However, history shows that these factors can actually contribute to a turn over in crew which in turn presents opportunities for new crew members to get an 'in'.

Secondly remember that the agencies work for the owners and captains of yachts not for the crew themselves. For this reason they are bound to put forward the easiest crew members to place first. If this category does not include you, do not worry, keep trying. If you remain positive and committed it becomes apparent that you are serious about working in the industry and this in itself is a plus point.

As you start to get interviews try and resist taking a job just becasue you think that it is the only one you will ever be offered. Instead try and find a job you think you could do for at least a year. Think carefully about what you hope to achieve in the yachting industry and marry that to what you have to offer. Analyse your life experience and try and find areas where this has some relevance to the yachting industry. Don't forget that the yachting industry is a service oriented business and much of what we do in other walks of life has relevance in this regard. Use you resume or CV to highlight this part of your experience even if it is limited.

Find out as much as you can about the different jobs in the industry. A deckhand on a small yacht based in Florida maybe totally different to a deckhand position on a large yacht travelling the globe. It is almost certainly the case that a person ideally suited to one of these jobs may not be idealy suited to the other. So think carefully before you say I just want to be a deckhand. Daywork is a good way of exploring the different options for the different types of work out there.

It goes without saying that being presentable at interviews and meetings is vital. Networking is a useful skill to develop but it does not mean just turning up at Waxy's and drinking yourself to oblivion. That glass you knock over as you stumble across the bar may belong to someone that knows someone that knows someone that is interviewing you the next day.

Also try and ignore the stereotyping that goes on in the industry. I was shocked to read an article posted recently by someone who runs a crew agency. In the article they suggested that all new, young crew members do not have the work ethic that once existed in the industry. This sort of attitude is utter garbage. The last few years have seen a gradual increase in the level of safety and professionalism in the industry and it continues to improve over time. I suspect that this post is not the right place to name and shame the company responsible but drop me a line and I will point you in the right direction in the hope you will point out the ignorance of their ways.

Finally make you own mind up about what you should do. Obviously make a decision based on as much inromation as possible but be careful about submiting to the peer pressure that abounds. If you are honest with yourself about the job you are after you have a far greater chance of being successful when you get it.

Good Luck

THE BLACK LIST

2009-05-18T15:25:00.006-04:00

Probably the most often asked question I hear these days is; "...do you know anything about a boat called .........". It comes about as a result of crew members hearing on the grapevine that there are issues on board a yacht; high crew turnover, difficult owner, poor crew accommodation or a thousand others.

Lets face it there are many boats out there with reputations that are shadier than a yacht broker's accountant. However, you don't get to hear about them until you are on another boat as a working crew member. It is just like job hunting in the industry. The moment you get a job that has taken a long time to find you will hear of five more in a week.

Crew turnover is arguably one of the most important considerations that should influence the decision as to whether or not to take a job, assuming you have the choice. The context is all important and there may be a perfectly good explanation like the boat sold or went into a yard for a long refit. However, there are many boats that don't keep crew very long and whatever the given reason, they are best avoided.

Should there be a "Black Book" of yachts with less than encouraging employment statistics? Who would keep such a list and who would be responsible for impartially gathering the statistics?

The theory works well. Someone in the "loop" would keep a track of the number of crew that gets fired or leaves a particular yacht. The idea of using statistics is that it would be an unequivocal statement of fact. The interpretation and gossip could be left to the bars. Crew would be able to access the data on perhaps a website, on condition that when they leave a yacht they simply fill in a form saying their start and finish dates and reason for leaving. They of course could do so anonymously.

Confidentiality agreements could be respected through avoiding using the name of the yacht but making it so obvious you could not fail to guess it. Frankly most yachties are pretty good at guessing yachts!

As the database develops it would serve the industry well. Owners' could see how their boat rated, captains would be accountable for their hiring and firing averages (and one hopes strive to improve), crew could be informed about avoiding the 'dogs' and looking for the better positions.

This could just work. In fact I volunteer to be custodian of the statistics. So write to me at Dockwalk.com I don't want any whinging, just facts: How long on board, why you left and the name of the boat. Nothing more, nothing personal. I will publish the results unless of course, I mysteriously disappear. Which is quite possible as thinking about it, there are quite a number of people that may be less than happy at this idea.

KEEP IT CLEAN

2009-05-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

Some times it is fair to say the environmental debate is a little too complicated for most. It must be, because not enough is being done by 'normal' folk in defence of the environment. In the yacht industry 'Green' still means someone who has not done a season and the majority of initiatives to make Yachts greener are not from not crew members. Maybe as crew-members we don't care about the environment enough. Maybe we are lazy or maybe it is a little complicated for us!

In the confined area of a yacht where we live as crew, we are to an extent in our own world where we are in charge of our own little environment. So one doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that small improvements we can make to our own space would benefit us directly. In fact rocket scientists are not usually known for their environmentalism prefferring instead to blow people up or move people to other planets, one assumes when our own resources run out. NASA spent more on rocketry last year than Abramovich spent on yachting this week and that is alot of money.

So here is another suggestion for yacht crew in addition to the get off your asses and do something positive advice already given. Stop using chemicals on the interior of the yacht you work on, or for that matter, the exterior. How about that! Simple straight forward and as Green as Robin Hood's tights. Forget all the garbage you think you really need to keep the windows clean, the toilets shiny and the fridge fresh. They were all designed for housewives or husbands who have no time to clean because they have children who think it is really funny to torment parents to the point that it is only the law that stops them being given back to the hospital from whence they came.

In the real world of cleaning, convenience like this comes at the price of using chemicals originally designed to the give the Sixties some real kick. They are bad for you if you use such cleaning products once a week in a large house. Just imagine if you took a really very tiny house and used these products every day. And because you didn't have to pay for them you used a particularly large amount of them. This is how it is aboard a yacht. Lots of cleaning and little space. The result is a very clean looking but unhealthy place. We simply sacrifice germs for chemicals.

So if you don't care about the world, the planet, the sea, the or even the little cuddly panda cubs, try thinking about your own health. There are more and more cleaning products that are made from boiled leaves, flower juice and the like. Most work work without slowly turning you impotent. They are better for you and yes better for the pandas and they don't cost much more than the chemical based ones in common use.

So if you want to be a bit environmental and look after you own interests give the green products a try. The hotel industry has made a marketing strategy by offering guests green products, in fact there are hotel chains that boast of using only environmentally green cleaning processes and they are cleaned nearly as often as yachts are.

If you can think of a reason not to bother adopting a greener attitude apart from lethargy or ignorance please add a comment below. No comments means I am right; there are none.

ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH OFFICERS

2009-05-13T14:28:00.002-04:00

There is talk about the industry of introducing an environmental officer qualification for the yachting industry. In fact it was a prominent captain and member of the Seakeepers society who mentioned it recently in an article. Well I would like to add my name to the list of people who think its a good idea. I have yet to come across a yachts crew who have a stated environmental policy in force on board their yacht. There are a few yachts out there that have made some concessions to reducing their "carbon keel print" but very few crew members have apparently embraced the idea. Imagine what the benefits of a designated environmental officer would be: Well first there is no gender implication in the role. It has no sexist tradition so it could improve the career path of female crew. Indeed it has long been a criticism of the industry that the interior staff, which are predominantly women, have little in the way of a career path compared to their deck colleagues. Lets face it if the Environmental officer's role involved training which is likely, the interior staff would have far more opportunity. Simply because the Deck officers training is so structured that they would be unlikely to have time for Environmentalism training in addition to the rest of their qualifications. An environmental officer would also provide a yacht with a green conscience. Somebody to keep an eye on the attitude of the crew and to facilitate the little efforts that when combined make a difference. An environmental officer would surely, after training, be able to advise the captain and crew on just the sort of operational improvements that would benefit the environment. Simple things like turning off unnecessary lights and removing bottled water. An environmental officer could be charged with gathering ocean data that could be collated and used by experts to study the environment. In short, the role of an environmental officer could be a most rewarding one and could encourage yacht crew to join in with the majority of the world by taking positive steps to help the environment. We surely don't need to wait for someone to come along the dock in a suit and make us do it do we? The green debate has all but stopped, there are very few people arguing with the fact that the Earth is warming up and resources are dwindling. The reason is, very simply, because the Earth is warming up and its resources are dwindling. I would be prepared to bet that yachts state their fuel economy on their brochures within a couple of years. There is nothing wrong with trying to be a bit greener in the yachting sector. Despite my own personal campaign to have plastic water bottles removed from the Yachting sector, save those pretentious ones favoured by rich folks, my last research survey suggested that not a single yacht has heeded my advice. Not one yacht out of the twenty or so yachts I approached has made any effort to stop using bottles. Most had not even heard of my private campaign against the bottled water. Never mind, I will continue the crusade alone as my work here is not done. But, when the environmental officers are out there in force I can at least hope that someone on board yachts will have sympathy with the green ideal.

BETTER THE DEVIL WE KNOW

2009-05-12T15:51:00.002-04:00

There has been much talk of late about the idea of "unionising" the yachting industry. Unfortunately it is clear that the word union conjures up all sorts of, albeit unfair, images of picketing and striking or industrial action. Not the sort of thing we really want to see in the yachting industry.

There are however, some very real concerns amongst crew members over the inconsistency of management aboard yachts these days. I suspect this is where the talk of a union comes from. The general feeling that there should be somewhere to seek advice and even arbitration when in conflict with a yacht over employment issues and the like, is fueling the debate as to whether unions are good or bad.

In my day job I run a yacht training school and come into contact with many crew members on a daily basis. The stories they tell of their treatment as employees reinforces my concerns over the standard and consistency of management that yacht crew experience. The common denominator they all share is the fact that they feel no-one represents their interests. They have the choice to use the law in order to fight for their rights or, just put it down to experience. The common feeling is that invoking the law would gain them a poor reputation. Many actually fear that the captain oremployer involved would provide a bad reference and damage their chances of future employment. In most cases they choose to simply let their grievance go and move on. A recent informal poll showed that less than half of crew members reported having written agreements.

The new International Labour Convention (ILC) code that will be in force in 2010 will mean that the rights of crew members will be in focus. Any representative organisation be it union or association, will be well served by ensuring that its membership has a fair proportion of those in the operation of yachts compared to those involved with the management of yachts, in their number. If this is not the case, there is the risk of a 'them against us' attitude developing when the inevitable debates start as to the ability of the ILC to be implemented. The relevance of the ILC code will almost certainly be brought into question by the yachting industry and it will become important for the industry to find common ground, where all sectors and ranks of crew members can agree to adhere to the ILC or, agree to lobby for special consideration give the mission specific status of yachts.

I would take issue with the notion that the PYA represents the industry. The truth is that representation is a pluralist, democratic ideal that would suggest that at the very least a great proportion of the industry sanctions a body to represent them. The membership numbers of the PYA would not suggest this to be the case. Rather they have been endowed with a de facto charter as a result of the lack of a viable alternative. Perhaps it is a matter of funding but I see nothing to indicate the PYA is reaching out to crew members in the industry in order to encourage their interest in joining.

I recently joined as a corporate member with the intention of having an input into policy and learning more about their role and projected function. Of course I also wanted to network and communicate with potential business partners. This is what I was told would be possible through joining. Sadly, they don't even have a website running and this despite promises to the contrary. The only correspondence I have had with them was their request for my company to sponsor a table for booze at their annual party. Needless to say my interest evapourated. I summize from this attitude that their priorities are flawed and out of touch with reality. They have representation only in the Med and are portrayed at deck level as an old boys network of 'has beens'. Whether this is true or not is a matter of opinion but there is apparently nothing being done to invigorate the industry and educate potential members differently.

I have worked in the public sector for many years and recognise that a factor that is common to many membership organisations, who are founded on solid principles but lose sight of their goals, is that they fail to understand that they must listen and not preach to their membership. The industry is evolving and the interests of the members and future members is evolving too. I am not convinced that a union in the format of many that exist is right for the industry, but the PYA in its present embodiment would seem not to be what the industry needs either. For licensed officers the Nautilus union does offer legal representation in the event of an issue of liability. Most captains are in some way or other potentially exposed to liability if something goes horribly wrong. Very few have their own insurance and it is not until after the 200 ton licence that there is any formal teaching in maritime law required. Therefore in order for a captain to act in such a way as to ensure compliance with the law relies on their own study. Of the crew surveyed who reported not having agreements, the vast majority were employed aboard smaller yachts.

Lobbying on behalf of the greater good of its members is a unifying act in itself and the foundation of most successful membership organisations. Any organisation that seeks to represent yacht crew will have to undertake a campaign of listening and responding to the industries needs. It will have to offer arbitration and advise on recommended standards of employment practice without alienating employers or employees. It must also brand and market itself in a way that relates to its members and appeals to new members. It must be sustainable and use business tools as a means to offer members tangible benefits without compromising its integrity. This is a pretty tall order for anyone and probably the reason the debate will continue for a while yet. In the mean time the better the devil we know attitude is likely to prevail.

Lah De Dale

2009-05-12T15:44:00.002-04:00

There is little to say about Fort Lauderdale that has not been said already. 'Oft refered to as Yachting's capital it has a boatshow that is so good the bottled water alone is only affordable by the very wealthy. It has a mythical place known only as Behindlester's where anything in the world that is involved with yachts can be magically repaired or made. It has electricity and beaches and invented the concept of Spring Break where underage students gather wearing identical clothes and hunt in small packs for alcohol. Lauderdale has so many sportfishers that it sutains most of China's white sock and 'cut off' denim industries singlehandedly. Lauderdale has so many canals it is known as ' the Venice of America that is outside Vegas'.

It is a shame then that Lauderdale is slowly losing is position as the seminal player in the superport game. It would seem to me that as the Dollar faired so ill against the Euro the advantage of the exchange rate was not captitalised on at all. There never once appeared to be any public money put into any campaign to encourage the yachting industry to keep coming to Lauderdale and the businesses who are based in the environs.

The US economy is in the lead in slowdown and the recent 'non tank vessel response plan' (NTVRP) regulations, Immigration problems for crew and Transport Workers Identification Credials (TWICS) regulations have taken a toll on the perception of Ft Lauderdale as THE place to visit. Some sort of campaign discouraging rumours and encouraging clarity on the issues would have been wise. The yachting press in the US have raised the issue of Lauderdale's demise but essentially they were preaching to the choir.

If one travels by British Airways one of the worst parts of the trip is the advertisements on the entertainment system that highlight Wales as a fantastic place to do business and to live. However awful and repetative it was as a campaign it worked and people went there, did business there and even lived there. Dubai encouraged business by boring us senseless with the most patronising 'ads that suggested everyone lived in giant shopping malls, was very tanned and beautiful and yet not extravagent in any way. People went there and lived in those malls so many in fact that the landlords doubled the rent and all bought Ferraris.

The point is that Lauderdale has something unique to offer the Yachting world in addition to its geographical location. It has a skilled 'yacht quality' work force and the can offer great value in the global yachting market. It also has some of the property market's greatest problems indeed very few economic optimists currently live in Lauderdale.

It would seem to me that the public sector could do more to market Fort Lauderdale outside the states. The yachting market must surely be important enough to warrant it and there is plenty of expertise on the subject of how to attack it. The right demographic is relatively easy to target and every time the news reports more doom and gloom here in the US economy it would seem like a good idea to try and generate income.

The first step should be to come up with a brand, logo and tagline. So ,I am holding a competition open to anyone. Send me your suggestions and I will pick the winner and notify you of your prize. The winner will have the chance to rename Fort Lauderdale, and get free bus rides for week.

FACE VALUE

2009-03-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

One of the most common problems facing the crew industry today is the problem with crew turnover amongst vessels. There is no obvious magic solution to this issue, nor many proposed solutions, despite the problem, occupying a place, high on the agenda of many. In fact even the Dockwalk recently published an article that would seem to advise crew members on just how to jump around from boat to boat in order to realise the most benefit.

Unfortunately the industry rewards 'boat jumpers'. It allows them to escape poor management, find better salaries and refresh their agendas. This may be good for the crew in the short term but it has damaging impact on the industry as a whole. Poor continuity has been associated with low standards of consistent, preventative maintenance, crew morale and fundamentally owner's enjoyment of the yachts they own. The problem is regularly attributed to the crew themselves and even blogs on Dockwalk.com have in the past suggested it is an issue that could be addressed by educating the crew themselves. However the problem is more likely to be yacht management. By this term I mean the management influence over the boat be it the captain, owner or management company if one exists.

The management on board yachts is absolutely fundamental to the success of the crew as a harmonius team of employees. Crew turnover is in fact a response to poor leadership and therefore a symptom of an underlying issue not the cause of the problem. There can be no doubt that the industry has created a culture where for crew, the way up usually involves another boat. The training structure is so long and expensive that leaving a vessel is a prerequisite for attending courses. The salaries are so disparate from boat to boat that a crew member is forced to seriously consider what they are earning and there is always another salary survey around the corner to cause unrest.

What is the point of a salary survey every few months? None, it is about as pointless as photographing a badger with colour film. Again, it causes crew to react to the perceived notion that they are undervalued. This reaction is quite different to a proactive action.

Just look at how we hire crew in the first place. We get resumes or CV's depending on where you are from and the first thing we are faced with is a picture. Some would say that it makes no difference, but why do we have them? Are they supposed to look qualified? The answer proferred by most is that its what owners want! This old chestnut indeed has some relevance; some owners surely do make attractive people a stipulation, the problem is that as the industry grows we should learn what we need to do better and clearly hiring crew in the way we do now is a part of the problem.

A recent article in dockwalk also explored the issue of stereotyping in the yachting sector. Unfortunately the present system of applying for crew positions allows the ignorant the opportunity to make ill informed stereo-typical judgements when seeking new crew members. Not everyone does it admittedly but it does happen all too regularly.

If one accepts the notion that crew are not always to blame for the high rate of turnover it allows us to explore the many ways we can take responsibility for the problem and endeavour to adjust the way we hire and manage crew. The definition of idiocy must be to continue to do the same thing time after time and expect a different outcome. But what are the solutions and who is to blame? Does it matter? Well most captains have no management training and nor is there any requirement to do so. Most owners place trust in their captains at the expense of the crew. Many captains forget that they are employed because of the owner's will and not because they are great captains.

For a crew member considering employment aboard a yacht, the crew turnover is arguably the single most important factor to base a decision on. The shortage of crew that is heralded at every opportunity or more fashionably; the shortage of "Good Crew", will undoubtedly mean that reduced turnover will become a higher priority than ever before and crew leaving boats all too regularly will be seen as voting with their feet rather than conforming to the stereotype of "those that are just not committed enough."

High salaries may come down in real terms as we realise that they keep unhappy crew on board and do not actually make crew happy. Owner's will have the last say as should be the case. But lets not kid ourselves, high crew turnover is not the a necessary evil it is the symptom of a problem elsewhere and usually higher up the management chain. It maybe the owner, it maybe the captain, it maybe the boat or it maybe the itinerary, the point is that it may not be the fault of the crew themselves. Until we eradicate some of our old ideas like insisting on pictures on applications, we will only have our self to blame for poor recruiting choices and high turnover. What else would you accept at face value?

FORCE OF HABIT

2009-02-17T12:12:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it is difficult to step back from your own situation and be objective. The scenery we see every day becomes the norm and we get used to it, complacent even. Describe to the layman what we do for a living as yacht crew; the sights, the people and they will be amazed and astounded by what we take for granted. But, describe to an outsider the prevalence of drug use that we tolerate amongst our number and it becomes clear there is, by normal standards, a ‘drug problem’ in the Yachting Industry.

As an industry, we are more likely to take action against smokers than tokers. More yachts enforce a zero tolerance policy towards tattoos than drugs and we are more concerned with stopping people wearing shoes on deck than stashing drugs below decks. Why is it that we tolerate something that is not only antisocial and dangerous, but is also completely illegal? Well, the fact is that the yachting environment encourages drugs. It is one industry where there is practically nothing to stop anyone taking, or storing drugs. Drug tests are rare aboard yachts. The laws regarding drug use are never enforced by the authorities. To drug users this is encouraging. The authorities that govern yachting are not part of the solution, they are in fact, part of the problem of inaction against drug users in the industry.

In addition to the institutionalized acceptance of drugs, the ease with which they are available to yacht crew is another part of the issue. The police in St Maarten are, I am sure, trained to the very highest standards and yet they are apparently not smart enough to realise that drugs are being supplied by taxi drivers who pick up ‘yachties’ and deliver them to and from their party venue of choice. It took me about ten minutes to figure this out during my first ever trip to St Maarten and yet the police have not managed to work it out, or so it seems. Ever been to a pantomime where you have to shout “…it’s behind you!” while the buffoon at centre stage turns around deliberately slowly in order to miss whatever is actually behind them? Well, it seems a bit like that. Call me old fashioned, but this should be pretty basic police work, elementary as Sherlock Holmes might say. This information is considered common knowledge to yacht crew. Are we to believe the police are unable or unwilling to act?

Unfortunately, St Maarten is not the only place where drugs are easily available. Stories abound of many ports of call, where drugs are all too common: Nassau, Palma, Antigua, St Thomas, Antibes and Panama to name but a few. Crew report that drugs were easily accessible in all of these places. Yacht crew are, unfortunately, quite typical of the drug user profile; they are often young, have disposable income, they work incredibly hard and live in a stressful environment. Couple that with being in a location where drugs are readily available and not at all discouraged, and, as a nun’s seamstress might say, “you have the makings of a habit.”

Drugs have a number of downsides for their users. Official statistics show that drug users are far more likely to need time off, suffer from ailments, have reduced output and burn out prematurely. Yachting as an industry is in the process of addressing the issue of ‘burn out’ and ‘shortage of crew’ discussions abound. Solutions proffered include increasing cabin space, developing better terms for crew members and a host of other proactive initiatives. And yet, proactively eradicating drug use, which can be a contributor to the problems we seek to remedy, is not on anyone’s agenda. This is a great shame as, not only is it best for crew, but it is hugely cost effective and totally in the owner’s interest. Isn’t that what the industry is about, the owner’s interest?

Let’s not forget that drugs have a number of downsides for those around the users. Where do drug users keep their ‘stash’? Well, if they live aboard a yacht it is a fair bet that they must keep it in their cabin. We all know the penalty for having drugs aboard a yacht. It could result in the arrest and ultimate forfeiture of the vessel. It could quite likely cause the captain to spend time behind bars. In Nassau for example, that would be “Foxhill Prison” which receives accommodation and dining reviews from Amnesty International not Zagat.

Unfortunately, there is a great lack of responsibility taken by anyone in the Yachting Industry to make drugs unacceptable. It is left to an individual’s own personal moral position on the matter. From the crew who must decide whether they are going to succumb to the peer pressure and try drugs, to the captains who have to decide if the risk exists on their boat. Managers and owners also have to make up their own minds as to whether to act in the interests of making drugs unacceptable in the industry. Those that do decide to take action or subscribe to a policy which seeks to outlaw drug use amongst their charges, are sadly the vast minority.

At present, too many blind eyes are turned toward the issue of drugs in yachting. It is impossible to quantify the extent of the problem, so it is played down by the powers that be. Not only does this attitude allow those that use drugs to inhabit the industry, it forces those that do not use drugs to share an industry with drug takers. You see there is no fence to sit on here; if you are not actively against drug use, you are for it, the lack of action is the same. Often there is talk of offending the sensibilities of those that use drugs in their own time. Who cares about their sensibilities and why?

It was actually proposed recently by, shall we say a senior industry official, that if a yacht found a member of crew was under the influence of drugs, the action taken would depend upon how easy it would be to replace that crew member. Are they mad? What has the industry come to if we have to tolerate criminals because that’s all we have got to choose from. Of course this is completely naïve, if you use drugs and you are caught you should be in prison. I for one don’t want you on a yacht I work on, or in the same marina, or island or country for that matter. In fact I do not want you in this industry. Go home, get some sandals, join a commune and lie around extolling the virtues of Hendrix’s influence on modern rock. Or if you are bit more modern get a couple of glow sticks, a whistle and dance around a strobe light listening to repetitive music and drinking bottled water. Really cool eh? Well you might think so now, but guess what? You are certain to use the word ‘phase’ in just about every conversation you have describing these wild years and you are not going to be proud.

Other industries have always led the way when it comes to policy for the Yachting Industry. The last ten years of safety legislation came from the commercial sector and the same with security and pollution prevention. Interestingly, drug use is outlawed through regular and constant drug testing in the commercial marine sector. Random testing exists aboard most commercial ships and so too does pre-screening. Most industries in the transport sector subscribe to the theory that the risk of an individual involved in the safety of passengers being under the influence of drugs or alcohol is simply unacceptable. In order to avoid this risk they simply put into effect a proactive policy, which makes the employment environment a place that a drug user would not want to be. You get the same result if you throw a cat in a swimming pool. A lot of noise at first, but then when the cat gets out, it is unlikely to venture near your pool again. The fact remains that the laws and rules the other transport industries use to guide their proactive anti drugs policy are the same as those that exist for yachting. Any British flag vessel is subject to the very same ‘Misuse of Drugs Act 1971’. The IMO, International Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federation recommends that vessels operating ISM should have an active policy on drugs as part of their safety management process. This view derives from concerns addressed by a resolution by the Joint Maritime Commission of the ILO way back in 1991. ‘Yachting’ seems to accept the risk that a captain or watchkeeper or other crew member with a role in the safety of a yacht may succumb to the influence of drugs or alcohol. It may have happened already: The fact is that there is no record of any testing for alcohol or drugs at the scene of any of the yachting accidents that have occurred over the last few years. You can bet that if a cruise ship hits the dock a little hard, the captain is liable to the scrutiny of drug or alcohol testing. In yachting, an accident such as the Motor Yacht “Lands End” bumping in to a clearly marked rock in broad daylight and good conditions, did not reportedly lead to any sobriety test. Why not? Is yachting above the law or is there a fear that we would all be guilty.

Sadly, people do not often stop breaking rules because they realize the error of their ways and understand that they could potentially cause an accident or adversely affect the lives of others. No, the reason people stop breaking laws is usually the penalty or the risk of being caught. If an offender thinks he or she will be caught, they would be far less likely to perpetrate a crime. An industry wide commitment to random drug testing to include the captain would likely make drug users stop using drugs or leave the industry. In fact, a stated industry wide policy of random drug testing would benefit everyone. Owners would get peace of mind, insurance companies would lessen risk and drug free crew would not have to share their lives with the sort of losers who find drugs stimulating. Some of the taxi drivers in St Maarten would of course suffer. Perhaps we could offer them daywork in exchange for not pushing drugs on impressionable yacht crew!

It is about time the Yachting Industry did something about drugs to send the message that the majority of us do not want them in the industry. We are not generally interested in catching and bringing to justice those that take drugs, we just want them to go somewhere else. They must understand that they are not wanted in this industry. Rules exist and every other form of transport related industry, including commercial shipping, respect these rules. Their attitude is proactive and is supported by the establishment. The anti drugs message must then, be sent to the legislators in the yachting industry: the flag state authorities, Port state authorities the MCA, the IMO et al. They should be lobbied to encourage enforcement. They see no problem surveying a yacht to check if the safety hardware is up to date and in place, but could care less if the crew is fit to sail as long as they have got their certificates. What sort of rules are they if they can be safely disregarded without fear of reprisal.

Drug use is something that can be controlled and penalized: it takes only the consolidated will of the industry. If you are not against it you are for it, if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. Do we really have to wait for a tragedy, an overdose perhaps, a sinking? What would it take to make the industry take notice? In most instances it is the obligation of the captain or owner to ensure that a yacht is drug free, but if no-one is ever going to check, there is no incentive to do so. There are companies that offer a ‘turn key’ random test system that allows the owner and captain absolute peace of mind, so it is not a question of the facility not being available. In writing this, a large number of captains were contacted and asked whether they would support a raised level of commitment within yachting to get rid of the drugs problem. Every single one agreed without hesitation. Let’s deal with the issue: what have we got to lose? Just the losers.

DONT BARE YOUR SOLE

2009-02-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

There are any unanswered questions in the world; like why is there a control that lets you reduce the suction power of a vacuum cleaner, does anyone ever use it on a setting less than Max? Or, why do we pay for flood insurance outside the rainy season? Or, most intriguingly, why do Floridian cars have indicators?

However, perhaps the most perplexing question to me is why do we insist on people walking on bare feet aboard yachts. It is something we almost always insist upon and we shouldn’t.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that anyone visiting a yacht be allowed to stomp aboard our pristine teak with stilettos, especially men, but, I am suggesting that people are either provided shoe covers or be offered a suitable alternative as a matter of course. And, not only visitors but the crew as well.

There are many yachts out there who do not let crew members wear shoes on deck. Many yachts only offer shoe covers if the visitor refuses to remove their shoes. Very few yachts offer the visitor the apparatus to clean the soles of their shoes or provide them appropriate footwear to use on board. These days it is quite normal for a visitor to have to present ID or other credentials and be signed on board and off. This is as a result of a recognized threat to security or privacy and this in turn is a result of evaluating risk. But what about the risk of a badly stubbed toe, twisted ankle or worse slipping on wet decks.

To my mind if the yacht has a policy of requiring the visitor to remove their shoes and they subsequently get an injury, the yacht is totally liable. When was the last time you saw a sign saying the teak is “slippery if wet”? If you go into a MacDonalds and the floors have been cleaned in the last year, unusual as that may be in my local Mickey Ds, there are signs there to warn you about it. Most shops and bars have signs saying shoes must be worn. Why? Because they have done a risk assessment and realize that feet can get injured by stepping on something sharp. They also know that their liability is reduced somewhat by this act. Yachts on the other hand sometimes have signs saying no shoes!

Next time you are boarded by the coastguard or any authorities for that matter, ask them to take of their gigantic boots off and see what happens. Well nothing really will happen, they will not take their shoes off. Then ask them why and they will tell you that shoes or in their case boots are for safety. The ‘Code Of Safe Working Practice’ should ensure that people on board yachts have access to protective clothing at all times and yet the poor old feet go unnoticed.

Of course black soled shoes leave marks but removing ones shoes poses a real risk of injury on board a yacht. In fact injuries to the feet are probably the most common injury of all aboard a yacht. Who in their right mind would venture into the engine room with bare feet. There is so much electricity and so many sharp things down here that you would be asking for trouble in bare feet. There are often ear defenders for the noise and even goggles for the eyes but very rarely safety shoes for the feet. So to my mind a visitor to the engine room is put at risk.

What about the long term risks of bare feet on teak. The risk of “deckhands foot” for example. That ghastly disease that afflicts at least one deckhand a season, leaving their feet more dried and cracked that the boss first wife’s face.

Since leaving the full time employment aboard yachts I have spent my entire fortune with a chiropractor. As I get poorer his cars get bigger and he seems to take more holidays. He recently asked me if I wanted to have a say in the choice of curtain material he uses to screen off his patients I had spent so much money there. The cause of my visits to the chiropractor who, incidentally, has me listed for birthdays as well as Christmas Cards, is the fact that for years I walked on hard surfaces in bare feet. To date there has not been a repetitive injury lawsuit against a yacht owner for back injuries caused by banning supportive footwear on their yachts. But, as my chiropractors wife gets ever larger breasts and the chiropractor himself adds to his Rolex collection, I have to admit I thought about being the first to bring a case. Not since before Roman times, has anyone suffered as I have from collapsed arches.

One of the reasons we insist on bare feet on the deck is the fear we all seem to have for the look of our teak decks. We are teak obsessed. There are more theories on cleaning teak than there are about the ‘big bang’ it is just that the minds involved are smaller. We seem to be under the illusion that teak remains cleaner if we walk on it in bare feet. Next time the deck hand is lying down on the job have a look at his or her feet. Bloody filthy! Anyone who has seen the adverts for those pads that you attach to the soles of your feet overnight, in order to draw out the body’s toxins, will know that ones feet are a part of the body specially designed for excreting toxins and oils that the body does not want. There are of course other parts of the anatomy that are perfectly designed for the excretion of liquids, solids and perhaps most notably gases, but the feet get the job of oils and toxins. And, they are very effective. It is these very toxins that cause the filthy foot marks on teak decks around the areas of the highest foot traffic density. It is in turn, these toxins mixed with a bit of bacteria, which cause the smell of old deck shoes to make grey water seem mildly aromatic by comparison. And of course, it is these same toxins which make foot fetishists, who actually enjoy fondling and even licking other peoples feet, very sick people indeed.

Now to be clear I would advocate that the shoes that are worn on board should remain on board and not be used on the dock or anywhere else. This would of course avoid the dreaded piece of grit or dirt getting onto the deck. But wearing shoes would keep the decks cleaner and surely protect the feet from damage.

Is it a case of simply standing on ceremony or the blindly following of a tradition found on outdated ideas? Who is to say. But in future, please keep in mind that we only sell our souls to this industry our soles should remain intact.