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.