Yachting Like It Is

I would be grateful if someone could explain to me why we don’t have a reality TV programme about yachting.  We have reality everything else and apparently these days people will turn on the TV to watch other people playing cards or, a group of slappers in a house talking about their augmentation plans and their decrepit, pajama wearing pimp.  So, why not a yachting reality show. 

The format is simple, follow a few busy charter yachts as they prepare for their season and film them whilst they struggle like little ants to get their boat ready.  The sweat, the tears, the graft and the beers, you see it even rhymes. Of course some will suggest that privacy is an issue? Right now though, I am pretty sure that given the opportunity to market their yacht there are plenty of owners that would jump at the chance to have their yacht featured on the TV.  The guests, well that’s a different matter but they are not the interesting part in any case, it’s the crew perspective that would be interesting.  I guess it’s the same reason the Deadliest Catch does not feature seafood diners.

Obviously, just like the fishing reality programmes it would be important to point out that everything the crew does is highly dangerous. It is a vital part of true reality to make sure that the story unfolding on the screen is far more interesting that actual reality.  In fact, reality TV is actually a sort of enhanced reality. This is probably the reason that all the girls on reality TV are good looking and seemingly always just moments away from getting their kit off.

Yachting has the perfect recipe for a successful reality show:  Glamour, sex, danger and we are all pretty.  Well compared to a bunch of dog toothed, chain smoking fisherman we are, even the captains are pretty.  Imagine the drama trying get out of the yard on time, trying to get a contractor to show up on time.  Imagine being a fly on the wall when the captain does captain’s stuff, although that might be beyond the realms of camera access.

I still cannot believe that it has not happened yet?  Perhaps it’s because viewers don’t want to see images of wealth while the economy is so down?  No that can’t be it, as poor folk buy rap albums when most of the videos feature singers adorned in the ostentatious trappings of the tasteless rich.

In truth just telling the simple of story of what we do would probably bring millions of new crew members wanting to get into the business.  Could be good or bad depending on which way you look at it.  We shall see, but if we don’t get in on the reality act pretty soon we will be on to the next TV fad and who knows what that could be?  It could be worse than reality.

Quality of bottom is an oft used phrase in the maritime industry.  Some would say it is used to describe the hiring preferences of many but more recently it is a phrase used to describe the present state of the economy.  Everyone seems to be talking about whether we are near or on the bottom and whether it will be the start of a rise or whether it will be the predominant landscape of the next few years.  A sort of flat line so to speak.

This last 18 months has caused much pain to many and yet it is difficult to note whether important lessons have been learned.  There seem to be a few different schools of thought in the yachting business and depending on who you talk to they are the pessimistic view, the optimistic view and the realistic view.

The pessimists will tell you that we are going to be stuck in this rut for years to come.  The optimists if you can find them will point out that yachts are a great deal and that the market will come back strongly while the realists will have us err on the side of caution and use subjective knowledge as their justification.

Whichever is the ‘right’ view only time will tell.  It seems though, that few people are looking at the present state of the economy and analyzing it for themselves.  For example the last time the Euro got to this strength against the dollar it was big news as it seemed to impinge upon the fortunes of yachties, now however it is lost in the mire of the world economy.  Never in my yachting career has the economy looked so skewed in favour of the United States being the advantageous place to be and yet never has there been so much talk of the US being a tricky place to do business for yachties.  After years of discussions it appears that the B1/B2 visa is what we should be using to enter the states as crew aboard a yacht.  Informative as the information has been to this year’s crop of newbies, that just isn’t news, it only seems to be news in answer to the neigh sayers that ever doubted it.  Never has there been so much discussion about entry into the US or whether US crew members are suited for jobs aboard yachts.

Yachting is perhaps the most cosmopolitan industry, after maybe the UN; I have ever had the fortune to work within.  It thrives on the fact that its actors are adventurous and free spirited and perhaps more importantly mobile, crossing cultures and boundaries on but a whim. 

Essentially one has to believe that Yachties are heterogeneous and not homogeneous and that ascribing generic characteristics is needless.  To do so as seems to be the predominant trend of the moment leaves aside the concept that the very make up of yachting is a colourful collage of different outlooks in favour of the view that we are all conforming to the graying trend gleefully mapped out by gossip.

We must learn from the fact the bubble has burst and not wait for the next inflationary cycle.

For a long time now I have thought that a process of standardization would be useful in yacht design.  I know, I know yachts are built to different standards and vary in size tremendously but wouldn’t it be nice have a number of accepted platforms for engine rooms for example.  If you take this a step further it would allow different yards to share engineering plans with each other without fear of giving away trade secrets and this could in turn make yachts cheaper and easier to work on.  Particularly the spaces that are not subject to the subjectivity of owner preference.  In addition to engineering spaces, tech spaces, laundry areas, galleys and crew accommodation could potentially be the subject of an agreeable set of standards as a result of common sense and economies of scale in addition to the experience of the yacht’s operators.

This led me to talk to a number of yards to find out just why little engineering information is shared amongst their number.  It turns out that the most often cited reason was not simply the wish to keep things secret in the hope of gaining the competitive advantage but rather the owner’s terms of confidentiality.  Well if the owner has forked out millions on a yacht the last thing he or she wants is to let anyone else have the specs of the custom door hinges on the aft deck.

Many owners having signed an agreement with the yard to keep the exact plans and engineering designs a secret also sign an agreement with the same yard to show the boat at the season of upcoming boat shows where it is scrutinized by every broker and visitor who can wangle a tour.

The very largest yachts that tend not to appear at shows including those owned by the software giants and Russian oligarchy tend to be better able to avoid espionage as very few people are allowed on board without being checked out.  Some would not be surprised if Mr. Abramovich’s people were checking DNA these days as a precondition for getting on board his new large vessel recently launched in Germany.

When it comes to luxury items like a new pool system that converts into a dance floor then it makes sense not to share their secrets.  But what if the emphasis is on something that benefits the industry as a whole like emission free exhausts or ultra quiet propulsion or generation.  What about abject failures like the stern doors on a certain Italian marquee I could mention.  Perhaps this information should be passed around.  I remember a few years ago a yacht ‘specked’ shiny stainless for some of their engine room intakes only to find out that they were not a suitable metal and failed very, very quickly.  They did look great and prior to the failure being disclosed several other yachts had planned on using the same material and subsequently had to re-plan quickly.

Of course much of this stuff is left to the third party manufacturers and is available but it is a shame in principle that there is little trickle down effect to smaller or less well engineered yachts.  Formula One cars bear little resemblance to and cost a little more than yachts, but their technology benefits cars in general.  ABS brakes for example are said to be a direct descendant of Formula One technology. 

It might be stretching the point to compare Formula One and Yachting but wouldn’t yachts be better places to work and would owners benefit if the design and engineering issues we see time after time were not continually repeated until someone admitted to getting it ‘not exactly right first time’?  With the emphasis on finding environmental solutions and improvements it would be nice to think there is a greater good and that lesson learned could be shared.

It’s the time of year again when jobs are the minds of many.  So, I thought I would do a bit of research and find out any useful interview techniques people are using to ‘clinch the job’ so to speak.  The plan was to use empirical research, gather data and pass it on to others.  Up until a short while ago this was aimed at the lowly crew member hoping to find a new job from a captain or manager or even owner. But I have changed my plans and now I am aiming this blog at the interviewer and not the interviewee. 

1 When interviewing, first always make sure that you have a job available.  Sounds a little obvious don’t you think?  Well I would have done too, however, several crew I have talked to of late have been interviewed by ‘captains’ who actually had no job to offer.

2 Avoid asking the person you are interviewing to have lunch with you.  You know if you want to impress the person you are interviewing then manipulating their best interest to make them have lunch or dinner with you is pathetic.  Interviews should have some air of formality and if you make it feel like some weird date the interviewee will only think you are weird.

3 Do not call the interviewee in the evening and ask them out for a drink.  If you do it is not an interview and it makes you look desperate.  No self respecting person is going to take you seriously.  Crew jobs are jobs get it.  It is a professional relationship you should be propositioning not a personal one.

4 Do not send the prospective crew member pictures of yourself.  It’s just plain weird!

5 Do not trawl through the resumes left at various places by prospective crew members and call them and try and get them to meet you particularly when tip number 1 applies.

Well I think I have made my point.  How many times have we read posts by experienced captains lamenting the standards of crew who slouch, turn up late, wear inappropriate clothes, chew gum etc etc etc at interviews.  Well there is another side to the coin.  This month I have been focusing on the sometime appallingly unprofessional practices of certain interviewers and frankly I am shocked.

You have probably gathered by now that my tips are aimed at those who abuse their position as a captain (that’s what they usually call themselves) and tried to manipulate young women into having a meal or a drink with them, when they have no job and no real reason to be doing so. Rather, these losers are essentially trying to effect a date by posing as potential employers.  I could be diplomatic and use phrases like in appropriate but I am pissed off about it to the extent that I think we should agree that it is totally unacceptable.

I spend much time with the junior crew who come to train with us, helping them prepare for their interviews, as I am sure other companies do.  We guide them on how to present well and clarify why they want to ‘yacht’ and just what they bring to the table. We tell them all about the hierarchy and respect required to be part of a crew.  And then some loser goes trawling round the resumes, left in the hope of a prospective employer finding it, and calls girls up, sends pictures of himself and lies to them in a lame attempt at making it some form of a date.  

Anyhow, sorry, I have calmed down a bit now. I think it would be very interesting to hear if there are other stories people would share about this sort of thing as I suspect there are plenty.  It might also make it clear that the consensus think this is the wrong way to interview crew, especially females.  Perhaps then slippery Captain Nodate would start to realize that he should change his tack.

I would point out that none of the ladies who have told me about their experiences, all very recent, have actually been subject to any form of assault save for prolonged exposure to a drooling fool. However several have said that they were significantly intimidated.  I am not sure just how widespread is but is surely bad for the industry.

Please let me know if you have experienced this sort of thing. Since I started hearing of this IYT has halted access to personal resume details of crew members.

If you have started smelling the coffee you will be aware by now, that there is pressure on yachts to become greener.  No one is suggesting that yachts will become green as they are, by their very existence, un-green.  Yachts are to the maritime industry what cosmetic surgery is to Medicine:  Not exactly needed, but enjoyable for some and nice to look at for many others.  There were more similes possible there, about filler and fairing but let’s leave it for now.

Whining about whether the Earth’s warming process is due to the catalyst effect of Man and the industrialization of mankind or a natural cyclical event is pointless.  Yachts pollute the sea and their pollution can be minimized through an active policy of stewardship towards the sea. That is fact.   As many point out we as an industry are hardly going to change the rate at which the polar icecaps are melting or reduce the plastic islands of garbage floating in the ocean.  To do those things will take time and the commitment of the global leadership, but, as yachts are indulgences and tend to some degree to be the visions of the rich and powerful, their attitude in this respect is significant.

What is particularly important is that the owners seem to want yachts to be greener and we work for them.  Many efforts are afoot in the different sectors of yachting to improve our track record and as I have said, even yacht crew will receive pressure to make more of an effort.  But just how do we measure the results or benefits of our efforts?    Simply talking about reducing carbon usage is exhausting.

I propose there is an index made for each and every yacht in that gives them a value for their carbon keel print.  This figure can be based on a number of parameters and these figures could be debated by the symposiums and forums that populate the periphery of many boat shows and trade gatherings.  They need not be imposed or ascribed by legislation.  The car market has made significant reductions in carbon usage partly as a result of manufacturers being forced to publish their fuel consumption figures in accordance with mandated criteria.  It was deemed the right of the consumer to know what was going on under the bonnet or hood depending on where you live, in order that the consumer was able to make the choice to be more or less of a polluter. 

Importantly, the value assigned a yacht should be universally comparable in accordance with the agreed formula and not be relative value.  The concept of Human Rights has been subjected to the universalist/relativist dichotomy and this reasoning could be justified by different boat builders or flag states in order to avoid comparing different types of yachts in a like for like way.  But, to my mind that is the way it must be.  We simply must have a recognized benchmark in order to separate those that are all talk from those that are all torque.

The calculation and assignment of the formulae must also be based on upon readily available factual information.  The formula must also be simple enough for a basic survey to report and calculate.  Obviously Horsepower, or Kilo wattage and engine capacity (and number) would be a significant part of the equation.

By having an established value in place many incentives or penalties could be applied fairly and equitably.  This could lead to a number of opportunities like carbon offsetting or cap and trade systems to be introduced in an equally fair way. So, the system might not only provide impartial information about the carbon usage of yachts but it could spawn a business model devoted to improving it.  Of course it could also allow accurate taxation to be applied if it comes our way and if it does it is surely better to be based on a transparent figure available to all.  The idea is that whether you have a 16′ boat with 50 HP outboard or 250′ yacht the number is comparable.

There must also be a value ascribed for a ‘reduction coefficient’ which would be based on efficiency measures or technologies applied to the vessel and here is where something like RINA’s star rating system could be utilized to reduce the overall value.

This year’s boatshow will need the perspective of time and reflection in order to be judged as a success or not.  There is so much pressure, so much anticipation; both optimism and hope, riding on the pundits’ view of the 2009 show.  The rumours of how many attendees there were or how many boats sold will be very important in establishing whether or not the economic tide has turned for the yachting sector.  This is how confidence is fuelled or extinguished and confidence, as we are all told these days, is a large part of what makes customers spend money.

One lesson has however been learned these last few weeks:  How to enjoy yachting and help a good cause at the same time.  The Yacht Chandlers and Penumbra Marine party to benefit the Save Our Seas Foundation was a massive success. There was a great band, fantastic food and drink and even a fashion show although the male models seemed rather unnecessary to me.

Up to 2,500 people were said to have attended the event and partied and danced and supported a great cause.  The point was that this support for SOS was the main reason for the party and the guests which were mostly crew, responded by turning up in huge numbers.  Not only that many guests bought some of the amazing photographs that were auctioned on the night.

In talking to crew members at the event it became clear that nearly all were glad to put on their electric trousers and luckiest boxer shorts so to speak, for a good reason above and beyond the natural call of a massive roister replete with free food and drink.  There have always been a few charitable events combined with a few drinks but what has surely become the seminal boat show party is founded on giving something back and helping protect the sea from the impact of yachts.

Such was the success of the SOS benefit that I would be surprised if anyone manages to try and compete with that level of attendance without having a stated benefit.  It would likely look indulgent and unnecessary next to the SOS event. 

So what is planned for next year?  Well we have yet to see but I am anticipating that other charities will get involved and campaigns with a real valid message will be heard as sponsors seek to be associated with doing good as well as free beer. We will soon see if this altruistic bug spreads through the Caribbean at St Marten and Antigua and latterly next year in the Med before the next SOS function on October 30th 2010 here in Ft Lauderdale.

I am delighted to sea that crew appreciation parties have taken a better direction.  Now crew can be appreciated for their support and in turn this means that in the future no-one should have to revel without a cause.

The first day of the Superyacht Design Symposium and it had all the ingredients of a great event.  The Plaza Hotel is an excellent venue; old world class in the New World heart of New York.  It was obviously strategically placed, to be just close enough to Central Park to bask in the reflection of the rich colours of Autumn, whilst being on a street that does not suffer too much with the relentless traffic of panting, sweaty, lycra clad joggers.   The food was great and they even have reasonable tea which is just the sort of thing that make the day of an Englishman in New York.

The principal topics that were presented, relate to the Greenness of yachts.  Discussion centered around the contention that Yachts could be greener.  Well no arguments there.  What was interesting is that there is clearly a concensus developing in the specific areas where yachts can become more environmentally friendly.  Broadly the areas seem to be:

 POWER TRAIN

Introducing more efficient engine to propeller set ups.

HULL DESIGN

Much talk was about the different available hull shapes and their respective benefits to economic cruising.  In short there is fat and voluminous or long and thinner.  These are relative concepts of course but up 20% gains were mentioned as possible through more efficient hull forms.

ALTERNATIVE POWER

Many forms were mentioned:  Solar panels, Hybrid systems and fuel cells.  However I have to say my favourite alternative power source, and, it seemed the favourite of most people in the expansive, gold laden ball room were, wait for it, sails.   They are really excellent at helping yachts be more environmentally efficient.

REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION

Cutting down seemed to be able save up to 20% of the power requirements of your average large yacht. 

It is good to see areas of concensus brought up and largely agreed upon by different actors with different but mostly commercial viewpoints.  For me this is progress as it keeps green issues in the mainstream.  However, there was one slight omission in my opinion.  One of the issues that was raised was the cost of new technology and how long it might take to see a return, even when valued at the subjective reckoning of a yacht’s owner.  In actual fact one of the contributing speakers was a large yacht owner.

If you look at what savings were thought to be made by cutting back power use you will see it is almost as much as completely modernizing hull form.  The cutting back process was characterized by one of the presenters as having a “Green Button” which would be set to a number of default settings that would reduce lighting, reduce AC temperature, thereby reducing the power draw on the generators etc etc etc.

Now call me old fashioned, but aren’t there about 8 Green Buttons on your average 40 something metre megayacht.  For me then the only omission made in today’s meeting was to forget the input of the crew in Green Yachting.  It would seem possible that a well trained crew could in fact reduce the ‘carbon keelprint’ by up to 20%.

Again yacht crew could arguably be the ‘X” factor in the process of making yachts better for their owners.  The only difference is that if we are going to measure the environmental benefits against the dollar, then crew may have a tangible value and who knows, maybe even a new bonus structure?  Imagine salary reviews based on the amount of Litres per mile a crew achieved? 

It may sound crazy but who ever thought that sails would be cited as the most beneficial contributor to reducing the Carbon Keelprint of a megayacht?

Day two of the Superyacht Design Synposium and after much hot air, things sunk  to new lows.

The hot air came in the form of Helicopters and helicopters provide more hot air than most.  A presentation that covered operation, legislation and some very interesting views from the design perspective of having to incorporate the rather large, flat helipad into a suitably sexy look.  In a short time everyone became aware of some of the simple factors that affect helicopter use aboard yachts which are apparently, not widely known.  The moral of the story was quite clearly, plan before you decide to use a helicopter aboard a yacht and ask an expert, preferably someone who has flown helicopters from ships, a lot, for advice first.

The helicopter briefing actually managed to answer questions I didn’t even know I had.  The themes of training and planning were very clearly evident and frankly, given that helicoptering is almost certainly one of the most risky things we do aboard yachts, safety planning and training is highly significant.

The new lows were courtesy of the presentation on the underwater submersible called the Super Falcon.  The first of these machines was fitted for use aboard the famous Maltese Falcon.   There was an interesting talk on the facts and figures that underline the safety and incredible technology that has gone into this machine, which, incidentally, is positively buoyant and therefore the reason it is a submersible and not a submarine.  However, what was captivating was seeing the imagery and hearing firsthand the stories of “flying underwater” with large fish and dolphins.  Stealthily, stalking hammerhead sharks so as not to harass them and being close enough to have reached out and touched them as they prowled around an underwater summit on the lookout for a quick bite.  These machines are about 1.5 million dollars apiece and the consensus was that they will sooner or later be popular if not common aboard the world’s large yachts.

So what of the event overall?  Having designers, technical experts and owners sharing often nothing more than their vision and answering questions and comments from an equally diverse group of industry experts was a unique experience.  However there was little talk of where crew fit in to yachting.  There were several senior crew members there but no opportunity to discuss how crew and yacht operators could provide an insight into the day to day operations of yachts and how they may be able to influence and perhaps inform design.

I could not help thinking that from simple ergonomics all the way to sound eco friendly operation so heavily relies on the crew that their perspective would in itself provide a useful body of experience for the great and the good of yachting to communicate with.   Anyway there is always next year and I for one will be looking forward to being there again.

A few weeks ago I wrote of a former crew mate getting cancer, the ‘C’ word. Quite a few people read the blog and I have spoken with several of them who were apparently glad of seeing a topic so often avoided, brought into the open. For that matter I felt compelled to continue the story of my former crew mate and his cancer.

Well, he got back to his home country of South Africa and started the treatment which included the removal of one of his lungs. Apparently, shortly afterwards while convalescing, he died. Given that he had just had a lung removed and was obviously not exactly healthy, his death was not expected. Indeed that day was said to have been his best following the major surgery. No matter how well or not that you know somone, when they die of an illness at the same age as you are, you just cannot help feeling a little more mortal than you did the day before.

Just one week before he was taken ill, my crewmate came round and took some underwater photos of my 2 year old daughter in the pool. Those pictures will always remind us of our yachting friend because photography, particularly underwater photography, was this fellow’s passion.

So there it is, a pretty straightforward and sad ending to my initial blog of a few weeks ago. Back then there was no reason to tell everyone about a former shipmate having cancer and I even felt it a mite indulgent in writing it, but many people seemed interested. But now, perhaps strangely, there is a point, a lesson even, to be learned and it is probably not what you think. It is very simple however and almost pertinent given that we are at the start of Ft Lauderdale’s hiring season and a new group of people are coming to town looking to set sail as yacht crew.

The point is this. If you are new to the industry, ignore the prejudice, gossip and nonesense you hear or read about the business and expect to make some of the best friends you will ever have aboard a yacht. Even the ones you don’t like that much will have shared some unique experiences with you and that is the way a bond develops. This is the nature of the sea; it is the greatest leveller. When you get home you will find that very few people will be able to relate to some of the situations yachties find themselves in.

Secondly get a good camera. No, a really good camera. The snapshots of the world that you may gaze at for an hour, snatch in a moment or even glimpse through a porthole, just may be all your family will have to remember of your stories.

I, as have many,  have talked and written at length about how useful our modern forum communications  are.  The  idea that a  prospective crew member can learn from the experience of others is terrific.  The idea of more experienced types actually sharing their knowledge is even better.  This week however, has seen the downside of opening up the forums to those who would use them to lash out against the establishment, and state, without any validation at all, their subjective position as fact. Just reading the exchanges this week from a fellow who feels hard done-by has been a pretty poor advert for yachting in general.

To a great extent the Dockwalk website is self regulating.  By that I mean that if you write something dull, like you have an apartment for rent or a product to sell, no-one bothers to read it.  Such posts are the spam of forums and easily avoided by the readership who are apparently more sophisticated than some would realise them to be.

By the same token if you write something of interest then people will read.  Of course they will often disagree but at least in most cases, if your original thoughts have been carefully researched and articulated, the respect for your viewpoint remains throughout the debate.  Such issues are the bread and butter of the forums or at least should be.  It is how issues are raised and awareness is increased.  Sometimes there are instances where the ugly side of yachting is exposed and it is clear that for some, this is something they are not willing to confront.  On these occasions you get many people who wish to ‘hush’ the debate and attempt to prolong the  status quo and metaphorically sweep things under the table.

Sadly, however when someone writes something inflammatory and subjective it is often difficult to ignore.  These are the car crashes of the forums and let’s be honest most of us have rubber necks and cannot resist having our say.  It is almost like it needs to be said when of course it doesn’t.

I watched this week as an original post from a crew member exasperated with the industry as a whole degenerated.  Within a few short days this had developed into another racist debate about how various nationalities had benefited from yachting at the expense of others.  Of course there was a lot of vitriolic abuse aimed at all sorts of people and the poor fellow who was upset because he was unable to find a job has now almost certainly pigeonholed himself as a complete (don’t worry moderator comment not actually put in writing) and done nothing to improve his employment prospects.

I am reminded that as an industry there is far too much prejudice and it is prejudice itself we need to get rid of in this business.  There are limitations in forums these days on the use of profanity, copyright and all sorts  of other things perhaps we should have the same rules regarding prejudice.  Not to, is beginning to make us all look stupid.