Despite external appearances to the contrary, working on board a superyacht is not ALL fun and glamour, as ex crew Alison Rentoul knows from first hand experience! Sometimes days, weeks and months of being cooped up with the same group of people can take its toll on relationships aboard and even the smallest things can be blown out of proportion, eroding motivation and quality of life for the whole team.

"Being yacht crew is a little bit like being a servant in the old fashioned Victorian sense - it combines the exclusivity of working in an extreme luxury environment with devoting your life to the service of your employer," says Alison. "The crew ‘downstairs' are bundled together at the start of the season and embark on a life of working, living and (in their limited time off) socialising together, often at the expense of seeing their true friends and family for extended periods of time."

Being also geographically separated from their loved ones, it seems crew can form both strong bonds with their new ‘family' but can develop some pretty strong feelings of antipathy towards one another too. According to yachting industry ideals, in a perfect world on board a yacht, crew should all work smoothly and happily together, respect each other and live alongside one another in absolute harmony. Sadly, anyone who has ever worked on a yacht knows that this utopian situation is often the exception to the rule.

This is where Alison Rentoul (pictured below) comes into the picture, having developed a new onboard crew coaching workshop to bring the whole team together and work on their mutual respect, performance and agreement of their team objectives, incorporating essential training for senior crew in people management to enable them to really get the most out of their teams.

With her newly formed company, The Crew Coach, Alison uses the latest innovative and highly interactive workshop techniques to take crew on a fun and educational journey, giving them a deeper understanding of the operation of the yacht, how they fit into the team and how a professional yachting career can enable them to achieve their own personal objectives.

"Happy and motivated crew who really understand their personal and professional objectives are far more likely to stay longer in their jobs, which is music to the ears of the yacht owners and management companies and brokers who look after them," says Alison.

In recent years the yachting industry has seen a decline in the longevity of crew, which means that there are fewer available experienced crew moving up through the ranks. Crew Agents and Brokers agree that this is going to become a big problem in the industry soon as more and more large yachts are being delivered from shipyards requiring experienced people to crew them.

"These workshops provide the finishing touch to an industry that is becoming ever more regulated and professional, and which has seen incredible growth in the last 10 years." says Alison. "Making yachting a satisfying and rewarding longer term career choice for crew also saves owners and managers money, as crew recruitment and repeat training costs can mount up when crew are constantly being replaced. Owners and guests can sense immediately if there is an ‘atmosphere' on board, while relaxed and contented crew provide naturally better service that goes above and beyond what is expected of them."

Following a recent crew coaching workshop Captain Roy Dance of 57m MY Zenobia said "...this workshop - using a highly interactive and fresh approach... was on the whole a thoroughly worthwhile exercise which taught me - and my crew - a lot."

It seems there are many other valid reasons for owners to take good care of their yacht crew. Owners find it reassuring and enjoyable to see the same friendly faces each time they come on board, while charter guests are encouraged to rebook knowing they will experience the same great service year after year. Having happy crew on board can also actually improve the resale value and income of a yacht as respectful crew will take even better care of it, while a great charter reputation resulting from their fantastic service adds value as well as revenue in repeat bookings.

So the next time you spot a yacht anchored out off the coast, spare a thought for the poor crew on board... they might not be having quite as much fun as you think! If you are a yacht owner or captain looking to find out how you can improve morale on board, keep your crew longer and improve your yacht charter performance, contact Alison by email or visit her website.

Tel: +33 493 581 408
Mobile: +33 677 00 80 57