| For a long time luxury yacht owners and captains | | | | leave sacrificing respite and time with their families or |
| have been bemoaning the inter-seasonal yacht | | | | to leave a yacht altogether and take the time out |
| hoppers; crew endlessly searching for the perfect | | | | unpaid to study and look for a new position once |
| itinerary/owner/crew/salary combination. Suffering | | | | they have finished their training. |
| from the grass is greener syndrome, yacht crew are | | | | With 900 super yachts currently in construction, |
| seemingly always hearing stories of yachts with | | | | there has never been higher demand for qualified, |
| better owners, training allowances, endless tips and | | | | experienced crew, so those who have done their |
| time off. | | | | time and study are perhaps right to believe they will |
| The global credit crunch seems to be the answer | | | | be able to get bigger better jobs. We know that |
| these yachts have been looking for. Whilst most of | | | | deck officers and engineers have to be recruited |
| the multi billionaire yacht owners are managing to get | | | | from outside the industry to fill these qualified |
| through these hard times without having to sacrifice | | | | positions, so the demand is surely there. Crew are |
| their yachts, the lowly crew with mortgages and | | | | demanding more time off for themselves and |
| dwindling investments fear being out of work for any | | | | support for training, and this is definitely warranted |
| substantial period and worry that perhaps the jobs | | | | but who can blame the yachts for being reluctant if |
| are no longer out there. In this climate , the crew | | | | the crew then leave as soon as they are qualified? |
| seem to have had a change of heart and are going | | | | This has been the impasse for a while between the |
| with the "better the devil you know" way of thinking | | | | yachts and their crew, perhaps the credit crunch will |
| and sticking it out. | | | | be the encouragement for crew to stick things out |
| This is definitely a bonus for the yacht industry, | | | | and show some more commitment to their positions |
| which is one of the few industries in the world which | | | | and in return the yachts may see their way to |
| 6 months in one position is considered a fair amount | | | | rewarding loyalty. |
| of time and 2 years a miracle. There are of course | | | | In order to for crew longevity , what is required is a |
| reasons for which in this industry there is a higher | | | | little give from both sides. Yachts need to support |
| turnover of crew. Crew burn out quicker with little | | | | valuable crew in regards to fair amounts of leave and |
| time off, working 12-16 hour days and living in such | | | | giving time off for training and putting their yacht |
| close quarters with their colleagues. Also, though | | | | crew on required courses. The crew need to |
| more and more qualifications are required, yachts are | | | | reciprocate and commit to a yacht, accepting that in |
| reluctant to give crew extra time off to train which | | | | all walks of life there is very rarely the perfect job. |
| leaves their only options either to use their annual | | | | |