Captains’ comments: the owner-crew relationship

Issue 60 of The Crew Report asks captains to explain the sometimes negative relationship between owner and crew. Four captains share their views on the matter.

What fundamental mistakes do owners make in the way they treat and develop their crew?

Captain David Slee: The first problem occurs when an owner relies too heavily on shore-based management (be it an experienced yacht management company or their own in-house team looking after a single floating asset). It is often logical for a broker or management to place the initial captain on a newly purchased yacht as they know the owner better than anyone and are, of course, trying to protect the owner’s best interests. Once on board and familiar with the situation the new captain must at some point be sufficiently well acquainted with the owner to manage shipboard operations. I think most captains would prefer to operate a vessel with professional shore-based support, however taking all operational authority away limits his ability to achieve the owner’s vision for the yacht.

Another concern is budget. Quite simply, no professional captain wants to be responsible for a substandard ship. Yachts take large amounts of funds to operate and maintain the epitome of luxury travel. Without the correct funds, captain and crew longevity is difficult to achieve. We're not talking about accepting the first quotation or throwing money around, but if repairs or upgrades need doing then I would encourage owners to spend the necessary money every time.

If you were to give some generic advice to owners as to how to get the best out of their crew, in terms of loyalty, attitude and longevity, what would it be?

Captain Dale Parker: Make a plan and be decisive. Indecision will drive any crew out into the interview pool. Rotation has solved this somewhat, because jobs that are not tolerable can be maintained by working in chunks of time, but no one would actually stay if it was year-round. The job can be too much work and too many headaches for what it’s worth.

Captain Fernando Vallmitjana: Owners should refer to a captain alone. That is a very important rule. The owner must understand that the crew are there to follow the captain’s orders.

What are the fundamental mistakes crew can make that can generate owner frustration and end up in employee disaster?

Captain Fernando Vallmitjana: The key factor to succeeding in this industry is the understanding that you are at the service of the owner and will work long hours. But more important than anything is that every yacht is different to the previous one, and crew have a big problem in understanding that they need to adapt to the owner and not the owner to the lifestyle that the crewmember thinks the owner needs.

Captain Phil Stevens: I think some fundamental mistakes crew can make involve feeling that they are more than an employee and that they have a divine right to benefit from knowing the wealthy. We are in an industry that opens doors occasionally and we are fortunate to be paid well, be fed, accommodated, and all the other aspects that go with the job. For this you have to throw yourself into an interesting lifestyle that demands certain attributes that not everybody will possess.

In short, I think owners and crew alike are guilty of expectancy. Longevity is not always rewarded by the owner and this has a reactive effect as the crewmember will always consider the greener grass. If crew are rewarded it doesn’t always guarantee loyalty, because of that greener grass, again! This can harden any individual to accepting crew as ultimately a disposable item, not just a yacht owner. It is a tricky subject to debate, and I often see both sides of the story as a captain is typically the man in the middle.

The full article, with additional answers, can be found in Issue 60 of The Crew Report.

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