There are those who hide behind a discreet approach (often just cowardice). We could call them the silent crowd, those who prefer to keep their mouths shut rather than voice their honest thoughts, fearing they will not gain acceptance. Being politically correct falls into this category. They do a lot of potential damage, because in the very people they ignore with their bland but pseudo-superior attitude many ideas are nested that could be very good for the benefit of our superyacht business but would never come to light.

However, that is the least bad part of such a common attitude. I am now denouncing the real bad behaviours we should eliminate from the industry.

Over the past two years, I’ve been told by three professionals that they were interrupted and shouted at while making a presentation at maritime/superyacht events of very high reputation.  They are successful, they can prove their success – and they are women.  I never witnessed the same among men, no such blunt aggression interrupting someone’s session.

Does the aggressor feel superior because ours is still a male business?  Because of fame and, in two of the cases, popularity? My first reaction would be to ask the aggressor to leave the event immediately. Such lack of courtesy and manners among peers is unacceptable; bullying is not part of our industry, it never should be. We must address such conduct as intolerable among us (and in society).  But nothing happened. The events went on with the incidents unnoticed (apart from, of course, for the victims, regardless of gender).

What happened is not the core of the situation. What shocks me is the lack of reaction of the silent crowd. Not a single delegate thought the shouting and interruption were unacceptable. Not one. Why did nobody stand up and ask the aggressor to leave the event? Or to contain himself and apologise and behave as the occasion dictated?  ‘I’d better not get involved’ is a despicably easy way out of a situation where one could defend basic human values. It shows we are strong only as a herd, therefore quite weak.

A lighter version of what I’ve just exposed commonly arises in forums, discussions and meetings. Participants jump into the conversation, interrupting other people, usually using voice volume as a tool. It’s the duty of the moderator to assign the word to the participants and of these to accept the leading, but patience is not a strong quality for a lot of us. We like to act then and there. Again, this is imposing on others. The industry (especially those of us who regularly speak at forums and conferences) should include some house rules like we do about mobile telephones: no interrupting, respect for other opinions, ask your turn to speak – and enforce it.  There is the right moment to hear and be heard, encourage people to give their opinion, listen to them, comment, engaging known and new members. There are plenty of top players out there.

We all have a tiny bit of the Cro-Magnons in us, that’s anthropology and it’s our nature, but yachting was, for 470 years, a gentleman’s sport. Let’s keep it that way.

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