Yachts commanded by a burnt-out and unapproachable Captain with the demeanor of a seasick ship's cat's personality always look and smell bad. Like fish, ships rot from the head down and start losing direction and buoyancy when things get rough because the operation's brains are failing. The classic signs and symptoms of an inadequate Captain are; 1. Absent leader 2. Assigns blame 3. Disrespectful 4. Inconsistent decisions  5. Plays favorites 6. Poor communication 7. Poor organization  8. Reactive leadership 9. Secretive  10. Unapproachable  > more

Dear Captain, Why must you always be called Captain? When all other officers and crew use their name. Captain is your rank and everyone knows that and it is really weird you’d preferred to be greeted as Captain on and off the boat. When you meet new people outside of yachting do you introduce yourself as Captain? Because it’s kinda rediculos if you do. Does your passport have Captain as your name. Do you think your above everyone else? And why can’t you come to work each day, do your duties and play a role in daily routines. Help train, > more

Imagine being the smartest person on the boat and dealing with people that can not help themselves. For example a big strapping deckhand from California with a Bachelors Degree, asking you to get his sock draw open, because he can not manage to do it. Or A stewardess that can not remember how to operate the audiovisual systems, from the IPad remote controls. Or Explaining to a captain how to transfer command of the propulsion systems, from the bridge to the wing stations and back. And finally explaining to an owner why preventative maintence routines area series of reoccurring tasks, > more

The tax penalty goes away in 2019.  It is still in place.  So until then US tax payers may still get the 2.5% tax penalty - pro-rated for the months you do not have ACA (Affiodable Care Act/ Obamacare) compliant insurance. None of the international individual plans are ACA compliant unfortunately. I do have an inexpensive Catastrophic plan that is exempt from the tax penalty that one can buy to supplement your international policy.  There is a group plan that IS ACA compliant. One needs a US corporation to have this plan and a minimum of 2 members, not married, unless > more

I have been offered a position as Deckhand/Engineer/Carpenter all in one in an extensive refit shipyard period and have accepted a low salary of 2000euros per month. I know its low as I do bring extra skills to the table along with 3 years experience and having done shipyard work before. I accepted the offer only to think i could re-negotiate the salary once I've proved my value to the Captain after a 60 day probation period and by accepting it insured I got the job. How would one go about it, and is it possible to re-negotiate a salary > more

Walking around marinas and shipyards barefoot isn’t wise. It’s unsafe, unclean and looks sloppy. Yet people do it everyday and don’t seem to care about their image. Every time your seen on the job people are judging and taking an extra few minutes to throw on a pair of shoes, tidy up and look tidy is essential. In an industry where image is everything, you’d think people take that into account when their in high end marinas and shipyards and surrounded by dozens of potential employers.   > more

I did everything wrong in yachting, buggered my life up by spending every cent on booze, drugs, gadgets, clothes and holidays.    I now have many regrets, because my ex-girlfriend from South Africa emailed me and said she is pregnant and now I am trying to decide what to do about that, cause we busted up last month and she dropped this on me when I am flat broke and living in a Fort Lauderdale crew house and not in any position to become a father, let alone marry some bird I hooked up with for a season.   Looking back I > more

I’ve seen so many cliché stews join yachts only to leave twelve weeks later. These young women (girls) gleaming with joy, energy and a freshness that has the capacity to draw boys closer so they can determine whether she is worthy of their most effective one liner at the next Rybovich crew party.    For prowling deckhands a chance meeting with the newbie stew can lead to a telephone number exchange and a date with all the frills a girls dream about, like a fresh pair of jocks and an honorable mention on face book after the legendary wallet bump is > more

https://www.gofundme.com/webeyachting > more

Yachting is a strange and wonderful world.  Life takes us down different paths and we briefly may meet someone that seems for like only a moment and poof, they are gone.  Years later you run into them and once you had helped them up their ladder of success, now they are there for your continued climb, this happens alot in this industry.  Keeping in touch in some way shape or form with yachting without actually working on a boat is interesting and that was just what Johnnie had done.  Took nearly a two year hiatus from the stank of crappy > more