Lauren Beck is the former editor of Dockwalk and was with the publication from 2006 to 2023. At 13, she left South Africa aboard a 34-foot sailing boat with her family and ended up in St. Maarten for six years. Before college, she worked as crew for a year, and then cut her journalistic teeth at Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal online. She loves traveling, reading, tennis, and rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
Mark your calendars! Dockwalk and Capt. Kelly Gordon will be hosting a mental health discussion during the Monaco Yacht Show. “Mental Health in Yachting: A Talk by Capt. Kelly” takes place at the Captains & Crew Lounge on Saturday, September 30, at 11 a.m.
RSVP to attend: https://events.boatinternational.com/200266354
Capt. Kelly advocates talking about mental health in yachting, believing it should be encouraged on all levels. Kelly has been open about her own mental health struggle, sharing that she has experienced the deepest lows, to the point where she considered suicide. But she got help, both biochemically and situationally, and her mental health improved.
“I want to just encourage and inspire people to do the work, to not give up, because I was going to, and to be able to say that I am so happy now is inspiring to my own self,” she says. “I want people to know that if you’re willing to put the work in, you can really, truly live your best life.”
As a captain, she has witnessed some of the worst from the industry — the harassment, the drug and alcohol abuse, the bullying. She wants to change things. It’s important, she believes, for current crew to speak up and share their experiences.
“I’ve developed a voice in the industry, and I feel like I’m in a good place to use it. I’m not afraid to speak out,” she says. “I’m not afraid to say it like it is and call a spade a spade and to share my own very real experiences and try to encourage people to speak out.”
All crew deserve a safe working environment. “You have an obligation to your own self and to the rest of your crewmembers to make sure you have a safe and healthy and happy work environment,” she says. We can’t get there if people don’t speak up when confronted with issues.
“I feel a moral obligation to use my voice to make this industry better, one crewmember at a time,” Kelly says. “I really feel like if you’re going to be on this planet sucking up all the oxygen, you need to do some things to give back while you’re here.”
Come and listen to her in person in Monaco. The conversation will be followed by drinks and networking. RSVP to attend: https://events.boatinternational.com/200266354