Can yacht masters master yachts?
As I entered the Cannes yacht show last September I caught myself briefly walking around with my eyes and mouth wide open. Not a good look. My jaw had dropped when I saw all the new models that the major catamaran brands, as well as new market players, displayed. The variety is interesting; Lagoon, Sunreef and a few others are building the most spacious crafts they can, while staying within the 24m loadline regulations. Other brands are profiling themselves as fast racer cruisers. But the question I always ask is:”Who is going to crew these yachts?!” In the monohull market, the choice of yachts around 24 meters also has increased. These are perhaps even less forgiving to sail safely while the owners are generally just as much after the same level of hospitality as their catamaran counterparts. Yachtmaster licenses, obtained after presenting a logbook with an adequate amount of miles and sitting an exam following a 2 week course, is a bare minimum requirement to teach yachtsmen about safe navigation. However, it doesn’t prepare crew to run a yacht on a technical level or for providing the highest level of service for private owners and their guests. An incresing […]