Crew Quarters; claustrophobia?

Rocco Forte Snr, of the Forte chain of hotels, complained to my old boss that crew were not loyal. They kept leaving him.

I listened to this as I went back to my cabin, sat down on the sofa, put my feet up on the coffee table and turned the TV on, thinking; why oh why would 4 crewmen stashed in a 12 X 12 foot cabin with no aircon, toilet or shower, quit? The Med never gets that hot in summer, does it?

Of my last, and best owners I will defend always. One is dead but I will always trust and love his wife, another one is an old twit but I will look after him whatever.

The last one was a young South American guy, no clue about boating, but asked all the right questions. Why, how much, is it really necessary and can you get it a bit cheaper? All the questions you would ask yourself as an owner of any boat.

The nice thing was he owned 2 hotels and 4 nightclubs.....what was the question again?,.......Sorry, I keep getting pictures of boobies in my head.

Oh yes, looking after crew, is it worth it?

Dunno, maybe after the first 10 or 12 years it may become just habit forming. I still keep in touch with some of them, a christmas card here or there, or going the other direction, a weeks free skiing in the Alps.

Be good to each other, it will reap rewards either way.

Not necessarily, but probably. That was one of the things I remarked on with this Kingship Magellan. It has the largest crew quarters of any 110' boat I've ever seen, plus I have a queen sized cabin behind the wheelhouse. The three crew rooms are large two with full twin sized bunks and the engineers with full sized bunks, each with a large head and shower and there is a lounge that you can "swing a cat in". Now if you get on a 110' Broward, that's a whole 'nother story.

In my experience, to say most is not correct. Most do have concern for their crews comfort and well being because it reflects in the service they and their vessel get. My current owner is an exceptional sort in this. The crew quarters are fully fitted for entertainment and such, there are more amenities and toys there than the guest cabins, he pays well above scale, and is a truly nice guy.

as i've never been on a yacht larger than 80 feet, i've never seen a big or nice crew quat, but what i've seen on a sunseeker wasn't worth to be said that would be a crew quarter... if i would have a yacht 100+ feet, i'd care most about the crew, cause they've the knowledge to bring me from one point to the other - so giving them respect and comfort should be at least on 2. place, 1. might be my own cabin, but crew shoud alway be right behind you. if you're taking care of your crew, they'll take care of you and your guests..

That is the wiser perspective, and one which quite a few owners share. The best owners from a captain/crew perspective are the complete degenerates and older patriarchs who let the kids and grandkids use the boat.

That quote was from the goofball interior designer who lost me as a potential client

Needless to say, what was said to me that afternoon was hopefully indeed wrong....and I will do my very best to be a great owner....

Cheers,