Captain's Image?

This is certainly a different thread subject, but for privacy and security reasons, this thread will probably not propagate well. Keep in mind, the majority of YF's members are owners... not captains, crew or industry. Although the latter tend to participate more, it's VERY important that YF doesn't take on a commercial undertone.

On the subject of captain's images, please refer to our guidelines on avatars.

YF Rules & Guidelines...
http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/g...-yachtforums-rules-directions-guidelines.html

Thanks!

BTW NYCAPT, welcome to the geriatric ward. You graduated early...

NYCAP,
Hello from a former LI'er, now living in the tropical world of south FLA.
Regarding the magazine article you saw: the event was a brokerage show, not a public boat show. Many times yachts go all out to show the brokers not just the yacht, but the crew, the toys and amenities. Along with that, brokers know that to make a fun charter, you have to have a crew that's engaged. What you saw are various crews not just having fun but getting the broker's attention. Brokers can make or break a yacht, and these crew that rely on charters want brokers to promote their yachts, and one way is to wow the brokers with fine food, getups like you saw and other means.
BTW, I know who that captain is that you refer to, and he is one of the best in the biz. No problem with him and others letting loose once in a while.

BTW, I have enjoyed some of your commentary on the forum. Welcome aboard.

I have not read this Magazine (for years) and can not comment on what this captain was up to, but most captains in this biz know they are working on a pleasure boat. A good yacht captain is there to make the owner happy, not worried. I know a captain who was running his Feadship back from St Tropez to Monaco on one engine, without telling the owner something was wrong. He didn´t want to spoil the experience for the owner and was dealing with it after he had left the yacht.

Some captains however, are talking of all the diffferent problems with the yacht, the crew and what is around like if they would like to tell the owner how good they are that can handle everything. This you can do in the merchant marine, but it is not a good idea on a yacht.

I haven't had the opportunity to read the article or view the pictures however, by reading between the lines, I think I understand the question at hand. Correct me if I'm wrong- NYCAP is asking if yacht captains are becoming too close to the guests/owners, thus blurring the lines of professionalism and safety. The answer is a simple NO.

One often overlooked fact is that we yacht captains are in the business of pleasure-boating (the key word being pleasure, not boating), so if our guests aren't getting the utmost joy from their boats, we aren't doing our jobs well. Let's face it- a great part of a yacht captain's job is hospitality management.

A wise older captain and I were discussing what advice we could offer to up-and-coming yacht crew geared toward becoming captains. I recall him stating that a young crewman should first go to engineering school for 3 years before learning hotel management for 2 years. After such time, the candidate should spend 2 or 3 weeks learning to drive a boat!

While this is certainly an exaggeration, the qualification to job ratios are certainly in-line with real world applications. I'm not suggesting that we can take any engineer or hotel manager and turn them into a great captain. I am pointing out the fact that you can't take any captain and turn him into a yacht captain (have you seen the Deadliest Catch?). There is a fine balance in order for success.

I should also acknowledge that this balance will be different for every yacht and owner. When I was a young captain I had one owner on a 160 footer repeatedly tell me that I should be more stand-offish with the charter guests and not be so social with them. It took me a year to figure out that this isn't the way in which I operate at my best and his wasn't the right job for me (nor for the other 6 captain he went through in a few years). I've since learned that the interview process is a two way street and I have subsequently found jobs that have allowed me to utilize all of my strengths.

I have retained the respect and friendship of several past employers and charter guests (some are amongst my best friendships). The key is knowing how to draw the line between friendship and professionalism. This could accurately be described as similar to the balance when I take my friends out on my own boat; there is time for fun and time for safety (always time for both). I think much of it is demeanor and how authority (term used loosely) is presented.

Just my 2 cents...

The owners/clients have evolved over time. There is still an a** for every seat.

I did grow up working on dinner boats, but not in Chicago or Lauderdale. My dad is in the dinner boat business in Sarnia, Ontario. His boat is called the Duc d'Orleans.