Everything you need to know about yacht hospitality roles    By Georgia Tindale  To the uninitiated, a job working on board a superyacht can seem a thousand miles away from the everyday reality of working ashore in other hospitality roles, thanks, in large part, to its perceived glamour, incredible travel opportunities and competitive salary.  Although this can, of course, quite literally be the case – depending on whether or not you fancy tackling a trip in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – the story is a more complicated one.  Here, we speak to Gemma Hulbert, Sophie Wells and Rachael Avara. All former chief stews, and now Company Founder and Online Trainers respectively, they are just some of the expert team behind 'The Yacht Stew'...

Ship to shore: Meeting Gulf Craft's Quality Control Manager Patricia Caswell By Georgia Tindale  In our latest 'ship to shore' interview, Yotspot catches up with Patricia Caswell, a former yacht captain, who is now Quality Control Manager for the UAE-based shipyard Gulf Craft. Patricia speaks candidly from experience about the highs and lows of life at sea, how to successfully navigate the transition to dry land, and what it really takes to get ahead in this unusual and ever-changing industry. First, give us the potted history. How did you end up in yachting?  Like many people in the industry, I fell into it! I had finished high school and was visiting my mom in the Whitsunday Islands in Australia. She sent me out on an old Maxi racing yacht for a day...

Become a seafarer has never been easy for most of the people. The distance which separates us from our family has become the biggest obsticle among other obsticles, but the salary and luxury after the job that have been promised always triggering so many people to do the sea service. Land job become less promising compare to how much money will a seafarer be earning to live at sea. For some people whom never experience it before, they will be finding such a hardship to have life at sea. If life becomes harder at sea, there is no place to go just to free the stress, that is one example you can conclude easily. While working on land, you can always have spot or place to go to stress free. This is one good reason why a seafarer needs to find a friend or colleague to share hardships or sto...

By Georgia Tindale Looking to blend in seamlessly at yacht shows? Want to hide your greenness when you're walking the docks or trying to make an impression at industry networking events? Here at Yotspot, we have the ideal solution: a guide to yachting jargon to make sure you can talk the talk with the best of them, as well as giving you the edge in those all-important job interviews. If you can get your head around these key terms, you'll be safely aboard in no time!    Anchor: A method of 'parking' a yacht, often for a lunch break in a quiet bay. Or a chain or line, with a weighted hook at the end that attaches to the bottom of the seafloor and stops the yacht from floating away. Aft – Also known as the 'afterdeck'. This is th...

  By Georgia Tindale  At the time of writing in May 2022, it is certainly a thought-provoking time to be part of the yachting industry. With attention-grabbing headlines hitting the media about yacht seizures, Ukrainian crew attempting to sink Russian-owned vessels and more, the industry is currently having its moment in the spotlight as it comes under scrutiny from the outside world.  That said, however, this need to confront yachting's public perception is not a new one, and the current moment can be seen as offering a valuable opportunity to do precisely this, and to offer a more nuanced perspective back. All we need is the people to offer this well-informed point of view.  Step in our next interview subject, Jenny Matthews. Currently working as a chief ...

After nearly 13 years in academia teaching in some of the UK's top Universities I'm embracing my love for yachting and boats, and turning it into my new career.    Like many people Covid, lockdowns and in some cases losing friends and loved ones made them think long and hard about what is really important to them.  For me it brought lots of change in my teaching career, shifting to 100% online teaching, and even less contact with students as I continued my move into academic management.  The whole episode made me realise that although I still loved teaching, I lived for the weekend!  I worked hard so that I could spend time on my yacht and doing RYA courses.    After many months I'm finally taking the big jump, out of the classroom and into a unifo...

By Georgia TindaleWhen it comes to sectors that have been drastically impacted by the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to say that the hospitality and other service industries have shouldered their fair share of the burden. The mass closure of restaurants and bars around the world, combined with the restrictions on both domestic and international travel, has led to countless individuals within these sectors losing their positions and facing uncertainty about the continuation of their entire sector going forwards. Speaking now from the second quarter of 2022, with something closer to 'normality' having been restored across the hospitality and service industries, it is the ideal opportunity to reflect on the realities of these roles, and the opportunities wh...

By Georgia Tindale If you know anything about the yachting industry, chances are, there will be some onboard roles that are familiar to you: deckhand, chief stew, captain, chef, and so on. One role which may not immediately spring to mind, however, is that of a superyacht purser. Here, we chat to Andrew Roch, Founder of The Crew Academy, which launched the industry's first-ever purser training course back in 2010 – that has since received full IAMI & GUEST accreditation – to discover all you need to know about the realities of working in this challenging and fulfilling position, as well as getting the lowdown on how to break into it as an outsider. In a nutshell, what does a yacht purser do? There is not a simple answer to this: there are six differen...

Great minds think alike! We have great news; www.lifeafteryachting.com  and www.yotspot.com will now be partnering as part of the movement in yachting to support crew throughout their careers. We share the same experience within the industry, the same aims to develop professional and skilled candidates and same values in wanting to give back to others. Life After Yachting was the brainchild of Titta Uoti-Vaisanen who started her consultancy TUVYC in 2014 and more recently launched Superyacht Foodie in 2021. Life after Yachting is a not-for-profit movement and her way of giving back to the yachting community by providing advice for crew looking to change their career and transition ashore. Having worked on some of the world's largest yachts herself Titta knew that heading a...

Welcome to the annual Superyacht Survey (2022) brought to you by Yotspot - The leading jobs board in the yachting industry.. and Faststream Recruitment Group . A total of 556 Superyacht Crew took part in this survey. It hasn't been business as usual…   Welcome to the annual Superyacht Survey (2022) brought to you by Yotspot - The leading jobs board in the yachting industry..and Faststream Recruitment Group.A total of 556 Superyacht Crew took part in this survey. It hasn't been business as usual in the superyacht industry. In 2020 and the first half of 2021 yachts and crew were heavily impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Many yacht itineraries were put on hold and some Captains and their crew found themselves facing periods of unemployment. Some...