A recent rise in fake yachting job ads has been reported, with individuals falling foul of the scamming trickster.  In particular, Facebook have seen a rise in ad scams, where so-called employers invite men or women to attend interviews for jobs that don't even exist. Whether it's for the purposes of getting hold of your personal documentation for identity fraud, money or something more sinister, we want you to be warned, be smart and stay safe. Here's Yotspot's Top 10 Tips for what to look out for and how to avoid getting scammed: If you've agreed to meet a yacht captain, owner or recruiter, make sure you meet in a public place in daylight hours. It should be obvious but please tell a friend or colleague where and when your interview is and who ...

We're really excited to announce a new layer of tech to our online yachting application process, a personal but remote method of pairing up the right candidate with the right yachting opportunity. Pre-recorded Video Interviews.  Ideal for candidates.  Easier and more efficient for recruiters. And there's never been a better time for it. Big shout out to our tech team who have tapped into available tech to add this additional pre-selection layer of Video Interviews for our candidates. As we get to grips with our "new normal" we're realising that limiting face to face contact doesn't have to mean we're any less efficient.  Yotspot's Director Steve explains "recruiters might not want to see lots of applicants face to fa...

UK's Channel 5 transmitted Episode 1 of "Secrets of the Luxury Super Yachts" last night, revealing more than a few of the industry's best kept secrets.  From the stewardess who blew the whistle on her boss removing all traces of his visiting wife one week to be replaced by a group of hookers the next (not sure she'll get another gig?!) to the amount of money deemed acceptable to spend in this industry. Interviewing British businessman and billionaire John Caudwell, founder of Phones4U, who candidly discusses his 73metre superyacht Titania, with a weekly charter fee of over £600,000, you would need a cool £1.2million to charter this baby for you and your mates for a couple of weeks in the sun.  Currently one of the largest and most luxurious charter yachts in Asia....

2 days ago, 50 miles off the coast of Costa Smeralda, fire raged and smoke billowed from 48M M/Y Lady MM.   Thankfully the 9 crew and 8 guests who were onboard managed to evacuate the yacht, reaching the coast safely by tender. Travelling from Capri to Porto Cervo, Lady MM sent out a distress signal at approximately 6am local time, responded to by Olbia Coast Guard who despatched two SAR patrol rescue boats and the Coast Guard helicopter to help rescue the crew and guests and start work putting out the blaze. When rescuers arrived at the scene, they spotted an empty life raft but according to local reports, didn't hear until a few hours later that the Lady MM crew had already informed the Coast Guard that they had abandoned the yacht safely and were already heading towards ...

Introducing Yotspot Connect – available now in the Apple store! With the restrictions of recent events easing, we're slowly being reintroduced back into contact with one another – albeit from a safe distance – to re-connect and catch up, in person! What better time for us as superyacht crew recruiters, to launch our FREE new app, Yotspot Connect, specially designed for crew and yachting professionals working in the luxury world of superyachts to find one another and do just that. Connect! Designed to help crew, scattered far and wide, stay connected and find friends.  You might have your first day off in a few weeks and find yourself wandering the streets of Antibes, pondering if anyone's around for a chat, coffee or catch up but how do you locate t...

The Superyacht Circuit from 1988 - 1993  We caught up with 52-year-old corporate tech exec Duncan Ward this week, Account Director for Oracle Software Sales team in the UK. By his own admission, he wasn't always a techno-nerd!   Duncan spent 5 years working on superyachts and whilst he absolutely loved every minute, he describes the industry back then "as being akin to the Wild West!!  It was the '80's and there just weren't the regulations!" How did you get your first yachting gig? I was 20. Living in the UK's south coastal yachting town Lymington.  A popular yachty haunt and my regular pub was (and still is!) The Chequers Inn and I'd hear friends swapping tales of working on yachts.  I'd always lov...

Stepping up and donating £1000 at any other time would have been hard enough but when Yotspot HQ heard that ISWAN were raising funds to create a much-needed, dedicated online support hub for superyacht crew ... pandemic or no pandemic ... we knew we had to help! ISWAN need to raise £20,000 to build Yacht Crew Help – a new online toolkit specifically designed for superyacht crew.  So they can access help and support 24/7, when they're finding life hard and need someone to talk to.  The service will include a free direct line, with 24-hour emotional support, guidance and access to useful mental health and welfare resources from across the globe. The online hub will specifically: Signpost organisations and help available Cata...

Specialist Superyacht recruiter Faststream and industry-leading job board Yotspot have collaborated to survey over 1,200 Superyacht crew to gain a unique insight into the views, thoughts and feelings that these individuals have about the industry they work in. How do crew rate their mental health on-board and do they feel there is adequate support if there is an issue? Do they feel they are spending enough quality time with their friends and family? Do crew care about pensions or are they saving for the future in a different way? What matters most to crew at work? What are crew's future ambitions in their careers? You can find out by reading the #thesuperyachtsurvey2020 below: Click here to view the Superyacht Survey 2020   https://www.yotspot.com/docs/The%20Superyac...

Like many superyacht crew working onboard vessels at the time COVID-19 travel restrictions were implemented, the crew onboard MY Mirage were given the choice to either remain onboard, move into local crew apartments or return home to quarantine with family (wherever that may be!). One crew member, Stewardess and Massage Therapist, Elle Watton, having moved ashore with fellow crew, was able to get back on board and start unpacking last week, ready for what will hopefully be the new charter season - as yet still to be confirmed. Sitting in STP shipyard, Palma, onboard "MY Mirage", we caught up with Elle, as she comes to the end of her first year as superyacht crew. As a completely green newbie, who'd never even sailed before, Elle told me she's now absolu...

As for charters, with the inevitable restrictions on travel worldwide, spring bookings have taken a nosedive, with many either postponed or cancelled. Despite this there are charter firms keen to take advanced charter bookings, for those clients looking to escape as soon as the restrictions are lifted. With some requesting the ability to re-book or cancel in case of future travel bans, with some brokerage firms even offering 'cancellation no penalty' clauses. The hope is that as soon as travel bans are lifted, the global charter market will bounce back, with people wanting to escape on a yacht and spend time onboard in a safe, secure, isolated but beautiful environment – away from home. Looking for remote? As for the safer destinations, favourite options will proba...