We had a fantastic day out this weekend at the 51st Southampton International Boat Show, powered by Borrow A Boat, with over 600 global marine brands on display and debuts from over 330 boats. Mayflower Park, Southampton annually turns into one of Europe's largest purpose-built marinas, impressively hosting one of the world's top 10 boat shows.  Open from 13th to 22nd September this year's Boat Show was opened by British athlete, rowing champion and double Olympic gold medal holder James Cracknell who admitted to only recently getting into a different kind of watersport. The boat show has many glorious and glamorous superyachts on display with visitors free to peruse the latest in breathtaking engineering, interior design and innovation.  Sunseek...

Yotspot: So Shore Side Pursers, we would love to hear about your new business. Khara; Shore Side Pursers: Shore Side Pursers is a new business whereby we can achieve all admin related tasks remotely forany yacht. We can cover the period when captains/pursers are on their vacation time or take overthe full purser role remotely. We can tailor our services to each individual yacht programspecifically. Yotspot: So how did this business concept come about? Sophie; Shore Side Pursers: This idea materialized when we were both executing the purser position. From our own experienceas well as others, often, the purser would be inundated with overflow work whilst on their vacationtime. What we came to realise, was that we were able to complete all administrative tasks remotely whenhaving certa...

"She of the Sea" founder Jenny Matthews and partner, Natasha Ambrose are thrilled to be joining the 1851 Trust, a Portsmouth based education charity, on their Ineos sponsored America's Cup STEM Roadshow, visiting secondary schools around the UK from this month. Joining a panel of inspirational women, all leaders in their field, to engage with young women about the diversity of career opportunities in the maritime industry.  Not just the obvious interior jobs either, but exciting opportunities for women in technology, engineering, science and navigation. 1851 Trust, an innovative education charity, has developed the roadshow specifically to inspire young people.  Using the power of professional sport to challenge perceptions and excite them about the my...

We're sad to report that earlier this month Tom Hutchinson, founder of Future Fibres, a leading supplier to successive America's Cups teams, passed away having sustained fatal injuries whilst kiteboarding at Compton, on the Isle of Wight in the UK. Praised across the industry for his drive and enthusiasm, Hutchinson was born in Brighstone on the Isle of Wight in 1967. The love of the sea led him to leave school at 16 to work as deckhand on a yacht in the Med. A yacht delivery skipper by the tender age of 18, he safely delivered many across the Atlantic.With an interest in rigging, he moved to San Diego, California and embarked on an apprenticeship, running a workshop servicing competing America's Cup yachts.  A job which enabled him to develop many international ...

Launching shore-based jobs in the superyacht industry.   There is an abundance of career opportunities in the yachting industry and you don't need to be located at sea, far from home, to make the most of them. But where do you go to find them and how do you land them? Come to Yotspot! We've extended our jobs platform to include any land-based job that services the yachting industry, anywhere in the world.  As Yotspot founder Steve explains "we wanted to connect both sides of the industry, off and on-shore, there's currently not much signposting for shore-based marine jobs online, so we've created a 'one-stop-shop' for maritime jobs." To whet your appetite, just this morning there are jobs being advertised for Yacht Manageme...

The first ever Yacht Crew Survey is live.  Your chance as superyacht crew to tell us what you think needs to change in the superyacht service industry. Jenny Matthews, founder of www.sheofthesea.com has developed and launched the first ever annual Yacht Crew Survey.  The aim?  To gather information about crew on the frontline, who you are, what you're doing and what you want improved.  Whether it's mentor support, training opportunities, better rotation schedules, improved career progression or help when the pressure's on. To continuously improve this industry of ours, we need to find out what you think needs to change, effect those changes and monitor how effective the action implemented is. That's why this survey will come out an...

Have you signed Sailors' Society's petition to the International Labour Organisation, calling for wellness training to be made mandatory for seafarers in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)?  If not, then do it now (sign Sailors' Society's petition here). It doesn't take a minute and could help increase awareness of depression and reduce the number of suicides amongst seafarers working hard but struggling with their mental wellness off our shores today.  Sailors' Society launched their "Not on My Watch" campaign earlier this year and so far, have more than 2,500 signatures across 80 countries.  But for the Maritime Labour Convention to change policy they need more signatures, so please do sign and share it too...

  Students as young as 16 with an interest in a career in maritime, now have the chance to opt for a 2-year Maritime Foundation Course, courtesy of UKSA, the national youth maritime training charity based in Cowes, Isle of Wight.  The ideal entry level qualification to get them started on their seafaring career. This brand-new, fully-funded foundation course is ideal for young learners who have just completed their GCSE's in the UK, with absolutely no experience of the maritime sector, simply an interest in a career in this arena and a willingness to listen and work hard. In return they'll gain a broad base of knowledge, skills and qualifications that will demonstrate to potential employers their competency to work as a seafarer, making them far more employable ...

The mental health of our seafarers is as important today as it's always been but with increased awareness and new research into this extremely broad but endemic subject, comes investment in the shape of expert support and a better understanding of what we can all do to help struggling crew mates. The International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN) recently conducted research into the welfare of superyacht crew and found that out of nearly 400 respondents, 82% said they had experienced low crew morale 'sometimes', 'often' or 'always'.  Whilst the work itself might not be stressful, the work environment can feel like a pressure-cooker!  Long hours, the expectation for high standards over long periods, working remotel...

By visiting remote locations crew can sometimes find themselves in a position where they can actually have a positive impact on local communities living there.  Crew from M/Y Legacy and support boat Pursuit have been doing just that for the last 18 months, during their visits to Papua New Guinea (PNG). When they first arrived in the remote bay, dugout canoes would appear at the stern, the chief (or someone related) would appear and once they'd identified themselves and requested permission to stay, the crew would generally receive a warm welcome, and food, fishing lines and hooks would be exchanged. Having seen the condition of the local's clothing, the crew decided they would return and do more.  On a following trip they handed over bags of c...