Blue & Beyond #8 - How The Crew Make Your Yacht Charter Special

When you book your yacht charter, you no doubt already have a fair idea of what the crew are there to do: they drive the yacht, cook and serve beautiful meals, and keep the yacht looking spotless while attending to your every need. Sounds amazing, right? But in truth, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

A luxury yacht crew do a great deal more than you might think. They’re a tight-knit team of personal assistants and travel planners, chauffeurs and watersport instructors, lifeguards and logistics experts, IT whizzes and party organisers. And that’s even before you start adding crew with specialist skills like masseuses and beauticians!

As experienced charterers know, what makes a charter extraordinary - even more than the features of the yacht itself - is the crew. A great yacht crew is what elevates your yacht charter from the great to the sublime.

Here are some of the ways the crew make your yacht charter special.

1. They are amazing with your children.
For parents, there’s no better feeling than watching your kids tearing about on the watertoys screaming with laughter, or coming back to the yacht bursting with excitement about seeing sea turtles, manta rays, and Nemo fish while snorkelling. Yacht crew aren’t employed as babysitters during the charter due to their busy daily schedules, but they’re always on hand to teach your kids watersports, as well as organise activities like Pirates of the Caribbean treasure hunts, cupcake decorating with the stew, or fishing off the aft deck at night.

2. They make the yacht feel like your home.
In a hotel, no matter how high-end, you never feel like you’re in your own space. Charter yachts are different, as the crew work very hard to create an atmosphere of privacy and escape for you and your loved ones. Because it’s just your family and friends with no strangers around, the yacht feels like a luxurious home away from home within the first day. Before long, you’ll feel like the yacht is your very own- and that is the success of a great charter yacht crew.

3. They know how to make an occasion of every moment.
Whether it’s decorating the Jacuzzi deck with candles, making an elaborate ocean centrepiece for the dinner table, or sending the call over the yacht’s intercom that there’s dolphins playing off the bow, the crew are always looking for ways to fill your charter with amazing memories.

4. They are 24/7 chauffeurs.
When you’re ready for a glamorous dinner ashore, you just make your way to the aft deck, where the smartly-dressed deckhands are ready with the tender to drive you ashore. At 3am coming out of an A-list club, the crew are there to take you back to the yacht, the tender tracing a path through the moonlit sea. During the day, the deck crew are always on hand to drive you to the nearest coral reef, to the port for some boutique shopping, or pick you up from a blissful morning at the beach. If you feel like snorkelling or swimming from the back of the yacht, the deckhand will even follow you in the tender just to make sure you don’t get tired! Now that’s service.

5. They’re always there to welcome you back.
As a charter guest, one of the loveliest things of all is returning to the yacht after a day of adventures. As the tender approaches the yacht you’ll see a member of crew waiting on the swim platform with a jasmine-scented facecloth and a big smile to welcome you home.

6. They adapt to you.
Some guests appreciate a friendly and fun style of service from the crew, while others prefer a more formal and inconspicuous service style where privacy and discretion are paramount. Some like fine dining, while others appreciate family-style buffets. Yacht crew are trained to notice your preferences from the first meeting and adapt their service style to you.

7. They’re your dedicated personal assistants and travel planners.
The captain and chief stew are a wealth of knowledge, with plenty of suggestions about local activities and restaurants. Want to go quad-biking, horse riding, or take a helicopter trip? The captain will come to you each morning with a range of options, and they’ll also lean on their connections to get you VIP reservations at the hottest tables in town.

8. They have specialist skills.
Many yachts now hire crew with specialist skills to impress charterers, such as masseuses and beauticians, dive masters and fitness instructors. However, if your yacht doesn’t have a qualified person onboard, the crew will organise an amazing experience for you— whether a masseuse ordered to the yacht, or a sunset yoga class on the beach.

9. They are amazing event organisers.
Yacht crews are expert at throwing glittering parties onboard, whether it’s a catered corporate event for the Cannes Film Festival or a 50th birthday party in St Barts.

10. They keep you and your loved ones safe.
Superyachts are an incredibly safe vacation option for guests of all ages, but the highly trained crew are always there to keep an eye on the weather, sea currents, other boats, and any pesky jellyfish. If choppy waves are interrupting your swimming pleasure, the captain can just move the yacht to somewhere more sheltered. There’s a reason that the yachting experience is considered 7 star!

11. They organise the best luxury picnics on earth.
No one ever forgets their first luxury beach picnic at night, with a white cloth table set up on the soft powdery sand and lanterns glowing all around. The chef will be grilling lobster as the stewardess pours your wine, music playing softly in the background. As you sit with your feet in the cool sand and look out up to the starry sky, you’ll never want to go back to normal life.

12. They are always creating.
From the yacht’s private chef whipping up gastronomic menus to the stewardess artfully laying tables with flowers and candles, yacht crew understand the importance of creative ideas to make your yacht experience special.

13. They personalise everything to you.
You may not realise, but the crew are busy memorising your every preference from the second you step aboard. How you like your coffee, what time you get up, which newspaper you read, which sunglasses are yours. All of this is noted so they can deliver seemingly effortless service— they know where your phone is when you ask, and just what music to put on at dinner. A lot of effort goes into this level of personalisation, but their job is to make sure you never know how hard they’re working.

All yacht crews are highly professional and have all-round skills, but it’s also true that some yacht crews particularly excel at different things. For instance, some yachts have extensive experience organising large parties or theme nights, while others have yoga instructors, award-winning chefs, or fishing gurus among their permanent crew.

What is ideal for you depends very much on your yachting dreams, and your bluewater yacht broker will match you with the perfect yacht crew to meet your charter needs.