Chief Stewardess Founds Sober Crew Social Club

Are you tired of spending your downtime at a bar? Are you exhausted from the fuzzy hangover state the next day?

Many crewmembers feel the same, but sometimes finding an alternative to the usual crew bonding bar experience can be challenging. Chief Stewardess Laura Kilbey feels that down to the bone, which is why she founded the Sober Crew Social Club (SCSC).

“The concept started when I took a break from yachting and stopped drinking. Heading back into yachting, I decided to create a space for my own accountability and to connect with other non-drinkers in the industry, and it just TOOK OFF,” Laura said. “Within days, the number of messages I received and the amount of support I got blew me away, and I realized that this was an issue having a serious impact on many yacht crew.”

Laura, who trained as a life coach, started working on principles of support and connection to help “empower crew to embrace sobriety and tackle those issues head-on,” she said. Laura also plans to expand her skills to become a coach who specializes in sobriety.

Laura emphasizes that she doesn’t necessarily believe there’s anything inherently wrong with alcohol, but some people do not tolerate it well. However, there is a stigma in yachting for those who choose to remain sober. Drinking and socializing as crew has become synonymous with boozing it up at the bar, and it can be challenging for sober crew, or even crew who drink only occasionally, to fit into the drinking culture.

“As this grew and started to really gain ground, there is something so much bigger than just me,” she said. “I’m really trying to shift the narrative that it’s okay to be sober.” As she explained, she wants captains and heads of departments to have a few more tools to get their crew to connect without drinking.

Her message resonates with crew — Laura said she is still surprised at how many messages she receives daily with crew sharing their struggles and inspiration. “It is a role that I take very seriously and am honored to be able to support and offer connection to people who can feel very isolated with regards to their relationship with alcohol,” Laura said.

Currently, Laura is creating and curating a Sober Crew Social Club platform that will harness support, connection, community, and inspiration. She plans to introduce meetups as soon as this summer, and there will most likely be popups hosted worldwide. A podcast and a new website are also in the works, hosting plenty of free resources and links to organizations that can help with serious addiction issues. Plans are also underway to host Sober Crew Social Club sober retreats next year.

Once her site is up and running, she will introduce memberships for crew who want a deeper level of connection and understanding about the relationship to alcohol.

“I want to create a safe space for people who are committed to exploring their relationship with alcohol, so the membership will include weekly Zoom meetings set up to accommodate different time zones, additional resources, coaching calls, guest speakers, challenges, and offers on the retreats,” Laura said.

“My vision is that through this network, people will be able to connect with other sober crew wherever they rock up in the world, removing that feeling of isolation and of being the only crewmember who doesn’t want to go and get drunk,” Laura said.

While her site is under construction, you can contact Kilbey through Instagram @Sober_Crew_Social_Club.

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