5 Things Charter Agents Value Most in Yacht Crew

Charter brokers can be invaluable resources for crew — they’re the ones organizing charters and helping guests make decisions, after all. Before they recommend a crew to their clients, they make it a priority to meet and observe them. Here are five things charter agents look for aboard yachts.

1. Beware of Smell

“Smell is my number one thing that will cause me NOT to present a yacht for my client to book,” said Ami Ira, yacht sales and charter specialist for Blue Oceans Yachting. “You can’t smell a photo online, so visiting yachts in charter shows or open house events is critical. It’s the main thing we’re looking out for, to prevent us from accidentally booking a smelly boat for our client.”

Musty air handlers, plumbing issues, and poor crew hygiene are huge problems — such as the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, or body odor. Similarly, Agnes Howard, charter broker at Camper & Nicholsons, lists crew hygiene first as a serious issue. For instance, smokers need to be extra hygienic. “If you’re with people that are non-smokers, they are going to pick up on that. It’s so critical to do basic cleaning of your body,” Howard said. Wash your hands after smoking and be mindful of your clothing, especially during meal service. “Guests will pick up on that because a lot of times it is truly close quarters,” she said.

Howard recalls guests who told her about a deckhand who helped with the water toys then served dinner afterwards — without changing his shirt. She suggests having a good shirt for the evening and having one to wear on deck. 

2. The Yacht’s Condition

“Just as you can’t smell a photo, you are not going to have photos online of tatty lines, dirty teak, chipped varnish on the dining tables, so aside from crew hospitality and the vessel’s amenities, the boat should look immaculately maintained,” Ira said. No guest wants to eat off scratched, worn, plastic plates or drink from crackly acrylic wine glasses, and they don’t want to take photos of their yacht charter vacation where the lines are fraying and the fender covers are faded and torn.”  

3. Good Service

Service with a smile is so obvious that it can be easy to gloss over, but it’s important to extend it to guests and brokers. “We want to be sure our clients will feel welcome while they’re on board, and crew should treat us brokers as if we are the same. We are bringing the clients, after all, and praying that they will be taken care of like family from a hospitality focused crew,” Ira said. 

When a charter broker comes aboard, they’re observing if crew demonstrate common courtesy and basic service skills. “Sometimes crew forget a little bit about who the brokers are and how we’re looking at the vessel,” Howard said, adding that when they’re on board, crew should be too.

Whatever you do, don’t get drunk. “While at a show, it is disappointing for brokers to see crew who are hung over on day two or three. Show some discipline so that we will know you are not going to be drinking during the charter,” Ira said. “This is a big fear because it is so dangerous. And, history shows, ‘If the crew sips, the tip slips,’ so it’s in the crew’s best interest as well.”

4. Crew Camaraderie

A crew’s tight-knit bond makes the yacht a desirable place to work, which leads to repeat bookings. “That’s what owners want more than anything,” Ira said. Since guests normally only charter one to two times per year, guests want to see the same crew who made their experience special.

Always clear the air. “Guests and crew can feel tension in the air. If crew are pissy with one another, it needs to be nipped in the bud by the head of the department, and the guests should never know about it,” Ira said. Silent treatment between crew is obvious to guests, so crew should put their emotions away while the guests are on board.

5. Go the Extra Mile

“Care less about the restaurants and bars to recommend, and help them make memories on board the yacht, with their own family and friends,” Ira said.

She recalls a crew who left a lasting impression on her: “It was a charter show yacht hop aboard Lazy Z, which hosted likely 100-plus brokers. The crew greeting us at the passerelle before boarding magically knew which shoes belonged to whom, and upon disembarkation, my shoes were at the end of the passerelle to slip right into. That was an attention to detail, and an attention to me that has stuck with me, and I’ve not had it happen again since.” 

Howard describes a charter when somebody brought a young child aboard at the last minute: The crew took one of their big fishing coolers and filled it up with salt water to make a swimming pool for the kids. That’s all these guests gushed about, thrilled that “It was just the right size because the baby could stand up, sit down, and swim on their belly.” 

Images courtesy of Burgess. 

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