Former yacht chef Tom Voigt has turned more than 16 years of yachting experience into a new book examining the realities of life in the industry.
YACHTGASM – Magazine for Boat People: What Yachties Know. What Luxury Hides was published Aug. 21 and is available through Amazon. The book combines Voigt’s first-hand experiences with insider reporting, satire, humor, and practical information, offering a look at the industry beyond its polished public image.
“After many years working as a private yacht chef, I wanted to write about the side of yachting that rarely appears in the polished photographs, recruitment campaigns, and social-media reels,” Voigt said.
The book grew from a Facebook outlet where Voigt shared his articles and illustrations inspired by his experiences in yachting. He said the goal was to ask uncomfortable questions, encourage discussion, and examine the industry from the perspective of someone who had worked in it. The result is 71 chapters covering what Voigt describes as the “extraordinary reality” of life inside yachting.
“What I hope readers take away from YACHTGASM is that yachting can be extraordinary, rewarding, ridiculous, funny, brutal, and completely unlike the image presented from the outside. Experienced yachties will recognize many of those contradictions,” he said. “For people thinking about entering the industry, I hope the book entertains them but also gives them a much more realistic idea of the world they may be stepping into.”
