The International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN) launched YachtCrewHelp in November 2020 to address the need for more specialized support for yacht crew. It offers free, confidential, multilingual support 24/7, providing emotional, well-being, and practical assistance. The service is part of ISWAN’s Welfare of Yacht Crew project, which aims to understand and address the challenges faced by crew. In 2023, YachtCrewHelp saw a 34.3% increase in new contacts compared to 2022, and a 60.5% rise compared to 2021, likely reflecting growing helpline awareness. For 2023, where gender was known, 41.7% of YachtCrewHelp users identified as women and 58% as men. In 2023, health and welfare concerns comprised 30% of the 385 issues reported to YachtCrewHelp. Questions about employment and contractual issues each accounted for 20%. Employment-seeking was the most common reason for contact, representing just over 20% of all issues, with a 116.7% increase from 2022. Mental health concerns comprised 15.3% of issues, rising by 13.5% year-on-year. Data from YachtCrewHelp reveals that the welfare challenges faced by yacht crew differ significantly from those in other sectors, particularly merchant shipping. Although there was a slight decline from 2022, reports of abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence (ABHDV) remained notably higher for YachtCrewHelp than for SeafarerHelp, ISWAN’s broader maritime helpline. In 2023, 7.3% of issues raised to YachtCrewHelp involved ABHDV, more than double the 3.1% reported to SeafarerHelp. The disparity in mental health concerns was even more striking, with 15.3% of YachtCrewHelp contacts relating to mental health — nearly four times the 4% reported to SeafarerHelp. ISWAN’s data consistently shows that abuse is a leading factor in mental health issues among seafarers. Compared to merchant shipping, the relative lack of HR structures, support services, and union coverage for yacht crew may also explain the higher proportion of mental health and ABHDV contacts. Research shows that ABHDV is a systemic issue affecting seafarers of all genders. However, women are more likely to seek support for abuse through ISWAN’s helplines. While underreporting among men is possible, significant evidence suggests that women are disproportionately affected by abuse. The higher proportion of women in yachting compared to merchant shipping likely contributes to the greater incidence of ABHDV among yacht crew. In 2023, women contacting YachtCrewHelp were more than five times more likely to report abuse, with 14.2% of issues raised by women related to ABHDV, compared to 2.7% for men. Women were also more likely to report mental health challenges, though the difference was less pronounced.