Ask a Russian Oligarch's Superyacht crew anything...

[pete_esp]

What do you think will happen to the seized super yachts?

Assuming they get sold to a new owner, would the new owner need to worry about finding his yacht had been re-acquired by the previous owner?

[Muzzer79]

Have you ever had a guest on board who you felt uncomfortable in their presence?

i.e blatant gangster/criminal/nutcase

[ayedubya]

When the owner is away do you get to sleep in the guest suites and hang out in the jacuzzi and pretend its all yours sometimes?

when it's off season, or in between family visits to the yacht how much 'down time' is there for the crew when they're just sunning about waiting for news of the next visit?

interesting thread this thanks op

[Murcielago_Boy]

A few questions:

1. Were your yacht available for public charter, could you estimate the cost of 4 weeks charter - Starting from say Ibiza, taking in Barcelona, going on to Cote d'Azure and ending in Sardinia. Include the lot - fuel, mooring fees, appropriate provisions (champagne and Langoustines etc), tip for crew and anything else you can think of. Assume it's family charter so NO illicit substances and 'party girls' etc. Appreciate it's just a guess but an estimate would be great.

2. Do you have 'helicopter storage' or 'touch and go' helipad alone?

3. When the owner is on board, is he having a good time and enjoying life? Or is he preoccupied/doing business/miserable git?

4. When he's on board, what kind of provisions are requested? By this I mean, is his food financially commensurate with his yacht (is it all Alaskan King Crab and Caviar with Dom Perignon '98 or is it Nandos + Iron Bru)?

5. Does he have a helicopter which is used to come aboard?

[justaninnocenthenchman]

pete_esp said:

What do you think will happen to the seized super yachts?

Assuming they get sold to a new owner, would the new owner need to worry about finding his yacht had been re-acquired by the previous owner?

I'm sure they will be returned to their owners once this mess is sorted, after all, who are they going to sell them to? I would put money on a few name changes though. They won't fool anyone in the know, but will at least stop the casual observers from making links which may or may not be correct.

[justaninnocenthenchman]

Muzzer79 said:

Have you ever had a guest on board who you felt uncomfortable in their presence?

i.e blatant gangster/criminal/nutcase

No, not in a criminal sense. Certainly people who, while displaying gentlemanly behaviour on board, are not the types you would want to cross, but never felt threatened in a personal way. Sometimes speaking truth to power can be difficult but avoidance of waffle is effective in delivering bad news to the owners.

The worst types to deal with are celebrities on as a guest of the owner (doesn't happen much with Russian yachts IME), they don't have the money to own one, yet still act like they do. We have forcibly ejected a couple over the years, which usually leads to more factually inaccurate stories in the gutter press about a 'break up' or something.

[justaninnocenthenchman]

ayedubya said:

When the owner is away do you get to sleep in the guest suites and hang out in the jacuzzi and pretend its all yours sometimes?

when it's off season, or in between family visits to the yacht how much 'down time' is there for the crew when they're just sunning about waiting for news of the next visit?

interesting thread this thanks op

Smaller boats do that. We would put crew ashore in hotels if there weren't the bunks available. A lot depends on the owner. On previous boats I've spent plenty of time popping corks in Jacuzzis, but it's not really the done thing where we are now.

There is downtime, but it varies. A lot of the junior crew get into the industry for the travel and parties and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You have to let them enjoy it otherwise no one would stick around.

[justaninnocenthenchman]

Murcielago_Boy said:

A few questions:

1. Were your yacht available for public charter, could you estimate the cost of 4 weeks charter - Starting from say Ibiza, taking in Barcelona, going on to Cote d'Azure and ending in Sardinia. Include the lot - fuel, mooring fees, appropriate provisions (champagne and Langoustines etc), tip for crew and anything else you can think of. Assume it's family charter so NO illicit substances and 'party girls' etc. Appreciate it's just a guess but an estimate would be great.

2. Do you have 'helicopter storage' or 'touch and go' helipad alone?

3. When the owner is on board, is he having a good time and enjoying life? Or is he preoccupied/doing business/miserable git?

4. When he's on board, what kind of provisions are requested? By this I mean, is his food financially commensurate with his yacht (is it all Alaskan King Crab and Caviar with Dom Perignon '98 or is it Nandos + Iron Bru)?

5. Does he have a helicopter which is used to come aboard?

1) Base cost for us would be c1M/week, 1000nm miles of cruising would be 80,000 litres of fuel so another 120k, moorings depend on time of year (we once paid a 40k bribe just to get a short-notice mooring, then the mooring on top!), but can be 1000s per night and food is heavily preference dependant. Some guests will have 20k bottle of wine for lunch, others a Heineken. It's a while since I've done charters but I would expect a payment of 4-5M EUR for that trip, and any left over is usually shared as tips, after any damages or replacements are billed.

2) We can tie down, no garage.

3) Our current owner is having fun. This is 100% downtime. I have worked for people who have used the yachts for meetings before though.

4) Charter guests usually want the full-on fine dining experience 24/7, as it genuinely is a holiday for them and they want to experience everything. While the owners aren't exactly having chicken and chips, it is a bit toned down most days. A lot are quite health conscious, so that has a bearing on what is served. These people have private chefs at home too, so are less wowed by the whole experience.

5) Yes, a couple of regular helicopters that we use.

[Murcielago_Boy]

justaninnocenthenchman said:

1) Base cost for us would be c1M/week, 1000nm miles of cruising would be 80,000 litres of fuel so another 120k, moorings depend on time of year (we once paid a 40k bribe just to get a short-notice mooring, then the mooring on top!), but can be 1000s per night and food is heavily preference dependant. Some guests will have 20k bottle of wine for lunch, others a Heineken. It's a while since I've done charters but I would expect a payment of 4-5M EUR for that trip, and any left over is usually shared as tips, after any damages or replacements are billed.

2) We can tie down, no garage.

3) Our current owner is having fun. This is 100% downtime. I have worked for people who have used the yachts for meetings before though.

4) Charter guests usually want the full-on fine dining experience 24/7, as it genuinely is a holiday for them and they want to experience everything. While the owners aren't exactly having chicken and chips, it is a bit toned down most days. A lot are quite health conscious, so that has a bearing on what is served. These people have private chefs at home too, so are less wowed by the whole experience.

5) Yes, a couple of regular helicopters that we use.

Fantastic insight. Thank you!!!

[RevsPerMinute]

Working on a private yacht versus one that is chartered, does this mean you miss out on guest tips, or does the owner issue tips after their stay?

[Muzzer79]

Has it ever got dicey weather-wise which has put you onto emergency stations?

I'm thinking of the infamous Jordan Belfort incident with 'Nadine' although probably less critical

[justaninnocenthenchman]

RevsPerMinute said:

Working on a private yacht versus one that is chartered, does this mean you miss out on guest tips, or does the owner issue tips after their stay?

No tips generally, salary can sometimes be higher to compensate, but usually a busy charter boat will earn you more overall. That said, you certainly work for it*. I did busy charter boats early in my career, quite happy with the slower pace of life on a private yacht now to be honest.

* ok, you don't compared to a soldier or nurse or miner or many other jobs where you 'work', but you work harder than the equivalent private boat

[justaninnocenthenchman]

Muzzer79 said:

Has it ever got dicey weather-wise which has put you onto emergency stations?

I'm thinking of the infamous Jordan Belfort incident with 'Nadine' although probably less critical

Most owners (or wives) do not like rough weather, so we avoid it. If the forecast isn't great, they won't come onboard. Occasionally you get caught out when the weather isn't as forecast, but I've never been pressured by an owner to head out into rough stuff. Usually the other way around i.e. let's move the boat to somewhere better or you won't be having fun later.

Sometimes repositioning without guests can be interesting. Hit a hurricane after coming through the Panama canal and almost ran out of fuel due to the increased burn just trying to make way. We then had part of the rigging fail and water pouring into my cabin, which was above the weather deck! A fun night all said.

[Petrus1983]

I’m really enjoying this thread. Thanks for taking the time.

Do senior generally stay with the owner if/when they change yachts? How much influence does the captain or engineers have in the design/specification if the current owner was to rock up at Lurssen?

[The_Doc]

Murcielago_Boy said:

A few questions:

1. Were your yacht available for public charter, could you estimate the cost of 4 weeks charter - Starting from say Ibiza, taking in Barcelona, going on to Cote d'Azure and ending in Sardinia. Include the lot - fuel, mooring fees, appropriate provisions (champagne and Langoustines etc), tip for crew and anything else you can think of. Assume it's family charter so NO illicit substances and 'party girls' etc. Appreciate it's just a guess but an estimate would be great

Charter base costs, pick your boat!

https://www.edmiston.com/yacht-charter/yachts

My second coolest brother is a Director here.
Charter Market has been unaffected by Brexit or Corona, neither has sales I am told. The buyers simply didn't feel it

[Gretchen]

Gretchen said:

Has anyone ever died onboard, what happened and was there a Welsh Male Voice Choir involved?

I still don’t know if anyone’s died….

[justaninnocenthenchman]

Petrus1983 said:

I’m really enjoying this thread. Thanks for taking the time.

Do senior generally stay with the owner if/when they change yachts? How much influence does the captain or engineers have in the design/specification if the current owner was to rock up at Lurssen?

Again, in general terms, captains follow the owner, engineers stay with the boat.

With new builds - not as much influence as we might like. I understand so much of the spec is owner preference, but it is still amazing what gets overlooked. Simple things that would make life better for guests and crew on board. The problem is that most boats are already at an advanced stage of design/build by the time any crew get near it. We can make small changes, but not really influence the overall design.

I remember being with a bunch of yard reps once during a warranty meeting early in this boats life. I asked how many on them had ever worked on a yacht - zero. I asked how many in the whole office - still zero. I think some designers just stick the blueprints of their last yacht on a photocopier and hit 'enlarge 150%'. An exaggeration perhaps, but the feedback loop from the crew is rarely closed in my experience.

That said, we have regular yard periods and any work which can be framed in 'safety' or 'security' terms is rarely rejected by the owner.

[justaninnocenthenchman]

Gretchen said:

I still don’t know if anyone’s died….

Not on my boats, though we have had some medical incidents with guests and crew.

[justaninnocenthenchman]

The_Doc said:

Charter Market has been unaffected by Brexit or Corona, neither has sales I am told. The buyers simply didn't feel it

I'd agree with that.

[Dan_1981]

What's the most excessive / money is no object thing you've seen moving in these circles?