Ask a Russian Oligarch's Superyacht crew anything...
Discussion
HocusPocus said:
Have the boat's hull insurers excluded any loss arising from or occasioned by the skipper hiring an Ukrainian engineer? Have your permitted cruising areas been limited by insurers since the invasion commenced?
Went on an Alaskan cruise once where an American guest asked whether the TV was cable or satellite. Which do you have?
Doubtful we would have ever had any Ukrainian crew anyway but more of an owner's office restriction than an insurers. Our cruising is normally fairly limited geographically, I imagine there may be a hike in premiums if we decided to head to Sevastapol.Went on an Alaskan cruise once where an American guest asked whether the TV was cable or satellite. Which do you have?
Satellite TV, both UK Sky and Russian TV subs. A lot of stuff is streamed these days so I imagine the days of big domes on masts are numbered. You would need a long cable to do it any other way.
GC8 said:
justaninnocenthenchman said:
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.
This could have gone badly wrong. In that eventuality, are you at the North Sea oil rig or the Titanic end (sealed survival boats launched on rails or hanging on to a piece of debris) of the spectrum?paua said:
justaninnocenthenchman said:
We do background security checks, so it may be a problem if you have any convictions for espionage, piracy or smuggling. The industry as a whole, particularly smaller boats, are a lot less formal in their hiring processes. A drink in the Blue Lady is usually enough to get a foot in the door.
Cool thread, pleased to hear "the Blue Lady " is still there - spent a bit of time there in '91. '91 wasn't a good time to find a boat job. Thread is bringing back some good memories.Cheers
paua said:
justaninnocenthenchman said:
paua said:
justaninnocenthenchman said:
We do background security checks, so it may be a problem if you have any convictions for espionage, piracy or smuggling. The industry as a whole, particularly smaller boats, are a lot less formal in their hiring processes. A drink in the Blue Lady is usually enough to get a foot in the door.
Cool thread, pleased to hear "the Blue Lady " is still there - spent a bit of time there in '91. '91 wasn't a good time to find a boat job. Thread is bringing back some good memories.Cheers
Was a time of retrenchment/ caution. Owners weren't Russian - more mid east/ Euro/ Us etc. Had a little fun
Failed to get a couple positions, came home.
pete_esp said:
This is a brilliant thread and a great window in to a world total alien to most of us. Thanks!
I know you mentioned it doens't happen on your vessel but back when you did charters what was the going rate for tips and how were they distributed?
Just like anywhere else, 10-15% of the bill as a tip. Usually split evenly around the crew. Sometimes guests hand out cash, but this leads to the more visible (masseuse, service stews, etc) crew members getting much more than the back of house (laundry, engineering etc) types. A good crew will pool it all and again it is split evenly. More common it is left as a lump sum which is then shared out. Typical tips about 2k per week each. Bigger boats charter for more, so the tip is bigger, but have more crew to share it between. Sometimes friends of the owner will leave an informal tip, but this is usually quite a small amount, which ends up behind the bar at the next crew outing.I know you mentioned it doens't happen on your vessel but back when you did charters what was the going rate for tips and how were they distributed?
MrJuice said:
You mentioned 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off
But on your on weeks, what are your working hours and how many rest days?
Do you lose track of which day of the week it is when aboard given there are no real reference points that one might be used to seeing on weekday/weekend
Have your wife and kids ever come to check out where you work and stay a few days?
Technically 7 days a week, 0800-1800 during the winter. However, we usually manage to take one day a weekend off unless it is too busy. With guests it is genuinely 7 days a week, with lots of late nights/early starts as required. We still need to adhere to ILO hours of rest limitations (min 70 hours rest in 7 days, no less than 6 hours uninterrupted etc.) but it can be tight and there is occasional fudging to keep us legal when the audits roll around. Never lose track of the days, the emails are definitely quieter over the weekend.But on your on weeks, what are your working hours and how many rest days?
Do you lose track of which day of the week it is when aboard given there are no real reference points that one might be used to seeing on weekday/weekend
Have your wife and kids ever come to check out where you work and stay a few days?
Wife and parents have visited a few boats over the years. Never this one and kids haven't been out yet. Maybe soon as they are getting a bit older.
Muzzer79 said:
Is there a yacht crew hierarchy?
For some reason I'm envisioning the crew of the biggest boat having the biggest kudos 'in town' when their vessel rolls in to port
Or is that just for the owners?
People new to the industry like to think so. Nothing more amusing than the deckhands with half a week experience between them establishing a pecking order in a bar based on whose boat is bigger. The reality is that salaries aren't necessarily higher on bigger boats, and most people find their own sweet spot. Smaller boats mean more variety in your role, and an expectation to help out with a bit of everything. Bigger boats and people tend to just do their job, and clock on and off. Less family vibe, and more cliques. For sure there are some people who need to tell everyone how big theirs is...For some reason I'm envisioning the crew of the biggest boat having the biggest kudos 'in town' when their vessel rolls in to port
Or is that just for the owners?
Petrus1983 said:
Do owners share notes with their other oligarch friends so you end up in the same geographical area at the same time? Does your owner have more than one boat?
We have previously had a list of boats to avoid. Not so much lets meet so-and-so here on this day. Current owner has a couple of boats.Tyre Smoke said:
What happened during the pandemic when nobody was able to easily fly/travel? Were you 'stranded' at home or on board? How long were you (the boat) effectively 'laid up' for?
Fortunately we were considered key workers (I know, I know, don't hate the player, hate the game), so were travelling back and forward as normal. Lots of testing and the odd quarantine day onboard, but no issues returning to the UK. Both Covid summers we had guests on as normal. Some yachts laid crew off, some stopped any rotation, some forced pay cuts. We were very lucky and essentially unaffected. HocusPocus said:
Presumably the crew areas are rigged with traditional switch marine lighting circuits, and centrally controlled HVAC. However are the guest areas controlled through pre-programmed Lutron style computer mood lighting systems; sexier still with integrated zonal controlled HVAC and entertainment systems?
I picture Madame O soaking in the tub with lowered lighting, ventilated with freshly filtered warm air watching a movie on a disguised mirror/satellite
TV (set into the bookmatched marble wall) with sound percolating through the integrated bathroom speakers.....whilst Miss O has wholly different lighting/sound settings for entertaining her stallion boyfriend in her suite.
Crew and guest areas are individually controlled for HVAC and lighting. Personally don't know what is wrong with a light switch, the cynic in me says that if you have half a dozen lighting processors and addressable drivers to control stuff then the installer will be involved in the ongoing maintenance for years to come, including spares supply at inflated prices... Anyway I digress - what was that I was saying earlier about the yard-crew feedback loop?I picture Madame O soaking in the tub with lowered lighting, ventilated with freshly filtered warm air watching a movie on a disguised mirror/satellite
TV (set into the bookmatched marble wall) with sound percolating through the integrated bathroom speakers.....whilst Miss O has wholly different lighting/sound settings for entertaining her stallion boyfriend in her suite.It is nice to have one button on an iPad which activaes 'Cinema Mode', which adjusts the lighting, closes curtains, drops the screen and projector and cues the movie library app. Great, except the guests won't do that anyway, they will still say to a stew over dinner that they would like a movie later, and by the time they get to the salon it is all done for them already (including popcorn, which crestron still doesn't support). Same for the HVAC, a guest reporting their cabin is too cold is far more common than them just changing the setpoint themselves.
You don't really need fancy automation when you have staff.
Tyre Smoke said:
Key workers 
Love that!
You should get a sticker for the back of the boat, "Key workers on board, please be kind"
Love that! You should get a sticker for the back of the boat, "Key workers on board, please be kind"
Masters and seamen were on the list. Since we are qualified as such, and travelling in a professional context, and as I alluded to earlier, yachts are not passenger vessels (I know some cruise ship guys had trouble) there was little issue for us travelling. Arriving in France and Italy they couldn't care less who we were and generally didn't even look at the paperwork. UK departures were a bit more thorough, especially in the earlier lockdowns.
PushedDover said:
What is the thoughts on this :
https://gcaptain.com/russian-superyacht-crews/
Russian Oligarch Fails To Pay Superyacht Crew
Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht will languish in a dock in Hamburg after its crew and captain walked after European Union and U.S. sanctions made it diffiuclt to pay their wages.
The last of the usually 80-strong staff on the Dilbar, who crewed for the sanctioned billionaire, left the 156-meter yacht Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. A slimmed-down crew, employed by Luerssen, which built the ship in 2016, will remain on the boat, they said.
As with much reporting at the moment I'd be sceptical, however if true it is understandable - why would they pay for a boat they can't use? Unlucky for the crew though. I have a feeling the job market will be somewhat saturated soon.https://gcaptain.com/russian-superyacht-crews/
Russian Oligarch Fails To Pay Superyacht Crew
Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht will languish in a dock in Hamburg after its crew and captain walked after European Union and U.S. sanctions made it diffiuclt to pay their wages.
The last of the usually 80-strong staff on the Dilbar, who crewed for the sanctioned billionaire, left the 156-meter yacht Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. A slimmed-down crew, employed by Luerssen, which built the ship in 2016, will remain on the boat, they said.
Arnold Cunningham said:
Are there better yacht designs than others? Externally I love Black Pearl and am fairly familiar with Ken Freivokh's work, along with Pascoe Superyacht tenders. (Including on the tenders - the CRAZY attention to detail that goes in to them - if something comes out of the mould 99.99% perfect, they refinish it to get the final 0.01%)
So in the world of superyachts, are some more super than others and where does Black Pearl and Ken Freivokh stand?
Bear in mind that most people will only experience a handful of yachts in their career it is difficult to say. There is the accepted wisdom that the build quality on the northern European yards is better than the Italian and Turkish ones, and that anything made it the US was built out of Home Depot. As we don't get directly involved in, or have any say choosing a designer, it is not something I have found myself spending any time thinking about. From a crew perspective yachts are chosen by employment terms and conditions, and personal recommendations from mates. I couldn't give a toss who the designer was to be frank. Again, I'm not a yacht spotter, and have never bought a Superyacht magazine in my life. My knowledge comes from the people I know directly and the yachts on which I've worked. I've never heard of Ken Freivokh, and from what little I do know about BP it seems like quite a technological achievement, but I've never worked there and don't know anyone who has.So in the world of superyachts, are some more super than others and where does Black Pearl and Ken Freivokh stand?
Interesting about Pascoe - We had a lot of contact with them a long time ago and their designs and build quality have certainly improved since then. As has the size of the tenders - some of them could be small yachts in their own right.
Arnold Cunningham said:
lol. Tell it how you see it.
Thanks - interesting, I always assumed there a lot of one-upmanship going on between this yacht and that yacht, this designer vs that designer. Obviously not.
Perhaps with the owners. Crew care more about the tangibles, like food, money, perks, etc.Thanks - interesting, I always assumed there a lot of one-upmanship going on between this yacht and that yacht, this designer vs that designer. Obviously not.
2.5pi said:
https://youtu.be/-G6oAq_ZdAA
Interesting YouTube channel re this thread
Good Luck OP..fascinating thread
Is that the guy who is a complete throbber and banned from all the European shipyards for his frequent breaching of confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements?Interesting YouTube channel re this thread
Good Luck OP..fascinating thread
Not seen any of his stuff but he's known by reputation if so.
PurpleTurtle said:
Tyre Smoke said:
Key workers Love that!
You should get a sticker for the back of the boat, "Key workers on board, please be kind"
Whilst everyone else was out banging saucepans and clapping on a Thursday night, I was on the doorstep cracking open a bottle on vintage Dom Perignon in tribute to all of the OPs hard work!! Love that! You should get a sticker for the back of the boat, "Key workers on board, please be kind"
HocusPocus said:
The conflict may proliferate. Make sure wherever the owner makes you steam, there is transport to get you home safely. Reports of oligarch boats docking in Vladivostock naval base...not much Krug to be found there!
I've been to Vladivostok before actually. Maybe no bubbles, but I do remember 330ml bottles of vodka with beer caps. Interesting run ashore, it was a closed city even to Russian citizens for a long time.Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff