Human beings, generally speaking, don’t like change. This should become even more true when we’re talking about employment. For the 99% of people in the world employed in land based jobs, this generally means that their employment is geographically determined. In other words, they have to find the best job possible near home.
Yacht crew don’t have these geographical chains that limit their options. Additionally, the yachting industry suffers from a lack of quality crew. The next opportunity is always around the corner for good yacht crew.
This makes good crew just like gold: hard to get and hard to hold.
At Invisible Crew we do what we can to hold on to those golden talents. In any case, truly good crew don’t just jump ship at the drop of a hat. Truly professional Pocket Superyacht crew understand the value of working within a professional structure provided by a management company that advises both the owners and themselves on the best plan of action. Having the right systems of accountability in place motivates and rewards our crews to do the best job possible on all fronts. Nobody can expect these young energetic professionals to know everything. That’s why they know it’s ok to reach out to us for help. And while they are offered opportunities galore, we teach our crews that their career can be built, not just in the industry but on the actual yacht, with the actual family they are employed with. Our clients are people with visions and plans for the future. They value people that allow them to realise those plans. Having good crew can give them the confidence to buy that bigger yacht that they are dreaming of. One of our clients just upgraded from a Hylas 58 to a Southern Wind 100! (We are recruiting and engineer, chef and stew!!) Of course, it can be a long term game and for young people who dream of starting a family some day, this live-aboard job has a shelf life. So therefore we also aim to let our crews take steps up within our client portfolio when appropriate.
This last winter the Captain & Stew-Cook couple George and Harriet have taken a significant step up in yacht size. From a 58 to a 76. Early in 2019 we recruited them to run a brand new 58ft monohull for one of our clients. Covid and an intense program covering the Eastern and Western Med, Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific made it a challenging 2 years which they completed with zeste.
This winter we offered them the contract on board the CNB76 Aenea. Having to step straight into the 5 year maintenance project, with our guidance of course, they have already impressed the owners with their methodical approach, excellent communication skills and charm.
Chef Henry, who previously worked 3 seasons on Aenea has been placed on another CNB76 in our portfolio, SY Malaika. We’re delighted to have him back on the team.
He is working together with captain Simon who we have known for no less than 13 years and has previously worked with us as a freelance captain.
Meanwhile in the Caribbean, chef Sam is completing his second season with us after accumulating raving reviews on the 65ft Yapluka catamaran Imagine Heaven. Together with Captain Pietro and Stew Eva he completes the crew on the Lagoon 620 Crocodile Daddy which is now about to be sold. Thus ending the crew contracts.
We have already contracted Pietro and Eva on a new client’s Lagoon 65 and we’re keen to find a new contract for Sam soon.
Captain Anissa has finished her first yearlong contract with us on a Bruce Farr 58 and she is shortlisted for a new client’s CNB76 that we have in the pipeline.
While it’s great to offer the variety in jobs to many of our crew, we are of course particularly proud of those situation where the owners, the crew and the program are the perfect blend for consistency and continuity.
Captain Matthias started only a year ago on Black Pearl but from our evaluation we can see a solid longterm future for him onboard the Solaris 72.
We hope he will thrive like captain Luka who has been on the 65ft cat Imagine Heaven since April 2018.
Recently we have received a number of requests from potential clients. The biggest challenge is of course finding the right talent to pair up with the clients and their yachts. We are always on the lookout for new professional talent, so if you’d like to join our team, please email your application to cv@invisiblecrew.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Jens Ooms
Invisible Crew
+34 647 83 83 68
