Well, well, well. It seems the yachting industry is finally listening.

And quite frankly, it’s about bloody time.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and with the recent outrage surrounding sexual assault cases, there couldn’t be a more important time to talk about violence, harassment and abuse of power.

For years, crew members, survivors and advocates have been shouting about the darker side of yachting. Sexual harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation behind those polished teak decks and beautiful Instagram photographs.

And finally, something is changing.

As of January 2026, new mandatory requirements have been introduced into STCW training, the internationally recognised safety training framework for seafarers.

The updated Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities training now includes preventing and responding to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.

Yes. You read that correctly.

For an industry that has spent decades teaching us how to survive fires, abandon sinking vessels and rescue people from the water, we’re finally learning how to protect ourselves from the people standing beside us.

I genuinely applaud this.

But training is a start. It is not the solution.

I’ve spent 20 years working professionally as a chef, including years in the superyacht industry. I’ve worked alongside extraordinary people, but I’ve also witnessed things that desperately need to change.

I’ve worked alongside crew members only to discover later that they had previously been imprisoned or had histories involving serious violence or sexual misconduct.

How did these people end up working in an environment where we’re living together, sleeping metres apart and hundreds of miles from the nearest police station?

What happens when the person making you feel unsafe is your superior? When the captain is friends with the person you’re reporting? Or when the person responsible is the yacht owner?

Where exactly are you supposed to go?

Jump overboard?

Here’s what I believe needs to happen next.

First, mandatory background checks. Real ones.

Not just checking STCW certificates, medicals and glowing references. I mean legally compliant screening for relevant criminal convictions involving violence or sexual offences, while respecting privacy and rehabilitation.

Qualifications alone don’t tell us whether someone is safe to live alongside.

Second, independent reporting systems.

Not complaints procedures where reports land on the desk of the very person you’re frightened of.

Crew need confidential reporting channels, independent investigations, protection against retaliation and clear procedures for getting someone to safety.

Third, accountability. At every level.

Yacht owners, charter guests, captains and crew must all meet clear standards of behaviour.

A million-dollar charter does not buy you the right to violate someone’s safety.

And what good is mandatory training if somebody can tick a box, collect their certificate and continue behaving exactly as before?

Violence doesn’t always begin with assault. Sometimes it starts with humiliation, threats or someone abusing their rank or financial power.

We need stronger leadership training for captains, meaningful safeguarding policies from management companies and greater accountability from recruitment agencies.

Junior crew deserve the same protection as senior officers. Men must feel equally able to report abuse. Women should never be told that inappropriate behaviour is simply part of the industry.

The yachting industry can be wonderful. That’s exactly why it’s worth fighting for.

To everyone who helped introduce these new STCW requirements, I applaud you.

But please, don’t stop here.

We’ve taught crew how to survive at sea. Now let’s make sure they don’t have to survive each other.

A certificate doesn’t create a safe workplace. People, policies and accountability do.

So my question to the industry is simple:

What’s next?

Because if the door to change has finally opened, we’d be fools not to push it wide open.

Until next time,

Instagram: @cheftzarina