The good old days of yachting

We so often hear about ‘the good old days of yachting’, so The Crew Report took a trip down memory lane with today’s superyacht captains to find out what they’d bring back.

Captain Maurizio Capitani, M/Y Johanna

Since I started working in this industry, everything has completely changed. While many things are much better, others have lost the fascination they once had.
Everything was easier. It was easier to get a space in a marina, the size of the boats was different, and after dropping anchor in a bay you could enjoy the silence and relax. However, now you’re always working and under stress – a yacht is considered a floating five-star hotel with platinum service.

Captain Ross Haerle, M/Y Event

I have a pretty simple answer for this: anticipation of the unknown. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, I love the industry, I love the amazing technological advances and the incredible people who are joining this industry every day. But imagine if we could turn off social media for a while and do a transatlantic crossing, where for two weeks you speak and interact only with your crewmates, and you wait to see what’s at the other end instead of it being plastered all over Facebook before you even get there.

"Imagine if we could turn off social media for a while and do a transatlantic crossing, where for two weeks you speak and interact only with your crewmates, and you wait to see what’s at the other end instead of it being plastered all over Facebook before you even get there."

Captain Jim McCarthy, M/Y Al Asmakh

The art of navigation is becoming lost, which is perhaps why the celestial exam now plays a major part in the Master’s licence. Therefore, my choice would be to bring back the Radio Direction Finder (RDF). It gave you a rough position; the accuracy depended on the person taking the bearings and dead reckoning. It was seat-of-the-pants navigation but it honed your navigational skills, which are largely lost in today’s technologically advanced world.

Captain Luca Triggiani

I miss the spirit of fraternity among crewmembers from different nationalities, origins and cultures, something you can slightly feel if you dockwalk down the pier after a local regatta, as well as the dried and salted face after hours of tacking: nose burnt by the sun, chapped lips and everyone sharing the same aim – a fresh beer at the closest bar.

Find the full article in issue 77 of The Crew Report, out now - download here.

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