http://www.theislander.net. 43
Jens Oomes
(+34) 674 83 83 68
[email protected]
http://www.invisiblecrew.com
What Goes Around, Comes
Around. The Potential of
Rotation Schemes
Engineers are behaving
like divas! A little bit of
provocation in a written piece
is never out of place is it?
But if you are dealing with
engineers regularly you’ll
know exactly what I mean.
They are high in demand and
they know it. They’ve spent a
lot of time and cash on their
tickets and now they want
the good life. I believe the
definition of the good life
is: a rotation scheme on a
yacht based in Palma all year
round. After a few months of
unemployment they loosen
up a little and think it’s ok if
the yacht leaves port in the
summer. I’m obviously
writing all of this with
tongue in cheek.
However, it is mainly because
of engineers that owners and
management companies are
starting to warm up to the
idea of rotation schemes. In
my opinion it shouldn’t be for
diva’s only. (am I going to
get hit by an adjustable
spanner now?)
We’ve come a long way since
Commander Vernon E.B.
Nicholson decided to charter
his own yacht Mollihawk
in Antigua in the late 40’s.
Today’s owners and charter
guests have become more
demanding but ironically,
crew have become more
demanding as well. We all
want the best of both worlds.
I can tell from my own
experience that it is indeed
fantastic to have a good
balance between being
away from home, doing
the work that you love and
spending time at home with
your family.
When Invisible Crew started
off as a team of quality
freelancers I managed
to string jobs together at
pleasant intervals. It made me
realise that rotation schemes
would not only help to reduce
the desire of experienced
crew to step ashore, it would
also keep all levels of crew
fresh and appreciative of the
unique working environment
that yachting offers.Keeping that in mind we have
persuaded one of our clients
to work with two captains
in rotation. Considering the
yacht is only 76ft long, this
is quite a unique situation
but it makes sense for all
involved. The two experienced
and passionate captains
are glad to have found the
balance between private
and yachting life and happily
take the financial cutback
in return for valuable family
time. The owner knows he
has two highly experienced
professionals on board whose
skill sets are cost saving on
more than one level. He pays
a premium in travel expenses
but with a bit of flexibility
from all parties involved that
too is kept to a minimum.So why don’t we run all yachts
with two sets of crew? (I
should probably start a “2 for
the price of 1” campaign!!!)
Crew change travel budgets
could be decided and agreed
upon beforehand. Senior crew
will probably be inclined to
use their budget to fly home
while junior crew can stay in
the exotic locations the yacht
has taken them to. When
the time comes to go back
on board, everybody will be
well rested. They will have
either spent time with family
or have experienced what it
is like to visit these locations
as tourists, so now they can
fully focus on providing a
professional service.As a result, crew will last
longer and there will be less
turnover. It’s all well worth
the extra travel budget.CREW MATTERS
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