When, during my recent IAMI GUEST accredited Yacht Mental Health and Wellbeing
course, I was looking at the correlation between crew retention and Mental Health
and Wellness onboard Superyachts. I found myself once again wondering whether
the reason for the high turnover, particularly, but not exclusively, in the interior
departments of yachts is related in some way to a lack of purpose in the roles being
undertaken aboard.
We all need to extract meaning from the world and studies have shown that,
although that meaning is unique to each of us, we all realize it through exploration,
connection and creation. By understanding and embracing these innate needs, we
can all lead more fulfilling and purposeful lives.
Let’s firstly look more deeply at Intention vs Purpose
Intention is a resolve or mental determination to do something. It’s about mindset
and reflects someone’s specific plan or aim (WHAT they intend to do e.g. work on a
superyacht), whereas Purpose is about the bigger picture. It is both personally
meaningful and makes a positive mark on the world. It signifies the reason or
motivation behind that action. In other words, it answers the question WHY? This
“Why” generally emerges from one’s unique strengths and interests and so will be
unique to each individual. Having a purpose is all about finding what activities make
you happy, while at the same time being able to use your natural talents to pursue
them. Then, it’s all about getting so involved and absorbed with your passion that
you completely lose track of time. In other words, as I always say to my own children... “Follow your joy!"
Exploring Purpose from a career choice perspective
Sometimes, we have to search for our purpose. The way to do that is to encourage
ourselves to try new activities, take a class, join a club or group, volunteer, learn a
new skill, start a new hobby and so on. A good start to this search is trying to
remember anything you’ve enjoyed, even as a child or in which you’ve ever
expressed interest, then go back and explore those things.
If someone, for example chooses to be a chef, it’s generally because they have a
passion for food and cooking; a desire for creating wonderful culinary dishes;
exploring new ingredients and experimenting with different cuisines. Engineers enjoy
working with mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic and pneumatic systems (I’d
HATE that with every fibre of my being) but combine that with a possibly introverted
personality, an ability to earn lots of money and being fed 3 times a day as well as
having all your laundry done for you – and it’s not a bad way to earn a living – BUT
although they may appreciate all the perks that come with being a superyacht
engineer – and be doing work they enjoy, does it ultimately make them happy? Does
it truly fulfil their purpose? If their purpose is to support their family, then the financial
box is ticked but where is the physical, emotional and psychological support for –
and from the family during times of prolonged absence? i.e. only part of the ‘Why’ is
being realized. Some of the above may well, of course, apply to Captains and other
crew members.
What about the deck and interior departments? As an HOD (CO/CS), when the shift
moves to a role with more responsibility and recognition and when a greater focus is
placed on the management and leadership of teams, then one can hope that some
sort of employee engagement and job satisfaction has emerged, e.g. positive
feelings of achievement and pride when bringing out the best in a cohesive, high
functioning team, ensuring a safe working environment, ensuring the owners and
guests have unforgettable experiences onboard, to accompany the individual’s
unique purpose.
What about the about the more junior roles? If a young crew member – stewardess
or deckhand joins a yacht with the intention of earning lots of money quickly and
seeing the world – does that signify that they have a purpose in so doing? Not
necessarily, they may just want to join the industry to have fun and adventure – and
fulfil their “Below Decks” dreams. Can having fun and adventure be considered a
purpose?
As human beings, we are driven to find happiness and that reflects in all our choices
(when we live in the free world) - whether it be the clothes we choose to wear, the
food we choose to eat, the people we surround ourselves with – but what if in our
quest for fun and adventure, we have some of those choices removed (living with
crew members we don’t necessarily get along with, wearing uniforms unsuitable to
us, eating food we don’t always like and then couple this with doing work that we
don’t necessarily enjoy, then are we fulfilling the purpose of pursuing happiness in a
healthy way?
The same could apply, however to junior crew who join yachting because they are
intent on earning money more quickly than they could otherwise in a land-based role,
in order to start a business, buy a home, support their family, continue higher
education etc. These are clear purposes – and arguably higher purposes for joining
a yacht, BUT - does that fulfilment of their purpose necessarily bring them joy? Not if
they hate the oftentimes repetitive, mundane work, the challenging onboard
environment and being away from home and so on.
Why Purpose is so important
Having a purpose in life is vitally important. Studies have shown that it promotes our
physical health, mental health, and happiness. According to Time Magazine,
purposeful living has been linked to a lower risk of disease, better sleep, and other
healthy behaviours. It can also offer a psychological buffer against obstacles and help people live longer.
Purpose is a key to healthy aging, well-being and navigating life’s challenges, but I
believe wholeheartedly that the key must be to clearly define our purpose and to
achieve it in the most fulfilling and enjoyable way possible. Can we do all of that whilst also navigating the inherent challenges of living and working on a superyacht? I believe we can, with all the correctly applied self-leadership skills – particularly as it relates to self-awareness (see my previous blog contribution HERE).
Remember also that our purpose changes throughout our lives. It’s not a static
entity which has to be aggressively adhered to ad infinitum! Purpose is about
reflection and renewal and changes in accordance with our life’s experiences. Our
purpose changes when we get married, have children, experience loss of someone
close to us, experience serious health issues – and for so many other reasons.
What about values? What part do they play in all of this? These principles or
standards of behaviour guide and motivate our attitudes and actions. If these
individual beliefs that help us to decide whether something is good or bad, right or
wrong are compromised (e.g. by drug and alcohol abuse by peers, yacht owners,
guests: employment of prostitutes aboard: social, political, sexual behaviour of
peers, guests, owners), how does this affect our purpose?
Personally, I believe this has to be an individual determination and we all have choices as to how we interpret every situation and circumstance of our lives in accordance to a myriad of factors - which is why self-awareness is so critical. We must however, be clear about our own values, goals and boundaries in order to live purposeful lives.
When values are compromised, trust is undermined, but can one’s individual
purpose still be fulfilled with full intention? Perhaps a good topic of conversation
around the crew mess table!
So, if you haven’t already, make sure you find your purpose. It doesn’t have to
change the world, it just has to engage your passion. Align yourself with people you
trust, who share your values and whose own sense of purpose correlates in some
way with your own. If you have discovered that part of your purpose is to help save the planet for your own and future generations, for example, then perhaps seeking employment on yachts whose owner or management companies are also driven by this same purpose is something to consider...Or to seek employment with these companies
when you decide to transition ashore. How much more enjoyable and purposeful
would it be to do even the most mundane tasks with a sense that in the bigger picture, you are following a greater purpose.
Who are some of the yacht owners and yacht management companies driving positive change in today’s superyacht world?
There are many, which I find incredibly encouraging, but I shall name just two yacht
owners and four Management companies whose staff I have recently trained, because I
know firsthand that they care about their employees and about the crew employed
aboard the yachts they manage.
Many superyacht owners regularly collect data for environmental organisations. To
help facilitate this, the International Seakeepers Society connects owners with
scientists, allowing them to use yachts as platforms for marine research. Similar
programmes include Yachts for Science and The Pelorus Foundation, both of which
pair yachts with purposeful projects. Alongside ocean research, owners and their crew often participate in disaster relief, providing humanitarian aid to those in need.
YachtAid Global is a non-profit that works with yachts to help deliver and coordinate disaster relief and development aid to coastal communities worldwide. For more information, please read the following excellent and uplifting article produced by SYL, highlighting many of the sustainability projects and initiatives
currently being undertaken:
the-facts-sustainability-and-superyachts.pdf
Yacht owners:
-
Kjell Inge Røkke, the Norwegian owner of REV Ocean. When launched, this
189.2m vessel will be used to carry out scientific research all over the world,
uncovering new truths about our oceans and helping to preserve them in the
process. REV will be able to carry 60 scientists and 30 crew members, allowing for ground-breaking research on climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution. - Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Ernesto Bertarelli and his wife, Kirsty, who own M/Y Vava II. The Bertarelli Foundation provides significant funding for marine reserves and has supported the creation of more than 2,000,000 km2 of marine protected areas.
Yacht Management companies:
Bluewater Yachting
Bluewater believes in highlighting initiatives that merge the luxury and global reach
of the yachting industry with humanitarian efforts. One such initiative that is making
waves is Relief Crew, a platform that connects skilled yacht crew with volunteering
opportunities in the humanitarian and environmental sectors. This groundbreaking
initiative is not only putting “boots on the ground” but is also creating pathways for
yacht owners and industry affiliates to support charitable causes in impactful ways.
For more information:
Connecting the Yachting Industry with Humanitarian Projects
Y.CO
Y.CO has partnered with RMI to drive forward their clean energy initiative. “Y.CO is
committed to responsible yachting and are proud to support RMI’s Island Energy
Programme – an initiative that transitions island communities from fossil fuels to
renewable energy. Though these communities contribute the least to global emissions, they face the greatest risks from climate change. As an industry that
relies on these nations, we recognise that yachting has a responsibility to help them”.
And with Yacht Global Aid “Whether equipping our clients’ yachts for humanitarian
missions, training crew for search-and-rescue operations, supporting community
education initiatives, or fostering local economies through sustainable provisioning,
we believe in the power of yachting to create a positive impact”.
For more information: Fleet Efficiency | Sustainability | Y.CO
Hill Robinson
Hill Robinson partners with Trinity House to support aspiring superyacht officers.
"Hill Robinson is happy to announce that we have taken a significant step in offsetting
the carbon footprint by our involvement in a new ‘blue’ carbon project Mikoko
Pamoja." An estimated production of over 1,250 tonnes of CO2 will be counterbalanced by preserving mangrove conservation and restoration in Kenya.
For more information: Offsetting our carbon footprint – Hill Robinson
Also, enabling marine conservation to happen fast and effectively, the Blue Marine
Foundation (BLUE) is filling a niche in the NGO world and Hill Robinson is proud to
have supported its cause since 2018. BLUE aims to restore the ocean to health by
addressing overfishing, securing marine protected areas, developing models of
sustainable fishing and restoring marine habitats.
Through a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas
and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of
ocean conservation, its mission is to see at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 per cent managed in a responsible way.
Edmiston
The Edmiston Foundation: “Working together for the good of the marine world,
includes a partnership between Edmiston and the UK Sailing Academy (UKSA), a
youth maritime charity, with a shared goal of widening access and increasing
diversity in the maritime industry. To date, the Edmiston Foundation has enabled 173
children and young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to attend UKSA courses and supported 238 students into employment. Through our partnerships with the UKSA and the Conservation Collective, we continue to push for more diversity in the maritime world and look at ways of protecting the marine environment.”
For more information: The Edmiston Foundation – 2024 in review - Edmiston
Note from Our Faceless Crew:
Beyond luxury and adventure, yachting has a powerful role to play in preserving our oceans and ensuring a sustainable future for our planet. The yachting community is stepping up, with yacht owners and management companies committed to meaningful environmental and humanitarian initiatives. These efforts prove that purpose-driven yachting is not only possible, but essential. As we navigate our careers and lives, aligning with a purpose greater than ourselves transforms even the most routine tasks into something profoundly rewarding.
The article above was written by Lynne Edwards, CEO and Training Specialist at Phoenix Superyacht Training. This blog is a call to action...find your purpose, embrace it, and let it guide you toward making a real difference.
