The Superyacht industry is full of high net-worth individuals and celebrity personality types. They often not only have yachts, they have private jet planes to get them to their yachts and private estates all over the world. 

So who are these people? From the top 10 wealthiest people in the world to celebrities and really wealthy entrepreneurs who have been smart with their investments and can afford to throw money into a big boat in the water. 

You’ll be surprised most of the guests are people you’ve never heard of, and they keep a low profile online aswell.   Some examples of the industries where these people made their money is in technology, banking, stocks and mining.  

These people I have worked for have been from many different walks of life.  Some have treated me like family, and some have treated me like a servant. It’s really nice to find out that some of the wealthiest people you’ll work for are actually more down-to-earth and normal like any person you’d meet on the street.

Hear on the podcast why it’s important to understand cross-cultural etiquette when it comes to service as each nationality of these Superyacht guests have varied social etiquette and service style requirements. 

It is important to know the service standards and expectations. Some guests prefer more relaxed style and would engage in conversations  with you, most of the time they want to know little about you personally and more about who’s dating who on the boat! A lot of the Americans were like this. Others prefer a much more formal approach with very little communication and a lot of interpreting body language and eye contact. such as the Russians.

In my experience you start by setting the standard very high, see their reaction, and adjust the boundaries accordingly. It’s still possible to maintain formalities while creating a friendly atmosphere. 

For some chartering yachts its just like a “normal” family vacation (Often hiring the boat for over 500,000 euros a week). For others it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I had a charter guest who wanted to treat his whole extended family to a holiday they would have never experienced before, as the rest of his family were your average person. On these charters the guests would often find it confronting when they have a stewardess cleaning up after each time they touch a light switch, go to the toilet, sit on the bed or cleaning their room for the 3rd time that day. It’s just  a matter of judging the situation and they will often tell you if they require less attention. Don’t just assume. 

So all in all, To be entrusted with a person’s private life, belongings, family, guests, and personal affairs requires a substantial amount of trust. It’s a big responsibility. A Yacht Stew has a powerful and valuable contribution and a set of finely tuned skills to go with. We turn a blind eye to all the weird and wonderful things that go on behind the scenes of some of the worlds most wealthiest people. I must say a lesson learnt from working for them is that often money does not buy you happiness however it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.

Are you looking to start a career in yachting and need a STAND OUT YACHTING CV?  Check out The Seaworthy Stew Yachting CV toolkit, it features CV templates, industry knowledge on how to highlight your successes, add transferable skills from your past jobs, take the perfect CV photo and more! For more information head to theseaworthystew.com