ONBOARD Magazine Spring 2018

YPI CREW
YPI CREW has been the go-to yacht crew recruitment
agency since 2002 and the recruitment partner of the most
discerning yacht captains, yacht owners and candidates.
From their Antibes office in the South of France, they
source and recruit the best yacht crew worldwide, from
deckhands to captains, engineers, chefs and interior crew.
YPI’s specialist recruiters have built a strong reputation as
leading experts in their respective departments. As such,
they have built large networks of talented professionals
and are able to efficiently and successfully identify the best
crew for the demanding luxury yachts of today.
For more details Tel: +33 (0)4 92 90 46 10
or visit www.ypicrew.com
reasons for the surplus of captains: firstly
the winter season has been a quieter one
than in previous years. The hurricanes
knocked the wind out of the cruising plans
for many of the habitual Caribbean cruises
and charters last winter so we saw a large
number of yachts staying in the Med or
going to the yard instead. This created
an atmosphere of uncertainty which had
captains and crew staying put instead of
putting feelers out for new positions. She
explains, “The normal domino effect just
hasn’t happened this year. The yachting
industry is also growing up with a lot of
younger guys moving up through the ranks
and ready to take on their first captain’s
role,or move up to a bigger yacht. The older
guys are not quite ready to hang up the
stripes so we have a bottle-neck situation
with not enough work out there for all
of them. Perhaps when we can convince
more owners to accept rotations for the
captains this will free up more positions
and create a better balance.”
Captains aside, the pool of qualified crew
for deck or interior could be fuller, a fact
that Blazy hopes will be remedied once
the Caribbean season closes and crew
start to look for new prospects in the
Mediterranean. But for now, there is an
imbalance in supply and demand.
Who is to say if this lack of qualified crew
is in any way related to the introduction of
the new French Social Charges regulations
which have been the subject of discussion
for the last year. Is this what is driving
qualified crew away? Dobbin is sceptical
that this is the reason since he says the
government haven’t yet to decide how the
regulations will be enforced. However, he
believes that some candidates may be less
inclined to apply for or be put forward for
positions where the yacht will be based in
France during a significant part of the year.
Weston at Crew Pacific anticipates (and
possibly hopes) the new regulations will
bring more yachts to the Pacific and
Australia which will only increase Crew
Pacific’s recruitment sector. Blazy says,
“As a recruitment agency, we have not
dealt with that first hand so far, however
the rumour appears to be verified by more
and more examples. As in any period of
change there is a lot of uncertainty and
rumour and fear, mixed in with some
sadness that the result may be that the
yachts and crew leave France for more
welcoming countries.”
The superyacht industry has weathered
a variety of storms over the years such
as the Sardinian luxury yacht tax and the
more recent Spanish matriculation tax.
There will always be something to rock the
superyacht industry but it is too buoyant
to sink. Lewis at YPI assures us all that
the industry is doing well and it needs new
talent and new people to avoid a shortage
of crew in years to come: ‘Already, 2018
has started at a fast pace, so here’s to
a great season for all,” she says.
HRCREW
Hill Robinson’ Crew Department is a team of specialists,
well versed in identifying talents and personalities in order
to best place crew on yachts. HR Crew works very closely
with owners and captains to fully understand their needs
and to respect the yacht’s safe manning, to then proceed
with a thorough and personal pre-screening process. This
includes references and licence checking and personal an
exhaustive interview of each candidate. Furthermore, HR
Crew’s recruiting strategy emphasizes video interviewing
as well as personal profile and leadership assessments that
give future employers a better insight into the candidates.
With offices in key yachting hotspots worldwide, HR Crew
is fully equipped with assisting the search for quality crew.
For more details Tel: +33 (0)4 92 90 65 16
or visit www.hrcrew.com
ONBOARD | SPRING 2018 | 75