The superyacht industry has entered a new era of visibility, scrutiny, and political relevance — and there is no returning to the past.

In this episode of Yachting USA, host Rick Thomas speaks with Christophe Bourillon, Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Yachting Association (PYA), for a direct, experience-driven discussion on where yachting now stands — and what must change to protect its future.

Recorded during METSTRADE and the Superyacht Forum in Amsterdam, this conversation examines how superyachts moved from a discreet luxury sector into mainstream political, environmental, and economic debate, and why perception now directly influences regulation, policy, and public tolerance.

Topics discussed include crew welfare and mental health, leadership pressure at captain level, training gaps, minimum standards versus operational reality, and why the industry’s lack of consolidated data leaves it exposed when dealing with regulators and policymakers.

Bourillon draws on his background in international lobbying and high-scrutiny industries to explain why yachting must evolve culturally as well as operationally — and what lessons it can realistically take from aviation, crisis management, and mature safety-critical sectors.

This is not a promotional conversation.
It is a factual assessment of where the superyacht industry sits today.

✈️ Episode Sponsor: ATPI Travel
ATPI Travel supports professionals working in complex, high-risk environments worldwide, including maritime and yachting. Their specialist travel solutions prioritise duty of care, crew welfare, and operational continuity across global operations.

🎧 Prefer audio? You’re already in the right place.
📺 Prefer video? Watch the full interview on Yachting International Radio’s YouTube channel.

This episode is essential listening for crew, captains, yacht managers, owners, shipyards, suppliers, and anyone whose business depends on the long-term sustainability of the superyacht sector.

Self-care is not about escaping life. It is about learning how to stay regulated, resilient, and grounded while navigating real pressure, loss, change, and responsibility.

In this episode of Self Care, Geraldine Hardy speaks openly about burnout, emotional isolation, identity shifts, nervous system regulation, and what it actually takes to heal when life demands transformation. This is not love and light. This is real work.

Geraldine shares her lived experience of running a startup, navigating profound personal change, and rebuilding self-worth, alongside a grounded discussion on emotional integration, trauma patterns, founder resilience, and sustainable wellbeing.

The conversation explores why burnout is often a nervous system issue rather than a motivation problem, the difference between healing and spiritual bypassing, how emotional suppression keeps people stuck in repeated suffering cycles, and why founders, leaders, and high performers must learn regulation instead of endurance.

It also looks at the role of rest, movement, sleep, and awareness in long-term resilience, and how self-worth directly impacts boundaries, pricing, leadership decisions, and sustainability.

This episode is for founders, professionals, creatives, and anyone navigating a period of deep transition, especially those who appear strong on the outside but feel exhausted underneath.

🌿 Explore Geraldine’s Self-Care Programs
Practical self-care grounded in nervous system regulation, emotional integration, energetic awareness, and daily tools for sustainable wellbeing.

Programs include Self-Care Foundations, Burnout Prevention and Recovery, Founder Performance and Resilience, and 1:1 Online Coaching.

Website: https://geraldinehardy.com
Instagram: @_geraldinehardy | @_alignwithin

If you prefer to watch, the full episode is available on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/IBCYyhC0dgI

What is life on a superyacht really like once the cameras stop rolling, and why has Below Deck captured the attention of millions worldwide?

In this episode of Captain’s Chat, Captain Liam Devlin is joined by Sarah Goldman and Kelli Busby, the hosts of the Above Deck Podcast, for an open and informed conversation that bridges reality television with real-world yachting.

Sarah brings years of experience in marine biology and research vessels, from NOAA fieldwork in Hawaii tracking manta rays to fisheries science along the US East Coast. Kelli brings a background in broadcast radio and media, and together they have built one of the most consistent and respected Below Deck discussion platforms online.

This is not a recap episode.
It is a grounded conversation about leadership, pressure, crew culture, and why yachting is far more complex than television can ever fully show.

In this episode, we explore:

• Below Deck vs real yachting and what the show gets right
• Crew dynamics and guest expectations under constant pressure
• Leadership at sea, being firm but fair, and earning trust onboard
• Mental health and wellbeing when there is no off switch
• Extreme charter requests and how captains actually solve them
• Why destinations like Alaska could redefine future yachting content
  
  

🎙️ Captain’s Chat
Hosted by Captain Liam Devlin

Follow the Above Deck Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abovedeckpod/

Listen to the Above Deck Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

If you love Below Deck but want the real context behind the yachts, the crew, and the leadership decisions that never make it to screen, this episode is essential listening.

Crew safety, crew wellbeing, and onboard culture are shaped long before a yacht ever leaves the dock. They begin with hiring decisions.

In this episode of UNCENSORED, host Marién Sarriera speaks with Captain Mark McDowell about truth, accountability, and why recruitment practices in yachting have a direct impact on safety at sea.

With more than two decades of experience as a superyacht captain, Captain McDowell breaks down how rushed reference checks, unchecked assumptions, and avoidance of difficult feedback quietly undermine professionalism, crew wellbeing, and long-term vessel stability. He explains why trust alone is not enough, how verification supports better leadership decisions, and why safety must be considered before a crew member ever steps onboard.

This conversation challenges long-standing hiring norms and explores what smarter, more structured recruitment looks like in a modern yachting industry that claims to value safety, accountability, and people.

Topics Covered

• Crew safety and the hidden risks of poor hiring
• Why reference checks often fail to tell the full story
• Accountability in yacht recruitment and leadership
• How verification strengthens trust rather than replacing it
• The link between hiring decisions and crew wellbeing

• Why professionalism must start before contracts are signed

About the Guest

Captain Mark McDowell is a seasoned superyacht captain and founder of Superyacht References. His work focuses on improving recruitment standards, transparency, and accountability in yachting, with the aim of supporting safer vessels and more sustainable crew careers.
🌐 https://superyachtreferences.com

🎥 Video version available via Yachting International Radio
Visit https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com to watch the full interview.

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SUPPORTED BY
Moore Dixon
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Moore Dixon is an independent marine insurance broker specialising in insurance solutions for the superyacht sector, including crew medical, accident and sickness cover. Moore Dixon supports captains, managers, owners, and crew with practical, industry-specific protection focused on people, operations, and wellbeing at sea.

🌐 https://mdbl.im

Why does yachting keep talking about crew wellbeing while losing experienced people year after year?

In this episode of Superyacht Laundry, host Cherise Reedman sits down with Xanthe Bowater, Founder of WaveWellness Solutions, for a raw, unfiltered conversation about crew burnout, leadership failure, and why the industry still struggles to modernise its approach to human welfare onboard.

Drawing on more than a decade working at sea, Xanthe shares the highs that make yachting unforgettable and the lows that quietly end careers. From unresolved trauma and isolation offshore to leadership roles filled without people management training, this episode examines how silence, stigma, and outdated systems continue to harm crew wellbeing, retention, and safety.

The discussion goes beyond mental health awareness and into operational reality. Interior teams carry guest experience, emotional labour, and emergency responsibility while remaining undervalued. Crew are afraid to ask for help because confidentiality is misunderstood. Younger generations are labelled as soft when they are simply unwilling to accept burnout as normal.

Xanthe also explains why WaveWellness Solutions was built using proven shore side Employee Assistance Program models, and why confidential, preventative wellbeing support is not a luxury but basic risk management for modern yachting operations.

This episode is essential listening for captains, yacht managers, owners, and crew who want to understand why the industry keeps repeating the same mistakes and what practical change actually looks like onboard.

Topics covered include:

• Crew burnout and retention in yachting
• Leadership gaps and people management failures
• Mental health at sea and confidentiality concerns
• Why interior crew remain undervalued despite high responsibility
• Trauma, isolation, and silence offshore

• The future of crew wellbeing in the superyacht industry

About Yachting International Radio:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com

Learn more about WaveWellness Solutions:
https://www.wavewellnesss.com

💸 Two brothers. One very honest conversation about money.

In this episode of Rich AF, host Charl Minnaar (The Yachting Investor) sits down with his brother Stefan for a raw, unscripted conversation about money, life, work, and the messy reality of growing up and figuring things out as adults.

What starts as sibling banter quickly turns into a candid discussion about upbringing, financial habits, career paths, and how money quietly shapes decisions around lifestyle, relationships, and long-term freedom. There is humour, self-awareness, a fair amount of swearing, and no pretending that anyone has this fully figured out.

They talk about yacht income versus land-based expenses, saving aggressively without becoming miserable, lifestyle creep, investing mindsets, property myths, and why chasing numbers alone rarely delivers the sense of security people expect. Marriage, prenups, and the uncomfortable truth about how late most couples talk about money also come up, openly and without sugarcoating.

This is not a how-to episode and it is not financial advice.
It is a real conversation between two people who grew up together, took very different paths, and are still learning what money is actually for.

Expect laughs, direct language, perspective, and the kind of honesty that makes you reflect on your own relationship with money.

🎧 Topics covered in this episode:
• Growing up and early money beliefs
• Yacht paychecks versus real-world costs
• Saving, investing, and lifestyle creep
• Financial independence versus chasing numbers
• Property, renting, and common money myths
• Money inside relationships and marriage
• Why money conversations matter earlier than most think

📌 This episode is for entertainment and personal experience only and does not constitute financial advice.

💬 Listener question:
When did you first realise that earning more money did not automatically make life simpler?

Crew safety and welfare are no longer side conversations in yachting — they are operational priorities.

In this episode of Yachting USA, host Rick Thomas is joined by Paul Shepherd, Chair of the CHIRP Superyacht Board, alongside superyacht Chief Officer Jonas Wiesand.

Recorded at METSTRADE Amsterdam, this candid conversation examines the real risks crews face onboard yachts — from work-aloft incidents and unsafe diving operations to cultural barriers that prevent crew from speaking up before accidents happen.

At the center of the discussion is CHIRP (Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme), an independent, non-punitive reporting system that allows crew to confidentially share near-misses, hazardous practices, and safety concerns so the wider maritime and yachting industry can learn and improve.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why near-misses matter as much as accidents
• How unsafe “normal practice” becomes normalized onboard
• Work-aloft risks and recurring causes of serious incidents
• Diving operations, training gaps, and systemic failures
• The role of leadership and culture in crew safety
• What real safety culture looks like in professional yachting
• How confidential reporting protects crew, captains, and vessels
• Why yachting must learn from aviation’s safety systems

This is a practical, experience-driven discussion focused on prevention, accountability, and learning — not blame.

🛟 About CHIRP

CHIRP (Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme) enables maritime professionals to report safety concerns, hazardous incidents, and near-misses anonymously. Reports are fully de-identified, reviewed by experienced professionals, and shared with the industry to prevent future accidents and improve crew welfare.

🌐 Learn more or submit a confidential report:
https://www.chirp.co.uk
📱 CHIRP Maritime app available on iOS & Android

✈️ Episode Sponsor: ATPI Travel

ATPI Travel supports maritime and yachting professionals operating in complex, high-risk environments, delivering specialist travel solutions with a strong focus on crew welfare, duty of care, and operational efficiency.

🌐 https://www.atpi.com

🎙️ Yachting USA hosted by Rick Thomas
Part of the Yachting International Radio network

In this episode of Self Care, Geraldine Hardy shares her personal daily practice as part of her instructor training, filmed and practiced in a busy, high-season gym environment where distraction and pressure are present.

Rather than removing external noise, the focus is on learning how to remain grounded, centred, and internally steady within it. This episode reframes self-care as a daily, multidimensional responsibility that supports the physical, emotional, mental, energetic, spiritual, and wisdom body.

Geraldine draws on her training in Tai Chi (Taijiquan) and Qigong, also known as Qi Gong and historically referred to as Chi Kung, alongside other grounding practices including yoga, dance, writing, studying, and functional movement. These practices are presented not as trends, but as practical tools for regulation, focus, and resilience.

The episode also reflects on hardship and disruption, including loss, illness, emotional strain, and life transitions, and how these experiences often become catalysts for growth, clarity, and internal strength when met with consistent practice and self-responsibility.

This conversation is for anyone navigating pressure, change, or uncertainty and seeking practical ways to return to centre and continue forward without losing alignment.

Topics covered:

• Daily self-care as a grounded, lived practice
• Tai Chi and Qigong for nervous system regulation
• Maintaining focus in demanding environments
• Returning to centre during stress, burnout, and transition
• Building resilience through repetition and responsibility

• Shedding conditioning and outdated identity patterns

Learn more about Geraldine Hardy’s Self Care Programs
Practical self-care grounded in nervous system regulation, emotional integration, energetic awareness, and sustainable daily practices.

Programs include:

• Self Care Foundations
• Burnout Prevention and Recovery
• Founder Performance and Resilience
• 1:1 Online Coaching

Website: https://geraldinehardy.com
Instagram: @_geraldinehardy | @_alignwithin