Italian Yacht Masters gathered in Genoa to discuss (and promote) their future

Genoa – Right before the opening of the SeaYou event which took place at Marina Genova in Genoa, the Ligurian capital hosted the meeting of the Italian Yacht Masters association gathering approximately 90 Italian superyacht masters. The meeting was chaired by vice-president Maurizio Capitani who, in the presence of some twenty colleagues joined by other colleagues connected via zoom platform, took stock of the activities carried out by the association in the first months of 2022 and of its upcoming future initiatives.

Capt. Marco Nocenti, member of the Italian Yacht Masters’ board of directors in charge of the promotion and marketing of the association, explained to SUPER YACHT 24 that “in the past months the number of members increased exponentially, and the boost to growth is also due to the increasing market expansion and to the recent demand for ʽLatin-styleʼ masters”.

The discussion focused mainly on “the synergies that the new board of directors, which was appointed last January, started with a couple of very important Italian shipyards which are planning to carry out a particularly significant project for their customers. In the upcoming two years many boats will be delivered, at least 25-30 of which exceeding 45 meters of length, therefore they will need a consolidated, professional, flexible and controlled group of masters with a professional ethics in line with the required standards. And this is exactly what we are doing for our new generation of masters by providing them with training”.

In the meanwhile, however, also a new generation of masters entered the large-boat market. According to Nocenti, “shipowners no longer have a yacht or a cruise ship like it used to be in the past. In fact, today they have a toy and they want to be the only ones who play with it, therefore the onboard manager and master must be able to make this happen. Italian masters are very well acquainted with this philosophy because, unlike international ones, they know how to spoil shipowners. This attitude is very important for Italian masters because it also builds customer loyalty, long-term relationships and safety, and this must not be underestimated as it involves also crews”.

The Italian Yacht Masters’ marketing manager pointed out that masters and crews “are not onboard to uncork bottles of champagne. We watch others uncorking bottles of champagne, but we must also know how to serve them with the right attitude and the necessary involvement, engaging guests onboard like those who work in holiday villages do”.

According to Nocenti, in the past years this culture “had disappeared”, also due to “market globalization and to the fact that workforce increased steadily. This is a good thing because it also developed our attitude, but the activity currently required is increasingly specific and focusing on details, it is closer to luxury and it aims at customizing services”. Therefore, management is essential.

In the future, this job will definitely expand because “onboard yachts and mega-yachts there will be an increasing number of professionals. At present, the average length is 60-65 meters and the workers onboard are around 15-20, therefore the management of these boats is not easy. Besides, crew staff turnover needs to be managed and having some 30-35 persons rotating on a 65 meters long boat in one year is very demanding”.

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