“Shipowners who change captains and captains who don't want certain shipowners”

What happens behind the scenes of a superyacht? In this new column, SUPER YACHT 24 aims to reveal the rarely discussed critical issues of or on a pleasure vessel and, where possible, offer suggestions for overcoming them to those who are familiar with or approaching this world for the first time.

The initiative was inspired by Captain Rosario Fortuna; a man with a long and exciting career, still active as a freelance superyacht captain and a member of the Italian Yacht Master: one of those who are willing and able to speak their minds.

Today we talk to him about "shipowners who change captains and captains who don't want certain shipowners."

We begin with the unhappiness of a shipowner and his family, illustrating how an unsuitable captain can turn a vacation into a disaster for those who have been looking forward to an unforgettable, yet beautiful, experience for years. "It happened to me recently," says Captain Fortuna, "a foreign owner of a 43-meter vessel who was looking forward to a wonderful vacation with his family found himself having to change captains during the cruise and called me in despair, expressing his dismay."

Shipowners, perhaps first-timers, the expert explains, consult various sources when searching for a captain, often management agencies. But even if the agency were the best, it's worth remembering that with the boom in this market, the best captains are generally already employed. Shipowners are left with few options: to rely on luck, that is, on a selection of aspiring captains with more or less little experience and easy careers offered by the market, mostly foreign and also less lucrative. The result—in unfortunate situations—is that not only is the vacation ruined, but, more importantly, the owner's trust in the captains will be permanently damaged. "And not only that; mistrust will also ruin good captains, because the relationship with a biased shipowner will be difficult to manage, just as it will be difficult to manage a crew already worn out by previous experience. In practice, serious and honest captains end up paying for the mistakes of less serious and honest ones," Fortuna emphasizes.

But what could actually happen to the owner in this unfortunate circumstance? "For example, a careless captain might neglect boat maintenance throughout the winter season, only to abandon the owner just before the cruise for another (perhaps even more lucrative) job, thus saving himself from the troubles of his contractual breach and leaving the owner in trouble. These things happen often, and avoiding these situations is only possible by paying attention to certain signs: a very clear one is the refusal of a good captain to accept a proposal to reduce his normal winter salary; this is because he knows his value and doesn't believe it's right to devalue himself."

What can be done to minimize risk? "For example, you could choose a commander who belongs to a category or association that requires proper certifications, training, and proven experience," says Rosario Fortuna.

Finally, let's also talk about the opposite situation: when the captain might end up with an untrustworthy shipowner. "Sometimes," I'd say, "I wish that instead of us being the only ones having to hand over our CVs, the shipowners were required to do so as well. This is because we too often have unpleasant surprises, unfortunately once we're already on board. There, we find ourselves clashing with those who demand we do or have others do absurd things: the demand may concern their rescheduling of routes, or our carrying out orders that put us in a position to violate our duties as captain, or the failure to perform the necessary routine maintenance on all onboard equipment and beyond. We often find ourselves with additional unscheduled guests arriving late at night, or dealing with situations in which people overindulge in alcohol or other substances. There is no control in this regard, and it doesn't seem right to me, given that I myself, as captain, subject my crew to tests that detect drug and alcohol use, or the presence of communicable diseases. In other words, shipowners often fail to respect the basic rules that protect our quality of life on board, putting "It puts our work to the test and puts us in risky situations with respect to our responsibilities; this is because our refusal would mean opening the door to dismissal. This happens especially in the charter world, on smaller vessels," highlights the experienced captain.

This important topic will be explored in more detail in another installment of this new column.

C.G.

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