How do you feel about the Bravo TV reality show, Below Deck,featuring seven to ten crew members working on a super yacht? Watch just one episode and you might understand why Winston and I made the conscious decision to stick to "smaller" hundred-foot yachts -- with only the two of us as full-time crew.
We knew we never wanted to live with other crew, to run the risk of having to “babysit” them. Not all crew are as spoiled or as horny as some of the Below Deck characters, but just watching them rebuke their superiors or gossip about each other is enough to confirm our decision. We gave up the super salaries for some super peace and privacy.
Winston and I have had the luxury of running yachts by ourselves. We hire part time crew when necessary, but enjoy our privacy and the control of being totally responsible for our boat. Just as employees can be the downfall of running a business, difficult crew can ruin the atmosphere and comradery on a yacht.
And that yacht is our home. (If we're going to argue with someone, we want it to be with each other!!)
Maybe that's why we lasted twenty years in the yachting business... Watch Below Deckif you get the chance, and tell us what you think.
Winston Hovey and Cynthia Zvanut Hovey transformed their desire to simplify their lives and be free of all their “stuff” into a mutual second career in paradise, first running a pirate bar and then as crew on megayachts. Their new book, "There's a Yacht More to Life," spans 25 years of their adventurous career makeover. For more information contact Winston and Cynthia at wincyn@wincynbook.com
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