Dockwalk

The Monaco Yacht Show is a whirlwind. Between boat viewings, supplier meetings, networking obligations and the relentless buzz of the docks, captains and crew can find themselves running on fumes by day two. But the Captains’ and Crew Lounge is a sanctuary next to the Yacht Club de Monaco where crew can sit down and breathe - and Dockwalk is proud to be the official media partner.

Owner of international crew agency EL CREW CO in Mallorca, Spain, Erica has been a freelance writer since 2008. She loves engaging with the projects she works on, diving headfirst into the research, investigation, and production of the stories she feels are newsworthy. A curious and proactive journalist, she draws on her own life experiences, her studies, and her work with crew all over the globe. Are lifers - yacht crew who spend their entire careers in the superyacht industry - a dying breed?

Yacht crew recruitment can be unpredictable. Sometimes, finding the right candidate happens overnight - a junior deckhand walks along the dock, looks the part and starts the next morning. Other times, captains and heads of department spend weeks or even months trawling through hundreds of CVs, only to come up empty-handed.

The French Riviera prepares to host one of the yachting world's most anticipated events as the Cannes Yachting Festival returns for its 49th edition on 8-13 September 2026. Spanning two iconic ports along the Côte d'Azur, this year's festival promises to be the most innovative yet, with new leadership, enhanced visitor experiences and a strengthened focus on sustainable boating solutions.

Would you like to know exactly what your colleagues earn? And would you be willing to reveal your own salary? As pay transparency gains momentum across industries, the conversation is provoking complex questions around fairness, trust and the realities of yachting life. Dockwalk speaks to captains, crew members and industry recruiters to understand what transparency really looks like in practice... Salary transparency is hitting the headlines.

Owner of international crew agency EL CREW CO in Mallorca, Spain, Erica has been a freelance writer since 2008. She loves engaging with the projects she works on, diving headfirst into the research, investigation, and production of the stories she feels are newsworthy. A curious and proactive journalist, she draws on her own life experiences, her studies, and her work with crew all over the globe. If there was a guaranteed formula for earning big charter tips, we'd all be using it.

Owner of international crew agency EL CREW CO in Mallorca, Spain, Erica has been a freelance writer since 2008. She loves engaging with the projects she works on, diving headfirst into the research, investigation, and production of the stories she feels are newsworthy. A curious and proactive journalist, she draws on her own life experiences, her studies, and her work with crew all over the globe. Ask a captain which department carries the most stress and they'll probably point to the bridge.

When 20-year-old South African stewardess Paige Bell was killed aboard a superyacht in the Bahamas in July 2025, the tragedy sent shockwaves through the yachting industry. In the months that followed, friends of Bell's family, Charni Johnson and Nikki Coetzer, heard from yacht crew worldwide who shared stories of harassment, exploitation, intimidation, recruitment scams and uncertainty about where to turn for help.

Cecile, a native of France, is a long-time resident of South Florida. She trained as a journalist, worked in daily newspapers and explored other fields, including hospitality, until a chance encounter revealed a new career path as a marine journalist and later as editor of a glossy yachting magazine. She joined the BOAT family in 2013 as an editor for ShowBoats International — now BOAT International US Edition.

When a crew member is sexually assaulted aboard a yacht, they are often told they have no recourse. But a potential remedy does exist, and it speaks the only language the industry can't ignore. In February, Dockwalk reported on a yachting industry searching for ways to make itself safer. But most of that effort asks the industry to police itself; policies and training are easy to announce and easy to ignore.