TCR investigates how the standard of crew facilities in yards is improving and where is recommended by other crew.

Think of a shipyard and most people will imagine an industrial and unhomely space that is designed for practicality over comfort; some serious construction or refitting takes place there. But whether it is for a new build or refit, often crewmembers will be making the shipyard and its environs their home for anything from a few weeks to several months; therefore a certain degree of comfort is gratefully received. Shipyards are cottoning on to the fact that if they offer superb facilities and added extras to crew members whilst the yacht is in the yard, this will increase their attraction significantly.

Location of the yard helps to keep the crew happy over this time, obviously. Barcelona and Florida are two very popular refit locations for this reason – providing an opportunity to live a normal city lifestyle for a couple of precious months by visiting bars, museums and enjoying sporting activities in the region. According to Captain Mike Hitch, yards in the US and specifi cally Florida put a great emphasis on taking care of the crew in his experience. However, expecting the crewmembers to go out and find activities on their own seems to be insufficient nowadays. The crew expect more and some yards are providing added extras in abundance, which enhances the refit time for crewmembers who could otherwise get very bored of sanding and painting by day, and sitting in a sterile, lifeless box designated the “crew facilities” by night. When TCR surveyed a host of crew about which yards provide the best services, three names kept popping up as favourites. Although there are many other yards providing a wonderful service for crew, these three stood out as top crew-rated: MB’92 in Barcelona, Rybovich in West Palm Beach and Rivergate in Brisbane. Each of the yards has invested time and money to create something above the ordinary for crew, which is a big pull for captains when considering where to refit. But what are the basics that you should expect from a yard today?

The Basics
In these times of financial awareness crew can fall down the list when it comes to considering how to spend budgets – after all, it is the owner who needs to be pleased, surely? Well, this is not strictly true. A lot of owners with a long-term crew team will want to make sure they are looked after. Talking to yards, the minimum you should expect is to have accommodation and transport arranged for the crew. An office space within the yard is becoming more common, although it is worth researching what this actually means – you may find an empty room with a desk and chair. Many yards will kit out a number of offices with computers, wireless internet access and printers as well as storage and relaxation areas onsite. But how does a yard set itself apart from the competition to attract crew? Through a combination of convenient facilities within the yard and concierge services seems to be the new trend.

Yard Facilities
TCR reported in issue 28 on the new facilities at Rybovich yard in West Palm Beach, which stands out as giving the visiting crews a normal, healthy land-based lifestyle incorporating the slogan “refit, refuel, refresh and relax” that is clearly popular with visiting crews. One anonymous captain had high praise for the yard: “Any yard that I have seen in the Mediterranean pales in comparison.” What makes it different? The ethos behind the substantial investment from yard director Wayne Huizenga Jr is to treat the visiting crews as “professionals” who require facilities for work, study and exercise, keeping them healthy and away from the nightlife-centred lifestyle that can take over when crews come ashore. Gym areas and swimming pools, such as the ones at Rybovich pictured, provide crewmembers with an alternative to this and are very popular. International Technic Marine in France has created what is known as the “Black Box” for crews to relax in after work; a pool table and relaxation areas are provided, surrounded by grafittied yacht tshirts decorating the walls with personal messages – parties are hosted regularly for the visiting crews. In fact endof-week parties are becoming more common to bring the crews and yard workers together, which also helps the gelling of team when they are at work during the day.

Concierge Services
An increasing number of yards are offering “concierge services” to look after the needs of the crew, and some have specifically employed a liaison who will be the go-to person for any crew requests. These yard employees will know all the local hotspots, where the crew should book for dinner and which fun activities are available in the region. MB’92 employs such a person, and the location in Barcelona gives plenty of diversity for experiences away from the yard. Monaco Marine in La Ciotat regularly organises sports weekends to give the crew some time off, including gokarting, skiing, paintballing, and many others. There are too many yards offering these kinds of services to name them all, but this does not mean it is to be expected. It is mostly the larger yards who are able to offset the cost of another employee to the benefits of a concierge service, but the payback of attracting more yachts should convince some of the yards not offering this to change.

The Little Things
When consulting the yards about the services they can provide, many small but thoughtful ways of looking after the crew become apparent, and this really makes the difference to an enjoyable refi t. MB’92 has negotiated short-tem memberships for a nearby sports club for crew. According to Butch Dalrymple-Smith of Classic Works, relationships between crew and yard personnel regularly lead to them doing activities together, such as sailing on the company’s yacht Partridge. Abeking and Rasmussen organises deals and incentives for crews to shop and source locally, which also benefi ts the nearby community. Ocean Marine Services has negotiated corporate rates on hotels, flights and cars for visiting crews. And Marine Group Boat Works provides a private helipad for use by owners and crews. These thoughtful gestures all make life easier for the crew during a difficult time onboard, when there are many tasks to juggle and the senior crew do not have time to organise things themselves. Other yards should be encouraged to offer such services and perks to give added benefi t to the yacht’s choice of refit.

Although refit yards as a collective have come a long way since the darker days of a dank “crew room” with an ancient sofa, picnic table and second-hand television, there are always improvements to be made in crew comfort during refit. Although budgets may be tight for such “frivolities”, investment in facilities can pay dividends in attracting crews first off, and welcoming repeat business because the experience is so positive.