May 2, 2011
Captains are known for taking professional responsibility of their boat and crew, so we asked if they feel the same about drug and alcohol use in the yachting industry.
All of the captains at this month's Triton From the Bridge luncheon said both drinking and drugs are a pervasive problem.
"There's not much you can do," a captain said. "You can't make people act responsibly."
"The boats are bigger, the crew are younger and less experienced, and you can't legislate against stupid," another captain said.
"You can't control them 24/7," a third captain said of crew.
"It's been the ruination of so many good people," a fourth captain said.
As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in the photograph above.
The captains in attendance had plenty to say about an industry that sends mixed messages about professionalism and safety versus risky, hazardous behavior.
"Don't you think some of the problem is how the industry is advertised?," a captain said. "There is a trend now where the crew coming in see a lifestyle. They see partying at shows and events and they think that's what it's about."
"Alcohol is the worst problem," another captain said. "When someone gets fired, or worse, killed, it's usually alcohol."
"Obviously, this has been a problem for years," another captain said. "I remember in the 80s a crew being killed, he ran over another tender. It's not new in the industry, we just hear about it quicker."
But, on the other tack, a captain said the beer functions build camaraderie and let crew have fun. And, the captains agreed, it's been a tradition since sailors first sailed the seas.
While captains attempt to maintain high performance standards they are challenged by many unsafe scenarios. From captains partying with crew and impaired crew being wheeled home in dock carts to owners using drugs and alcohol, captains told tales of abuse.
"We've had a problem with drugs onboard," a captain said. "I had an engineer that was smoking weed in the engine room; you can't smell it in there. He knew how to work it and breathe out the exhaust."
"We had problems with cocaine and speed," another captain said. "We ran a hard schedule, 32 weeks of charter, and the crew resorted to pharmacology to keep up.
"When that happened, I realized it was my fault," he said. "They did that because of their schedule."
"But it's routine in yachting," another captain said.
And what about prescriptions drugs, a captain asked, saying they are easy to get, especially in Florida.
"Like 222s," a captain said of the three-drug combination of codeine, caffeine and aspirin, classified as a controlled substance in the United States. "That's one of the first things captains pick up for the first aid kit. It's freely available in the rest of the world. They're a great cure for a hangover."
"And on top of that, all the bars all have specials," another captain said.
"It doesn't matter how cheap the drinks are after a charter, not to crew," a third captain said. "They just want to get stupid."
And the problems don't stop with crew, one captain said.
"What about the owners?" he said. "When they pour wine, if they go to the casino or whatever happens, they may come back impaired. It can create a substandard situation where crew are looking for loopholes."
"But what do you do?" a captain asked him. "Do you face up to the owner? Do you give your notice because he has drugs?"
"I'll discuss it with my owner and tell him my license is too important to risk," the captain said in reply.
And to top it off, captains said some blame falls squarely on captains themselves.
"The downfall of a lot of good captains is when that boat sits at the dock with crew aboard," a captain said. "It's easy to call it half-a-day and start the cocktails. Today is a play day."
"It also it depends on how much partying you do with your crew," another captain said. "If you're doing the same s---, how do you say 'don't do that' to the crew? Where do you draw the line?"
We asked the captains about protocol and what, if anything, the yachting industry is doing to keep crew safe against abuse. They said although there is an awareness of the problems, there is not a lot of training on how to handle them. A captain said the STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) has a section on social responsibility training including how to recognize signs of abuse.
But otherwise, several captains said they address drinking and drug use with their own rules.
"We have a zero tolerance policy on our boat," a captain said. "I'd say alcohol is our biggest problem, so we allow no drinking under way. We just don't allow it onboard, period."
Weighing in on the other end of the scale, two captains explained their management of the issue.
"I don't like to have controls on alcohol; they are adults," a captain said. "At least that's what I'd like to think."
"I believe in maximum liberty for the crew, but they can't leave until their work is done," another captain said. "They have to complete the hit list of tasks."
Most of the captains use an employment contract to filter out unwanted behavior.
"It includes everything, even how they should trim their fingernails," a captain said. "We have one like a navy SOP (standard operating procedure). It also includes periodic drug testing."
"It's all in the contract, no drunkenness, no violence," another captain said. "They get weeded out in the interview."
Another tool is mandatory and random drug testing.
"We all load up and go to a drug lab together, and we walk in for the test," a captain said. "If they won't go, they're fired. It's in the contract."
One of the captains asked who pays for drug tests.
"The owner does, it's in the boat budget," the first captain said.
"We have a land-based management team that brings the dogs on board," another captain said.
Most all of the captains agreed that that was another helpful tool, especially since it came from a higher authority.
"That is great; that takes the responsibility off you," a captain said.
"I know a boat that has curfew for the 14 crew members and a lot of their problems have been minimized," another captain said. "But it's different each day."
Several of the captains at the table rely on interpersonal relationships and communication.
"The secret is to find a good balance between being a father figure and a good captain," a captain said.
"When I first started as crew, I was drunk with another crew," another captain said of his early days. "We were impaired and the captain sat me down.
"He asked me, 'what do you want to do with your career?' That always stuck with me," the captain said. "He also said, 'One day you are going to have this conversation.' And I have."
"In the Navy, the chief had that discussion," another captain said. "It only happens once, but it identifies the quality of the crew."
"But, you can tell them till you're blue in the face, but they won't listen," a captain said of crew continuing to party. They're always at the ATM."
The problems of alcohol and drug abuse are not going away, but captains maintain vigilance and do their best to mitigate dangerous situations in such a specialized industry.
"Yachting is unique; you can't leave," a captain said. "You live where you work and you work where you live. Imagine, you reprimand a crew then you have to look at them the whole time."
The captains steered back to the issue of their responsibility.
"We're fully responsible for the crew and for the owner," another captain said. "We're financially responsible for them. If there is an issue, we have to fly them out. If they hurt someone, we have to solve it."
"I think it comes to the issue of whether the situation is legal or moral," a third captain said. "In commercial situations you are more legally bound, but in the pleasure industry it is more moral.
"If he's drunk, maybe you bail him out, but if he stabs someone, maybe not," he cited as an example.
Although the captains expect individuals to be accountable, they discussed the reality of their positions.
"The crew should be responsible first for themselves," a captain said. "We may not be the person who is responsible, but we will be the first accused. We will be held accountable."
If you make your living working as a yacht captain, e-mail editorial@the-triton.com for an invitation to our monthly Bridge luncheon.
About the Author
