Overcoming Post Boat Blues

Bonjour, Hi, Hola,

This blog post I wrote just over a year ago. I wanted to post it as this is often the season when crew move on from a yacht for one reason or another. It's rare that yacht crew talk about this part.

I wrote this after spending two years on one yacht that I LOVED! Now, no boat is perfect, but this one was pretty close. Leaving was an informed and well-thought-out choice driven by what was the next best step in my career, but it didn't make it any easier.

Late November 2024

Navigating Life After a Long Period onboard

Two Days Post Boat in Paris

Taking some time off between yachting jobs can feel like a huge jump ashore. This is something I personally struggle with every time, getting bogged down by the mundane ways of normal life.

I always, without fail, forget about simple things, like going to the supermarket and shopping for myself. Meal planning? What's that? It sounds very privileged that it's not normal for yachties to do that on a weekly basis (except our chef friends, HEROES!)

What we really miss is the onboard routine! Onboard, we are told when to wake up, what jobs to do, what we eat, and when we eat it. As soon as we step ashore, this changes.

Average day at work...

0645- alarm goes off

0700- washed and ready for the day

0730- First coffee

0800- morning meeting

1000- second coffee, and breakfast

1200- feeding time at the zoo

1300- big afternoon work push

1500- third coffee for those braver than I

1700- tools down for the day (Wishful thinking on most boats this is more like 1830)

Previously, I'd leave a yacht and go home to rainy, dark, and cold Northern Ireland to "relax." For me, this is the complete opposite because I get bored within a few days. Going from a busy yachting schedule to the sofa was unhealthy for me.

This time around, I made some changes. I made a plan months in advance that would prevent me from slipping into the couch potato sad sack.

These are my top tips for settling your crew's mindset ashore

#1 - Plan a Trip to Somewhere you've never been!

I was lucky that my younger sister's birthday was coming up, so I left the boat I was working on and flew straight to Paris to spend four days with my two sisters and mother. This gave me no time to dwell on how the boat was doing.

#2 - Plan to catch up with Friends

Often when we work on board we very rarely get a chance to see our friends as we're often based in different ports or in different oceans. Make plans with your pals to catch up, meet in the middle perhaps in a new place.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."Jim Ryun

#3 - Organise Your Time- Create New Routine

Don't sleep in everyday, stick to your alarm, maybe give yourself weekend lay in's but don't get lazy.

Keep on top of hobbies or pastimes that you enjoy, for me that is writing that i must admit I really let slide this year, mostly due to studying but also sometimes your not sure you've got some time to say.

#4 - Stay Active

For me its running, I love popping my trainers on and blasting some old school tunes to keep myself active.

Others prefer yoga, tennis, padel you name it a yachtie will do it as a hobbie.

#5 - Remember you are more than just a crew member

When our whole lives revolve around work it's easy to begin to think that our identity is a "bosun" or a "chief stewardess" but remember you are also someones granddaughter or grandson, cousin or friend in a world where luxury yachts don't exist but friendships and family do.

Go do that afternoon tea you always wanted to do with your mum or treat your brother to those rugby tickets you always planned to buy, because those are the memories you'll hold onto more. More than that one time you took the garbage ashore in St barths and it was the first time you got off the boat in 24 days.

One year on from writing this blog....

I couldn't agree with myself more in what I wrote above re-reading it almost a full year later. In two days time both my partner and I who aren't working are going on on a trip we planned before we left our boats to sri lanka because we stuck to the plan.

I've been running a lot, which for anyone that knows me well, its my default physical activity, (I'm NOT AN ULTRA GAL OR A BIG RUNNER) I do it because it makes me feel good and helps me de-stress.

I wish i'd read something like this when I left my first boat back in 2021, I hope yacht crew reading this will take away from it what they came looking for and know that the post boat blues are real but they are very manageable.

As always keep laughing, smiling and loving the sea xo