By Lauren Beck
Excessive drinking seems to be a byproduct of crew life. Is there any escaping it?
Most people, when pushed, will acknowledge that the yachting industry has a drinking problem. Fort Lauderdale has been called “Fort Liquordale” for a reason, but far from a funny one-liner, excessive drinking affects crew work performance and personal and vessel safety.
“This is a very high-stress, high-pressure working environment, and alcohol and drugs are a problem in the industry,” said Erica Lay, director of EL CREW CO. “Drugs are never acceptable on board, but alcohol, as a legal drug, is a trickier one to navigate!”
During her 17 years in crew placement, she has been tasked many times with replacing crew due to drinking. “I’ve also been contacted by crew looking for work because the drinking culture on board their current yacht is too much, or someone senior is drinking on duty, and they feel unsafe,” she said.
“We’re a bit like a pressure cooker because we live together, play together, eat together, work together 24/7,” said Capt. Kelly Gordon. “I don’t want to demonize drinking, but we have a very clear problem in this industry.” That problem can also manifest in other ways, like mental health.
“It was almost like a well-known industry secret thing that you just don’t talk about,” said Chief Stewardess Laura Kilbey. “There’s definitely a stigma if you don’t drink. It’s a question that gets asked in the interview — and it’s not because people want the answer to be, ‘No, I don’t drink anything.’ The implication is if you don’t drink, you’re boring.” Kilbey shared that she grew tired of feeling unwell, and her mental health suffered, so she decided to quit drinking.
One former crewmember Sarah, who asked to be anonymous, has a complicated history with alcohol. During her time as crew, she found drinking embedded in the culture.
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