Winston Churchill said, “I pass with relief from the tossing sea of cause and theory to the firm ground of result and fact.” In essence, Mr. Churchill knew the value of relief.
Relief presents itself in ways too numerous to mention including headache relief, insomnia relief, stress relief and burn out relief, all of which can be bowline knotted together (to use a metaphor for simple, secure, dependable release) and cured by a relief Captain.
Captains do not just drive boats. They are also charged with the responsibility of being good or even great business men who are accountable for millions of dollars in assets; the vessel, the vessel’s purchases, hiring and terminating Crew, scheduling repairs and refits, and all of the other details that are involved in the big business of yachting.
The theory that the Captain is needed just to drive the boat becomes a non sequitur to the multitude of other responsibilities. Crew turn over, yard periods and the myriad of details that the permanent Captain has to juggle sometimes makes it very difficult to facilitate personal time. Owners and Captains are mentally tricked into feeling that the Captain can never take time off because if they do, the yacht will inevitably fall apart. However, even a perfect Captain, that vows total dedication to the yacht, can experience times of life stress, sickness, or the need for “relief from the tossing sea of cause and theory”.
Permanent Captains deserve to be able to take time off, free from the worry of someone else trying to pirate their position, offend their Crew, or pillage and wreck the yacht. This personal time might best be facilitated when the vessel moves from point A to point B. Enter the professional relief Captain.
Professional relief Captains are a special breed of individuals who can walk on a yacht and drive any size of vessel within their license limitations with minimal instruction on the idiosyncrasies of the vessel. The reason that they can do their “walk on and roll” so adeptly is, in a word, experience. A relief Captain should be chosen based on their experience on many different sizes and types of vessels. Insurers look at experience. Owners need assurance that their vessel is in good hands.
A professional relief Captain must excel in the area of safety. Their priority on boarding a vessel should be to become familiar with the location of all safety gear, fire extinguishing equipment and the yacht’s protocol for safety procedures. This tour into the inner workings of the vessel gives insight into a Crew’s emergency knowledge. If, for any reason, the Crew’s education seems lacking, the relief Captain has a perfect venue to teach. Instruction by the relief Captain should always be given in a non-confrontational manner with no ulterior motives except to better equip the Crew and or the vessel for emergencies. Insurers and Owners look at a relief Captain’s safety record.
Captains looking for part time employment are less threatening for permanent Captains. The very lucky relief Captain is chosen for the same vessel every time the permanent Captain needs a piece of peace. Relief work then becomes job sharing on a small scale. Insuring becomes easier with repeat performances. Owners become comfortable knowing their yacht is in familiar hands.
A professional relief Captain should return the yacht to the permanent Captain in the same or better condition than when he took command, leaving a legacy where everything and everyone is intact. The Crew should be happy. The Crew should also feel that they have learned through the vision of a new set of eyes. This knowledge from experience should not be given by the relief Captain in the effort to undermine the authority of the permanent Captain or to degrade the permanent position in any way. The relief Captain’s position is meant to give relief and to bring the permanent Captain back to the “firm ground of result and fact”.
I am a professional relief Captain.
Fair Winds and Calm Seas,
Captain Ted Sputh
ted@captainteds.com
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