The floating family: The human side of life onboard

For World Boating Day, MB92 La Ciotat met four crew members from different roles, backgrounds and journeys onboard yachts in our yard in La Ciotat. 

A Purser. A Deckhand. A Chief Steward. A Butler. 

Different careers, different personalities, different paths into the industry. Yet across every conversation, the same themes emerged: adaptability, long hours, shared routines, sacrifice… and an unexpected sense of belonging. Because when your workplace is also your home, colleagues rarely stay just colleagues. Over time, they become something else. 

When your workplace becomes your home 

Life onboard doesn’t stop when the working day ends. There is no commute home, no separation between professional and personal life, no real switch-off moment. 

Crew members work together, eat together, travel together and navigate intense operational periods side by side. That closeness creates a unique environment, one built on trust, adaptability and shared experience. 

For Sammy Bowers, Purser onboard a 115m+ yacht, the role itself reflects that reality. 

Managing finance, payroll, crew logistics, travel arrangements and guest itineraries, she describes her position simply as “a bit of everything”. Sometimes, she jokes, it even means becoming “the crew mum.” 

For Bradley, Butler onboard a 90m+ yacht, the strongest part of the lifestyle isn’t necessarily the destinations or the luxury environment. It’s the human dynamic onboard. “It becomes your family, your friends, your support system.” 

Shared meals, movie nights, gym sessions, routines, inside jokes and everyday moments slowly shape something deeper than a professional team. A small community at sea. 

The unseen reality behind the dream job

From the outside, yachting can look like permanent travel and endless sunshine. Crew members know the reality is more nuanced. Behind the polished image lies a world of organisation, responsibility, pressure and long operational days. “People think we’re always on holiday, but the reality is you can work 15-hour days.” says Sammy.  

At just 19 years old, Hugo Young, Deckhand onboard, discovered that reality quickly after entering the industry. Depending on the season and operational period, his days can involve maintenance, guest operations, physical work and shipyard preparation. 

“People don’t realise how much work happens behind the scenes.” 

For G, Chief Steward onboard, staying ahead of everything is simply part of the role. 

Managing interior operations, guest experience, crew coordination and owner itineraries require constant anticipation and adaptation. “There’s always something happening. You need to stay ahead of everything.” And while crews are surrounded by people every day, life onboard can still come with moments of isolation. “You’re surrounded by people all the time, but sometimes it can still feel lonely.” The lifestyle offers extraordinary experiences. 

But it also demands resilience. 

A floating family 

Despite the challenges, every conversation returned to the same idea. Connection. 

Crew life creates bonds unlike many traditional workplaces. Working and living in multicultural teams, sharing limited space, intense schedules and unique experiences tends to accelerate human relationships. You learn to adapt quickly. To trust quickly. To support each other quickly. For some, that means discovering new cultures and becoming more open-minded. For others, it means finding belonging in unexpected places. Across more than 20, 35 or even 60 countries travelled through yachting, one thing remained consistent for the crew members we spoke to: the people. Because beyond the yachts, beyond the destinations and beyond the operational complexity, life onboard is fundamentally human. 

Demanding. Intense. Rewarding. And sometimes…very much like a family. 

Meet the crew 

Four stories. Four roles. Four perspectives on life onboard. 

Sammy, Purser  

 Originally from Australia and now based in Barcelona, 28-year-old Sammy has already visited around 35 countries through her career in yachting. Before joining the industry, she worked in tech sales for several years before deciding she wanted a different lifestyle, one built around travel, people and new experiences. 

Wearing every hat onboard: the reality of a yacht Purser 

Today, Sammy works as a Purser onboard, a role she describes simply as “a bit of everything.” From finance and payroll to crew logistics, guest itineraries, recruitment and supporting the captain directly, her role sits at the centre of day-to-day yacht operations. 

“You’re finance, HR, travel coordinator… sometimes even the crew mum,” she laughs. 

What she enjoys most is the variety and unpredictability of the job. No two days are ever the same, especially during busy operational periods where long hours quickly become the norm. Behind the polished image people often associate with yachting, Sammy highlights the level of organisation and responsibility required to keep everything running smoothly onboard. At the same time, crew life creates incredibly strong bonds: “You live together, work together, eat together… it becomes like a little family.”  

From movie nights and games to shared routines and inside jokes, life onboard is intense but also deeply social. Still, like many crew members, Sammy admits the hardest part is being away from home and missing important moments with family and friends. 

“People think we’re always on holiday, but the reality is you can work 15-hour days.”  

Despite the sacrifices, she describes yachting as an amazing career that has allowed her to grow personally while discovering the world. She also enjoys a rotation contract: 2months in / 2 months off. 

During her time in La Ciotat, Sammy particularly enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the town, its safety and easy access to nature and hiking trails. With 35 countries already visited through yachting, Sammy says the lifestyle has completely changed the way she sees the world. 

Hugo, Deckhand 

At 19 years old, French deckhand Hugo chose a different path from the traditional route expected of him. Instead of business school, he was looking for adventure, travel and a unique life experience. “I wanted something less ordinary.” After landing his first job onboard within just a month, Hugo quickly discovered the reality behind life at sea. Depending on whether the yacht is cruising, docked or in the shipyard, his days can involve everything from maintenance and guest operations to physical work alongside contractors preparing the yacht for the season. 

Behind the dream job 

“People don’t realise how much work happens behind the scenes.” Long hours are part of the lifestyle, but so is the strong crew dynamic. After work, crew members often unwind together, whether that means movies, games or gym sessions onboard. For Hugo, the biggest reward remains the opportunity to travel, and experience places most people only see on screen. At the same time, being away from family and missing important moments back home can be difficult. “There’s no real routine anymore. That’s probably what I miss most.” During his time in La Ciotat, Hugo enjoyed the calm atmosphere, nature and hiking trails, a welcome contrast to the intensity of life onboard. 

At only 19 years old, yachting has already taken Hugo across around 20 countries, far beyond what he imagined when he first started. 

G, Chief Steward 

Originally from the Netherlands and now based in Spain, G discovered yachting after working in cosmetics and luxury hospitality. What started as curiosity quickly became a career that has now taken him to more than 60 countries around the world. Today, as Chief Steward, he manages every aspect of the yacht’s interior operations, from team coordination and guest experience to shipyard organisation and owner itineraries. “There’s always something happening. You need to stay ahead of everything.” 

Adaptation is key 

Working and living onboard with multinational crews has also shaped him personally. “You become much more open-minded.” While he loves the travel opportunities and international lifestyle, he admits the job comes with sacrifices, especially missing family events and important moments back home. “You’re surrounded by people all the time, but sometimes it can still feel lonely.” During his stay in La Ciotat, he particularly enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle and relaxed atmosphere between busy operational periods. After more than 60 countries visited through yachting, G says the industry taught him as much about people and cultures as it did about travel itself. 

Bradley, Butler

Originally from the UK, 29-year-old Bradley joined yachting after years working in hospitality and private households in England. Feeling he had reached the highest level possible there, he started looking for something bigger and found in yachting what he describes as the ultimate level of hospitality. Today, as a Butler, his role centres around guest experience, from service and organisation to wines, spirits and cocktails. “I love creating an atmosphere and making people feel comfortable.” Over the years, the job has also given him access to experiences few people ever witness firsthand. Laughing, he remembers once handling a guest bill of more than €210,000 in a single evening between food and wines. “You have moments where you stop and think… this is crazy.” But beyond the luxury side of the industry, what Bradley speaks about most is life onboard itself. Living, working and travelling with the same people creates a unique environment, one he now considers his normal life. “You adapt quickly living with so many people onboard. It becomes your family, your friends, your support system.” 

A floating family 

For him, that sense of belonging is what makes the lifestyle special. Despite the long hours and sacrifices, he says he feels genuinely happy in the industry and values the trust and confidence shared between crew members. “You rely on each other all the time.” He also laughs about the smaller realities of yacht life, from avoiding the snack cupboard onboard to discovering new running routes every time the yacht arrives somewhere different. During his time in La Ciotat, Bradley particularly enjoyed the atmosphere around the port and the relaxed lifestyle by the sea. He also enjoys a rotation contract: 2months in / 2 months off. After four years in yachting, Bradley has already visited around 30 countries, and says he still feels like he’s only getting started.