Nine Things I Didn't Know About Superyachts Until I Became A Deckhand

Whether towing a boat of prostitutes or tweezing sand out of places you’d never imagine, the crew endures a choppy ride

- Brandon Presser

At a shipyard in the Netherlands—the world’s megayacht maternity ward— the largest vessel of its kind is being custom-built for Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos at a projected cost that tops $500 million. With more than 400 feet of sleek aluminum and steel, it will join an elite new vessel category: the Giga yacht.

The pandemic has intensified the desire to bubble oneself away from the world and widened the wealth gap further, making Bezos merely the latest business magnate fancying a life at sea (when he’s not in space).

“The market’s been roaring,” says Sam Tucker, head of superyacht research at VesselsValue Ltd. in London. “Secondhand sales are red-hot, and it’s impossible to get a slot in a builders yard.”

Even charters—where a person, group, or family rents out a yacht for a trip—are through the roof. “Our year on-year business is up over 340% from 2020 up to now,” says Patrick Curley, co-founder of brokerage firm YachtLife Technologies Inc. The company has been fielding so many requests, it’s started offering membership services that give priority to repeat renters.

Even the onboard jobs have become competitive. “There are hundreds of people clamoring to get a spot on a boat,” says Luke Hammond, captain of the 146-foot M/Y Bella (“M/Y” for motor yacht). Most applicants have fantasies of beachside bottle service and sailing to more than a dozen countries a year while attending to deep-pocketed glitterati.