Telling it straight about superyachts
Superyacht Captain: Life and Leadership in the World's Most Incredible Industry by Brendan O'Shannassy
Landing page image: superyachts in Monaco. Image: Getty Images
Master mariner and Nautilus member Captain Brendan O'Shannassy here presents highlights from his two decades at the top of the world's most lavish (and expensive) industry.
This is, above all, a realistic view that gets beyond both the glamour and the horror stories. Setting out to become a captain, O'Shannassy asks himself: 'I would seek in the future to lead and motivate a crew, protect the marine environment, uphold the laws applicable to the yacht and maintain the value of the asset. Somewhere among all this, I was also expected to deliver an unparalleled guest experience to the most discerning guests in the world. Could I do all these things?'
Anyone looking to transition into the sector will have to consider their own answer to this question.
For, unlike on other vessels, the owner is paramount aboard a superyacht. The writer enjoins us to understand the 'why' of the industry, and his answer is that it is not about the boat – it is about the billionaires, whom he describes as the smallest and tightest cultural group in the world. 'To find empathy, they can only look to each other', O'Shannassy says.
This will not be to everyone's taste. Although the author himself clearly enjoys working for many of these owners, they do have a peculiar etiquette of their own. They can be delightful and even inspiring company; they can also be capricious, demanding and difficult. Crew need to be alive to all this, and are also required to intuitively understand and see to the guests' needs, or they may find themselves incurring the displeasure of one of the world's most powerful people.
While there are tales in here about celebrities and the uber-rich to tantalise the wider public, the book will be of particular interest to seafarers because of the focus on O'Shannassy's professional tips.
These are pulled out of the main text for ease of access, and are illustrated with anecdotes from his career. This guidance makes the book a rewarding read for any Nautilus members considering a shift into the superyacht industry or to enhance their current career. The captain tells of his own role models – and the captains he chose not to emulate. He also discusses how to build relationships with the personal staff of yacht owners, how to make better decisions, and how to deal with paparazzi. Most importantly of all, he talks about how to maintain your sanity when something goes wrong in this high-pressure environment.
This book is the Nautilus Book of the Month for May 2022, and will be sold at a discount in the Nautilus Bookshop throughout the month.
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Steamy saga of sea dogs from the age of sail
Raptor's Revenge By Jim MalloySet in Elizabethan England, this absorbing historical novel tells the fictional story of Irish privateer Jamey Fallon's journey from lad to accomplished 'sea dog' El Raptor.
Bright memories of an American classic
The SS United States: ship of power, might and indecision by William H MillerBrimming with nostalgia, this telling of the story of the SS United States highlights just how brightly the ship’s flame burned for its short 17-year career as an ocean liner.
Merchant Navy voices heard in valuable new Falklands history
Glimpses of the Falklands War, edited by Andy Cockeram and Jerry CockeramIn early 2022, the Nautilus Telegraph published an appeal by the British Modern Military History Society for Merchant Navy veterans of the Falklands conflict to share their experiences for a new book. The result is Glimpses of the Falklands War.
Excellent engineer memoir tells a lesser-known seafaring story
In the Treacle Mine by JW RichardsonStarting with his college days at Poplar Tech in London, In the Treacle Mine follows John Richardson's seafaring years as he rose through the ranks on Esso and Mobil tankers and ended up as a chief engineer on a variety of vessels.