The Victims & Prisoners Act 2024 kicked in on 1 October 2025 — a welcome shift that gives yacht crew stronger protection around NDAs. In practice, this means an NDA can no longer stop a crew member who believes they’ve experienced criminal behavior from speaking to police, lawyers, regulators, medical professionals or support services. Any […]
The phrase “crew shortage” gets thrown around every season. But the real question isn’t just how many people are available — it’s how many stay. Retention vs recruitment. That’s the crossroads the industry’s at right now. Pay cycles, tax clarity, compliant contracts, social security coverage, crew welfare, support networks — these aren’t admin details. They’re […]
We’ve had a lot of questions from crew about Cyprus and whether it’s part of the Schengen Zone.Here’s the quick rundown 👇 🔹 Yes, Cyprus is in the EU.But… 🔹 No, it’s not (yet) part of the Schengen Area.That means Cyprus still has its own border controls, and a Schengen visa doesn’t automatically cover entry. […]
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” – Benjamin Franklin Couldn’t have put it better myself. When it comes to crew payroll, you owe it to your yacht and your crew to look at all the issues — not just the cost. At Cornerstone, we don’t dangle […]
Taking a page out of the Seven Sins playbook, the 89m Amels ‘Here Comes The Sun’ rocked up to MYS 2025 with an Aston Martin Valhalla perched proudly on deck. Not just any car, either: 🔋 Plug-in hybrid 4.0L Mercedes-AMG V8⚡ Combined output of 1,064 HP🏎 0–60 mph in just 2.5 seconds🚀 Top speed: 217 […]
Despite forecasts of an exceptionally busy Atlantic storm season, the recent lull was broken this weekend as Tropical Storm Gabrielle finally got her Hurricane lapels badge as a Category 1 storm. Current projections show her tracking north, then east — sparing both the Caribbean and U.S. eastern seaboard. As Gabrielle moves into cooler seas and […]
/ Yesterday evening I attended the launch of the Isle of Man Ship Registry’s new YET (Yacht Engaged in Trade) scheme. Creating the perfect berth for private pleasure yachts, over 24m, that want the option to occasionally charter, YET once again shows the IOMSR leading with innovation in the yachting space. We also got an […]
Typically….all eyes are on the Atlantic this time of year.Forecast cones, spaghetti models, constant updates — it’s peak hurricane season, and attention is locked on the familiar tracks across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf.But……….this week, Hurricane Kiko popped up in the Pacific — a powerful Category 4 — reminding us that Mother Nature always has […]
/ ⚓ Same Yachts, Different Fates: Why the Country Matters I’ve posted a bit over the last 12 months about the fate of superyachts and their roles as pawns in Geo-Political chess. However 12 months is a long time in politics and what was previously gridlocked, has become free flowing……. well for some it has! […]
