Top 10 Crew Accounts to Follow in 2021
Armed with a camera and a passion for life below deck, crew from around the world are taking to social media to offer a glimpse into their glamourous (and, at times, not so glamourous) lives on board. From detailing tips and travel hacks to exquisite plates prepped by the best chefs in the business, here are the accounts you need to be following for your daily dose of yachting inspiration...
Jared Watney | @jaredwatney
34.1k Instagram followers
165k Youtube subscribers
Jared Watney started out posting GoPro videos on Youtube back in 2017 and has since amassed a following of more than 165,000 subscribers as he offers a sneak peek into the world of luxury yachting and the realities of life below deck. His videos rack up hundreds of thousands of views with a number of viral hits pushing the one million mark. After a year-long stint on M/Y Arience, Watney left his role in 2020 to pursue a career creating content for luxury yachts worldwide.
Bugsy Drake | @bugsydrake
300k Instagram followers
TV's favorite stewardess and tablescaping queen Christine "Bugsy" Drake has grown quite a following on Instagram after appearing on season five of Below Deck Mediterranean. Her account is the go-to for any stew in need of inspiration for throwing a themed bash on board and the "Queen of Theme" has even released a book titled The Art of Tablescaping providing a step-by-step guide to creating a wow-factor dining experience at sea.
Kiyra Rathbone | @thegreenstewardess
1.9k Instagram followers
Chief Stewardess Kiyra Rathbone had had enough of seeing the heaps of unnecessary waste generated by the yachting industry and decide to take matters into her own hands. The Green Stewardess started off as a social media campaign to guide crew towards making more eco-friendly choices when provisioning, but as of April 2019, has become an official business based in the UK. The Green Stewardess steers yachts towards a greener way of working with solutions such as a bean-to-up coffee machine, eco-friendly cleaning products, bamboo toiletries, and reusable items such as water bottles, steel straws, and cotton shopping bags.
Tristan Mortlock | Super Yacht Captain
14.2k Instagram followers
135k Youtube subscribers
Capt. Tristan Mortlock, aka The Super Yacht Captain, started up a YouTube channel in 2017 documenting life as captain of Sanlorenzo M/Y AWOL in a series of vlogs. The Super Yacht Captain channel shares a number of insights into the day-to-day role of a captain from technical videos on docking, towing, and refueling, to the more showy side of yachting with exclusive boat tours and what crew get up to in their downtime.
Dean Harrison | @theyachtchef
19.8k Instagram followers
If you’re a foodie or superyacht chef in need of inspiration, The Yacht Chef on Instagram should be your first port of call. Dean Harrison is the head chef on board M/Y Arience and knows a thing or two about good food. Your feed will be filled with step-by-step recipes, beautifully crafted dishes — each a delectable work of art — and a glimpse into the life of a superyacht chef.
Gemma Hulbert | @theyachtstew
14.5k Instagram followers
Gemma Hulbert started The Yacht Stew Instagram as a way to connect with fellow stews across the world while she was a stewardess working on a yacht cruising the west coast of Canada. The Yacht Stew sheds light on the world of a stew with tips and recommendations for everything from travel to laundry and wine. What started out as a simple pastime has now evolved into a blog and a podcast packed with even more stew tips and tricks. Hulbert went on to found the LUXM Yachting Group to offers bespoke, online training packages for interior crew.
Nina Wilson | @thecrewchef
6.4k Instagram followers
24.1k Youtube subscribers
Nina Wilson has been both a stewardess and a deckhand but is most comfortable in chefs' whites cooking up a storm in the galley. After turning her passion for cooking into a full-time career, she scored a job as sous chef on M/Y Hasna and began sharing her creations on Instagram. Now the head chef on Amels M/Y Revelry, her Instagram account is filled with inspiration from fresh family-style platters to highly detailed dinner plates. Nina Wilson will be taking over as our Dishing it Up column writer in the August issue of Dockwalk.
Colin MacRae | Parlay Revival
59.k Instagram followers
157k Youtube subscribers
Superyacht engineer Colin MacRae started his YouTube channel after purchasing a hurricane-damaged Lagoon 450 catamaran named SV Parlay. After rebuilding the boat from the ground up with the help of some friends, he set sail and filmed his adventures around the world. The YouTube channel is well worth a follow if you’re considering rebuilding a damaged boat as he talks through the process from start to finish. Below Deck fans might recognize Colin MacRae from Season 2 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, where he served as chief engineer.
Daniel Isberg | @chefdanielisberg
9.5k Instagram followers
Chef Daniel Isberg is the head chef on board the 85-meter M/Y BOLD. The SilverYachts explorer is halfway through its two-year circumnavigation and Isberg has been documenting his enviable journey around the world on his Instagram account. From Marlin fishing in the Indian Ocean to high-risk passages through the Gulf of Aden, the life of a superyacht chef is never dull.
Jamie Tully | @yachtchefjamietully
21.k Instagram followers
Another chef account serving up some serious inspiration is Jamie Tully, who is currently the chef on board M/Y RH3. In 2020, he wrote a book titled How To Become a Super Yacht Chef for those considering the switch from land to sea. The book talks about his experiences of cooking on board a luxury yacht and the tools you need to succeed as a superyacht chef.