On the Job

Yacht Crew Share Stupid Questions They’ve Been Asked

14 April 2023 By Rubi McGrory
illustrated man confused by questions
Credit: Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock

Rubi McGrory has 25 years in yacht galleys and more than 150,000 miles at sea. Aside from culinary creations, she does art, design,  illustration, and curates custom tablescapes. Follow Rubi’s culinary shenanigans on Instagram @big.cookie.energy. www.rubistudios.com 

It’s easy to understand guests’ excitement for their yachting holidays. Their enthusiasm and curiosity for this fantastic new world is charming. Bless their hearts. There’s so much they want to know. Perhaps sometimes a question slips out before they’ve had a chance to think about it. We’ve crowdsourced some of the more interesting questions here. The same ones are asked repeatedly — and fall into very specific categories.

Water

  • Is the water this color all year round?
  • When I scoop the water into a bottle, how come it isn’t the same color as it looks from the boat?
  • Why is the water different colors on each side of the boat?
  • Can we go to that spot over there where the water is a nicer shade of blue?
  • Why is the water so salty?
  • Can we go someplace where the water is less salty?
  • What is our elevation?
  • Where is the line in the water to tell us that we’re in a different country?
  • Who do we talk to about switching the tide times around?
Credit: invincible_bulldog / iStock

Weather

  • Can you do something about the weather?
  • Can you move the boat someplace where we aren’t under clouds?
  • Is it possible to turn down the wind?
  • How come there is no moon in the Caribbean?

Islands

  • What is under the island?
  • How deep do you have to swim to go under the island?
  • Is there water on the other side of the island?
  • What are the islands anchored to?
  • Where do the islands move to stay safe during hurricanes?
  • What do they do down here (Caribbean) when it snows?
  • How come it takes so long to get from Sint Maarten to the Turks and Caicos? They look so close on the map.
Credit: AlexvandeHoef/iStock

Crew Life

  • Where do you sleep at night?
  • Does the helicopter take you home every night then back in the morning?
  • Did you guys go out partying when you finished work last night? [guests wound down at 3am]
  • What do you do all day?
  • Did you have a nice break? [guest went ashore for 30 minutes for lunch]
  • How come this isn’t anything like Below Deck?
  • Why is the mean captain making you serve lunch on your birthday?
  • You’re such a great chef. Have you thought about doing this professionally?

Boat Life

  • Where are the brakes?
  • How do you know which way you are supposed to face when you anchor?
  • Do you get fined for not facing the same direction as everyone else?
  • How much anchor chain do you have to put down when you are in the middle of the ocean?
  • Where do you park the boat at night when you’re doing a crossing?
  • How long does the shore cable have to be to reach the boat when we’re at anchor?
  • Do you have any refrigeration on board?
  • Google Maps shows blue there, that means water, so why can’t we anchor there?

Time

  • What time does the 8:00 ferry leave?
  • How many sunset cocktail cruises can you do in a day?
 

More from Dockwalk