Captain Glenn Shephard is a familiar face to millions around the world. As the captain of the 54-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht Parsifal III across five seasons of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, he became known for his calm demeanour, extensive sailing expertise and ability to navigate both challenging weather and even more challenging crew dynamics.
But when the cameras stop rolling, Captain Glenn is aboard his own vessel, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42DS sailing yacht named Avalon, cruising the world on his own terms.
"I definitely prefer to be on my own boat," Captain Glenn says. "Being able to play with boats as your career is amazing because I love boats anyway. When it's your boat and it's your time, and you're not on anyone else's schedule, nothing could be better, right?"
When asked about his favourite cruising grounds, he doesn't hesitate. "One of my favourite cruising grounds in the Med is definitely Greece. Greece is the best place to go on a small boat or on a large boat. Worldwide, I really like the Bahamas. The Bahamas are amazing. It's sort of like picking your favourite child; it's hard because there are so many great things to see."
But owning and cruising your own boat comes with responsibilities that go beyond navigation and weather routing. Recently, Captain Glenn undertook a complete coatings refit on Avalon with Awlgrip®, a brand of AkzoNobel, for whom he serves as a global brand ambassador.
A superyacht-quality refit on a 42-footer
Avalon is 18 years old, and like any well-used cruising yacht, she had accumulated her share of wear and tear. Captain Glenn decided it was time for a comprehensive coatings refit, including complete antifouling and topsides work.
"They went super extensive," he explains. "There are some nicks and dings and some repairs and stuff. So when they looked at it, they analysed it the same way they would do on a superyacht, and they did extensive fiberglass repairs, high build primer and things like that before they painted the boat. So they pulled out all the stops and I was super happy. I was surprised by the level of detail that they put into my boat. It's exactly what I would expect on a superyacht, but I wasn't necessarily expecting it on my 42-footer!"
The project was carried out by Nautipaints at STP shipyard, and Captain Glenn credits the team's professionalism and planning for the refit's success. "My project was right on time. They had a date from the beginning when we would launch, and we launched on that date. To me, that's critical."
Having managed refit projects on superyachts and now on his own boat, Captain Glenn has a unique perspective on the differences between the two.
"A superyacht is much more complicated, and you have the owner's expectations to meet, and you're in the middle dealing with the contractors and the suppliers, and they have very high standards for them, but also for the owner. So I would say that's more stressful. If everything's not perfect on my little boat, I can live with that. But on my boss's boat, everything has to be 100 per cent."
For captains preparing to manage a refit project, Captain Glenn's advice is straightforward: plan, plan, plan.
"Pick a good team. Obviously, I picked Awlgrip® AkzoNobel, and I picked Nautipaints to do the application. STP as the location. You can't go wrong with those people. So that's key. But the planning is so important if you want to have a successful project. On superyachts, we work on very tight schedules, so planning could really save you at the far end."
What's next for Captain Glenn?
While Captain Glenn remains open to future Below Deck seasons and superyacht captaining, for now he's savouring the freedom that comes with boat ownership.
"In the last five summers, I've done extensively all around the Mediterranean, and now I'm in the middle of cruising the French canals. And then next will be the Caribbean, Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States."
It's a reminder that even for someone who has captained one of the world's most recognisable sailing yachts and appeared on television screens around the globe, the simple pleasure of cruising on your own boat - on your own schedule - remains unbeatable.