What does it really take to lead a superyacht when the pressure is high, the decisions are yours, and everyone onboard is looking to the bridge?

In this episode of On The Bridge, Alicia Store, Chief Operating Officer at dsnm Ltd, speaks with Superyacht Captain Olly Lewis about the realities of command, charter leadership, crew morale, safety, rotation, recruitment, and life at sea.

Olly’s route into yachting was far from ordinary. After training as a ship’s joiner at Pendennis in Falmouth, he helped build the yacht that would later become his first deckhand role, giving him a rare understanding of the vessel from the keel up before his career at sea had even properly begun.

From there, he worked his way through the ranks with focus and discipline, using his leave to train, progress, and keep climbing. He also reflects on the importance of mentorship, particularly the role Captain Bill White played in giving him an opportunity and helping shape the captain he would become.

The conversation explores what makes a strong charter captain, from preparation and guest communication before anyone steps onboard, to building trust with clients, supporting heads of department, and making sure the team behind the operation is properly recognised.

Olly also speaks openly about the harder side of the job, including being away from home, raising a family while working on rotation, and the loneliness that can come with command. For all the privilege and excitement of the role, he makes clear that being captain still comes with pressure, sacrifice, and responsibility.

One of the most gripping parts of the episode is Olly’s account of a Gulf of Aden security incident, where an approaching skiff, armed security, a secured vessel, and a fast-moving situation left him standing alone on the bridge, making decisions under real pressure.

Alicia and Olly also discuss crew morale during intense charter seasons, why captains need to stay grounded, what he looks for when recruiting crew, how additional skills can help people stand out, and why safety must remain the final line when guest requests push against operational limits.

This is a conversation about leadership, responsibility, preparation, calm under pressure, and the human reality behind the title of captain.

Guest:
Captain Olly Lewis
Superyacht Captain

Host:
Alicia Store
Chief Operating Officer, dsnm Ltd

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News on the website:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

On The Bridge | dsnm Ltd | Yachting International Radio

Search Yachting Channel on your favourite podcast platform for more conversations from across the global yachting industry.

Seafarer abandonment does not always mean a crew has been physically deserted on a dead ship. Sometimes the vessel is still operating, the crew is still working and cargo is still moving, but wages have stopped, contracts have expired, repatriation is being delayed and basic provisions are beginning to disappear.

Julia Gosling and Adam Parnell are joined by Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF FOC Network Coordinator for the Arab World and Iran at the International Transport Workers’ Federation, for a powerful examination of what abandonment really looks like and why it continues despite protections already contained within the Maritime Labour Convention.

Mohamed works directly with seafarers facing unpaid wages, failed repatriation, unsafe living conditions and abandonment. He explains when a situation legally becomes abandonment, why crews should not wait until conditions become desperate before asking for help, and how failures in enforcement can allow abuse to continue.

The conversation also looks beyond the vessel itself. When a seafarer goes months without wages, the consequences can reach an entire family ashore, particularly when that seafarer is the household’s main source of income.

At its heart, this is a conversation about enforcement, accountability and the human cost of allowing abandonment to become normalised.

Resources referenced in this episode:
Seafarer Abandonment Series: Smart Seafaring. A Safe Return
https://youtu.be/fbg_frnyDy0

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2026
https://www.itfseafarers.org/sites/default/files/node/resources/files/ITF-SB26_Layout_RGB-web-1.pdf

ITF Seafarers
https://www.itfseafarers.org

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News at Yachting International Radio.
Prefer to watch? Find Sea Views on the Yachting International Radio YouTube channel.

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SUPPORTED BY
CHIRP Maritime & The Seafarers’ Charity
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https://www.chirp.co.uk
https://www.theseafarerscharity.org

🎙️ Sea Views | Yachting International Radio

Some lives are measured not only by what was achieved, but by what was passed on.

Recorded before his passing, this special episode of Yachting USA preserves the voice, humour and restless imagination of Buddy Haack, a yacht captain, shipyard and owner’s representative, author, mentor and lifelong student of the sea.

Alongside Yachting USA host Rick Thomas and Captain Doug Hoogs, his longtime friend and mentor, Buddy traces the unconventional path that carried him from surfing in Jacksonville to a remarkable career in yachting.

His stories travel from a formative year at sea aboard the schooner Unicorn to earning his captain’s licences, building and commanding high-speed yachts in Italy, bringing M/Y Adler to Havana in 1994 and welcoming Fidel Castro aboard. He reflects on his work with Lürssen, the value of integrity and long-term support, the importance of building yachts in America and the knowledge that must be passed to the next generation.

Even while speaking openly about paralysis, pain and the quality of life he hoped to regain, Buddy’s thoughts repeatedly return to the future: what might still be built, what could still be discovered and what young people entering the industry might one day achieve.

At the time of recording, Buddy was living with rapidly progressing glioblastoma, which affected aspects of his thinking and recollection. This context is shared not to define him by his illness, but to help listeners understand the circumstances in which this deeply personal record was made.

This tribute does not reduce Buddy to a polished memory. It preserves his candour, irreverent humour, extraordinary experiences and enduring sense of possibility because each was part of the man his family, friends and colleagues knew.

“The possibilities are unlimited.”

Featuring:

Buddy Haack
Rick Thomas, Host of Yachting USA
Captain Doug Hoogs, Buddy’s longtime friend, mentor and co-author

Yachting International Radio extends its sincere thanks to Buddy’s wife, Weronika, and his daughters for sharing family photographs and offering thoughtful guidance during the final stages of the production.

Content note: This episode contains candid references to substance use, serious illness, pain, paralysis and end-of-life care.

Read the accompanying editorial:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/post/the-possibilities-are-unlimited-buddy-haack-and-a-life-shaped-by-the-sea

Watch the full film:
https://youtu.be/k2HNFukeiIY

Yachting USA is a Yachting International Radio production.

With thanks to Engineered Yacht Solutions for supporting this special episode.