What you are experiencing is not an overreaction, and you do not have to put up with it. Sexist and sexually hostile onboard cultures are a documented problem in yachting and crew who speak up about them have more options than most Captains want them to know. ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp 2024 Annual Review recorded a 21.4% year-on-year rise in contacts relating to abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence — 80% of which came from women. This guide tells you what is actually happening, what your rights are and what to do next.
In This Guide You’ll Learn
- Why crew mess sexism crosses the legal threshold into sexual harassment
- What your Captain’s dismissal of your complaint actually means — legally
- How to document and escalate formally if internal reporting fails
- How to protect your wellbeing and your CV while you decide what to do
- Where to find confidential external support regardless of your vessel’s flag
Is a Sexist Onboard Culture Actually Sexual Harassment?
Yes and the law is clearer about this than most crew realise. Sexual harassment in a workplace context includes any repeated unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile, offensive or intimidating environment. It does not require physical contact. Many crew still dismiss crude jokes, comments about women’s bodies, and explicit sexual conversations as “just banter.” In reality, these behaviours can meet the threshold for sexual harassment under many workplace laws when they create a hostile or degrading environment. Maritime regulation is moving in the same direction, with the MLC and subsequent amendments increasingly requiring shipowners to prevent and respond to harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual assault onboard.
The fact that your Captain told you to stop being ‘so sensitive’ is significant. It means he was made aware of the behaviour, acknowledged it and chose to dismiss a reasonable complaint rather than address it. Under UK law, employers now have a positive legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, as set out in the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023. A Captain who actively dismisses a complaint is not just failing that duty — he is compounding the original problem.
Why Does This Keep Happening in Yachting?
The structural conditions aboard superyachts create an environment where harassment is more likely to occur and less likely to be reported. Crew live and work together in a confined space with no easy exit. Hierarchy is steep and the person who sets the culture — the Captain — is also the person you are most likely to need to report to. Management company oversight is often minimal. And the industry’s ‘work hard, play hard’ culture has historically treated a tolerance of crude behaviour as evidence of toughness rather than a warning sign of a poorly led vessel.
None of that makes it acceptable. What it means is that changing the culture on a vessel where the captain is part of the problem is very difficult — and that understanding your external options matters enormously.
Related: Why Are You Afraid to Speak Up Onboard — and What Happens When Nobody Does?
What Are Your Options When Internal Reporting Has Failed?
When the Captain dismisses a complaint, you have not run out of options. You have exhausted the internal ones and now have legitimate grounds to go further.
Document everything in writing
Write down every incident you can recall — date, time, what was said, who was present. Email the record to yourself so it has a timestamp. If anything happens from this point forward, document it immediately. This record is the foundation for any formal complaint and it also protects you if there is any attempt to manage you out of your role in response to your earlier complaint.
Contact ISWAN YachtCrewHelp
ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp helpline is free, confidential, multilingual and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via WhatsApp, live chat, phone and email. They can advise you on the specific reporting options available, given your vessel’s flag state, your employment contract and your circumstances. You do not have to be ready to take formal action to contact them — many crew use the helpline simply to understand what they are dealing with and what their choices are. Contact details and live chat are at yachtcrewhelp.org.
Contact your vessel’s management company or DPA
On MLC-compliant vessels, the contact details for the management company and the Designated Person Ashore (DPA) must be posted in a visible location onboard. The DPA exists specifically to receive concerns from crew that cannot be resolved internally. A formal written complaint to the management company creates a record the management company is obliged to respond to.
Contact the flag state maritime authority
Every registered vessel is subject to the maritime authority of its flag state, which is legally required to investigate serious complaints about crew welfare and working conditions. If you do not know your vessel’s flag state or how to contact the relevant authority, ISWAN can help you navigate this.
Consider whether to stay or leave
The instinct to stay is strong — particularly if you are early in your career and this vessel represents important CV time. That is a legitimate consideration. If the environment is getting worse rather than better, if the behaviour is escalating in response to your complaints, or if it is causing you real distress, the calculation changes. A season on a boat that is eroding your sense of professional worth is not a neutral career investment. There are other vessels. The skills and sea time you have built do not disappear when you leave.
How to Choose Your Next Vessel More Carefully
The most useful thing this experience can teach you is what to look for — and what to look out for — when you are evaluating your next opportunity. Pay attention to how a Captain talks to and about his Chief Stewardess in your interview. The level of respect in that specific relationship tells you a great deal about the culture he has built. Note whether there are women in deck and engineering roles — that is generally a reliable signal about the kind of leadership operating on that vessel. Ask about crew tenure and turnover; high turnover is a warning sign worth investigating. Also, if you can speak with any of the current crew before you accept a role, do so.
The right vessel, and there are many of them, will not require you to manage your emotional reactions to a crew mess that is designed to make you uncomfortable. It will simply expect you to do your job well. That is the standard you deserve.
Related: What Is Sexual Harassment in Yachting — and What Do You Do When It Happens to You?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sexist banter in the crew mess considered sexual harassment?
Yes, in most legal frameworks it is. Sexual harassment does not require physical contact. Repeated unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature — including crude jokes, comments about women’s bodies and explicit discussion of sexual activity in shared spaces — creates a hostile work environment, which meets the legal definition under most national employment laws and under MLC 2006. The fact that it is labelled ‘banter’ by those doing it does not alter its legal character.
What should I do if my Captain dismisses my sexual harassment complaint?
Document the original complaint and the Captain’s response in writing and email it to yourself with a timestamp. Then escalate outside the vessel. Contact ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp (yachtcrewhelp.org) for confidential advice on your specific options. On MLC-compliant vessels, you can also make a formal written complaint to the management company or the Designated Person Ashore. A captain who actively dismisses a harassment complaint has made himself part of the problem and you are fully within your rights to go over his head.
Can I report sexual harassment on a superyacht even if we are at sea?
Yes. ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp helpline is accessible from any vessel with an internet connection, 24 hours a day, via WhatsApp, live chat, phone and email, at no cost. You do not need to wait until you are in port. If your situation involves a risk to your personal safety, that is a matter for the captain to address immediately and if he will not, ISWAN can advise you on emergency options.
Will reporting sexual harassment on a yacht affect my career?
Fear of industry blacklisting is one of the most common reasons crew do not report. That fear is understandable and it is worth being realistic about — the industry is small and information travels. What is also true is that confidential reporting channels like ISWAN exist specifically to allow crew to seek advice and, if they choose, take action without public exposure. There is no obligation to make any report public. Documenting your experience thoroughly, taking advice from ISWAN and making a formal complaint to the management company are all steps you can take before deciding whether to escalate further.
What is ISWAN YachtCrewHelp and how does it help crew experiencing harassment?
ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network) operates YachtCrewHelp as a free, confidential, multilingual helpline for yacht crew of any nationality and gender identity. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via WhatsApp, live chat, phone and email. Crew can contact the helpline to understand their rights, explore reporting options, receive emotional support and access referrals to legal or specialist services. You do not need to have already decided to take formal action to contact them. All contact details and live chat are at yachtcrewhelp.org.
You Deserve to Work in a Professional Environment
If what you are experiencing is affecting your well-being, your confidence, or your relationship with this industry, please do not carry it alone. The Crew Coach counselling service provides confidential one-to-one support from a qualified counsellor who has worked at sea and understands the specific pressures of the yachting environment — including what it takes to navigate harassment, poor leadership and the decision of whether to stay or leave.
Where to Get Help Right Now
- ISWAN YachtCrewHelp — free, confidential, multilingual, 24/7. WhatsApp, live chat, phone and email. yachtcrewhelp.org
- Safer Waves — email-based support for seafarers who have experienced sexual violence, harassment or gender discrimination. saferwaves.org
- PYA (Professional Yachting Association) — welfare support and guidance for PYA members on reporting harassment and accessing legal advice.pya.org
- Nautilus International — seafarers’ union offering advice, representation and support on employment rights and harassment at sea. nautilusint.org
