The challenge.
Our client, an experienced sailing yacht Captain, was acutely aware that he had been onboard this yacht for a long time and was eager for a fresh perspective on the operation.
He asked us to join them for a multi-day passage to conduct a thorough review of their approach to safety management, navigation practices and emergency response capabilities. He also asked us to conduct training with the crew wherever we found opportunities for improvement.
The solution.
The best way to break down the barriers imposed by the Crew vs Auditor relationship and get a real feel for how a vessel operates is to literally remove those barriers. That’s why we prefer to join for multi-day voyages, hold proper watches with the crew and get our hands dirty in the day to day operations of the vessel.
Doing so enables our team to look behind the curtain and encourages the crew to let their guard down and see our presence as a welcome source of support and guidance, rather than criticism. The crew also carried out several drills during our time onboard, which allowed us to assess the vessel’s emergency preparedness and to conduct additional training in key areas.
During the voyage, we identified several opportunities for improvement and discussed these with the Captain. Some of them were quick-fixes and could be rectified quickly either with a change to the operations or some additional training. Broader issues were raised in our comprehensive report, which the Captain then used in discussions with the management company to make procedural changes and to evidence the need for additional investment in crew training and equipment.
In their own words.
Having Dragonfly onboard for a few days while underway was a great learning experience for us. They slotted into the crew and gave us tonnes of useful tips to improve our operations on the Bridge and elsewhere. We also really appreciated their focus on teaching, especially with the junior crew.