Crewed vs. ‘Crude’ YACHT Charter
has Bravo’s hit show ‘Below deck’ put the reality of reality tv on trial? readers respond to april’s ‘From the Masthead’ column.
Kenny: Nice piece of writing. So very thankful I don’t watch TV, but you spiked my curiosity to Hulu the highlights. Thoughts: Dramamine. Watch with a sick-sac. More fun than an oil spill.
—Capt. Rick Hamborg, master 200 tons This show can do nothing but lower clients’ expectations—unless they’re simply aspiring to hit on the crew. I feel fortunate in that I was able to help convince our commissioners to run an MTV reality show out of my neighborhood in Middletown, Rhode Island, before they could import their gang-banger cast. This low-rent show will be around forever in reruns and, over time, it will defne what yachts and crews are all about to 99.9 percent of viewers. Hopefully, there is not a direct correlation of viewership to actual yacht charter clients. It’s a shame because our industry has so many well-trained, disciplined and professional crewmembers. Sadly, unless someone wants to step up and produce a more highbrow show that is based on true reality, this may become the industry’s legacy.
—Paul Madden
I’ve watched the show a few times and decided that I would not charter with that crew. The producers have presented the most unattractive aspects of chartering. The show turned out to be anti-charter. I don’t watch it any longer.
—Ronald B.
Having worked in television, it’s all about ratings and advertising. I’ll also add that, yes, it’s nice to be in the yacht charter biz right about now and, yes, there are more luxury lifestyle shows in the works. Stay tuned.
—Dhardra Blake
There may be drama, but in all my years as a yacht professional, I can tell you it’s nothing like the show suggests. The crews of these amazing yachts must fnd the show to be quite a low blow to their profession.
—Cheryl Fleming
I’ll forever be indebted to crewmember Adrienne Gang from the show. Amid the show’s craziness, I saw a professional doing a job that fnally got me excited. So I left the corporate world, packed my bags and became a yachtie. If not for the show, I never would have found the yachting industry. I still watch it, though, because it’s entertainment. Nobody wants to see the “reality” of my crew sitting around in the galley drinking tea and eating sandwiches!
—Margaret Banks