Superyacht captain: Behind the scenes with billionaires – ‘very raw environment’

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Brendan O’Shannassy has captained many superyachts for billionaire customers. He recently published a book about his experiences, Superyacht Captain: Life and Leadership in the World’s Most Incredible Industry.

Some of Brendan’s trips are very long and he can end up spending a lot of time with some of the world’s richest people.

He said: “I am always staff, I’m always friendly but I’m not an in-circle friend.

“A long time ago, I remember virtually rehearsing a product launch with a tech CEO. Now I think if I’d only bought shares in that company, I’d be in much better shape financially!

“I look back on that moment and think wow I knew all about that huge project before most of the world.”

Brendan adds: “I’m sure hairdressers say the same. You hear really personal and intimate details from someone sometimes.”

Gaining close access to billionaires comes with a huge responsibility and Brendan and his colleagues always sign NDAs before a trip.

However, Brendan said non disclosure agreements aren’t the main reason he would never share any of his employers’ secrets.

He said: “The reason is your pride in having the privilege of seeing some of the most influential people in the world in a very raw environment.

“That’s an amazing privilege that you would never want to sell the photos or dirty that privilege.”

Brendan has captained superyachts for many years and has noticed a few changes in that time.

He said: “The crew have definitely become more professional, both on the maritime and hotel side.

“Much more professional. I’m not saying that when I started, the crew weren’t professional but it wasn’t as regulated and structured.”

He adds: “There are also many more specialisations. Instead of just having a crew, there will be a physical trainer, a massage therapist, a nail technician, a yoga instructor, even a jet ski instructor. There’s also often a photographer or a videographer.”

When it comes to the yachts themselves, Brendan said: “I think yachts will retreat into a more reasonable size, to around 70 or 80 metres.

“Of course, that’s still enormous.”

Travelling to incredible destinations is one of the perks of captaining superyachts for the world’s richest people.

Brendan said: “I love the Pacific, it’s a really bloody big ocean and it takes a long time to get across it.

“Micronesia (in the Pacific Ocean) iis a favourite of mine, it has all the natural beauty without the overdevelopment.

“I also love the islands in the Mediterranean, you can have a little nook with a beach shack and it’s totally private.”

Brendan’s book, Superyacht Captain, Life and Leadership in the World’s Most Incredible Industry, is out now on Amazon and Hive and is published by Adlard Coles.

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