As the New Year approaches, many of us are planning events for our friends or family. Chances are that if you own a yacht, your vessel will be the preferred party space for your guests. After all, what’s classier or more luxurious than ringing in the New Year with a couple (or many) bottles of champagne while listening to the waves? However, many of your guests probably don’t know the ropes, so taking a few precautionary steps can make your evening a lot safer and easier.
First, getting on to your yacht should be as easy and safe as possible. Consider setting up a passarelle or other gangway so that your guests don’t need to clamber aboard. Also, this is just good practice if you have people or animals coming and going. It just makes life easier.
Second, throw up a piece of paper in the heads that says, in large print, how to operate the marine head. I know the first time I tried to use one I was mystified, and that was without a couple glasses of champagne in me. Letting people know how to use them correctly is absolutely worth the five minutes it will take to do.
Finally, you should make sure that people know which parts of the boat are off limits. No one should be messing around in the engine room at 2 AM. The electrical panel should remain untouched, as should the instruments on the helm and/or flybridge. Mistakes onboard can be expensive and dangerous, so letting people know not to go around opening tiny doors and flipping switches is worth the effort.
With all the boring safety stuff out of the way, you and your guests can enjoy an incredible New Year’s together on the water. From all of here at Infinity Yachts, we hope your 2019 is filled with prosperity, happiness, and many days out on the water. Happy New Year!
