8 Rules to Set for the Passengers on Your Yacht

As captain of a boat, you have a responsibility to make sure all your passengers have a safe and fun time aboard your vessel. There are many things you can do to make this happen, but it's also important for you to guide the behaviour of your passengers with the help of firm, proactively communicated rules.

What are the most important rules to set for your passengers? And how do you approach this kind of conversation?

Important Rules to Set for the Passengers on Your Yacht

If you’re boating by yourself, you'll be exclusively responsible for your own health, safety, and enjoyment. But if you have even one additional passenger, it's important to prepare them with these essential rules:

1. Follow the advice and direction of the captain. This is arguably the most important rule to follow, as it may have to take precedence over all the other rules. You are the captain of this boat, which makes you the highest authority on the vessel. In case of an emergency, your passengers all need to respect your experience and knowledge. If you tell your passengers to stop doing something, they need to stop doing it. If you tell them to take a certain action, they need to take it. In other words, what you say goes. It's important to be a reasonable captain, or else people won't ever want to be on your yacht again, so wield this power responsibly.
2. Always wear a lifejacket. Lifejackets are designed to equip each passenger on your yacht with a potentially lifesaving flotation device. These jackets come in many shapes and sizes, and in different varieties, but as long as they're appropriately certified and fitted properly, they'll provide an added layer of protection to every guest on your vessel who wears one. It's important to prioritise the health and safety of your passengers, so the best rule is to require a lifejacket to be worn by all passengers at all times.
3. Properly dispose of your trash. Make sure all your passengers understand the importance of properly disposing of trash. On the back of a yacht, your guests may consume packaged foods, drink cans of soda, and produce other types of waste. Some of your passengers may be tempted to throw this trash in the water; others may be tempted to leave their trash strewn about the deck. All these passengers are responsible for managing their own waste and disposing of it properly.
4. Contain your loose items. Similarly, it's important to encourage your guests to contain any loose items they have. A misplaced hat, a haphazardly discarded lunch cooler, and other random objects could create tripping hazards or cause other problems on the back of your vessel. This is especially important if you have limited space to work with and many guests to manage.
5. Appropriately manage seasickness. Roughly one in three people are prone to motion sickness, making it a remarkably common phenomenon. If you have passengers on your yacht who aren't used to boating, seasickness might be even more likely. Each person is responsible for managing their own seasickness. Whenever a person begins to feel nauseated, they should inform the captain immediately; it's a good idea to have some nausea medication on hand so you can help these passengers feel better. Otherwise, people experiencing seasickness should be cautious and prudent to avoid damaging the boat or interfering with the experiences of other passengers.
6. Remain seated when the boat is in motion. Even if you're not traveling at high speeds, it's safest to remain seated whenever the boat is in motion. Additionally, you should keep your passengers away from the bow of the ship, especially if they're inexperienced. Every passenger on your boat should have a designated seat so everyone can sit comfortably when necessary.
7. No horseplay or questionable playing. Your yacht is capable of providing a fun experience to everyone onboard, but it's important to have fun responsibly. Don't allow the passengers on your boat to push other people overboard or engage in horseplay or other forms of play that could be dangerous. This is especially important for children to understand; don't allow them to play with the controls of the boat unsupervised, and make sure they understand the risks associated with the water.
8. Acknowledge swimmers. Swimming off the back of a boat can be a fun, refreshing recreational activity, but it can also be dangerous. Ensure that anyone intending to swim announces their plans and make sure there are people around to supervise and intervene if rescue is necessary. Also, never allow swimmers in the water when the boat is in motion.

Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips to ensure your rules are properly understood and followed.

• Use direct but polite language. When communicating with your passengers, be direct and unambiguous in your wording, but remain polite. This will make sure your intended meanings are understood without making people feel attacked or condescended to.
• Be available to answer questions. Some of your passengers may have questions about the “why” behind your rules. Make yourself available to clear up any passenger confusion and illuminate some of these topics. Quite often if people understand the “why”, they’re more likely to remember.
• Enforce the rules consistently. When operating your boat, enforce these rules consistently. If one passenger breaks one or more rules without facing any acknowledgement or consequences, other passengers are likely to follow suit.
• Provide extra education on safety and emergency response. Finally, consider providing additional education and training to your passengers on how to stay safe – and how to respond in an emergency. The more responsible, informed people you have on board, the better.

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