For
Crew and captains
Spending an owner's money, and what to do when you are offered something.
Read
4 min read
An open letter to everyone who spends other people's money in yachting
We work at the top of the service world. It is time the way we handle our clients' money matched the standing we claim.
4 min read
Commission or kickback? The line, and how to tell which side you are on
The same money can be perfectly lawful or a crime. The difference is almost never the amount, and almost never whether the price went up.
2 min read
Hidden margins cost everyone, including the people who earn them
If owners and guests feel they are paying 'yacht prices', they spend less. That is how the whole industry ends up biting itself in the foot.
2 min read
'Everyone does it' and eight other excuses, answered
The things people tell themselves, and why none of them change the test.
3 min read
How to raise a concern safely: a practical guide
What to write down, what to keep, what not to do, and who can help. You do not need to know the law to start.
5 min read
Gifts and hospitality: where the line is, and how to tell
A practical guide for crew, captains, heads of department and suppliers. Five tests, a green, amber and red list, and the situations that catch people out.
3 min read
If someone asks you for a bribe, or offers you one: what to do
Asking for a bribe, or offering one, is an offence in most countries even if nothing is paid and nothing happens. Here is what to do, step by step, and why you should report it.
3 min read
Why you must report it: the only thing that stops this
Hidden commissions survive because everyone has a reason to stay quiet. Reporting is how it ends.
2 min read
How the APA works, and where hidden commissions come in
A short explainer for anyone outside the charter trade, and a map of the points where money can quietly change direction.
4 min read
Beyond wine: fuel, yards, tenders and new builds
The same line applies wherever a percentage can attach to money spent for someone else. Where to look, and the questions to ask.
5 min read
What the MYBA charter agreement says about the APA, and what MYBA's own rules say about commissions
The words themselves, quoted from published MYBA documents, with the version and source for each. No interpretation beyond what the text says.
2 min read
What crew and captains should do when spending an owner's money
Seven habits that protect the client, your career and your conscience, and what to do when someone offers you something.
Use
7 min read
Short-form anti-corruption and bribery policy (for incorporation into contracts)
A short, numbered policy dated 11 July 2018, written for the yachting sector and designed to be attached to a contract or adopted as it stands. It focuses on the UK Bribery Act 2010.
5 min read
Crew induction programme: gifts, commissions and kickbacks (facilitator pack)
A 60-minute session for captains, management companies and heads of department to run for every new joiner, with scripts, scenarios, a quiz and a sign-off sheet.
3 min read
Head-of-department cheat sheets: who offers what, and what to do
One page each for captain, purser, chef, chief stewardess, chief engineer and bosun: the offers they are most likely to meet, and the answer.
4 min read
Supplier declaration: no hidden payments (three-part form)
A declaration a supplier signs for its customers, a declaration it asks of its own suppliers, and one for agents and introducers.
2 min read
Gifts, hospitality and commission-requests register
One register that protects the person who keeps it. Log every offer and every request, given, received, accepted or declined.
5 min read
Anti-bribery training pack: 60-minute session, scenarios and quiz
Everything you need to train a sales, purchasing or management team: an agenda, ten yachting scenarios with answers, a twelve-question quiz and an attendance sheet.
2 min read
Annual compliance certificate (staff and company)
A short statement that each person signs once a year, and the company signs for itself. It turns a policy into a personal commitment.
Not sure what to do?
Ask us privately. We will reply, advise as far as we can, and with your permission introduce a legal team.
Ask or report privately