THE STORY BEHIND YIR
About YIR
Independent Media For The
Global Yachting Industry
Built Independently. Shaped by the Industry. Led by Rhea Rouw.
Rhea Rouw
Founder
Yachting International Radio was not built in a boardroom, backed by investors, or created from a marketing plan.
It was built by Rhea Rouw, one interview, one edit, one show and one connection at a time.
What began as an audio-first platform has grown into an independent global media network covering the people, companies, conversations and issues shaping the yachting, superyacht, boating and maritime industries. Today, YIR produces podcasts, video interviews, long-form editorial features and digital content across more than 20 dedicated shows.
Operating publicly under the Yachting Channel name across major podcast platforms, YIR reaches more than one million maritime professionals and enthusiasts each month through audio, video, editorial and social distribution.
The platform has grown because the industry is bigger, more complex and more human than most people outside it understand. YIR covers the full reality of yachting, from operations, refit, technology, ownership, sustainability and maritime law to crew welfare, leadership, mental health, diversity, education and the human stories behind life at sea.
Ranked among the world’s leading yachting podcasts by industry podcast directories including Feedspot and Millionaire Podcasts, YIR brings together captains, crew, shipyards, yacht designers, builders, brokers, legal experts, innovators, founders and maritime specialists for conversations that go beyond surface-level promotion.
YIR exists because the industry needs more than polished press releases and pretty pictures. It needs space for real voices, informed discussion, difficult subjects, practical insight and the people who are actually shaping what comes next.
Today, Yachting International Radio provides credible, industry-driven media for professionals, owners, companies, crew and audiences seeking a deeper understanding of the global yachting and maritime sector.
It is independent by design.
It is built from the inside of the industry.
And it is still growing.
Our Story
Yachting International Radio began on February 14, 2019, but the reason behind it started long before the first show was released.
After more than 28 years in radio and media, Rhea Rouw understood the power of conversation. She also saw that yachting was often spoken about from the outside, reduced to luxury imagery, glossy launches and polished promotion, while the people doing the work, solving the problems and carrying the industry forward were rarely given enough space.
YIR was created to change that.
From the beginning, the aim was to open the door wider. Captains, crew, builders, brokers, designers, legal experts, engineers, innovators, welfare advocates and industry specialists all had knowledge worth hearing. The platform became a place where those voices could speak with more depth, more context and more honesty than traditional promotional media often allowed.
What started as an audio-first idea grew because the industry itself kept revealing more layers. Each conversation led to another. Each show opened a different door. Over time, YIR expanded into video, editorial coverage, social media distribution and a wider network of dedicated shows, not because it followed a trend, but because the stories demanded more room.
The platform has always been independent, and that matters. Independence allowed YIR to cover the industry with curiosity, directness and credibility, without being shaped by a single association, event, advertiser or corporate agenda.
Today, the story of YIR is still being written. It remains founder-led, industry-driven and built around the belief that yachting deserves media with substance, not just spectacle.
Our Mission
Yachting International Radio exists to deepen understanding of the yachting and maritime industries through independent media, thoughtful conversation and informed storytelling.
The platform gives space to the issues that matter across the sector, including sustainability, crew wellbeing, mental health, leadership, diversity and equality, innovation, education, regulation and the changing responsibilities of a global industry.
YIR’s purpose is to bring experienced voices, new ideas and real-world perspectives into the same conversation. By doing so, the platform helps challenge outdated thinking, highlight practical solutions and support a more transparent, responsible and sustainable future for yachting and the wider maritime world.