Leadership and Innovation in Yachting: Garry Kyle’s Vision for Crew Culture

From Texas lakes to bluewater passages and a full-crew 82’ Princess, Garry Kyle — CEO of MeridianGo — has learned yachting the hard and honest way. His path from yacht owner to tech entrepreneur reflects a simple thesis: if you invest in people, the experience follows. In an industry that often prides itself on hardware, Kyle argues the true differentiator is leadership and innovation in yachting—deployed to build culture, reduce turnover, and create those rare, perfect moments at sea.

“The ocean slows your blood pressure. The world stops. For me, that’s home—and the people make this industry what it is.”

From Owner to Operator: The Inflection Point

Kyle’s early years were hands-on to a fault—single-handing a smaller boat while guests relaxed. The lesson came quickly.

“Everybody came on the boat for vacation except me—I was doing everything. I needed something bigger with crew, and that changed everything.”

That step up didn’t just improve his family’s time on the water; it opened a window into how crews are hired, retained, and led—and how much inefficiency sits between good captains and the right people.

Leadership and Innovation in Yachting: What Actually Moves the Needle

For Kyle, technology can accelerate search and selection, but it isn’t the story—culture is. Speed helps. Fit sustains.

“Hire fast, fire faster. Train them up—or train them out. You’ll know in days if someone is a fit.”

He pushes for clear standards and measured performance, but with the human pieces in place: respect for the program, patience in the first weeks, and an owner-centric mindset that never loses sight of guest experience.

“When you don’t have turnover, you have the same faces on board. The owner has a better experience. That’s the magic.”

Pay, Pride, and Professionalism

Kyle is blunt about compensation and standards. If you want better outcomes, fund them.

“We should pay crew more—bump it 20%. You’ll attract better people with deeper hospitality experience, and owners will feel the difference.”

He frames crew as professionals—more like athletes on contract than temporary hires—who deserve development time, structured feedback, and the pride that comes with mastery.

Training That Sticks

The gap Kyle sees most clearly isn’t certification; it’s on-board training and cadence. Short, scheduled blocks for practice and coursework off-charter. Clear pathways from “green” to confident practitioner across deck and interior. And leadership that shields crew from constant context-switching so learning compounds.

“Give them time on payroll to keep learning. Two hours off-charter, consistently—the change in standards is obvious by season’s end.”

AI, Data, and the Next 12 Months

Kyle treats AI as an immediate, not theoretical, force. Matching signals across CVs, references, and track records; summarizing interviews; spotting fit and risk early. Yet the heart of it remains measurement and clarity.

“If it can’t be measured, it can’t be managed.”

Data on time-to-hire, tenure, guest feedback, and maintenance throughput informs better staffing and steadier programs. AI will speed parts of the process—but great managers still make the call.

Owner ROI, Defined Properly

Owners don’t return for a spreadsheet; they return for consistency—the mate who eases the tender just right, the chef who remembers a preference, the deckhand who knows the spearfishing spot by feel. That only happens when crews stay.

“That glass-of-wine moment after a perfect day—that’s what keeps people coming back. Crew stability is what makes it possible.”

Kyle’s argument is deceptively simple: pay fairly, train deliberately, measure what matters, and protect culture. Do that, and the yacht feels the same every time the owner steps aboard.