The Silent Crisis in Yacht Crew Recruitment — And the Founder Challenging It

The yachting industry has never been larger, richer, or more globally connected — yet yacht crew recruitment remains one of its most outdated, inefficient, emotionally draining processes. Boats struggle to find qualified people, crew bounce between programs, and turnover quietly drains millions every year.

Few people see this problem more clearly than Emery Wallerich — deck stew, entrepreneur, and the creator behind TikTok’s viral handle @thatyachtiemery, whose honest, relatable content has become a voice for the modern yacht crew experience.

Her latest venture, Moor Yacht Crew, aims to change everything.

Who Is Emery Wallerich — and Why Her Perspective Matters

Emery didn’t enter yachting through family connections, generational wealth, or maritime tradition. She did what thousands of crew have done — packed a bag, took a chance, and stepped onboard without knowing how profoundly life at sea would reshape her.

Since then, she has:

• Worked on multiple yachts across different programs and regions

• Navigated shipyard periods, charter seasons, cabin-sharing, leadership styles

• Built an online community of yacht crew through storytelling and humor

• Created content that highlights the realities — not just the glamour — of yachting

  
  

Her audience grew not because she polished the industry, but because she humanized it.

That authenticity now fuels the foundation of her newest mission: fixing how crew get hired.

Why Emery Built Moor Yacht Crew

After years onboard — and countless conversations with captains, crew, brokers, and department heads — she noticed the same frustrations repeating:

• “There’s no good crew available.”

• “I accepted a job and immediately regretted it.”

• “Agencies don’t actually know us.”

• “The wrong personality can ruin the whole boat.”

• “Why are we still using Facebook groups?”

  
  

For an industry built on innovation, luxury, and world-class service, the hiring process felt surprisingly primitive.

So Emery asked a radical question:

What if recruitment wasn’t just about experience — but about compatibility, culture, values, expectations, and humanity?

Moor Yacht Crew was born from that idea.

The Human Cost of Getting Hiring Wrong

“In yachting, a bad hire doesn’t just cost money — it affects safety, mental health, guest experience, and every human onboard.”

Emery has lived this firsthand — watching talented crew walk away, not because they lacked skill, but because the environment was misaligned.

Consequences often include:

• Department tension and emotional burnout

• Preventable safety risks

• Faster turnover, just before or after a season

• Lower guest satisfaction

• A revolving-door culture that becomes normalized

  
  

Behind every resignation letter is a story — and often a warning.

Why Yacht Crew Recruitment Is Failing

For decades, hiring depended on:

• WhatsApp groups

• Facebook posts

• Word-of-mouth referrals

• Unverified CVs

• Rushed placements

  
  

Meanwhile, the job has evolved:

• Bigger boats

• More demanding itineraries

• Higher guest expectations

• Multinational teams

• Younger crew with different priorities

• Greater emphasis on wellbeing and boundaries

  
  

Yachting changed — hiring didn’t.

The Compatibility Gap No One Talks About

Experience matters — but not nearly as much as chemistry.

Crew don’t just work together. They:

• Live together

• Eat together

• Travel together

• Resolve conflict together

• Experience emergencies together

  
  

“People don’t leave yachts — they leave cultures.”

And culture should never be left to chance.

Gen Z Is Rewriting the Rules of Life at Sea

Many of the newest, most driven crew entering yachting want:

• Transparency before accepting a job

• Psychological safety

• Financial education

• Fair treatment

• Time to rest

• Ethical leadership

• Space to grow

  
  

They’re not being difficult — they’re raising the standard.

And Emery believes the industry will benefit from listening to them.

Why Moor Yacht Crew Is Different

Instead of simply filling positions, Moor focuses on:

• User-friendly job access

• Profiles that reflect personality, interests, values

• A modern, mobile-ready platform

• Visibility for both crew and programs

• Matching based on compatibility, not just availability

  
  

It’s not a replacement for agencies — it’s a modernization of the job search itself.

A recognition that the future of recruitment is digital, data-informed, transparent, and human.

Retention Will Become the New Luxury

Owners, captains, and management companies are starting to ask:

• “How do we keep our best people?”

• “What support do they actually need?”

• “What can we fix onboard before we hire again?”

  
  

Turnover isn’t a badge of honor — it’s a warning sign.

The smartest yachts will begin treating crew not as replaceable labor, but as their most valuable asset.

A Future Built on People, Not Protocols

“Hiring in yachting isn’t about filling a role — it’s about protecting a floating community.”

And that community deserves:

• Better tools

• Better leadership

• Better communication

• Better pathways

• Better respect

  
  

Whether Moor becomes the dominant hiring platform or simply sparks a wider evolution, Emery’s message is clear:

Yachting can — and should — do better.

The Industry Is Ready for Change

Recruitment doesn’t have to feel desperate, rushed, or random.Crew shouldn’t have to gamble with their livelihood.Programs shouldn’t rely on luck to build healthy teams.

With innovation, empathy, and better systems, hiring in yachting can become:

• Smarter

• Safer

• More sustainable

• More equitable

• More enjoyable

  
  

And yes — more human.

Because the future of the industry has never been the steel, the engines, or the décor.

It has always been the people inside it.