Captain Shaun Frith

Shaun Frith has a very impressive career at sea and is now facing a challenge a lot of Officers and Captains share at his stage – balancing life with a family! We want to offer our congratulations to Shaun and also delved into what life looked like before all of the responsibilities and how he hopes to continue life at sea.

Shaun, you’ve been in the industry since 2009, that’s quite a stint! Tell us about your journey so far.

Tell me about it, it’s flown by!
I started the Industry in Fort Lauderdale. I had studied IT and had been working as a programmer and had a travel bug that was eating away at me. My twin brother got wind of my investigations into it all and jumped on board with my plans to do the basic courses and head to the USA. He is now a chief Engineer with us both having started at the bottom and worked our way up. We even had a chance to work together on MY Laurel and MY Gladiator.

I did initially think it may just be a gap year and even had doubts about doing my OOW because the first few years were so much fun and a lot more carefree. That being said, I put my big boy pants on and completed my OOW in 2015 and my Chiefmate ticket shortly thereafter. From there my head was down with a goal in mind and achieved my Master 3000 in 2019.

You’ve been on both charter and private yachts, which do you prefer and why?

This is a tough answer, they both have their perks. The money on busy charter boats is great but the burnout is real and have I known people to be chased away from the industry because of that. You also don’t necessarily form a bond with your employer as you may only see them once a year and you kind of become just a number.

Private boats have their perks with attractive bonus schemes and forming of relationships with the owners but also can tend to sit still in places for a lot longer and not as much on the go as a charter boat. Each would suit different people in their different life situations. Right now charter is great with rotation and the tips help with the drop in salary.

You’re coming up to almost 2 years as Captain, what has been your most challenging moment?

It’s not so much a moment but a general area that always has to be managed. This is sometimes having to say no to people who are used to having everything they want right there and then. This comes into play when you see some guests get out of control at the risk of damaging the vessel they are chartering, and you have to draw the line for the owner you represent.

What do you think is currently missing in the yachting industry?

I would like to see more representation for crew. There are of course the social media communities and offerings of the PYA, Nautilus and even the Crew Coach. I think it would be great if there were one single hub specialised in yachting that incorporated all of the above. I want to say a union but it’s more than that with the offerings of managing crew mental health and legal disputes. Maybe there is but I have yet to come across such a hub/institution.

How do you manage balancing life at sea and home life?

Also, not an easy one to do but rotation helps and FREE mobile with their great sim card offering while on board for facetime. And even then, when at home it’s good to have a hobby whether you have a family or not. I think one just gets so used to being so busy that it can be a struggle to get home and sit still. As with everything in life, it’s finding balance and being mentally present in the place you are.

If you could attend any yachting event this year, which would it be and why?

I’d love to attend the superyacht awards ceremony. Always some big players there and a good networking platform with the top performers in the industry.

If you could give yourself advice as a deckhand all those years ago what would it be?

People are always watching, and this industry is smaller than one thinks. Always compose yourself in a way that would be respectful to others that you could end up working with one day. If not, just don’t advertise yourself as working on a boat and rather say you are on holiday.

What’s next for you in your career?

At this stage, I have a newborn baby and trying to figure that life balance out with this career while making sure all my crew and guests are still taken care of. Over and above that, hopefully, a bigger Dutch-built boat with my current owner.

We wish all the best for Shaun and his family and we can’t wait to hear all about his future adventures!