A Yacht Is a Small Facility That Floats

Before I went to sea full time, I spent more than 15 years leading facilities construction and maintenance operations: HVAC, plumbing, mechanical systems, and medical gas work for hospitals and clinics. I owned a federal contracting business, which meant budgets, crews, vendors, schedules, and the records that kind of work requires.

It turns out a yacht is a small facility that floats. The same thinking applies. Understand how systems connect. Keep up with preventive maintenance. Document the work. Find the root cause instead of chasing symptoms.

On board, that background shows up in the engine room and in the paperwork. Generators, watermakers, air conditioning, refrigeration, batteries and inverters, and the ordinary electrical and plumbing faults that appear underway or at the dock. It also shows up in yard periods, vendor control, and owner reporting — the same habits I used when I was running projects and managing subcontractors.

That experience makes me a better captain and crew member. I’d bring the same care to a private yacht program or to a facilities role ashore.