How To Work From Your Yacht

How To Work From Your Yacht

By HMY Contributor   May 27, 2021

The past 15 months have seen a massive disruption to work – how it’s done and where it’s done. Zoom calls and home offices suddenly were the norm. People scrambled to update or create their home offices.

For yacht owners, this new Work From Home (WFH) presented a wonderful, unique opportunity — WFY (Work From Yacht). Even now, as employees return to the office in some hybrid capacity, remote work will remain to some degree.

But why be stuck at home or confined to an office building when you can mix it up, get some fresh air and sunlight, and get reinvigorated by working onboard your beautiful luxury yacht, with all the same amenities as your regular or home office but with even better views. This type of change of scenery is great for mental health, productivity, creativity, privacy, and motivation levels.

Motor yachts and larger sportfish yachts are already fitted with all the amenities and comforts of home. With a bit of planning and a few thoughtful touches, they can easily be outfitted as a perfectly viable workspace option.

Here are several things to consider as you build your onboard office to suit your business needs.

Get a High-Speed Wi-Fi/Satcom System

Perhaps the biggest agenda item to tackle as you build out your floating office is ensuring you have a fast, reliable, and secure Wi-Fi network. If you intend to do more than just send emails, make voice calls, or browse the web, you’ll likely need greater bandwidth than a marina’s Wi-Fi hotspot can provide (although that can be a perfectly good solution for some).

When considering which Satcom system to purchase, it’s highly recommended to get the biggest antenna that will fit your yacht along with a plan that provides adequate data for your needs.

Depending on your work needs, travel intentions, and budget, you may opt for an open system (buying equipment from one vendor and airtime service from a third-party provider) or an end-to-end single source system with equipment and airtime from the same company.

While a high-speed satellite system is the most expensive option, it’ll be the best for your work needs, can easily cover your entire yacht, and is also the best option for a prolonged time at sea.

Create Dedicated Workspaces

Just like working from home, you’ll want to think through your available onboard workspaces. Fortunately, there are plenty of them!

  • Turn a spare stateroom into a dedicated office.
  • Transform part of the salon into your office space.
  • Use the flybridge as a makeshift office and meeting room.
  • Use the beach club or mezzanine cockpit seating as an outdoor break area, or to take a call or work on a proposal.
  • Take a quick power nap on the bow sun pad.
  • Use the dining room as a conference room.
  • Host team gatherings in the spacious salon.
  • Host an alfresco partner meeting on the helm deck of an open convertible.

Create "Office Hours"

Just like with working at home, it’s important to try and maintain work/life balance. Try and keep regular working hours, whenever those may be for you, and don’t forget to take breaks.

Long meeting? Grab your paddleboard and do a quick afternoon session. Throw on the snorkel gear and let your worries float away while nature’s beauty rejuvenates you.

We highly recommend including a sunset cruise or simply sitting on the flybridge watching the sunset as a perfect way to wind down after a long day of work.

Interior Makeover

If you intend to make working from your yacht a regular thing, it might be worth the investment to hire an interior designer to give your space a refresh for this new mobile lifestyle (while remaining sea-ready).

Need new furniture or new colors? Want more glass and fewer walls to let in more natural light? Need to bring more ergonomics into the equation? Let a pro help you set up the perfect waterfront office.

Security

Cybersecurity is also crucial while onboard, and not just for your internet. Engines, charting and navigation systems, various Bluetooth-controlled systems — there are more electronic entryways for hackers than ever before. Protecting your systems with proper cybersecurity measures is essential.

A VPN (virtual private network) is one option that offers high levels of wireless encryption. Talk to your Satcom provider about this and any other measures you should take when setting up your system.

The payoff to creating a proper yacht office will be immense – more time on your gorgeous boat, more time on and around the water, more privacy, and less time in a stuffy office building. As you build out your current yacht or look to purchase a new one, keep in mind how you’d want to work onboard. Give us a call today and let’s make it happen!


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