Looking After Your Head On Board
Long seasons, no privacy and constant proximity. Practical habits that keep crew well through a charter summer.
The pressure is structural
Fourteen-hour days, shared cabins and no clear line between work and home. Feeling flat by August is not a personal failure.
What helps
- A fixed routine off watch, even 20 minutes
- Movement daily, however small
- Contact with someone outside the boat every week
- Sleep protected as seriously as any other duty
What does not help
Drinking to decompress, staying online in crew group chats all night, and comparing your season to filtered posts from other boats.
Signs to take seriously
Persistent sleeplessness, dread before guest trips, withdrawing from crew mess, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy on rotation.
Where to go
ISWAN runs a free, confidential 24-hour helpline for seafarers. Many management companies also offer employee assistance programmes; ask your captain what is available.
For captains
A crew member who says they are struggling has done the hard part. Respond with rota flexibility before you respond with advice.