Seafarer abandonment does not always mean a crew has been physically deserted on a dead ship. Sometimes the vessel is still operating, the crew is still working and cargo is still moving, but wages have stopped, contracts have expired, repatriation is being delayed and basic provisions are beginning to disappear.

Julia Gosling and Adam Parnell are joined by Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF FOC Network Coordinator for the Arab World and Iran at the International Transport Workers’ Federation, for a powerful examination of what abandonment really looks like and why it continues despite protections already contained within the Maritime Labour Convention.

Mohamed works directly with seafarers facing unpaid wages, failed repatriation, unsafe living conditions and abandonment. He explains when a situation legally becomes abandonment, why crews should not wait until conditions become desperate before asking for help, and how failures in enforcement can allow abuse to continue.

The conversation also looks beyond the vessel itself. When a seafarer goes months without wages, the consequences can reach an entire family ashore, particularly when that seafarer is the household’s main source of income.

At its heart, this is a conversation about enforcement, accountability and the human cost of allowing abandonment to become normalised.

Resources referenced in this episode:
Seafarer Abandonment Series: Smart Seafaring. A Safe Return
https://youtu.be/fbg_frnyDy0

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2026
https://www.itfseafarers.org/sites/default/files/node/resources/files/ITF-SB26_Layout_RGB-web-1.pdf

ITF Seafarers
https://www.itfseafarers.org

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News at Yachting International Radio.
Prefer to watch? Find Sea Views on the Yachting International Radio YouTube channel.

────────────────────────────
SUPPORTED BY
CHIRP Maritime & The Seafarers’ Charity
────────────────────────────

https://www.chirp.co.uk
https://www.theseafarerscharity.org

🎙️ Sea Views | Yachting International Radio

Early in her career, Ghada “Lili” Soliman was told that “no Arab has ever held a senior position in yachting.” Seven years later, she became Chief Stewardess on a 74-metre yacht. Her story raises a question the industry cannot afford to dismiss: how much talent is overlooked when an accent, nationality or passport is mistaken for a measure of ability?

Karine Rayson speaks with Lili, Founder of The Inner Harbour and a Chief Stewardess with more than 15 years in luxury yachting, about the assumptions that shape who gets heard, encouraged and promoted onboard. They discuss what it takes to speak up when the people you challenge can influence your career, and why staying silent can leave capable crew feeling small.

This is a candid conversation about discrimination and belonging, and about the responsibility captains and heads of department have to make it safe for crew to contribute, develop and lead.

In this episode, they discuss:
• The remark Lili was given early in her career and the path she took to Chief Stew
• How nationality, language and accent can affect opportunity onboard
• The quiet ways bias can make capable crew feel small
• Why speaking up does not have to mean the end of a career
• What psychological safety looks like in practice
• How captains and heads of department can recognise and develop talent beyond the loudest voices

Guest:
Ghada “Lili” Soliman
Founder, The Inner Harbour
Chief Stewardess, 15+ years in luxury yachting

Host:
Karine Rayson
The Crew Coach
https://www.thecrewcoach.com

🎙️ The Wellbeing Project | Yachting International Radio

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News on the website:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

Search Yachting Channel on your favourite podcast platform for more conversations from across the global yachting industry.

At four years old, Ann Pletschke had already decided that she would one day command a ship. By 16, she was at sea, beginning a career that would take her across deep-sea cargo ships, North Sea offshore operations, passenger ferries, polar waters, autonomous shipping, vessel inspections and command.

In this candid conversation with Women in Maritime host Julia Gosling, Ann examines what it actually takes to build a career at sea, lead with credibility and challenge the parts of maritime culture that continue to place women at risk.

From career specialisation and lifelong learning to failure, resilience and psychological safety, Ann shares the experiences that shaped her approach to leadership, including what one difficult departure from Grimsby taught her about humility, further training and the danger of pretending that command means having every answer.

At the centre of the conversation is a difficult but essential question: does placing more women onboard automatically make women safer?

Representation matters, but numbers alone cannot replace accountability, confidential support, meaningful male allyship and leaders who create an environment in which people can speak up without fear. Ann and Julia discuss sexism, harassment and sexual violence at sea, the isolation experienced by many seafarers, and why support information must reach people while they are still onboard.

This is not simply the story of one woman becoming a captain. It is a thoughtful examination of what safety, equality and professional respect should look like across the maritime industry, and why lasting change depends on culture rather than appearances.

Ann Pletschke, MEng, MSc, CMMar, CMarTech, is a Master SDPO, OVID and eCMID AVI inspector, master mariner and marine consultant.

This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination and trauma.

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES
Safer Waves, confidential support and information for seafarers affected by sexual violence or gender discrimination:
https://www.saferwaves.org/

ISWAN’s Safe at Sea campaign:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/our-work/safe-at-sea-campaign/

SeafarerHelp, free confidential support for seafarers and their families:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/seafarerhelp/

YachtCrewHelp, free confidential support for yacht crew and their families:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/yachtcrewhelp/

Sailors’ Society Trauma Therapy Grants:
https://sailors-society.org/trauma-therapy-grants/

Prefer to read? Read the full editorial on Yachting News:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

ABOUT WOMEN IN MARITIME
Hosted by Julia Gosling, Women in Maritime brings together honest conversations with the women shaping shipping, seafaring and the wider maritime world, exploring leadership, professional barriers, safety, equality and the realities behind building a lasting career at sea.

Women in Maritime is an original Yachting International Radio series and part of Yachting Channel, available across all major podcast platforms.

Women In Maritime | Yachting International Radio

Discover more original shows, expert voices and maritime stories:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/shows

Visit Yachting International Radio:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/

Choosing not to drink in yachting can sometimes attract more questions than drinking itself.

From guest drop-offs and charter celebrations to crew nights out, bottles from brokers and the inevitable bar waiting in almost every port, alcohol can feel less like an occasional extra and more like part of the culture itself.

In this episode of The Crew Car, Captain James Battey, Founder of the Yacht Workers Council, sits down with Laura Kilbey, Founder of Sober Crew Social Club, for a candid, funny and deeply personal conversation about alcohol, sobriety and life at sea.

Laura speaks openly about years spent trying to cut back, moderate and create rules around her drinking before eventually accepting that alcohol was taking more from her life than it was giving back.

Remaining in yachting while choosing sobriety presented another challenge. Sober Crew Social Club began as a way for Laura to hold herself accountable and connect with other sober yacht crew, but she quickly discovered there were far more people searching for that community than she had realised.

James also shares his experience of almost four years without alcohol and why drinking had stopped being something that added to his life.

This is not a conversation arguing that everybody should stop drinking. Laura and James explore why some people can have a perfectly healthy relationship with alcohol while others cannot, why sobriety does not need to become someone’s entire identity and why nobody needs to wait for a dramatic rock bottom before deciding drinking is no longer working for them.

They also discuss anxiety, addiction, gambling, replacement coping mechanisms, the particular pressures of working at sea and whether a younger generation of crew is beginning to reshape yachting’s relationship with alcohol.

Because sobriety does not have to mean boring, and deciding alcohol is not right for you does not require anybody else’s permission.

Laura Kilbey | Sober Crew Social Club
https://www.sobercrewsocialclub.co.uk/

Captain James Battey | Yacht Workers Council
https://yachtworkerscouncil.com/

The Crew Car | Yachting International Radio

Yacht ownership is changing. The next generation of owners is asking different questions, commissioning more adventurous vessels and expecting far more from the jurisdictions, advisors and professional networks standing behind them.

A flag may be visible, but the real value lies in everything behind it.

In this episode of Yachting Confidential, Sabrina van Maltha sits down with Capt. Lee Clarke, General Manager of Isle of Man Maritime, to explore what makes a maritime jurisdiction worthy of an owner’s trust.

The Isle of Man has built its international reputation on far more than yacht registration. Its strength lies in responsiveness, professional expertise, ownership structures, seafarer knowledge and a connected maritime community that understands the responsibility behind some of the world’s most significant vessels.

Lee shares his journey from life at sea to maritime leadership and explains how Isle of Man Maritime is bringing the island’s commercial, superyacht, business, digital, skills and seafarer sectors together into one stronger ecosystem.

From expedition yachts and sustainability to crew welfare, artificial intelligence and changing owner expectations, this episode reveals the quiet infrastructure behind serious yacht ownership and why choosing the right jurisdiction matters long after the flag has been raised.

Guest:
Capt. Lee Clarke
General Manager, Isle of Man Maritime
https://maritime.im/

Host:
Sabrina van Maltha
Head of Charter, International Yacht Register
https://iyr.net/

Presented by International Yacht Register.

Prefer to watch? Find the full episode on the Yachting International Radio YouTube channel.
Prefer to read? Visit Yachting News at Yachting International Radio.

🎙️ Yachting Confidential | Yachting International Radio

When your phone has not been switched off for 18 years, 25 livelihoods depend on your decisions and every crisis follows you home, running a business with your spouse is anything but a conventional job.

In the first of a new On The Bridge Meet the Team series, Alicia Store takes the guest seat alongside her husband and business partner, David Store. As COO and CEO of dsnm Ltd, they speak openly about the work behind their job titles, why their very different strengths have made the company stronger, and what it takes to share both an office and a home.

Alicia describes the weight of worrying about 25 other people’s mortgages, families and futures, as well as the personal sacrifice of returning online the day after giving birth during the COVID lockdown. David explains why continuing to develop Compass is one of the most rewarding parts of his role and admits that his greatest professional regret is not finding a way to build it sooner.

Together, they revisit the crises that brought company momentum to an overnight halt, the late-night legal meetings caused by COVID and the conflict in Ukraine, and the responsibility of keeping a business stable when no one has trained you for what comes next.

They also look back on two Queen’s Awards, visits to Buckingham Palace, the first people to use Compass, their favourite yachts and the destinations they would choose if given the opportunity. Then come the truly important questions: who is funnier, who is the better driver, who can cook and who is right 95% of the time?

Topics include:
• The responsibilities Alicia and David carry at dsnm Ltd
• Building a team of passionate perfectionists
• Carrying responsibility for 25 people and their families
• Why running a company becomes a 24-hour commitment
• Developing Compass and refusing to let technology stand still
• Leading through COVID and the conflict in Ukraine
• Alicia’s experience of returning to work after giving birth
• Working successfully with your spouse
• Winning two Queen’s Awards
• Favourite yachts, dream destinations and rapid-fire revelations

Guests:
Alicia Store
Chief Operating Officer, dsnm Ltd
Host of On The Bridge

David Store
Chief Executive Officer, dsnm Ltd

🌐 Learn more about dsnm Ltd:
https://dsnmltd.com

📺 Prefer to watch? Find Yachting International Radio on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Pik0rWVzoqPAl4hcyhb-A

📖 Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

🎙️ On The Bridge | Yachting International Radio

Operational experience should not enter a yacht project only after problems arise. For Meeli Lepik, it belongs at the heart of every design, build and refit from the beginning.

Meeli reflects on her journey from senior onboard operations to establishing Holistic Yacht Interiors, including the advice that encouraged her to create something of her own, the experience she gained before taking that step, and the genuine shoreside network that helped make it possible.

She also examines the difficult transition facing experienced onboard professionals who want to build independent careers ashore, and the longstanding disconnect between those who design and build yachts and those who ultimately operate them.

Recorded at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2025, the interview returns to the place where the first seeds of Holistic Yacht Interiors were planted. As Meeli prepares to return to Monaco again in 2026, her mission is clear: nothing should be built or refitted without operational know-how and input.

Interview directed by Lucie Gardiner.

Discover Meeli Lepik and Holistic Yacht Interiors:
https://holisticyachtinteriors.com/

For presenting, moderating, media and industry collaborations, contact Lucie Gardiner:
https://www.luciegardiner.com/

Prefer to watch? Find the full video on Yachting International Radio’s YouTube channel.

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/

🎙️ Lucie Gardiner | Yachting International Radio

Financial freedom is often sold as the ability to buy whatever you want. Jon Schoeller sees it differently. Real freedom is having the power to say no.

In this episode of Rich AF, Charl Minnaar sits down with real estate investor, private money lender and More Than Money founder Jon Schoeller for an honest discussion about wealth, family and what all that hard work is ultimately meant to provide.

Jon and his wife, Rhianna, reached financial freedom in their early thirties, but adopting their daughter changed how they measured success. Jon explains why time became more valuable than status, how lifestyle creep and the hedonic treadmill keep people chasing more, and why raising a child with financial security still requires boundaries, responsibility and consequences.

He also shares the story of the BMW that became one of his most valuable financial lessons. It looked like success, but brought payments, stress and almost no enjoyment. Selling it helped Jon recognise that memories, experiences and time with his family mattered far more than owning something simply to impress other people.

The conversation then turns to the More Than Money community and private money lending. Charl shares his own experience completing a lending deal with Jon, while Jon explains how asset-backed lending works, why the borrower matters as much as the property, what documentation and protections lenders should expect, and why sustainable wealth is built through patience rather than get-rich-quick promises.

They also challenge the idea that entrepreneurship automatically creates freedom. Sometimes a well-paid career you genuinely enjoy, combined with sensible investing, provides far more control than owning a business that never allows you to switch off.

For yacht crew and anyone earning well while questioning what they are working towards, this episode is a reminder that money is not the final destination. The real goal is time, choice and the ability to walk away.

Connect with Jon Schoeller:
More Than Money:
https://www.mtmcommunity.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thefrugalinvestor/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/jonschoeller

Connect with Charl Minnaar:
The Yachting Investor:
https://theyachtinginvestor.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theyachtinginvestor/

Prefer to watch? Find Rich AF on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/YachtingInternationalRadio
Prefer to read? Visit Yachting News:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always conduct your own due diligence before making financial or investment decisions.

🎙️ Rich AF | Yachting International Radio