In conversation with Capt. Pavlos Filippakis
We put five questions to Capt. Filippakis on captain hire and crew dynamics: what separates a good captain from a competent one, where to push back in interview, the cost of rotation that the salary line does not show, what compounds crew turnover, and the single most consequential operational discipline of year one. Answers are given on the record, lightly edited for length and clarity.
What separates a good captain from a competent average one in your view, beyond CV depth?
Giving credit to his crew while taking the stand for their errors. Willing to improve. Being conversant about each department of the vessel while not micromanaging his subordinates. Humility. Humour. Protocol.
The chapter argues the captain to hire is the candidate who pushes back hardest in interview, not the one who agrees easily. Is that your experience? What did you push back on, and how was it received?
In my case I didn’t even have to interview — I was offered the opportunity to manage a very complex refit and the subsequent pole-to-pole voyage on the spot, based on a gut feeling from the Owner.
That said, the one I would push back on is micromanagement. A Captain needs to have the ability to make significant decisions on the fly — having the freedom to do so, within of course the pre-agreed parameters, makes a world of difference in how fast problems are solved in the field.
Realistic manning for the actual operating profile, contingency budgets for remote work, a small raise for a crew member we cannot afford to lose. A Captain has to reduce the operating risk profile of his vessel and fighting for that is part of the job.
Quay Crew records 63 percent of captains on time-for-time rotation. What changed? What does rotation cost the owner that the salary line does not show?
I consider rotation a good thing for this industry. While it’s not easy to rotate as a Captain — you have to agree to follow a common line of command — having a management team in place that oversees standardisation makes it work.
The cost the salary line doesn’t show is the friction between two operating philosophies. Two captains will have slightly different standards on documentation, on crew discipline, on what gets escalated. Without active management, you get drift, and crew quietly optimise for whichever captain is onboard. That corrodes the operation over time.
However, if it works, especially for dual season or explorer yachts, rotation can be one of the most important factors, if not the most important, for the retention of a Captain.
Crew turnover is described as compounding. What turns it on, what turns it off, and what does an owner control versus what they delegate?
Crew turnover is directly related to the culture onboard. The Owner usually controls the appointment of the persons who can make or break that environment (mostly Captain, Chef, Chief Stew). If they create a toxic atmosphere of fear, no respect for safety or standard working conditions, salaries or leave become a second consideration.
He also controls the crewing budget. While salaries must be according to the industry, small things — investing in a loyal deckhand’s training to become an officer, accepting an extended leave on compassionate grounds — act as multipliers, because they are directly related to how the crew view the Owner. And that is also the reason why, in my opinion, any feedback the Owner has for his operation is best to pass through the Captain first, as a means to implement that without damaging the Owner’s status.
Crew also need to know what is expected of them. That is something that is delegated to the management or to the Captain and his team; the more vague an operation is without any formal structure, the easier for crew to feel disappointed. And lastly planning and managing the guests’ expectations is another essential aspect that is related to crew turnover, as if the trips are not successful, it strains morale.
If you were advising a first-time owner on the single most consequential operational discipline of year one, what would it be?
Document everything.
Not just maintenance logs — everything. Defects found, decisions made, conversations with contractors, crew complaints raised and resolved, cost estimates versus actuals.
This will create a baseline and also show you that a structure is in place that in turn will put your mind at ease without feeling the need to micromanage your asset.