On the bridge of EOS, the 92m schooner that has been his home for two decades, Captain Martin Shairp has learned that balance is everything. Balance between owner expectations and maritime law, between tradition and technology, between the pleasures of luxury and the realities of environmental cost.

“I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun,” he says, seated in the crew mess where he holds daily meetings. “The money is amazing, those ‘golden handcuffs’ definitely keep me in the industry but it’s the fun that makes me stay.”

That mix of levity and bluntness is characteristic of Shairp, who moved from the Merchant Navy into superyachting with little idea it would become a lifelong career. Today, he manages a crew of 29, rotating 20 at a time, on one of the world’s most admired sailing yachts.

A Sea of Rules

If the fun keeps him here, the rules weigh heavily. “Regulations keep increasing every year, and sometimes they’re difficult to manage,” he says. “Turkey’s greywater regulations effectively stopped us from cruising there; our tanks can only hold a day’s worth. In other places, new rules keep appearing: anchoring restrictions in Corsica, pilotage requirements in Croatia and Montenegro, and so on. They all make sense locally, but often discourage yachts from visiting altogether.”

By contrast, Scotland’s west coast has been a relief. “We spent almost nothing on agency fees there compared to the huge sums in Greece,” he adds.

For Shairp, the greater challenge is not legal but moral. “The carbon footprint of superyachts is unacceptable, especially given the resources owners have. Burning a thousand litres of diesel in a day just for generators feels wrong especially when you’re surrounded by wildfires and extreme weather. The Mediterranean has changed drastically in the last decade.”

He has pushed owners to consider biodiesel. “Still, something must change,” he says. “Owners need to take responsibility for their impact.”

The Human Equation

Crew dynamics remain his greatest daily test. “The most challenging elements of my job? Three things: owner expectations, weather, and crew. Crew management is constant but manageable.”

The new generation, he admits, is different. “Today’s younger crew are often very driven, focused on career milestones like Officer of the Watch. That’s a change from when I started it was more like the Wild West back then, lots of fun but less structured. That said, entitlement is more common. We have little tolerance for negativity or lack of appreciation. Those people don’t last.”

His solution is transparency. “We hold daily crew meetings whenever possible. Even if there’s nothing new to share, gathering everyone in the crew mess is valuable. It prevents conflicts, builds morale, and gives people a chance to ask questions. Apart from payroll, we share almost everything with the crew. It gives them ownership and a sense of inclusion.”

Shairp credits his own mentors, two captains he worked under between 2005 and 2010 for shaping his approach. “They set the standard for professionalism, and I learned a huge amount from them. This summer, we promoted two former second officers to chief officers. It’s been rewarding to mentor them through the pressure of those first months. Giving them responsibility and respect just as I was given helps them grow.” 

A Radical Solution

Pressed on what he would change if he could, Shairp does not hesitate. “I’d ban diesel for yachts in European waters. It sounds radical, but regulation is the only way change will happen. Alternative fuels like HVO have their flaws, but they’re better than burning fossil fuels. The industry needs a big push, and the EU is in the best position to enforce it.”

For a man who insists he is in the business for fun, his vision of the future is unflinching. As his career on EOS shows, balance at sea is never static, it must be fought for, day after day.