Keegan Leslie

After a year of record non-conformities across both private and charter yachts, 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point for yacht compliance. Flag states are tightening requirements, management companies are demanding more traceability, and auditors are increasing the depth of their inspections. The result? Compliance standards are rising — quickly — and the industry isn’t ready. Why Audit Expectations Are Increasing The evolution is being driven by several factors: Expanding yacht sizes ...

Technology has transformed yachting, but one challenge still keeps captains awake at night: knowledge loss. When a chief engineer steps off mid-season, when the new first officer arrives, or when a management company takes over vital operational context can vanish in an instant. And it’s not because the tools don’t exist; it’s because the knowledge never made it into them. When “It’s in My Head” Becomes a Liability Every yacht runs on systems but also on people. And over time, small...

When Tech Isn’t Enough We’re in 2025. Yachts have VSAT, Starlink, WhatsApp, Teams, and more cloud dashboards than most small businesses. Yet, communication breakdowns are still one of the top reasons things go wrong on board. The tools are there. The problem? The loop is broken. The Communication Gap That Costs Everyone Here’s how it plays out in real life: The engineer flags a stabilizer fault. The captain makes a note to mention it during the next ops call. A manager halfway across the...