Disembarkation is at 0900. At 2200 the night before, four guests are still at dinner in clothes that need washing, the tender crew wants the luggage manifest, and one guest cannot find a bracelet she is sure she left in the gym. Departure day is where valeting is won or lost, and it starts two days early.
Working backwards from the gangway
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| D-2 | Confirm departure time, flights, luggage count and who packs. Last call for laundry that needs a full turnaround. |
| D-1 | Complete all laundry and pressing. Return everything to the cabin. Begin packing what is finished with. Print the packing list. |
| D-1 evening | Sweep the yacht: gym, spa, beach club, tenders, sun deck, laundry, guest heads. |
| D-day early | Final items packed, cases closed, weighed if flying, tagged, and staged. |
| D-day | Cases to the passerelle or tender with a written count. Final cabin sweep with a second pair of eyes. |
The inventory and packing list
- Keep a written packing list per guest and per case: what is in it, and any valuables.
- Note anything left behind deliberately (a jacket for storage, a bag going to a hotel) and get it confirmed in writing by the guest or PA.
- Record what came out of the safe, who removed it, and that the guest signed or confirmed receipt. Never empty a guest safe on their behalf.
- Cross-check against your unpacking survey. If nine pairs of shoes came aboard, nine leave.
Luggage handling
- Never pass a guest case hand-to-hand over water without a second crew member and a clear plan. A dropped case in the marina is a total loss.
- Tenders: cases in first, secured, covered against spray; valuables and hand luggage travel with the guest, not in the bilge.
- To an aircraft: check the weight limit, keep the hand baggage separate, and hand over against a written count.
Customs and prohibited items
- Do not pack for a guest anything you would not carry yourself. Food, plants, meat, dairy, cash over a declaration threshold, and CITES-restricted items (coral, ivory, some exotic skins and furs) create real legal exposure at the border.
- If a guest asks you to carry or pack something on their behalf that concerns you, you decline politely and escalate to the chief steward(ess) and captain. This is not negotiable.
Lost property
- Log it: what, where found, when, by whom, and who is holding it.
- Store it in a secured, controlled place, not in a crew cabin.
- Report through the chief steward(ess); the yacht contacts the guest or their PA. You never contact a guest directly.
- Never assume an item is a gift, however trivial it looks.
Onboard Notes
- Laundry turnaround is the classic failure. If a fabric needs two days and you accept it at 2200 on D-1, you have failed the guest, not the machine.
- The final sweep finds chargers behind bedside tables, jewellery in bathroom glasses, and passports in safes. Do it twice, and with a second person.
- A damp swimsuit or a wet towel packed at 0600 becomes a mildewed case. Bag wet items and tell the guest.
- Anything unclaimed goes into the yacht lost-property log with a date. Silence is not a decision.