It is 0130, the guests have turned in, and a half-smoked cigar sits in an ashtray on the sundeck with the wind getting up. That cigar is a live ignition source aboard a vessel full of fuel, fabric and varnish. What you do next matters more than anything else in this course.
Smoking Areas Onboard
- Smoking is permitted only in designated exterior areas on most yachts — typically an aft deck, a sundeck lounge or a defined smoking corner. Many yachts are entirely non-smoking inside.
- The areas are set by the captain and the owner, recorded in the yacht's policy, and they are not negotiable by the interior crew.
- Crew smoking areas differ from guest areas and are usually restricted to specific times and locations, often the aft crew deck only.
- Consider wind on deck: brief the guest that a strong apparent wind burns a cigar hot and unevenly, and offer a sheltered seat. Wind also carries ash and embers — a serious ignition risk.
Fire Safety
- Know where the nearest extinguisher, fire blanket and alarm point are in any area where guests smoke. Check before service, not during an incident.
- Metal ashtrays only, heavy enough not to blow over, positioned away from cushions, awnings, teak edges and open hatches.
- Never place an ashtray on or near soft furnishings, tenders, fuel filling points, or under an awning that can be ignited by an ember.
- Never leave a lit cigar unattended. If a guest leaves one and departs, extinguish it.
- Extinguish properly: let it go out in the ashtray, or press the foot out gently. Do not crush and shred it — that flares embers and stinks.
- Ash and butts must be fully cold before disposal. Empty into a dedicated metal ash can with a lid, never straight into a plastic bin or a bin liner.
- Never discard anything over the side. Butts, ash, matches and cellophane are all rubbish. Discharging them into the sea is pollution and, under MARPOL Annex V, garbage discharge rules apply. Dispose ashore.
- If a smoke detector activates, treat it as a real fire until proven otherwise. Never disable or cover a detector to allow smoking.
Non-Smoking Guests and Second-Hand Smoke
- Second-hand smoke is a genuine health concern and a common source of guest complaint. Handle it before it becomes one.
- Seat smokers downwind of non-smokers, and use the yacht's layout deliberately.
- Ask discreetly at the start of a charter who does and does not smoke, and note it on the preference sheet.
- Close doors and hatches near the smoking area so smoke does not draft into the interior air handling.
- If a non-smoking guest is uncomfortable, act quietly: move the ashtray, move the seating, or speak to the chief stew. Never make it a confrontation between guests.
Clearing Up Afterwards
- Clear ashtrays, cold-check butts, and wipe surfaces for ash and tar film.
- Ventilate the area with doors open and, where fitted, air handling on extract.
- Treat soft furnishings: airing, fabric-safe deodorising, upholstery cleaning and laundering of cushion covers where permitted. Follow the fabric care labels — the cushions are expensive.
- Check the deck for burn marks and report any damage immediately.
Onboard Notes
A cigar can smoulder for a long time. "It looked out" is not a check — feel that the butt is cold.
Smoke odour in curtains, headliners and carpet is the thing the next charter guest notices. Deal with it the same night, not on turnaround day.