You have had the conversation. It went as well as it could, and you are now standing on the dock holding something far too big for you, thinking: what happens next? This is the part crew almost never get taught, and it is the part that turns a kind conversation into actual help.
Know the chain before you need it
| Level | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The person themselves | Always first. Wherever possible, they lead — you go with them. |
| 2 | HOD / chief stew / bosun / chief engineer | Day-to-day welfare, workload, rest, adjustments. |
| 3 | The captain | Anything involving safety, fitness for duty, medical response, or crisis. Always, in a crisis. |
| 4 | Yacht medical response and telemedical advice | The vessel established route to professional medical advice at sea. Use it. |
| 5 | The management company / DPA | When it cannot be resolved onboard, when the problem is the command, or under the complaints procedure. |
| 6 | External seafarer welfare | ISWAN runs a free, confidential helpline for seafarers. Look up its current contact details — they change, so check the current ones rather than trusting a number from memory. |
| 7 | Emergency services | Immediate danger to life. No delay, no permission needed. |
How to escalate well
- Tell the person you are doing it. "I am going to talk to the captain because you need more than I can give you. I will come with you." Escalation done to someone feels like betrayal. Escalation done with someone is support.
- Go up, not sideways. Telling three friends in the crew mess is not escalation, it is gossip.
- Be factual. What you observed, what was said, what you are worried about. Not your theory about why.
- Escalate early rather than perfectly. You do not need certainty. "I am worried about X and I do not think I am the right person" is a complete and legitimate report.
- In a crisis, escalate immediately. Skip the ladder. Captain, medical route, emergency services.
Aftercare and coming back
The bit everyone forgets. Recovery is not an event, and the return to work is where things quietly fall apart.
- Do not vanish, and do not stare. Treat them as the colleague they still are. A normal, undramatic welcome is worth more than a speech.
- Reasonable adjustments help. A different watch, a lighter rotation, a period without night work, protected time to attend an appointment, a cabin change. Practical, temporary, unannounced to the whole crew.
- Let them lead on disclosure. It is their information. Not the crew mess business.
- Keep checking in after the drama has passed. The second month back is often harder than the first week.
- People recover and go on to full careers. Behave as if that is normal, because it is.
Onboard Notes
- Learn the chain: person, HOD, captain, yacht medical and telemedical advice, management company, ISWAN, emergency services.
- Look up current ISWAN contact details — do not rely on remembered numbers.
- Escalate with the person, not behind their back. Tell them first.
- In crisis, skip the ladder and go straight to the captain and the medical or emergency route.
- Aftercare matters: normality, reasonable adjustments, and checking in weeks later.
- Preparatory study only. Not a certificate and not clinical training. Recognise, listen, signpost, escalate - never diagnose, treat or counsel.