The Superyacht Engineer
Yachting Culture #25/1059.
Superyacht Engineer – ain´t ghost in the bilge, but god of the boat
by Chef Tom Voigt
Some guests on a luxury yacht will always say to the chef:
“Ah, here she/he is – the most important person on the boat.”
Oh, right. The guests on a superyacht see the chef as the absolute pinnacle of their luxurious existence. Because clearly, in a world of multi-million-dollar floating palaces, surrounded by 360-degree ocean views, heli decks, jet skis, mirrored ceilings and seven crew per toothbrush…
It’s the guy (or girl) doing the foie gras reduction that’s holding the ship together.
Because obviously, without the chef, they’d starve.
In a floating fridge with ten kinds of caviar and a freezer packed like Fort Knox.
True words.
But wait a minute.
Let’s talk about the guy no one talks about.
Somewhere below deck, past the polite smiles and perfumed cabins, there’s a man.
You won’t see him at the welcome drinks.
He’s not on the beach.
He’s not part of the white-polo-and-Ray-Ban department.
No tan. No shine.
Just oil under the nails and the face of someone who’s crawled inside a fuel filter because no one else would.
They call him the engineer.
Most rookies call him “the weird guy downstairs.”
To the rest, he’s just the one who makes sure this floating palace doesn’t turn into a floating blackout.
Some say he sleeps too much.
Some say he’s basically a ghost, living like a banished mechanic in the bowels of the yacht.
And some green deckhand is always making jokes about “the guy on the sofa.”
Yeah. That guy.
The one who hasn’t slept in three days because the shore power shorted in Naples and the battery charger caught fire.
The one who’s replaced a raw water impeller mid-storm while the captain was on TikTok.
The one who knows the sound of every pump – and when they’re lying.
The truth is:
He’s invisible until something breaks.
And then he’s suddenly the most important person on board.
More important than the chef.
More important than the captain.
More important than whoever brought the champagne.
You think this yacht runs on sunshine and Instagram likes?
Try skipping a day without him.
No engineer = no toilets.
No engineer = no aircon.
No engineer = no cold rosé in Porto Cervo.
No engineer = you stuck at anchor, staring at a dead dashboard while the guests ask why the jacuzzi’s cold.
And yes – sometimes he naps.
Because he works 20 hours a day.
Because he hasn’t had a proper shower in a week.
Because he just climbed inside a generator exhaust duct to fix something that should’ve been replaced 5 years ago.
The sofa he sleeps on?
It’s not a bed.
It’s a battlefield.
And it smells like diesel, despair, and quiet competence.
You want to know how I know all this?
Because in my 15+ years of yachting, working with over 98% of the engineers on board was not just functional – it was the best part of it.
Real friendship. Real respect.
Still is.
Still proud of every engine room laugh, emergency repair, and deadpan joke at 4am.
Because if there’s one crew member who really keeps it all going,
one who doesn’t just look like a legend but actually is one…
…it’s that strange, invisible man downstairs.
The engineer.
#Yachtgasm #TheManBelow #DieselOverDrama #SuperyachtEngineer #GhostOfTheEngineRoom #NoEngineerNoYacht #YachtRealityUnfiltered