I threw $1,200 into the ocean. Literally.

The 3 stupidest ways I’ve lost money running a travel company. Not the biggest. The stupidest 🗿

People romanticize this business. Yachts, private chefs, office with a sea view. All true. Also true: boats constantly break, guests get deported because they forgot passports have expiration dates, and beach day gets cancelled because the hurricane got to the beach first 🌪

My top 3.

#3. $750 for a swimming ladder

When I captain, I play a game with first-timers: guess what this little plastic thing costs. I always win, because yachting is a scam. Put the word “marine” on anything and the price does 10x 💸

We lost a swimming ladder. Amazon has one for $50. The yacht version: $750.

How do you even lose a swimming ladder? Whole other story.

#2. $1,000 for lobsters

Remote Caribbean, week on a boat, no chefs back then. We did the groceries ourselves. Day 5: rum and potatoes left. Rum doesn’t help with rationing.

A hurricane had wiped out most of that area a few years back, so options were limited:)

We tried fishing. Let’s just say I’d get eliminated from a beach survival show before day one.

We found one restaurant. Plastic tablecloth on the sand. One item on the menu: lobster. Turns out lobsters being everywhere doesn’t make them cheap. $1,000 for the crew 👀

The next day we ate at a fancy restaurant on some billionaire’s private island. The lobster was cheaper there 🦞 Apparently the markup for “plastic tablecloth on the sand” is higher than for “helipad”

#1. $1,200 flew into the ocean

Sailing trips run on kitty money, cash everyone chips in for fuel and food. I was in charge of it. Kept it in a notebook.

Something urgent on deck. Boat moving. I completely forgot the cash was even there. Notebook open on the table.

$1,200, straight into the Atlantic 😱 The Atlantic doesn’t do refunds

So now every budget has a special line. Officially “operational reserve.” Internally, the fuck-up fund. It’s the only budget line we’ve never once underspent:)

Kris