#humansofyachting – Matthew Baily

“I grew up in Sydney and was very fortunate that we had a house right on the water in Middle Harbour. From a very young age, I was helping to build boats in the boat shed, sailing and working as a deckhand. When I was 19, I travelled to Europe and started working on yachts there, eventually becoming a captain. Since then I have bounced about a bit, but I’ve been on board a charter yacht in the Med for the past five years with my partner Hannah, who is a chief steward. We’ve wanted to come back towards home for a while, but only for the right yacht – which turned out to be Oneworld.

The charter industry in Europe is so successful and well-established, but it hasn’t really happened here yet. Our job is to set this boat up as a successful charter yacht in Australia. After 14 years in the industry, we feel we’ve got quite a good handle on what does and doesn’t work. We want to bring what we’ve learnt in Europe over here. The owners have given us a lot of creative control over the business, so we’re really excited.

Successful charters include very precise planning and very precise backup plans, as you can’t control the weather. Having the right crew is also crucial; they need to get on well together, be impeccably well-trained and ensure that guests are having a unique experience. Hannah and I have also found over the years that having good food and an amazing chef is absolutely crucial. If that isn’t on par, it’ll ruin the whole experience. Providing that local cuisine in all the different ports we’re going to is really important, as well as pairing the right wines with food. It gives international guests that real Australian experience.

Oneworld is focused on east coast charters – so anywhere between Sydney and the Whitsundays. Highlights for guests could be anything from that first view of Whitehaven Beach as you come through Solway Passage on the south of Whitsunday Island, to spending the night at anchor inside one of the many lagoons of the Great Barrier Reef with no other boats in sight. In Sydney, the sunset whilst anchored in Farm Cove and the views over the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House are also pretty special.

We’re also considering branching out to places like Tasmania. Very few boats do that route and I know it quite well. I did all my professional maritime training down there and we used to circumnavigate it, so I’d love to go back. Hobart has a good marina and it’s obviously very famous for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which takes place every year. You can base the boat in Hobart but within a few hours you can reach amazing places like the Bay of Fires on the east coast.

Although I am looking forward to cruising in Australia, there are things I’ll miss about the Mediterranean. I love cruising the Balearics and my favourite spot is Soller in Mallorca – it’s one of the most amazing bays I’ve seen. I’ll second that with a place called Isola Palmarola, which is a little island off the west coast of Italy. It’s very untouched and you can only go there on a beautiful day, if there’s no wind and not too much current.

In this day and age, when children are glued to computers and games and TV, I think a yacht is perfect for family holidays. It’s very easy for crew to grab the kids and get them water skiing, diving, swimming – basically anything to keep them from being inside. The parents can relax knowing their kids aren’t stuck on Facebook the whole time. There are enough activities to keep them outside and for everyone to have a really memorable holiday.”