With the most recent outbreak of fires onboard large yachts in the past few weeks, it’s important for all of us in the yachting industry to recognize that being quarantined onboard sometimes sets the stage for an increased risk of incidents. It’s human nature to fall into routines, but the wrong routines can unfortunately cause us to overlook safety or not be as aware of potential dangers.

It’s that time of the year again, when yachts of all sizes start their annual migration to various U.S. ports. With that repositioning, crew are required to have the appropriate visas for travel to the U.S. This can seem like a confusing topic – I will try to boil it down: