Superyacht captain sets up raffle for a week onboard

For just £15 you could win a week’s trip for six, all inclusive, on superyacht AWOL (a way of life).

The raffle has been set up by the superyacht’s captain, Tristan Mortlock, in response to many of his YouTube followers wishing to experience the lifestyle he documents on a regular basis. Given that a summer superyacht charter on the Med can run anywhere from €110,000 + expenses, fifteen pounds seems minimal.

But, the raffle won’t actually take place until 40,000 tickets have been sold, to cover the costs of the operation and make sure everything, including flights and airport pick-ups, is covered.

“It’ll be nice to give somebody the opportunity to win a week onboard with no expenses,” Mortlock says. “They’ll get to use the chase boat, sea bobs, kayaks, pool, and jacuzzi, as well as having unlimited catering from an award-winning chef.”

AWOL‘s team has won many awards. After the current owner purchased her in 2016 – and she turned commercial for 2018 – the yacht attended The Superyacht Show Barcelona in May 2018 and won three competitions, including one for the chef, and the meet and greet team. These were followed by other accolades in Nice the following year.

It was about this time that Mortlock set up the YouTube channel Super Yacht Captain, which now has over 100k subscribers. The interest in the mix of fun and educational clips, and the comments, helped to inspire the raffle, and after Mortlock put a poll on social media to see if people would be interested (they were), the competition officially launched in November 2019.

He’s keen, he says, to show people what the industry is like, and the opportunities it affords for a brilliant worklife. His content, therefore, looks at details like how the chef goes about provisioning for guests, and what the other team members need to get ready for a charter.

“The industry has been fantastic, I’ve had a great career,” Mortlock says. “The media tends to cover superyachts in a negative story – how billionaires treat people like slaves. Yes, it’s long hours, and there are a few difficult clients, but we need to talk about how many people the industry employs. It’s time to put a positive spin on the industry and crews.”

Tickets to spend a week living the ultimate lifestyle are just £15. So far, Mortlock says, around 4,000 have been sold, and he expects the rest to go in time for a lucky person – and their five family or friends – to step onboard next summer.