Royal Navy For Sale

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, the British Royal Navy is now for sale. Well, at least their services are. The RN is offering training to megayacht crews in the “Navy way”, in techniques as far-flung as, “firefighting, submarine navigation, and napkin-folding.” The courses are offered through Flagship Training, a company that takes 40% of the profits from the course, the rest going to the RN.

Due to tightened budgets over the past decade, the RN has sought new paths for monetary gain, and this opportunity was, “too sweet to pass up”. Founded by retired Royal Navy Commander Stephen Mackay, the program is meant to bolster the military’s budget and remove, at least a small burden, from the taxpayer.

The first participant in the program was none other than the captain of Ecstasea, one of Russian-oil tycoon Roman Abramovich’s ships. With this training, the Wall Street Journal hints that Capt. Bridge may be poised to take over Abramovich’s newest yacht, the 500-ft Eclipse, after she is launched, but those claims are unsubstantiated. Whatever the case, this type of first-class training could raise the bar on what is expected aboard a luxury yacht.