Erica Lay
Journalist. Writer. Thinker. Questioner.
Welcome to my personal website, an opportunity for me to share some of my professional journalistic work and personal musings, outside of my international yacht crew agency, EL CREW CO. I aim to create a better understanding of the yachting world— a mission which has cast me in many different roles: crew agent, business owner, journalist, adventurer, and media innovator. Read more of my work below.
A Bit About Me
I’ve been a freelance writer since 2008. I love engaging with the projects I work on, diving headfirst into the research, investigation, and production of the stories I feel are newsworthy. I am a curious and proactive Journalist, interested in the latest digital media trends and passionate about the future of online storytelling. Drawing on life experiences around the world, my writing passions focus on yachting, food, travel, and sometimes, just my personal musings on the world.
Recently Published
I have covered everything from breaking news stories to in-depth features, more recently I've been focusing on mental health on board yachts. It’s a satisfying feeling to put my personal experiences, audience understanding, and professional knowledge to good use on every project I’m involved with. Check out a sampling of my recently published work below.
Covid Mental Health On Board
Onboard 2021
Mental health has been a hot topic for some time across the industry but this year, with the pandemic leaving many seafarers isolated, jobless, and with no way of getting home, the pressure on the yachting industry to look after its crew is more prevalent than ever.
Covid Safety - Troubled Waters
Dockwalk 2020
In a time of absolute uncertainty, the one thing we can all agree on is that 2020 is a year like no other. When Covid 19 struck and lockdowns imposed in the spring, many wondered if there would even be a summer season for the yachting industry.
Women in Yachting - Revisited!
Onboard 2020
It’s been a couple of years since the last time we talked about diversity in yachting (or the lack of it!), in particular, how women in non-traditional roles on deck or in the engine room are underrepresented. So we thought it was high time we revisited this to see if the industry has started to adapt and adjust to address this.
Staying Healthy on Social Media
2020 Onboard
Continuing our discussions on the pros and cons of social media and how it can affect those that use it, we look at how to stay healthy whilst keeping in touch "virtually" and how to manage the use of social media.
Covid - 19: Let's Talk Mental Health
2020 Dockwalk
Well it’s official. The world’s gone nuts… half the planet is on lockdown or headed for it, the conspiracy theorists are having an absolute field day, everyone seems obsessed with overbuying toilet paper and flour, and if you’re looking to give yourself crippling anxiety, just head straight on over to facebook where mis-information, hearsay, blame and gossip is absolutely rife.
Covid - 19: Working From Home
2020
I’ve worked from a home office set up since I launched my own company in February 2013. A lot of people ask me how I motivate myself to do this, and in the current conditions with lock downs and self isolation everywhere, I’m getting this question more than ever as yachting businesses scale back operations and send their workers to work from home.
#Metoo Matters
Dockwalk 2020
Another day, another case of sexual harassment in yachting. How can we tackle this in an industry where senior male crew still say things like “the #metoo bandwagon”?