It’s training. You’re attending as a trainee/supernumerary, not as crew employed by the operator. You’ll practice hosting, provisioning, service, galley routines and guest care under instructor supervision alongside the skipper team.
Responsibility & liability (plain-English, general)
You are not responsible for the yacht (navigation, safety, seaworthiness, maintenance, or charter compliance). Those responsibilities sit with the vessel owner/charter operator and the designated skipper/instructor.
You are not responsible for guests in a legal duty-of-care sense; you’re learning and assisting under supervision.
You must follow instructor directions and safety procedures.
You’re expected to carry personal travel/medical insurance (and any insurance the program requires for trainees).
Legal rationale
During Academy week you participate as a student, not a contracted seafarer/employee. You are not the master, operator, nor the charterer of the vessel, so you don’t assume those statutory or contractual duties.
Operational control, certifications, and required insurances (hull, P&I/third-party, etc.) are held by the charter operator/owner and/or the instructor/skipper appointed to command. They hold the legal duty of care for the vessel and voyage.
Training activities are structured so that any work you do is instructional and performed under supervision, which keeps operational responsibility with the appointed professionals.
Important exceptions
None of the above shields you from consequences for your own wrongful acts. You remain personally liable for gross negligence, wilful misconduct, intentional damage, assault/harassment, or other conduct that recklessly or intentionally harms a person or property.
If you ignore safety instructions or misuse equipment in a way that a reasonable person would recognize as dangerous, you may be liable for resulting harm.
Program rules, local law, and the charter’s terms always apply; serious breaches can lead to removal from training and potential claims.
This is a general explanation to set expectations, not legal advice. Applicable law, flag-state rules, and the program’s specific terms prevail.