Peter Evans, who helmed the yacht Kingdom 5KR for more than a decade and was instrumental in establishing the Professional Yachting Association (PYA), died on September 18. He was 73 years old.
Born in Wales in April 1951, Evans attended college in Coventry, England, graduating in 1969. According to the PYA, he had a creative flair evident even then. Evans showed up at college with a homemade skateboard: a plank of wood bound to roller-skate wheels. Not only was the skateboard itself novel to his classmates, but also his reason for making it. It allowed him to “practice his surfing,” he told friends.
Although Evans studied physical education in college, his career took quite a different turn. Upon meeting a French assistant by the name of Joëlle in the 1970s, he moved to France. That led to love—the two eventually married—and his introduction to working aboard megayachts. His first job was aboard the classic yacht Malahne in 1976, scrubbing the decks. As devoted as Evans was to family life, so, too, was he dedicating to yachting. He worked his way up through various positions to earning his captain’s stripes. Perhaps the most famous yacht under his watch was the 282-foot (86-meter) Benetti Kingdom 5KR. He took the helm in 2002.
Regardless of which yacht he ran, however, Evans primarily lived in Antibes. Simultaneously, he reportedly kept the best interests of his crew and his bosses top of mind.
When he wasn’t running yachts, Evans and Joëlle enjoyed extensive travel. Indeed, as a way to account for his summers away at sea, they and their children embarked on sails in the Caribbean, safaris in Africa, and even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Time exploring the Mercantour, a national park in France, as well as gardening in their own yard were further highlights. All the while, nature played a central role. Evans particularly enjoyed identifying birds.
Additionally, Evans had a passion for supporting the yachting community. In 1991, he became a founder of the PYA, which at the time carried the name Professional Yachtsman’s Association. The PYA became a non-profit to represent the best interests of yacht crew globally. At the time, Merchant Navy officers appeared poised to take over commercial yachting (charter) due to newly enacted regulations. With his fellow co-founders, Evans approached the MCA to lobby for yacht-specific qualifications for deck officers. Their efforts led to the Master 3000 Yacht CoC and later the Clief Engineer Yacht CoC. Briefly, these qualifications laid the foundation for professional yacht training. Furthermore, the co-founders created the PYA Service Record Book (SRB). For 19 years, the PYA was the only organization permitted to validate sea service on behalf of the MCA. It retains that permission today, one of only two worldwide.
Significantly, Evans term as PYA president coincided with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) of 2006. This set international working conditions for all seafarers, but was one-size-fits-all legislation that didn’t suit all. Specifically, It was written from a commercial-shipping perspective, where working conditions often are dramatically different from in yachting—and sometimes dramatically poor. Evans organized a PYA working group that educated international regulators about the differences and detrimental impacts to yacht design, usage, and operation. This led to the MLC Large Yacht Code, a.k.a. the REG Code.
In his later years, Evans was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He didn’t let the disorder’s symptoms get the best of his spirit, though. He was “always patient, with a gentle smile on his face and a cheeky twinkle in his eye,” the PYA says in a statement. “Right until the end, he dug deep, even finding the strength to build his grandchildren a hut in the garden with Jo this summer.”
Evans leaves behind his wife Joëlle and an unknown number of children and grandchildren. A memorial service is set for October 26 at the International Yacht Club of Antibes in Antibes, France.
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