Your First Big Break

Oh the nerves and the excitement! Where do I

start?” The who, how, what, when, where - the

thousands of questions, which all lead to your first

yacht. Breaking into this mega-diverse industry is

not as easy as many hope it to be. We’ve all heard of

people who’ve endlessly applied to insane amounts

of different crew agents and done some serious

networking in crew houses and crew bars. You even

hear of those going to the extent of performing the

dreaded “dock walk”. And then, you receive a phone

call. Finally your big break. The details are blurry,

because all you can really think about is, “finally, I have

got myself a job on a yacht...who cares about the

rest!”

You arrive with eyes wide open and in awe of all the

glistening yachts surrounding you. You begin to haul

your oversized luggage down the dock, and realise

that there’s a chance you may have packed way too

much. In time, perhaps, you’ll master the art of pack-

ing less and shopping more- with anything practice

makes perfect! This skill takes a little time to acquire.

With your over-over sized luggage and butterflies

in your tummy, you step onboard.

There is so much to absorb in a short period of time,

and often you’re thrown in at the deep end, left to

sink or swim. There are new crew to live with, in an

oh-so small environment and you get to become ‘fam-

ily’ very, very quickly. The beauty of it all is meeting

people of different ages from all over the world,

with their diverse cultures, traits and personalities,

some stronger than others. All these factors

become irrelevant when it comes to the first crew

meeting...“Just as a reminder, we are here to per-

form our duties to the highest standards possible”.

As the first charter begins, everyone is “big smiles”.

The owner arrives and all that runs through your

head is “please don’t spill the wine...hope they like

me...please don’t spill the wine...hope they like me”.

Welcome to the world of “the yachtie”. Indeed, you

do travel the world, different ports, countries and

cultures, yet you may only get to enjoy them through

your porthole window (if you’re lucky enough to

have one!) Long hours, endless cleaning and sleep

deprivation...the reality hits you fast. But yes, this is

my dream job.

The day does finally arrive when the charter is over!

As you wave goodbye to the owner and his guests,

you manage to find that last smile you have left in you;

the crew is already planning cocktails and a big night.

Just when you thought you could go on no longer, the

thought of the after-charter party suddenly sends

electricity through your body and you feel like Won-

der Woman! This lifestyle is definitely the ultimate

definition of the good ol’ “work hard, play hard” cli-

ché. It may not be for everyone, but it is addictive.

WONDER WO

MA

NWritten by the Talking Stew