There is no doubt that travel was my drug, at times a distraction, and my personal money pit. When others pursued higher education, took up lucrative careers and later began rearing offspring, I was either boarding or disembarking a plane.
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While you might think Mellisa Altenburger’s love of the sea would have started from a young age, her fear of great whites meant that until she got her PADI Open Water Certification in 2014, she couldn’t even put her head underneath without having a panic attack.
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A chance meeting with friends in a bar when she left school at 18 paved the way for Ella Te Aho’s career in yachting, and ever since she left Australia for Antibes for her first season temping and day working, she hasn’t looked back.
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If we were to throw a bunch of personality traits and interests into a big ol’ magician’s top hat and draw a few out at random, chances are we couldn’t build a profile as diverse as that of superyacht bosun Stuart Richmond.
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Travelling during her school holidays, weekends on the family boat and precious time spent wakeboarding with her brother are just three of the childhood experiences that planted the seed that Amelia Hudson’s dream future career may just lie in yachting.
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Working rotation on a 100m+ charter yacht, Josh Nicholson is an experienced bosun with his feet firmly on the ground. Currently based in Palma, we discussed the impact of the pandemic, the mood on the dock and the secret to a successful career in yachting.
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Scuba diving is one of the most rewarding activities you can do during a luxury yacht charter but it also presents unique dangers, and divers rely heavily on their training and equipment to keep them safe. Whether a novice or a se...
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Since the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competency (CoC) is a command certificate for small craft, the RYA insists that at least half the qualifying 2,500 nautical miles have been acquired on a small vessel under 24m and...
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Luxury yachting has long been an industry in which men have traditionally held deck and engineering roles while women have automatically filled stewardess and interior positions. However, thanks to passionate women – and men – who...
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James Benning was the winner of the Exterior Department in the Superyacht Scholarship Competition launched earlier this year by Alison Rentoul. Just a few months on and James has already landed his first job as Deckhand onboard 55...
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As yacht crew, sometimes we forget just how fortunate we are. The positions we are in are well paid and we have few, or no, responsibilities outside of the yacht. We make a lot of money which we sometimes spend unwisely, and when ...
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After working in luxury hospitality for eight years, a passion for the ultimate hospitality experience led Chief Steward Stig Spiessens to pursue a career in yachting. Having worked on motor yachts Tatoosh, Dilbar and Aquila (ex-C...
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Fresh from the five day Interior Management Course with Interior Yacht Services, Chief Stewardess Charlotte Morris talks about her passion for travel and adventure, building a dream team and the importance of continuous profession...
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Not many places are as captivating as a boat’s bridge at 3am. It’s here, four coffees and six packs of M&Ms deep, the world’s most intriguing problems are debated while steaming into the darkness. Why hasn’t the see-through toaste...
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Failing to clear the ladies tee is the biggest faux pas a male golfer can make, and it’s a very real possibility every time I put driver to ball. So imagine my state of mind as I prepare to tee off in front of the boss, one of Chi...
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I just want to take this moment to write this down, as there are some things I'd like to highlight about our lives in this industry. Go ahead, read. Let me know what you think.
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Ed Thomas guides us through how to survive the stress and absurdities of a long charter, from how to keep yourself positive to the benefits of speaking in a West Country accent.
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Almost all newcomers to the yachting industry will have to dockwalk; it's almost a rite of passage. Here are some hints by Ed Thomas on how to raise your chances of success.
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Stewardesses often tell me they would love to work on deck.In some girls I definitely see the potential, in others not so much. I think they see my tan, and how much fun it appears to be, but it hasn't always been that easy.
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Before accepting my current job in Antibes, I have to admit that I was fairly anti the place. I had a prejudice against it; my allegiance was to Palma, a city that I loved.
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When you first begin yachting, it seems everything is novel and no job is too much of a chore. However, after a couple of seasons certain things can induce sudden rage.
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Many yacht crew view the new OOW HELM course as just another money-making opportunity for trainers. Deckhand Elliot Shane argues that there's more to it than that.
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Sailing is long stretches of boredom punctuated by episodes of sheer heart pounding terror. If this still sounds romantic to you, then crewing is a good way to test your resolve.
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Charity for charter, or charter for charity? It may be totally legal but, on some level, it doesn't feel quite right to me. Call me old fashioned..
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The water was sparkling like a thousand diamonds in the early morning sun rising over the quiet anchorage. The guests were arriving up on deck, enjoying their first coffee while starting another day in paradise. The deck crew ju...
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Tender-handling on board a luxury yacht is one of the most dangerous activities owner and crew alike will undertake while yachting. Conditions are always dynamic, teak decks are wet, and a vessel's trim and list will change during...
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How tips are split between a crew can make for a happy bunch of sailors or a divided pack of whispering gremlins. As per most things on a boat, this generally stems from el capitano’s orders. Tips either: go in the hat, are scaled...
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