Name: Melanie
Age: 30
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C
Years in Yachting: 2
Position: Stewardess
What’s your background? How did you get into yachting?
I’ve worked in the service industry my whole life, starting at age 16. I got my business degree at University but wasn’t ready for a “desk job” when I graduated and really wanted to travel and see the world. I found out about yachting from the media and a friend of a friend of mine who was a Yacht chef and I thought, if they can do it, so can I! It was something I thought about doing for close to 3 years before I actually started.
How did you find your first job? How easy was it to land? What size yacht was your first boat? (private/charter; motor/sail)?
I found my first job through a networking event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was fairly easy to land as it was the first networking event that I ever went to after I finished my STCW course. It was on a 40m private motoryacht.
Did you always want to live abroad? Were you nervous leaving home?
I never necessarily wanted to “live” abroad but I knew I always wanted to travel and see the world. Yachting was such a great way to do both and make money while doing it! I wasn’t too nervous about leaving home because all my friends and family were so busy doing their own thing and living their own lives that I knew they would all still be there whenever I decided to come home.
Where did you take your STCW / ENG1? Did you take any additional courses before joining?
I did my STCW in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at MPT (Maritime Professional Training). I also did some introductory courses to Stewardessing such as Mixology and Housekeeping, but I didn’t find those were that necessary as I was already pretty experienced in service.
How did you find the process of entering the industry? Did you know someone who had done a season before?
I loved the process of entering the industry. Since I had that friend of a friend in the industry, they guided me about where to go and do my courses and answered all the questions I had. From there, I found crew housing and booked my flights! It was so fun to learn along other first timers coming into the industry and I still have some of those friendships today!
What was your position? What did your tasks involve?
I began as a 2nd Stew (there were only 2 stews on the first boat I joined) and I worked my way up to Chief Stew. My stewardess duties included everything you could imagine in the interior: housekeeping, laundry, detailing, service, bartending, provisioning, inventory, organizing, and scheduling.
Did you have any transferable skills before you went into yachting? (ie: hospitality for interior crew, managerial experience)? Do you think it helped you get hired?
Yes I did, I worked in the restaurant industry for 8 years before joining yachting. I do think my experience helped in being able to find a job so quickly.
What was one of your favorite places you got to see that the yacht travelled to?
One of my favourite places I travelled to was Antigua. This was mostly due to the fact that I don’t think I would’ve ever gone there otherwise. We were based there for one season, so always coming back to it in between guest trips really made it feel like home and we really got to know the lay of the land and the fun places to go! It was also absolutely beautiful of course.
What are some of your best memories from working on yachts? Any funny stories?
My best memories from working on yachts mostly have to do with meeting my now husband and being able to work and travel together for the first few years of our relationship which was so magical. It was so nice having a person to experience such awesome things alongside me–to be honest, I may have gotten lonely otherwise.
What did you like least about your job?
The thing I liked least about my job was the crew politics. Living and working with different people from different backgrounds and cultures did get tough at times. Because I worked on smaller yachts with smaller crews, if there was any conflict between crewmembers, the whole boat would know it and feel it and it was not enjoyable at times.
What was the reason you left yachting? Did you think the skills you gained in yachting helped you in your land-based career?
I left yachting because my partner was able to get a rotational position and we were ready to have more of a work-life balance and it was near impossible to get a couples rotational position together. I didn’t mind stepping out because I knew I didn’t want to do it forever and I was ready to have a “home” of my own again. When I left yachting, I knew I had to do something where I could work from anywhere, because my partner and I still wanted to travel when on his off rotation. I took some online courses and started my own business as a digital marketer – I don’t think many of the skills I gained in yachting helped me out here other than having worldly experience, working with different cultures, and all the new relationships and connections I made.
What do you think is a key attribute that will help make you a successful yacht crew member?
Do your job well. That’s it, haha! If you are able to complete your tasks to a high standard and ability you will be fine–all crew politics mostly arose when someone wasn’t pulling their weight and people had to work harder because of them.
What advice would you give other Canadians interested in this career? Is the industry competitive? Would you recommend someone to join yachting?
The advice I can give to Canadians is if you are entering the states to find work, do not tell that to a border guard! It is legal for Canadians to work on foreign-flagged vessels, but not on US vessels or to “look for a job” on US soil. They will think you are taking job opportunities away from Americans (which you are not of course) and will not allow you to enter. It’s been a few years since I have been in the industry, so I believe it has gotten more competitive now, but it wasn’t too bad when I was in it. I would recommend someone to join the industry only if they have previous service experience – it may be very hard to find a job now without that.