Powerboating Employment

Re Powerboat employment/yachting industry

After 16 years in the marine industry in office jobs, I started working as stew/cook on 24m in Mallorca until was laid off last year, (the Captain had started with similar experience to me)as a result I decided to get my paper qualifications up to the standard of my knowledge and experience. Having owned boats and been boating since 1982 I had a wealth of experience but with only ICC & Theory certs.
So I did CS Sail (followed by power conversion) which I wanted to commercially endorse, which meant I then had to do VHF, plus Sea Survival, First Aid... which then put me half way to STCW95, so it was logical to finish that. Then a bargain came up to do YM so I did that.
So in the space of 6 months I went from no real paperwork to YM status. Now I have no commercial experience and would not wish to consider skippering over 60ft, and am a stewardess/cook with Captain qualifications and therefore overqualified..... some superyachts possibly want to employ stews with YM but they are so big that they are ships and again not in my realm of experience. So catch 22, am "too good" for stew/cook but no commercial experience for Captaining! Am considering dumbing down my qualifications on stew application forms back to CS to see if this helps, although what I actually want to do is skipper/caretake a boat up to 60ft -- OK is a slimmer chance to find but I only need one (Mallorca is full of boats!)
On the stew/cook front I am listed with umpteen agencies but nothing comes up where I am.... or they have bizarre requirements like will take on a newby with wine tasting exp over a person with years of boating experience (!!).

So there is not really very much sense to this industry... you can have no qualifications but be a tall blonde and be taken on (me, short blonde ;-0 ), you can have everything and be regarded as overqualified, or if you aren't so and so's mate you can be ignored too, despite being ideal! And some of them are really disparaging about people who try to get a job via an agency!

Just seems to be a question of luck and hope!!
 
Not strictly what you are enquiring about, but in 2002 I fancied joining the marine industry as a salesman working at a dealership.

I loved boats, but had no experience in the industry. I was fairly successful as an IT salesman, but no experience of luxury retail sales.

NOBODY would return my calls or applications. The only time I was taken seriously was by Peter Dickie (Dickies of Bangor). And then I actually turned up at his yard and asked for a job. Downside was the money he could offer was dreadful.

In the end I applied for a position with a Hamble based dealer. No response so I called. No return call so I called again. No response.
So I turned up at the dealership and pretended to be a potential customer.
Two days later I called and declared my hand to the salesguy who showed me around. He was furious, but did put me through to the boss who was intrigued by my approach and told me to come and see him on the back of an Azimut 42 at 10:30 on the coming Tuesday at the boat show in Southampton.

I was there at 10:30 and waited. It seems the boss/es had forgotten or not taken me seriously, but eventually they showed up.
A brief interview and I was on the stand that afternoon as a salesman for them.

For the show I was commission and travelling expenses only, but I closed two deals without any real knowledge and pure enthusiasm.

The rest is history, I've done "OK" selling boats snce then. Brilliant up until the end of 2007, tough since then, but then we all know about that!
The salesguy who I upset didn't warm to me for a year or two, but I now consider him a good friend! We've both moved on due to the state of the industry, but (touch wood) we both have employment.
I earn about a third the money I did in IT, but it's not purely about the income. There is a good lifestyle to be had. Forget the Rolex watches, sharp suits and Range Rover sports with boat orientated number plates. That is a veneer. The reality is it's a bloody hard job, but satisfying when you see the smile on a new customer's face.

Whether you want to crew, skipper, fix, sell or sale. Follow your dream, don't take no for an answer and keep trying. You'll get there in the end.

Tom
 
jfm said:
Good story and congrats on getting where you wanted

Ref
...you're not having a pop at the Barkes are you? To be fair to them I think they too work hard and treat customers/prospects well
Click to expand...

LOL!
I didn't have them in mind. They are actually friends of mine (through business).

I decided to go the bean can Japanese route when times were good.
Started with the Scoobie WRX then the Lexus. Did have a very nice Brietling for a few years!

Even if I could afford them again (currently in a beaten up Vectra and wear a Citizen watch lol) I have decided that life has more important prioritize such as my daughter, my partner and, of course, my Boat!

I don't begrudge the Range Rover boys, let them enjoy it, but it isn't a prerequisite to be a sales person in the industry.

Tom
 
Nautibusiness said:
LOL!
I didn't have them in mind. They are actually friends of mine (through business).
Click to expand...

LOL! I wrote that cos the Barkes have a few RRSs and the plate on one of them is 80 ATS letters spaced, black screw cap, all arranged as you can guess! They're good guys, and good to do business with.

PS You have good taste - I mean Breitling rather than Rolex :-)
 
Last edited:
jfm said:
LOL! I wrote that cos the Barkes have a few RRSs and the plate on one of them is 80 ATS letters spaced, black screw cap, all arranged as you can guess! They're good guys, and good to do business with.

PS You have good taste - I mean Breitling rather than Rolex :-)
Click to expand...

The only "Rolex" I have ever owned was brought back from a little watch factory upstairs in the back lanes of some little Hong Kong covered market when I was a nav cadet with P&O Containers.
I can be forgiven, I was naieve and only 16....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top