A former manager turned deckhand shares why he took the leap and took a pay cut

I knew a few friends who had entered the yachting industry since leaving school and I found it very intriguing and adventurous.

My previous job had long hours and was hard work, which made me comfortable entering the yachting industry.

When I started working on my boating certification courses in January this year, I was told about these massive yachting hubs where it would be easier to find work opportunities because they were saturated with boats.

One of these was Antibes, France. I moved there in May this year and traveled all over the coast of southern France, going to the docks every day, scouting the ships and putting myself out there to take advantage of the right opportunity.

I started documenting my job search on TikTok the day I left for France. I was very nervous about not having a job yet and wanted to stand out and take a step forward in my job search. I like to express myself through video creation, so the two went hand in hand.

I met this girl who works on this ship docked in Monaco for the season. He saw my videos and we met. I was the first person they contacted when they needed a porter. So it’s all about getting in front of the right people.

My role on the yacht is to make sure the outside of the boat is immaculate. Everything about the exterior, from the hull to the deck to any exterior furniture, is my responsibility to make sure it is presentable for guests. I also help with basic watchkeeping when the yacht is at sea.

Now, after three months, I am at the bottom of the food chain and I earn 1,000 euros less every month than I earned in South Africa. But this career has room for growth and will keep me above the ceiling I reached in South Africa in my management job.

One thing I’ve realized working on yachts is that you live in the same space as your colleagues. If something bothers you about a person and you keep quiet, it builds in you and only adds to the relationship on board. You need to foster a relationship with them that is much more fruitful than a normal employee would.

I also think I value it because not only do I get to travel or experience all these crazy things that normal 9-to-5 people usually won’t, but I also meet people and make connections with them that they will last a lifetime instead. That real connection with people also gives me satisfaction.

Having a life outside of this industry could be a challenge as anything can happen at the last minute. You might have time to spare one moment, but you’re expecting guests the next and suddenly it’s back to work for the week. So whatever you have planned just has to backfire.

But the maritime industry here is very good at work-life balance, and I think that’s also one of the things that attracted me to the yachting industry, because my previous job didn’t value my personal life. So after hard work I have a lot of free time and I have time to go experience things and go out.

One of my favorite places I visited was Corsica, France, a beautiful little town on a hill with an absurd history. I also had the privilege of hiking the old town, an amazing experience that I don’t think I would have had otherwise if I wasn’t in the yachting industry.

I once spoke to a person who has been in the industry for about nine years. He told me about hiring Will Smith and all these top star names that sounded so appealing. I haven’t had any such experience but the people we meet on this boat are very high net worth as the charter of the vessel I work on costs about 78,000 euros per week.

I once had a client with 3.2 million followers on Instagram and I had a normal conversation with her. It was humbling for me because you always think these people are going to be different or special in some way, but at the end of the day, they’re just normal people. She never mentioned anything about her success. It was so normal that I was surprised.

It is very motivating to be surrounded by such people because they make you feel that their success is possible for you too.

The superyacht industry is different from other luxury sectors. The places people visit are so unique that not everyone gets to see them. The cost involved is also quite exorbitant, with some yachts going for €500,000 per week. So the customer has a level of expectation of luxury that they want to receive, and you have to live up to very high standards that no other luxury industry has.

My career can progress from here in many ways and I am trying to explore all these avenues. But the yachting industry is a tight-knit community that has made me very happy these past few months, so I will stay as long as possible.

Do you have a story to share about working around high net worth individuals? Email this reporter at [email protected].