How to become a superyacht captain: From those who know

Some join yachting for a season, but for others, it transforms into a lifelong career. With travel, decent earnings, the possibility of rotation, and a life at sea, it’s easy to understand why. We spoke to captains Neal Roche and Liz Brasler about their yachting journey.

The journey begins

All captains must start somewhere. For captain Liz, and many others, it was dock walking to get her first deckhand job. After completing more than one Atlantic crossing with her parents on their sailing yacht, Liz started to dream bigger. The first step involved compiling a CV with her most relevant qualification being a PADI divemaster. Fate stepped in when a captain overheard Liz and offered her a job provided the swift completion of her STCW certificate. Luckily, Liz was able to proceed quickly due to some no shows on the first day of the course. The rest is history – Liz was accepted on the course, then the yacht, and so began her wonderful maritime journey.

Captain Neal Roche entered the industry from a commercial maritime background - a slightly different route, but not necessarily easy sailing. Captaining M/Y Dubai as his first captaincy, Neal described this experience as one of his career highlights.

Climbing the ranks

When Liz first joined yachting, she didn’t imagine becoming a captain. However, as time passed, she found herself wondering what she would do as captain in certain situations. These scenarios intrigued Liz to explore the possibilities. There were a few challenges during her training, the hardest modules for her being Stability and Celestial. Instead of exam cramming, Liz turned to online educational videos and knuckled down to completely understand them in every way. Becoming captain is by no means easy and provided many challenges. You must decide under what tonnage you want to operate and attain the correct license. There are countless courses to complete, none of which come cheap. Not to mention the process, which is certainly not quick, it takes years of study and practice.

Neal Roche said, “Luckily, there is nothing inherent that is needed to become a captain. Everything can be learned, however this of course takes time and patience. A new captain will often think that they should know everything because of the position they find themselves in. However, just like any other person in a new position or job, they will need time to learn the ropes. They should be prepared to be honest enough to admit if they don’t know something or ask for information/advice. It is important to be respectful, both of those you work for, and who work for you. Your crew will look to you for guidance and, to set the tone onboard, it is important to be respectful of them for this reason.”

Imparting advice

Liz advises any ladies wishing to pursue this career to do everything  four times better than their male counterparts. According to Liz, as a female in a male dominated industry, “the sad truth is that the expectation of failure is higher if you are female.” Despite the unfairness of it all, Liz managed to hold her own in the industry and her hard work paid off. She is an inspiration to female seafarers everywhere.

Neal’s advice for those starting their first drive:

• Allow yourself the chance to learn the job. Understand that it will take time, and do not be afraid to ask for help or advice.
• Learn to prioritise your tasks to avoid becoming overloaded.
• Understand that delegating tasks is not seen as shirking the workload. It is giving the jobs to more appropriate people rather than doing it all yourself. People want tasks and it provides purpose, and the chance to show their captain that they can do a good job.
• Understand that your crew are your biggest asset. This is the most important one. You should work even harder for them than they do for you. It is important that from time to time you are happy to help with menial jobs. Get to know them and speak to them on a one-to-one basis regularly.

To be a captain is a privilege, however, it is only so because of the hard work and support of your crew. If your crew are happy and feel that they are listened to and respected, they will go the extra mile. Attentive crew, particularly on guest cruises, will be the difference between a good and a great result for your guests.

Maintaining professionalism is important, despite what may be happening around you. As a captain, striving to strike a balance between leading by example and encouraging and supporting crew determines their potential and helps them reach their goals. When looking for a job opportunity, keep in mind the destinations of the yacht itinerary before making a decision based on the potential earnings.

Challenges

From all the advice, there was a definite common denominator that stood out. One thing the interviewed captains agreed on is the importance of mentoring. A mentor is your navigational guide through the ins and outs of your career. “In such a challenging environment, it can be a lonely path if you go at it alone,” said captain Liz. There are many misconceptions about being a captain. It’s important to seek advice from mentors who have experienced everything first-hand. Reality will prepare you and assist with informed decision-making that affects your future at sea.

Being a captain comes with a heap of responsibility and often-difficult decisions. Neal quashes the popular belief that the captain has limitless authority and says it is a farce. Like any CEO role, despite the position, as captain, you are constrained by budget, management, owner requests, weather, scheduling etc.

Of course, no matter your gender, there is also always the challenge of having to be away from family, despite your role onboard, never gets any easier.

Career highlights

Captain Liz is a firm believer that hard work and dedication pay off. Passing the especially challenging modules and her master's oral exam ranks highly among her career highlights. Liz also found the most positive inspirations were the new eager crew. Full of questions and inspired by her, when in fact she was inspired by their energy and optimism.

For Neal, other than his first captaincy, highlights include becoming captain of the M/Y Barbara build and subsequent operational captain. And of course, more recently, becoming build captain of project Z1010. Day to day perks of the job for him include working with a diverse bunch of fantastic people, seeing a crew knit together, knowing that you had a part in that, seeing a happy owner or guest, knowing that your team made them happy, being out at sea in a beautiful yacht, being able to bring about visible change and improvement in your working environment.

Where to next?

Liz reminds us that with COVID-19 our plans will need to be even more fluid than usual. She and her partner will both be looking for a new position taking into consideration the current global pandemic and restrictions. Ultimately, the dream is to gain a couple’s position with her chef partner, on a research or owner only adventure yacht or to join a new build and setting up a vessel in the shipyard, which is always an exciting challenge.

These captains have proven that with diligence, humility and studiousness, achieving your goals and making a difference is within reach.

Find out more about Virtual Pursers LLC. Alternatively, you can read further articles on Crew Training.