My Journey in Yachting – Olivia

My career in yachting started in Antibes, France, just a week after my 18th birthday. However, I wouldn't say I really began until I was 20. Looking back, I realize I was too young to work on yachts, so I spent a couple of summer seasons in the south of France and returned to the UK during winters for the first few years.

With just £600 in my pocket, I started as a stew, scraping human poo out of a shower with a toothpick. It wasn't glamorous, but it taught me that I didn't want to work on the interior of a yacht. So, I spent every morning out on the docks with a CV in hand, trying to pester people to take my CV and give me daywork or a chance.

The industry was very different back then, and there was a lot of attitude towards women on deck. But I never gave up and got my first break as a deckhand on a sailing yacht in 2014 after joining as a stew/deck in the summer. Nine months of yard period deck work later, I was offered a job on a new build Feadship in the yard as a junior deckhand.

From there, I spent several years moving up on deck on a couple of boats, eventually working up to the build and subsequently to operational captain of a chase boat for a 90 metre new build which I had joined a year before. I finished off as the mate on board the first sailing yacht I worked on as my "retirement boat" before leaving the industry.

What made me pursue a career in yachting was a chance encounter with a man wearing a nice watch who worked in the industry. I was in the cadets at school and had always wanted to be a fast jet pilot, but they weren't recruiting at the time, so I was told to get some "life experience". After meeting the man in yachting, I never looked back.

One of my best moments as a yachtie was when I was sent to Sardinia alone, given a car and an apartment, and oversaw the build of the boat from the bare hull to delivery. During this experience, I learned about procurement, pushing an Italian shipyard for delivery as soon as possible, and the operational side of running a vessel. I also learned about procurement and warranty works, engineering and troubleshooting, passage planning, and compliance. Another memorable moment was diving in the Maldives with whale sharks at a manta ray cleaning station.

After reaching some of my career goals and buying a house in Dartmouth, I was ready to leave the on-board life but not the industry. So, when a relationship manager role at Global Services came up - overseeing the procurement needs of a huge range of items for superyacht clients around the world, I leapt at the opportunity.

As I’ve discovered, it’s been a perfect pivot for me to transition from being a yachtie to using my knowledge and experience in the industry to help others. Plus I’ve been able to use my contacts to help set up and run networking pop-up events for superyacht crew when they are visiting Palma, one of Global’s overseas hubs.

In summary, my journey in yachting has been an incredible experience filled with challenges, hard work, and unforgettable moments. I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my career.