“It doesn’t take [new crew] long to realize that it isn’t all
about the partying, getting a suntan and seeing the world,” says Mate James. “I suppose we all get the
same wake up call at some stage.”
At the beginning of each season, the docks, crew agencies
and passerelles are flooded with eager newbies who’ve been told to
go to Antibes or Fort Lauderdale to get a job on a boat, be paid a fortune for nothing but sun, sea and you-know-what. In actuality, when they get that coveted first job, newbies are in for long hours, hard work and should have skills tailored to the
position they’ve chosen. Some newbies are shocked by the reality of their new
career choice and seasoned crewmembers can be frustrated and irritated by the
latest class of green crew. So what can the long-time yachties do to help their
freshmen counterparts and what, if anything, do they get out of working
hand-in-hand with fresh meat?
“One of the most important things to remember when a new
crewmember starts on board is to lead by example. If you’re new, you will take
your lead on behavior from your colleagues, so it’s up to us to show [newbies]
that being punctual means being on deck ready to go 10 minutes before the start
of the day,” says Bosun Rocky. “You almost have to give a running commentary on
everything you do, like ‘clean the decks using this product,’ you can’t assume that
there is any previous knowledge at all.”
Don’t forget, although you have to put in a little extra
work or those first few months, the advantages aren’t all one-sided.
“Taking someone more junior [under my wing] really helped
consolidate my knowledge whilst showing them their job,” explains Deckhand
Jeff. “I also had a bit of a confidence
boost as I went from being the lowest of the low to realizing that I had
actually learned a lot and knew what I was doing!”
If you’re leading by example and helping to train the
newcomer, you aren’t just helping a newbie settle in, but you’re adding a valuable
asset to your team. An untrained crewmember who isn’t fully integrated as
quickly as possible will flounder and can be a burden. The more
effectively everyone works together, the better the crew dynamics and
the better the workload.
A tip for newbies: be keen and ready to give a job your
all. Be willing to follow instructions and trust the experienced crew when they
tell you that you don’t know it all.
“When I was a newbie deckhand I worked
my butt off," Bosun Dallas says. “I threw myself into the job completely, took it extremely
seriously and gave 110 percent at all times. I still do and I take pride in the
fact that I know I am good at what I do. It drives me insane when new crew
don’t have the same standards. This is a job, there is a reason it pays the big
bucks and that is, it’s hard work! Listen up, work hard and learn!”
A sentiment shared by Dockwalk.com
blogger Septic tank in his recent post, “Wants-to-be but can they be?”
So to all you long-term crew out there: take some time to
train the newcomers, show them how it, whatever it may be, is done properly and you can expect
to add a valuable new asset to your team, that is, if the newbie is prepared to
get his/her head down, hands dirty and learn the ropes.
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