Chief Engineer Javier Fernandez on the most challenging part of the job and his advice for those looking to impress.
I was surfing in the Atlantic and started wondering how I could make my life revolve around the sea, and travel to different wave breakers where the water is warmer. Luckily, at the time there was a marine engineering school near my location, supported by the Spanish transportation authorities. So jumping into the school was easy; how I managed to finish my degree is another story.
Being an engineer, the most challenging part of the job is getting the time needed to find a potential solution to a complex or unexpected technical difficulty, especially when guests are on board.
If I weren’t on a yacht, I would, if I had enough financial support, set out to create a way to teach seafarers how to deal with life and work in both a qualitative and quantitative way, and not get burned out.
For an engineer, water ingress by any means is the worst mechanical failure. As of today, I’ve never been responsible for a sinking boat but, on one occasion, we did have an incident where a crankshaft seized, fortunately in a vessel that had two engines.
The biggest issue facing yacht engineers today is making things understandable to people without technical knowledge.
For those looking to get started, my advice is to spend as much time as possible acquiring knowledge before you jump in.
My advice for those looking to impress on the job: do it quietly and humbly.
Through yachting, I’ve learned about the great human capacity to adapt to any situation.
My most significant achievement is my two beautiful daughters.
The best part of the job is the taste of success after being in deep trouble for hours! It’s also good to appreciate the amount of off-duty time any single day on duty will provide.