Deckhand Rebekah on making the transition from stew to deck, and completing around 85 dives in a summer season.
I would like to become an officer one day, and maybe captain, but that’s too much responsibility to think about right now!
I took a trip to Europe, saw a superyacht and booked my STCW. I wanted to be a deckhand but kept hearing that it’s easier to start as a stew. It may seem scary to think you’ll get trapped as a stew, but I made it very clear to the captains and chief officers on one of my first boats that my heart was on deck. They took that opportunity to mentor me and teach me skills I use until this day. Between that and completing my Divemaster, I confidently stepped onto deck.
If I weren’t on a yacht, I have no idea what I’d be doing. Like most kids trying to figure it out I flipped through many fixations and eventually landed on chiropractics. Then I soon realized it would’ve been too much school and too expensive for my liking. Would much rather spend that money and time going on adventures.
The toughest part of the job is having to adapt to different cultures. You really have to learn to adapt. Just have an open mind and don’t be too quick to get offended. If it troubles you, just ask them why they communicate that way.
Don’t let your ego supersede your skill set! And for the love of all, don’t complain about duties that are literally in the job description you signed up for.
Nationality: American/Canadian
Time in industry: three years
Yacht: 164ft Westport
Previous yachts: Party Girl, Teleost, 3D and Serenity
The most important thing I’ve learned on board is patience and flexibility. Gotta have it to survive differences with your crew, not get too disappointed if weekend plans get snagged up by a last-minute trip and not be a bother to your higher ups from listening to you complain about having to work a little later. Trust me, they don’t want to work any later than you do.
There have been a lot of significant achievements but having my Yachtmaster Offshore is pretty cool and was a very rewarding course. I ended up completing around 85 dives in a summer season because the boss was freshly retired and wanted to dive every day. Also, being given the opportunity to assume responsibility as bosun for a season was a great experience.
There are so many deck hacks. Sparkling water is a life saver for red wine and berry spills. Always clean up after a project before starting a new one. You don’t want your HODs chasing after your messy trail. Always protect your deck, use drop towels under your products and tape the underside of metal canisters.