Associate Editor Aileen Mack joined Dockwalk in July 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. If she’s not at a concert or coffee shop, she is lost in a book, movie or a YouTube rabbit hole. Email Aileen at aileen@dockwalk.com.
No matter how much you may love your work there are tough moments and boring tasks that are just part of the job. Those with knowledge of the industry know that crewmembers’ jobs are more difficult than they appear from the outside with long, hard hours to maintain an impeccable standard of service. Dockwalk Editor Lauren has been interviewing crew live on our Instagram @dockwalk about their yachting experiences and challenges. There are many positive aspects about working on board, but what’s one of the hardest or most stressful parts of your job?
“I was pretty young when I first started, so spending a lot of time away from your friends and family. Last Christmas, I was on a boat in The Bahamas and that was my first Christmas away, so it was quite hard. You get used to it. So probably not seeing your friends and family, but now you go home and spend all the time you can.”
Deckhand India Joseph-Meddle
“I think the worst part is when you try to communicate something and the other person doesn’t understand because it’s not the same culture and it’s not the same mentality… It’s also hard when you have duty on board, when you have the watch for example on Saturday or Sunday, and you’re so tired and you have to be on watch.”
Chief Stewardess Gabriela Bolivar
“It’s a very consuming and demanding lifestyle. It’s not just a job. There’s obviously so much more to it [and] it kind of takes over your social life. I try to play sports outside of the boat as much as I can and that’s quite hard to do. It is very demanding so if you’re not completely in it, it makes it very difficult because you can’t really escape it because it’s all around you.”
Deckhand Patrick Levitzke
“[As a chef,] everyone sees your work. It’s not like you’re a stewardess where you might clean a thing and no one’s going to see that. Everyone sees your work at 12 o’clock and at 6 p.m. And if they say like, ‘What? You spent all day making this,’ it can be very stressful. And that’s just crew. When you go to the next level for guest, so much of the charter alone is on how good the food is, so it’s a lot of pressure.”
Chef Nina Wilson
To watch these interviews live, follow our Instagram @dockwalk to find out when we’ll go live next, and if you’re interested in being a guest, send an email to: lauren@dockwalk.com.
This column originally ran in the February 2021 issue of Dockwalk.