How Has COVID Prepared You for Working on Superyachts?
I was observing with interest how the whole world was trying to learn how to cope with things that were already perfectly normal for me.
By the time I started working on superyachts I had already lived in several countries and travelled a lot. I was used to changing homes and surroundings and not getting too attached to places where I was. But I met a few green yachties who left the safety of their homes and hometowns for the first time and I could see that there were some unforeseen parts of this lifestyle that came as a big shock to them.
Yet that was before lockdown. It might have been hard for you to accept and get used to the new reality, but I can assure you that it gave you a great preparation for yachtie lifestyle in the same way yachting prepared me for a lockdown. I was observing with interest how the whole world was learning to cope with things that were already perfectly normal for me. And today I want to tell you how lockdown has helped you to become a yachtie.
YOU KNOW YOU CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT YOUR FAVOURITE HAIRDRESSER
You might wonder how these experiences can be similar when one confines you to the four walls of your home while the other gives you a freedom of travel. You’ll be surprised how many there are. For example, now you know that you can survive without your favourite hairdresser/coffee shop/burger place whatever it is that you love going to, you will be far away from it for extended periods of time. You will have to find new favourite places in many countries. You might actually end up having your favourite coffee shop in Italy, the best burger place in Miami and the most amazing seafood restaurant in Sicily. Welcome to a yachtie world.
MINI LOCKDOWNS WITH A VIEW
Secondly, you will get mini lockdowns in yachting too. When you cross the ocean there really is nowhere to go for days. The difference is that this has always got an end date in the foreseeable future. You know that every day you are getting closer to this beautiful destination in another part of the world. After surviving lockdown, would you even consider it a difficulty?
NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY
Another hardship of lockdown that has taught you a skill most needed in yachting would. Have you already learnt how to cope when you can’t meet anyone you know for extended period of time? Have you now realised that you can have a good time socialising or even having a birthday party on Facetime or Zoom? Good!
Because that is going to happen to you when you work on superyachts too. The difference is that here it is your choice of a lifestyle that comes with it. You get other great things for that sacrifice and you always have your crew to hang out with. After your lockdown experience, I bet you will appreciate the positives of the superyacht seclusion.
LIVING IN YOUR WORKPLACE
Or is it working from home? One way or another doesn’t it sound familiar? Again, it won’t be something you will have to get used to when you start working on yachts anymore. You probably already have this experience now. Except, here you live and work on a luxurious superyacht that is probably much larger than your home will ever be and you also have the vastness of deck and beautiful views from it.
CHANGE
Have you had to change your plans almost overnight because of a lockdown? Maybe you couldn’t go on holidays, or the opposite you couldn’t go back home from where the lockdown has found you. Have you had to put off something that seemed so important? Well, now you know that it is not such a big deal as it initially looked like and that many times this change has worked out much better than the initial plan would have anyway. How do I know this? Oh, because yachting has taught me that as much as my life did.
On a superyacht everything depends on the plans of the owners. If they change their itinerary, so will you. At the end of the day you are there for them. They give you a great lifestyle and you give them your flexibility in return. The good thing is that on a superyacht you always have a choice. If the plan doesn’t suit you, you can always leave and get on with your own life. There will always be another boat waiting for you later.
There is one crucial difference between what you experience during a lockdown and the challenges of yachting. When you work on superyachts, it is your choice. If you don’t enjoy it anymore or you are tired, you can always have a break or change your lifestyle again. And this is something that you should always remember about. Because where there is choice, there is freedom.
When you work on superyachts, it is your choice. (…) And this is something that you should always remember about. Because where there is choice, there is freedom.
If you’d like to check how you can use your lockdown experience to thrive in yachting, then book this Free Discovery Session to find out what your chances to work on a superyacht are and how I can help you get there!
