Crewed awakenings
With more than 80 attendees, the Sydney Superyacht Career Night gave potential crew a real insight into working in this global super-industry.
01 December 2022
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With the worldwide superyacht fleet growing year on year both in the number of yachts and in their average size, the opportunities the industry offers for potential crew are significant – indeed, it’s suggested that there will be a global shortage of crew in the near future.
Crewing, either in the deck, engineering or interior departments, can be an incredibly rewarding experience both for shorter-term stints or for full careers, with routes ashore more diverse than ever as demand grows for those with significant superyacht experience in all sorts of related areas, from brokerage to project management and far beyond.
It is against this backdrop that Marine Jobs, Superyacht Australia and Superyacht Crew Academy jointly hosted the Superyacht Career Night at the end of November at Middle Harbour, Sydney. Over 80 potential crew and their parents joined the event, coming from as far afield as Newcastle and Port Stephens.
The event was organised to attract and inform young people about joining the superyacht community and becoming a part of an exciting and thriving global industry, with experts from across the Australian superyacht scene explaining crew roles and outlining both the size of the industry and its global epicentres.
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The event also provided the opportunity for attendees to ask questions and speak with former crew, get an information pack on the industry, find out about shorter courses to train for roles on yachts during their gap year, and – for the many in attendance with an interest in a longer-term role – learn how best to approach and structure an ongoing career in superyachting.
One of the many interesting points raised concerned skill transfer, and the fact that with Australians’ typical close connection with the sea and water sports, they are often highly sought after as superyacht crew.
Indeed, many young Australians grow up engaged in activities such as surfing, nippers, snorkelling and swimming, all those water skills and techniques confer a degree of experience in and confidence around the water which can be an advantage when applying for crew positions.
Speakers at the event were Greg Newby, Director, Superyacht Crew Academy; Berna Lasoski, Interior Crew Trainer, Superyacht Crew Academy; David Good, CEO, Superyacht Australia; Joey Crutch, Co-Founder & Charter Experience Broker, The Yacht Life; Sam Dunleavy, Co-Founder & Managing Director, The Yacht Life; and Debbie Leenderts, Partner, Chapman Yachting. Representatives from Marine Jobs partners Marina Industries Association and the Boating Industry Association were also in attendance.
“We were thrilled by the extremely positive response we received from those who attended the event saying how much they enjoyed learning about the industry,” says Newby.
“It’s very encouraging to hear directly from young people looking to join the superyacht industry and our role as a marine training academy extends to being there to help and guide them.”
“It’s also great to see the collaboration between the Marine Jobs industry associations and to see them in action together for the development and impact of the industry as a whole,” he adds.
There are more Marine Jobs Superyacht Career Nights planned for this year, with the next one scheduled be held on Tuesday 13 December at Southport Yacht Club, Southport, Gold Coast from 1830 to 2030. Click here to register your interest for the event.
The Superyacht Career Nights schedule also stretches into 2023 – for future events, check the Superyacht Australia events list. To see the available jobs in the marine industry, visit the Marine Jobs website here.
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