MY JOURNEY TO CHIEF STEWARDESS

My journey to becoming a chief Stewardess on superyachts is quite an extensive one, but one I wouldn’t change for the world! From a fashion graduate, event coordinator and chief stewardess on various superyachts, to now co-founder of one of the largest and busiest yacht stewardess training schools based in Cape Town, South Africa. I’m a firm believer that our “life experiences” are what shape and mould us into the people we eventually become. If it had not been for mine, I wouldn’t have been as well equipped and experienced as I am today, to live and breathe my dream.

I started studying fashion design in 2003 and was determined to have a career in fashion! After graduating, I moved to the UK where I believed my dreams were going to come true, only to find that my expectations were not well managed and rather expensive to meet. My dreams were momentarily crushed, until I found a position in retail. I became the head of menswear for a Diesel outlet in Selfridges and was still able to work in the fashion industry.

Still longing for a career with greater creativity and purpose, I discovered another layer in my make-up, Travelling! Travelling enabled me to stimulate my creativity and passion for people. The beauty of the various destinations I was fortunate enough to visit, overwhelmed me and the different cultures humbled me. On one of these travels, I fell in love with Yachting.

I went to visit a friend in Malta and she was living and working onboard a superyacht. As I stepped aboard M/Y Five Fishes, I was welcomed by a group of young, passionate people with a love for adventure. There was something so incredibly inviting about this industry and I instantly knew that one day I would love to be part of it. I returned to the UK after that weekend, questioning everything, and knew that my life would soon have to take on a different direction.

Not long after my visit to Malta, my visa ran out and it was time to return home. Next, I worked as an event coordinator. Having a bit of prior experience organizing fashion shows whilst studying, I eased into my role fairly quickly. I loved the meticulous planning of every event and the thrill of working under pressure, but a year later the company’s doors closed and I was forced to move on once more.

The idea of joining the yachting industry was still lingering in the back of my mind. The excitement seemed to grow each day and it became increasingly clear that working onboard a superyacht would be a viable option, allowing me to work and travel the world whilst earning extremely good money. My mind was telling me, “This is your calling, you HAVE to do this”. And it was right! I couldn’t deny myself this opportunity whilst I was still young and unattached.

I decided to move to Cape Town and look into the various training courses to get myself qualified. Having already made the decision in my mind, I booked, paid and soon started on my new adventure. The yachting courses were sensational and unlike anything I had ever done. I absolutely loved it and with each new course, my excitement grew further!

After receiving my certifications, I was fortunate enough to swiftly land myself two interviews. One, working for a yacht locally and another, working on a yacht based in the Caribbean. Three things I was forced to learn very quickly about the yachting industry:

1) A professional and correctly formatted yachting CV is your personal brand or “shop front”
2) The interview process and being prepped for it is vital
3) trusting your own instincts is key

Generally, when your gut feeling tells you that something is off, chances are it probably is. Trusting my instincts lead me to taking my first job on the yacht based locally in the V&A Waterfront and today I am still grateful for that decision as it has allowed me to utilize a variety of local motor yachts for training purposes and provide our students with daywork and a captain’s reference. This means that students gain their very first reference before they’ve even left South Africa and by doing so, have an enormous competitive edge over other job seekers.

I started my yachting career as a sole stewardess on an 85ft (25m) Princess Yacht, called Princess Emma. At the time she had just arrived from Europe and was the largest superyacht in Cape Town. It was owned by a very wealthy gentleman who owned the manufacturing company, Princess Yachts, and was handed over to five trusted friends to manage and utilize as they saw fit. These five men were some of the most respected and well-known businessmen in South Africa and working for them was such an incredible experience. I was thrown in the deep end, labelled the Operations Manager and was responsible for running the Interior, charter bookings and marketing.

Two years into yachting, working on Princess Emma, I met my husband, Peter Oakley. Together we started plotting our combined dreams and aspirations. Pete decided to join yachting and after my third year on Princess Emma, we were making our way to the playground of the world’s largest yachts, the South of France.

We managed to land our first yacht together, working for a female Australian owner. I secured a position as a second stewardess and Pete as a Deckhand, however, everything soon went pear-shaped and we wondered whether we had made a huge mistake. After conversing with some trusted fellow yachties, we decided to take the risk and resign from the boat after the season had already started and with a bit of luck managed to be employed again by the time our ferry from St Tropez docked at St Raphael.

Our next yacht was an exciting new challenge, with a great team! The boat was a brand-new build and being collected directly from the shipyard. I had the responsibility of kitting out the entire yacht interior from scratch. My duties included ordering everything from cutlery to bed linen, right down to the shoehorn (for those of you who don’t know what that is, it is a little tool that assists you with putting your shoes on by slipping it into the back of the heel). Vital little tool in this industry, it seems. I learnt a great deal that season, especially about all the many little things needed to run the interior of a yacht. This was also my first experience working for a Russian owner, which was, let’s say…interesting. Many trips to and from Ibiza that season and many things were seen that I can never unsee. Let’s just say it was an eye-opening season, one that made me grow up very quickly.

Thereafter Pete and I got headhunted by a captain friend of our captain and moved onto a similar sized yacht where we again worked for a Russian couple. We were on duty every single weekend come rain or shine as the owner was a real adventure and thrill seeker. If he wasn’t racing and sailing on the weekend, he was going from zero to hero in learning how to fly a plane! This yacht allowed us to attend the London winter Olympics that year. We were shipped from France to Rotterdam, got to spend some time in Amsterdam and then sailed down into London via the Thames. It was truly one of my most amazing experiences. Afterwards, we sailed to Plymouth and Kinsale, Ireland and then back to Rotterdam to be shipped back to the South of France. It was truly incredible and an unforgettable experience.

From here, I landed my first chief stewardess position! The captain of my previous boat contacted me about an opportunity on his new boat and of course, I leapt at it. With great opportunity comes great sacrifice and during that season, Pete and I had to work apart. Getting thrown into the deep end again, I was now getting a lot better at swimming. Our privately owned yacht very unexpectedly turned into a very busy charter yacht and we worked extremely hard that season. Luckily for me, I even got the opportunity to hike up Stromboli, an active volcano in Italy! The guests selected a few crew members from the boat to join them and I was one of the lucky few afforded this breathtaking, yet rather strenuous opportunity. This is where my experience in working with people deepened, both in a management and service capacity. Working with crew and for guests of various nationalities, personalities, ages and cultural backgrounds, often extremely wealthy and demanding. I made a lot of mistakes, learned from them and then made some more, but ultimately survived my first chief stewardess gig and from there, it was onwards and upwards!

In the meanwhile, my husband, Pete was working on getting himself super qualified as an engineer and was climbing the ranks to where he eventually landed a job on a very well-known yacht agents’ radar and got offered a position in the middle east working for the King of Qatar! Not long after, one of the captains learnt of our engagement to each other and asked if I would like to join the fleet. Of course, I was all over this opportunity and it meant that Pete and I could stay and work together again. So off we went on a Middle Eastern Adventure. I was employed as the relief chief stewardess for the fleet and managed to regularly hop between various boats ranging from 25m – 80m in length. It was quite a different experience to the Mediterranean, but one that I am very grateful for.

Working in the Royal fleet taught me so much and was an invaluable experience that has truly been instrumental in building my skill set and career over the years. To help the next generation of young female crew entering the superyacht industry, I now want to share my knowledge and extensive experience through modern, relevant and professional yacht stewardess training under my brand, The Stewardess Co.

Based on my deep understanding of interior superyacht operations on both private and charter yachts ranging between 25m – 80m in length, the 5-day yacht stewardess course I have created covers every aspect from beginner to advanced. With our practical’s taking place onboard some of the most prestigious motor yachts in the V&A Waterfront, the yacht stewardess course provides a fully-immersive experience for each student. My goal is to create a new generation of highly professional and sought-after super stews that are equipped to handle any size vessel, anywhere in the world, no matter the demands.

Yachting has formed such a huge part of my life and with the correct guidance, can be life-changing for many. It is now, more than ever, despite the challenging conditions, that I urge you to get out and see the world. Set goals (and stick to them), broaden your horizons, try new things and grow as an individual. Your future self will thank you!

Yours in Yachting,

Maxine Oakley