From Bristol to Barbados: chartering the world of superyachts

“The things that you get to see are outrageous: the wildlife, the places, the people”, said Sarah Ashworth, lead deckhand on board a superyacht.

She continued: “There’s some experiences that I’ve done in this industry that I know categorically most people won’t ever do.”

4,000 miles away from a windy and and wet Bristol evening, Sarah was Zooming in from the gleaming teak deck of a vessel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The 29-year-old told Bristol24/7 of the glamour, and gruel, of life as a crew-member on a superyacht.

Sarah went to Bath Spa University to study photography and digital media – photo: Sarah Ashworth

“I’ve been really lucky – I’ve got to go to some amazing places”, she said, as she squinted from her latest charter, a private Feadship launched in 2016.

Last year, Sarah was on a different boat called that was owned by an American businessman and billionaire. “He took us to the Galapagos. We went to Costa Rica and we went scuba diving with sharks, and it was just epic”, she added.

While life on a floating palace, mingling with billionaires and visiting volcanic islands might seem a far cry from the reality of most, accessing the world of mega yachts might be closer than one thinks.

Bristol Maritime Academy can be found on Cumberland Road, with direct access to the tides of Avonmouth and the Bristol Channel – photo: Betty Woolerton

Sarah trained at Bristol Maritime Academy, a training base tucked away behind the Underfall Yard, a working boatyard which lies at the heart of Bristol’s seafaring history.

Having lived in Redcliffe and Clifton and worked in marketing at the centre, Sarah was tempted by the glimpse into yachting and took the plunge by enrolling in the six day course.

Bristol Maritime Academy offers an accredited Superyacht Crew Starter Package, which for £800 bundles together essential courses to kickstart budding yachties for their first job at sea.

Modules range from personal survival and security awareness to first aid, power boating and radio training.

Tim Hughes, managing director at the centre, said: “These courses have become popular, with lockdowns have the effect where people have asked themselves, ‘Why am I going into the city every day and working?’. People are starting to rethink their lifestyle.”

From learning the ropes on the waters of Avonmouth, Chepstow and Cardiff, students can head off to port anywhere from the Mediterranean to Barbados, equipped with their basic training.

While glamour-filled in many ways, with long hours and cramped accommodation life below deck isn’t all smooth sailing.

It’s normal in the industry to refer to the boat’s owner as ‘my owner’- ranging from the friendly to the domineering. Stewardesses run the interior of vessels, whom Sarah said are sometimes “sold the dream” and “end up cleaning toilets”.

Sarah, as a deckhand, is responsible for equipment maintenance, docking and other operations, a position she described as “male-dominated”, saying “sometimes it’s frustrating being a girl on deck because you do feel like you’re proving your worth a little bit extra than the boys”.

Bristol Maritime Academy have bases in Bristol and Portishead – photo: Bristol Maritime Academy

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Despite this, working on luxury boats can be accessible. Tim commented that superyachts are part of a “massive, hidden industry” that “almost nobody knows about”.

“At no point do people tell you on careers day that you can work on a superyacht crew on a luxury cruise, see the world, get paid really well and have a fantastic time”, he said.

Tim said: “You don’t have to be a genius, you don’t have to have a degree or 10 levels to do well in this industry: you need to have really good customer service skills and a really good work ethic. If people fit into that, the rewards are fantastic.”

To find courses at Bristol Maritime Academy, visit: https://bristolmaritime.co.uk/career/superyacht-crew-training/

Main photo: Sarah Ashworth

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