We chat to Natasha Taylor

Natasha Taylor did the 28 day course at PYT in 2003 and landed a job on Aussie Rules, at that time owned by golfer Greg Norman. After two years she took a break and time out to see her family in South Africa. We caught up with her at PYT in Durban to get an insight into a girl's life working in the megayacht industry.

PYT I suppose you get quite blasé about lobster and champagne and caviar?

NT Yeah, yeah. We're a bit more behind the scenes, so we don't spend much time floating around the swimming pool.

PYT What made you decide on a career in megayachts?

NT I studied beauty therapy for three years and through beauty therapy you hear about cruise ships. The girl I studied with decided she didn't want to do cruise ships and just be another number, so she knew someone who was a chef on a private yacht and he got together with us and ran us through doing the STCW (marine safety course) and we went from there. I did the course, went to Fort Lauderdale and got a job.

PYT And what appealed to you about it?

NT The money, the travel, I guess travelling is the main thing, your accommodation is paid for, your food is paid for, and you get looked after. So that was a big draw card, because your gap year you want to travel, and especially being a girl you don't want to backpack and it's a lot safer being on a boat.

PYT And your expectations? Were they met?

NT I was pleasantly surprised and lucky with the boat I got on. It's not hard to get work but you have to understand that your average day in-season is going to be around 16 hours. You are going to work when they tell you to work but you are going to have a great time. You are living with more than just yourself.

PYT so being sociable is important?

NT Oh yes you can't be cranky and moody and want everything to go your way, at the same time you are taught so much about working with people that you are equipped to come back here and deal with anything from difficult people to easy going people to crew …

PYT Where is your career now?

NT I did the 4 week course here, worked for two years then the boat I was working on got sold with a big crew change over and then decided to come home for a bit of a break to consider opening up a business here.

PYT Was that Aussie Rules?

NT Yes, it has just been sold, now it's called the Floridian. Now I've been offered another job overseas again through people that I met, on a boat very similar to this one as 2nd stew.

PYT What were you on Aussie Rules?

NT I started as laundry girl then progressed up to 4th stew (stewardess) and then 3rd stew.

PYT Big boat - how many crew were there?

NT Fifteen.

PYT What boat are you going onto now?

NT Solemar. The guy (chef) that we met here, he's the chef on Solemar. Their boat was like our sister boat, as it was run by the same management company and our crew hung out socially together so that's how I knew the Chief Stewardess and they offered me a position - they're from South Africa.

PYT And is it usual that when they sell the boat the whole crew changes?

NT No, they rehired all of us, but our captain and first mate left and our chief engineer and his wife went back home to start a business, our crew had stayed on the boat for two years. I think everyone had just gotten to the point where it was just a good opportunity.

PYT If they had asked you to stay would you?

NT I was coming back anyway to have a break, after two years of chartering and working very hard.

PYT Your charters that you did, how many weeks did you fit in a year?

NT You do your Med season may June July into Sept based in Antibes, France, and then you car season which is more your Christmas season then back to America and back to the Med. You split yourself between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean seasons.

PYT You say back to America?

NT You go from France to Fort Lauderdale for the boat show in October so you restock, get all your provisions for the Caribbean season and then after Dec, Jan & Feb, come back to Ft Lauderdale to re-provision and then a two week crossing back to France for April to September.

PYT Do you have a breather between charters?

NT On some boats, two days between charters, the biggest gap is 4 days, and you just keep going. Your biggest break is before the charter season, when you're getting ready on board and detailing the boat for charter and then you hit charter season and then again just before you cross back over. But of course you get tipped very well.

PYT And of course the real money to be made is on charters, even though on a privately owned boat it's still good?

NT On our one Med season we made 11,000 Euro each in tips and you can average between $10,000 and say $25,000 a season in tips each in cash. So even if you just go over for one season you are making that, and you're traveling.

The one boat for a ten day charter made $8,000 each and that was just for one charter, so the potential to earn a lot of money is there. Our lowest tip for a one week charter was $1,800 each, which is still not a bad salary for someone and that's for one week's work.

PYT And what would be a basic salary?

NT I started on $2,500 pm and I was on the boat medical aid, your food and accommodation is paid for, again it varies from boat to boat but I'd say the average starting salary is $2,500 depending on whether it's for charter or private.

PYT And what position is that for?

NT That was laundry girl.

PYT Bottom of the ladder?

NT Yes and then I progressed and just before I left as 3rd stew I was earning $3,300 a month (excluding tips)

PYT And the tips are they generally shared equally amongst all the crew?

NT On our boat it was divided fifteen ways equally. I haven't worked on any other boat so I wouldn't know how it works.

PYT And is it normally 10 - 15% of then charter fee?

(Note: Charters range from about $20,000 a week for a small 6 crew boat upwards. So tips at 10 - 15% of the charter fee even for the smaller boats is 15% = $3,000 divided by 6 = $500 a week.

NT Some boats have it worked into the contract, some don't. If it isn't you can walk away being tipped horribly, if it is you get decent money. The money that's out there is phenomenal - you're watching people spend €2,000 on an outfit.

PYT We don't really have a concept of this here (in South Africa)?

NT And the amount of boats that are out there, you go to America, and I want to tell you there are boats upon boats upon boats, and there are boats in Europe, and it just depends where you want to travel

PYT It seems the industry is just growing and more and more people are building more and more boats?

NT…and if you are hard working and have a good nature you are guaranteed of a job.

PYT What advice would you give to say a girl coming out of school?

NT Make sure you do a proper course, be prepared. When you are going over there if you're wanting to be successful, be prepared, go with an international company that knows what they are talking about so that you've got experience,

PYT Like PYT?

NT Yes, if I advise anyone, I tell them to come here, why? Because I've seen the offices in Fort Lauderdale (where PYT is affiliated to IYT), I know that if I do it here I'm recognised over there. So people are not going to look at me strangely and go "Where did you do that certificate course?" Have experience on the boat, don't do the seven day course, do the four week course so you know what sailing is, and you've been exposed to it. So you know before you leave what you're getting yourself in for.

America is a safe country, obviously don't be stupid. There are crew agencies that you can register with in America that will help you find work, some of them are free, one you pay a once off registration fee of $25, that's who I got my job through, you can go on to their website anywhere in the world, look at what jobs are available, apply for jobs, so you can set yourself up to make life a lot easier. There are crew houses that you can look into before you get there so you can book accommodation, and you don't have to look for a place to stay when you get there. America is very safe, a very friendly country and it's not hard to get around. Have a bit of money in the bank to back you up, don't go over there penniless because accommodation costs you anywhere between $100 to $200 a week.

PYT How much did you take with you when you went over first time?

NT Two and a half years ago, I'd say about R12 000 would last you a month.

PYT How long before you started earning?

NT I got my first full time job after being there a month, but then I wasn't staying in Fort Lauderdale, I wasn't staying in a crew house. A friend of mine got a job on the first day. The first day she landed, opened a bank account, bought a bicycle, she got a job that day. She stayed in a crew house, and the closer you are to the docks the more exposed you are to people and the industry, the quicker you'll pick up day work.

When you're looking for a job, make sure your shirt is tucked in - treat it like a job interview. And basically what you do is, wake up before 8 o'clock, you go to the docks, so that when people are starting work looking for day work, you're there, you walk the docks, get to know people, and pretty soon you'll find a job. The Caribbean season I think for girls it's the way to go because there's a better chance you'll get a serious job and not just day work.

PYT So is a bicycle important?

NT Yes, she bought it and then got a job and didn't need it. Bicycles will make your life a lot easier. It's flat - it's not like Westville, so you're not going to be riding up any steep hills. Buses there are very easy, you can buy a day pass for $2.50 and you can ride on any bus and any train as many times as you want.
People are more than willing to help you.

You can communicate with home, Crew agencies offer computers so you can go on the internet and you can phone home.

PYT So you didn't feel like you were miles away? Did you get homesick?

NT I cried a lot in the first month, so give you yourself three months, emotionally and mentally give yourself three months and you'll be fine. I was a bit miserable at first, but once I had my first job and I was earning my own money, then I was fine.

PYT Were you all alone or did you go with friends?

NT I left with one girl who studied with me and she got a job first off and then I got a job. She traveled a bit more, traveled through Canada and then came home, and I carried on for two years.

PYT How old were you when you went over?

NT I studied for three years (beauty therapy) before I went over.

PYT What about someone who's considering it as a gap year?

NT Either way it can work for you. If you're the type of person that doesn't know what you're going to study, it gives you time to figure things out. You can go over there and make money and then come back here and study, and travel at the same time. It opens up so many doors even for studying, if you don't feel like studying in South Africa, you can look at England or somewhere else. But if you're the type that won't come back to studying, I'd say study first. I know that I traveled for two years and you get bitten by that travel and money bug so quickly. But it also gave me the capital to start a business.

PYT What were you planning to start?

NT A salon. I've got the capital so it would be very easy, but there's the option to travel so I'll probably take that before I settle down.

PYT So you could keep on building up more capital?

NT It gives me the opportunity to invest in property, and that sort of thing…

You just open up a bank account, when you get there, it's not hard to do. You just need your passport, go to Bank of America, with $100 and you have a bank account. So you earn dollars and it's tax free.

PYT And a typical day for you on the boat?

NT Out of (charter) season, start work at eight, finish at five. We do a rotation so one day you'll do laundry, the next day you'll do cleaning, depending on what position you're in. Chief stew will do a lot more organizing. And we work a five day week. But you have to be very flexible, because these things change, they can say you've got this weekend off and then the boss (owner) can phone and say we're having a cocktail party on Saturday night and there goes your weekend.

In season, again you work a rotation, between service, cabins and laundry, and then you work on average a 16 hour day, and they break it down, I used to work from say seven to three, a two hour gap, start again at five, and in the laundry I'd work until midnight, maybe two in the morning. Service you're up until the last guests are up, If you have guests like we've had guests, they tag team each other, so some will be going to bed and some will be getting up, so you just (make sure you) survive … at seven in the morning and they're eventually going to bed and you've got the kids waking up and they want to go jet skiing and you've just done your first 19 or 22 hour day you just have to deal with it… So it can be rough

PYT…but you just think of the dollar signs?

NT You can do it if you know that at the end of five days you've just earned…

PYT So you do get a break?

NT You do and unfortunately that's when you're turning the boat around, re-provisioning and cleaning… They do work to try and get you as many days off as they can because they know that you need it. So you'll get half a day off and you'll go to the beach and you'll veg in the middle of France and have some guy serve you because you're not moving so you can picture me lying on a sun bed just going aaaah

Or you'll get two days or a weekend off and you'll go to New York and then you'll get your yard periods where the boats going in for repairs. So we had three months in Barcelona and got to travel there and then a six month period in Jacksonville and I got to take five days and go to New York and a trip to Atlanta.

PYT So is there any reason why not to do this?

NT Depends, if you've got the right attitude and prepared for hard work you'll get a job.

PYT Is nationality an issue?

NT No being South African is ok. I'm on a British passport and that gives me a good opportunity to work in Europe because I don't need a visa. So for example if you don't like yachting you can do other work. People love South Africans, they work hard, are practical and not princesses or drama queens.

We (South Africans) are motivated by what is an excellent salary to us, whereas it's low for Americans or Europeans.

PYT So why aren't more people doing it? Is cost an issue?

NT People just don't know about it in SA, they don't know the industry exists. My friend waitressed and saved every cent, she sold her car, did the course, went over and got a job on the first day. She bought the bike and didn't need it.

PYT And how did it benefit you as a person?

NT you learn lots about yourself, you become so much more independent in all sorts of ways… emotionally, financially… it's a big thing to have in SA, so you don't have to rely on a boyfriend or husband. You don't have to settle on a nine-to-five job. When you work on the boat they pay for everything so you bank, bank, bank, and they pay for one trip home per annum.

PYT So you feel like you can afford to do things?

NT I saved $40,000 in two years and traveled. I had a five day holiday in New York staying in a five star hotel on Times Square, you can eat what and where you want to. When you go traveling you don't go back pack unless you want to, Someone saved $60,000 by budget traveling.

I've been on fishing trips, scuba diving in Turks and Caicos Islands. When we were in a yard period, we hired a car for the weekend and went to Disneyworld. In France you pay €20 to hire a sun bed on the beach and be waited on by young French Brad Pitts.

I had an 11 hour (between flights) stop over in Paris so I booked into a hotel, had a bubble bath, watched a movie and phoned my brother on the beach at Umhlanga Rocks and then surprised him by being here the next day.

Courses get booked
far in advance, so

and go, go, go!