I Started in The Superyacht Industry at 18 years old – Morgan’s Story
This is my personal story of how I got to see the world working on superyachts and living a life that is different to how most people live. I left school and went straight into working in the Superyacht industry. My first job was on a 98 metre privately owned mega yacht. Since then I’ve worked on other boats and am now working in France as a Chalet Host, and I’m only 20! I hope you enjoy reading about my life less ordinary.
I believe my life was different a long time before I started working on superyachts. My life changed when I was around 9 years when my dad’s job took took us from Australia to Thailand. After that we moved to Ghana, then England and eventually Portugal.
After growing up and spending most of my life at the beach in Queensland, Australia, I then spent 2 years in Chiang Mai in Thailand. Life in Thailand was so incredible, everything I did was so different to what I’d been used to. I expereinced life as a local and visited some of the most beautiful out of the way places. During the year I spent in Accra, Ghana, I was completely awestruck by the things I saw everyday. When I moved to England my love of gymnastics took off and I became south west champion at age 15.
At 17 years old my parents moved to Portugal and since I had to stay to finish college, I lived with my 19 year old sister learning how to be responsible for myself. This was both fun and scary, but the experience helped me focus on what I really wanted to do with my life. I wanted to work on superyachts, and that’s what I did.
Highs of working on superyachts
As a stew working on superyachts, I´ve been able to see the world, earn great money, travel to some amazing places and meet so many incredible people. I’ve now worked on 3 superyachts, sailed from the Seychelles through the Suez Canal and pirate waters. Then again from Italy back through the Suez to the Maldives. Each of these expereinces were different. On one boat we had 4 armed guards on board with lots of security rules to follow. At night the sky lit up with millions of stars which was a sight to behold. On the second Suez crossing I had to stay inside the cabins when the boat got boarded by locals. Howerver later on we got to barter and buy lots of chinzy souvenirs.
How did you started working on superyahts
At 18 I left college and did a 2 week course on the Isle of Wight with flying fish. This gave me everything I needed to work as either a deckhand or a stewardess. After finishing this course I ventured to Antibes by myself and stayed in a crew house for a few weeks. I met so many people all there for the single purpose of landing a job. Another great perk was getting lots useful advice by talking with experienced yachties.
Living away from home and alone, I was terrified and totally out of my comfort zone. Somehow I overcame my fears and went on to find work. The day jobs I did helped me afford to stay in Antibes longer and give me much needed experience to put on my CV. Eventually, I returned back to Portugal and applied for jobs online, it took several months and at times felt like I was never going to find a job but I did.
Working on superyacht and seeing the world
Being able to see the world working on superyachts became a reality when my first job meant joing the boat in the Seychelles. I spent my days off exploring exotic places, using the boats toys and having a lot of fun. My work day was busy detailing everything and learning to do service and decor. My next boat was in the Maldives, but I spent most of the time time in the laundry, when I say most, I mean 16 hours a day. The last boat I worked on was a 38 metre sailing yacht. The boat spent a lot of time in the Greek islands but then sailed back to Portugal in late Autumn.
When in Greece I loved island hopping and swimming in crystal clear waters on remote anchorages. All of these incredible experiences are things I could never afford to do and makes this job worth it. Another great perk has been able to take the entire summer off and go surfing. I’d worked almost constantly since I first started on boats so this was the best chilled out summer of my life.
What advice would you give to others
I would say follow your heart, do what makes you happy and have the confidence to step out of your comfort zone. I’m still learning and I’m still making mistakes but I love what I do despite the difficulties associated with this work-life balance.
