Originally from Pittsburgh, I started as a chef in 1985 by way of Fort Lauderdale. My degree from college was a double major in restaurant management and Nutrition Education. I had moved to St. Thomas and ended up working in a local gourmet store provisioning yachts. I used to always tell the chefs, “You have it made! I wish I had a job like yours.” One day one of the girls said, “I knew you’d say that. I’ve got some interviews lined up.” The first captain said, “Do you know how to sail?” and I said, “Not really”. He said he really needed more help than that. The next one said, “That’s perfect. I don’t need someone telling me how to run the boat.” In 1986, chartering was much more about sailing.
I crewed on an Ocean 60 schooner with two others. Back then we had more crew. I worked three years out of St. Thomas on specific boats for the season.Then I went back to Ft. Lauderdale and started freelancing and sort of moved up to the megayachts. The biggest was 160’. Back then I was rather impressed myself.
How did you move on to dry land? I worked as a corporate chef for three years - it was said to be one of the best jobs in the industry but I got bored because we just sat in Ft. Lauderdale. I did booze ‘n cruise charters, and sailed some summers up in New England.
Then I was freelancing with my present husband Jackson, who’s a Captain. He got me to freelance for him and announced to the crew that I was the permanent chef. I worked with him for 5 or 6 years. Maybe longer. Then I wanted to be land based, so I went to work for The Sacks Group in Ft. Lauderdale.
Why? Women want to have their comforts and friends around them. And you change. But Jackson loves to sail so he kept doing that. It worked all right. He begged a little. I promised him five more years. We went to Europe, and up and down the coast from Venezuela to Maine. Then I decided to start my own company, about five years ago.
Next step? In 2003 I started Select Yachts. It was a toss up between St. Thomas and SXM, but the SXM office was $300 a month, dockside. I stayed there for three years in Simpson Bay Marina. Then I needed something bigger. Initially, I was only going to be a charter broker but the owner of Y Not, the boat that I had worked on, asked if I would do charter marketing and management for the boat. My feeling was that you can’t only have one boat because there are so many reciprocal deals. If a broker’s looking for a boat, they’ll ask you ‘what do you have?” so I started getting more boats.
Did you have the skills? My computer skills have been an interesting ride. I’m great with knowing the itineraries and the boats and the crew. For the rest, I hire people that are a lot smarter than me; people who can build something in the company. It doesn’t have to be a specific thing, but it’s people who are savvy.
Tswana knows all the technical stuff with computers, she’s young and enthusiastic. Marilyn has a law degree. She also does real estate and her husband runs a charter yacht.
On Select Yachts... We’re a small company. For myself, I like having this more individualized thing, but there’s a lot of big players in the business and sometimes you get kicked around a little. Last year, we started a strategic partnership with the The Sacks Group which gives me a lot more credibility for my charter sales and enquiries. It works both for us. I went as a sales broker to Monaco for The Sacks Group. I am also a licensed yacht sales representative in Florida. To sell in Florida, you have to be bonded. They’re very strict. For me to even discuss a boat with someone at the Ft. Lauderdale boat show I have to be licensed.
What do you miss about crew life? I miss the travel of course- I went all over the Mediterranean, Croatia, Sardinia, Corsica, Balearics, French and Italian Riviera, Spain, Canary islands. I did one crossing of the Atlantic. I had a very nice arrangement with the owner who would keep me on salary and give me a break.
What is your favorite island? Croatia stands out for the Mediterranean. In the Caribbean, they’re all so unique, but St Kitts is up and coming. They’re building a marina in that salt pond. I find it a little tricky to book in the western caribbean, like belize.
The reality with charter sales is people tell you where they want to go and you then source the boat - the number one request is the Virgin Islands, with high-end partying in SXM. For a second charter, I’d recommend the Grenadines. The Virgins are very affordable, with short distances and no seasickness.
What changes have you noticed in the last 20 years? There have been a lot of changes in the young crew. They sometimes forget that they’re being given a free place to live. It’s a rough economy and they need to see the value of the jobs they’ve been given. They need to see it as a profession and a career.
I’d also like to see a little more co-operation in the industry between the different sectors in the Yachting industry. Times are going to get tougher, one end will have to back up the other. The next stellar thing will be yacht sales. There’s going to be some people desperate to sell and there’ll be a lot of bargains.
I’ve been around long enough that I’ve seen a lot of places go from a high to a low. I think St. Maarten has made decisions I don’t agree with. The immigration issue is a problem. If you’ve got South African crew, you can’t come here. They can’t have to renew a visa every month. A lot of the crew are young and wild and there are things here you don’t get on another island. At one time St Thomas was where everyone went out of, now it’s mainly sail boats. The BVI has created some problems for itself, too.
In the 1980s, there was more hiring of freelance crew because you couldn’t afford to have crew all the time. Now they are better trained, but training comes from experience not just taking classes.
I see resumes that are great before you read between the lines. Big megayacht, yes, but for four days only. What are you going to learn from cleaning a hull before a boat show? You need to find a job and stick to it for a few years without looking at the guy on the next door boat who tells you he’s earning $500 more a month.
Is it more work on land? Now, it’s a different kind of work. It’s hard to sit still all day at a desk. But the one thing I didn’t appreciate as a crew, I was cooking or cleaning all day. Now we work all day then go home, clean, do paperwork. You actually work more hours than you think you will as a 40 hour week.
How do you see the future? My intention was that the economy would turn around this year and that we’d be poised because we’re well set up with all our search optimization etc. I think it will take longer than the second quarter of 2009. We’re new, we’re young and we’ll grow. I like the idea of a boutique company. We’re personalized for each boat and charter client. The boats are so independently owned and everyone has a different idea of what they want out of a charter.
Select Yachts Plaza del Lago #4, Simpson Bay, St Maarten, D.W.I. Caribbean + 599 544 4100; USA +1 954 246 3815 ; Fax +1 954 337 0557 www.selectyachts.net
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