I am currently the captain of a charter vessel in New York City. The clients vary widly, but they are all looking for an amazing experience as well as smooth sailing.

I enjoy hiking, sailing (racing small craft), baking, dancing (ballroom & salsa), skiing and writing.

Yachting is certainly a career. I am eager to work towards higher certifications and utlimately captain a private yacht.

I do well with small crews that work as a team. I have always been the type to offer a hand to an engineer changing racors or input receipts for a busy captain. I admit to getting frustrated by vessels that strictly divide responsibilities by department rather than promoting a sense of teamwork across all departments (I'm sure I'd feel different on very large vessels).

Idealy the Mate could be trusted at any time to take the helm in the event that a Captain should need them to do so. Ultimately, any mate should be working towards understanding all the duties of the Captain so that one day a mate could become a captain.

Trust does take time, but a willingness to take direction and see projects through always leads to a better working relationship onboard.

All crew should be well aware of all shipboard rules. If the rules do not allow for crew to date, then they must remain professional and platonic until they can find alternate employment. An unfortunate circumstance, but one that should not be too difficult to explain to coworkers.

It is not hard to stay busy as a Deckhand, but I do understand the desire to feel challenged by your position. I believe that every deckhand is a Mate or Captain in training and should therefore be given the opportunity to learn more advanced marine skills as a periodic reward for good work.

I personally loved performing fire safety equipment checks as a bonus for completing a deck repair job faster than expected.

A deckhand supports the entire crew. That usually means a lot of hauling and scrubbing, but also a supreme awareness of safety for the vessel, guests, crew and herself. A deckhand should be eager to learn safety procedures.

A great attitude and willingness to work is important in a deckhand. Long days of scrubbing and polishing require a lot of energy, but that doesn't mean you can then have a grumpy attitude with your crew or guests, so a naturally happy attitude and genuine enjoyment of working goes a long way on deck.