George Brooke

Stella Maris has been a great learning experience and progression with a heavy private and charter program and a world cruising itinerary. I joined the boat in Hong Kong with an intense private schedule cruising around Asia, before heading to the Mediterranean via the Seychelles and the Red Sea. We had six weeks of charters and owners on board in between so I learnt to work to the highest standard with the level of guest activity. This really helped me to excel in all the necessary skills such as; Driving our sport and limo tenders for guests, helicopter and water sport operations for guests, and general boat cleanliness/maintenance during the day, and on night shift.

This position onboard Aumichakiad has allowed me to further my skills and become a more competent deckhand and crew member. From joining in the middle of a 3-month trip with owners onboard in the Caribbean to a 2-month shipyard period in Rybovich, Florida, I have had to learn and adapt quickly to take on big responsibilities such as working to demands of the owners, bridge watches, assisting the engineer when needed, and painting and sanding in the shipyard alongside day-to-day deck duties in the marina. I also became confident with driving the two tenders and taking the owner to beaches and into docks while at anchor in different sea states and at night. Overall, this position was great for me to add to my experience, it gave me valuable knowledge in what it takes to be a reliable and positive crew member as well as a professional deckhand working to the demands of the owners.

Working with SeaWake out of the four seasons resort in Dubai was a great experience for me as I learnt how to do water sports I hadn't done before, including e-foiling and fly boarding. I then had to put what I learnt into action by teaching people for their first time as well and making sure the customers were comfortable and safe. I also gained more experience driving the RIBs while observing the customers, being ready to assist them if they needed help. This was temporary work while visiting my Dad, who was managing the Bulgari Marina at the time.