YachtieWorld Presents: THE Yachtie Networking Event of 2023
Authored by: Adam Eli Bernhardt
Discover. Connect. Inspire.
The proverbial foghorn has blasted for South African yachties: the networking event for one of the sea’s most glamorous industries has been set into motion by Alex Haubrich – the Chief Digital Officer of YachtieWorld – who is steadily sailing toward his vision for local liftoff on a global scale.
Taking place at Kapstadt Brauhaus aptly located at the V&A Waterfront, upon my arrival at 16:30 pm, I can immediately tell that the 450-person capacity that Alex had planned for was undoubtedly already fulfilled.
From recruitment specialists to long-time seadogs, if you’re in Cape Town (or South Africa) and are looking to engage and connect with the yachting scene, this is the event you’d want to find yourself cruising through. Guests (both in the know and barely wet behind the ears – yet) are warmly greeted at the entrance to the Brauhaus by several wonder women; their faces adorned in a colourful pallet of sparkling body glitter.
Grab an on-the-house Corona and whet your appetites with the delicious stream of complimentary pizzas: you’ve arrived at YachtieWorld’s premier networking event and the chances are higher than the tides themselves that you’re about to discover more about the world of yachting than you thought was possible. I know I already have.
The energy is astounding as we all settle in to watch the various presentations given to us by industry experts and business pioneers. The bulk of the people looking up to the stage are young industry hopefuls – also, I learn along the way, known as Green Crew – a room full of dreamers being given a chance to turn their fantasies into a reality. A sublime networking experience, Alex has brought these fresh-faced idealists into direct contact with some of the industry’s most knowledgeable crew.
This is the crux of Alex’s inspiring vision: to ensure that the aspirations of potential yachties aren’t rendered baseless and forgotten at the bottom of the ocean where ignorance and a lack of adequate preparation have led many a ship and their crew to rest. Arming the local Green Crew with knowledge and resources, YachtieWorld and its various partners are on the way to firmly placing South Africa on the map as a true north destination for yachties from around the world.
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Interviews with Event Collaborators
1. Yachtie since?
2011.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
28 countries travelled.
Antibes and Southern Florida – both are yachting hubs and great places to get started in the industry for networking purposes and yachting jobs.
3. Nationality?
South African.
4. Languages spoken?
English, Swedish, and some Afrikaans.
5. Current location?
Cape Town.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
Highest position: Lead Deckhand
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
I wanted to find a way to travel the world for a living in a way that satisfied my hunger for adventure and the yachting industry seemed like the ultimate choice. It’s truly an inexpensive way to travel; your accommodation, food, and other travelling expenses are taken care of.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
After finishing high school, I left to work at a Summer camp in North Carolina and did a 3-month stint there – the money wasn’t great. The same company who I found the Summer camp job through and some of my friends advised me about the yachting industry. At the time, post-Summer camp, I was working as a waiter, and the yachting world resonated deeply with me. One day, while waitering at the V&A, I saw a superyacht dock at the port and this gave me the push I needed to set my ambitions into motion. One year later, I was part of a crew – this was 12 years ago.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
Persist until you succeed, without ceasing, no matter your position. Don’t be afraid of failure – PUSH!
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
It was actually on my first yacht – a small 30-meter vessel – and my first time travelling across rough seas. We had an old captain who didn’t seem very fussed when all boats were radioed to port and who told us to keep going, after which he promptly fell fast asleep. While we held on for dear life, things were falling all around us, including the anchor getting loose and smashing a hole in the porthole. The First-Officer and I had to perform 2-hour rotations for nearly 24 hours, and with minimal sleep and major anxiety, I persisted. When we arrived in San Francisco through the Golden Gate Bridge the next day, it was a bit like entering heaven.
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
Free travel for great pay. Nothing expands your mind more than travel and you get to see an array of exclusive people, places, and events. Hard work teaches you invaluable skills which build character. Plus, you learn to navigate at sea!
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Courage, belief in yourself and enthusiasm in all that you do.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
I almost didn’t put this event together, but the excitement of other people spurred me on. I put Africa’s first official yachtie networking event together last year and it was a huge success. Ultimately, I met up with Bianca from Voyage International Beauty and she gave me the final push I needed. So I set the event up and made it happen within 2 weeks. I feel like this event was an even bigger success than last year’s already successful outcome. I’ve been asked to set something up in Monaco next, but that’s only in September. Watch this space.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
My mission is to connect super yachting professionals on a global scale. My company’s motto and my personal pillars are: Discover. Connect. Inspire.
1. Yachtie since?
2014.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
±17. The South Pacific is insane because it’s so untouched, authentic, and unique beyond!
3. Nationality?
South African.
4. Languages spoken?
Afrikaans, English, and Sense.
5. Current location?
Cape Town.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
Started as a sole stewardess on a 24 m yacht. My highest position was as a 2nd Stewardess on a 63 m.
7. What led you to joining the yachting industry?
I felt trapped in my hometown - like I knew everyone around me and the direction my life was going in was all planned out. I knew I didn’t want to stagnate so I was like, ‘What now?’. I knew I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and so when a friend came back to our res one day and told me she had started scuba diving as a part of a firefighting course to get into super yachting, I started doing my research. This led to me working in a circus in San Diego where I saw a few yachts and came to the realization that it’s really where I wanted to be.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
I came back from San Diego; hostessed at a winery; then decided to work at a bar at the V&A to meet people in the industry. I got introduced to people who worked at Shweetlife and who hosted elite functions which I attended for networking purposes. I ended up in Palma, Spain. Two weeks later, after sneaking onto the docks in a vegetable truck – between the broccoli and carrots - I got my first job and that’s how I got started.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
Everyone is replaceable and if you are true to yourself, your journey will unfold the way it should.
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
My captain bought me a one-way ticket to Vanuatu from Rome but my bank account was accessible at the time. A kind stranger took pity on me at the airport and even gave me a house (should I need to stay overnight) which I couldn’t accept. Later, in panic, when I looked through my bag, I found an envelope containing €1850 in it which must’ve been the stranger’s doing. Finally, I flew to New Zealand but again couldn’t depart as the captain had bought me another one-way ticket and South African visas generally require a return flight for international travel.
Upon finally arriving back in Vanuatu, I couldn’t make it to the private island as the captain had messed up with the tickets AGAIN. I ended up staying with local Maoris. It was five days of travelling through storms around the world with the moral of the story being that even captains make mistakes, so do your own paperwork!
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
Because you become the person you didn’t even know you were capable of becoming – I have learned so much.
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Discipline and personality. For first-timers, networking, showing interest, and being personable is imperative.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
I’m a host and sponsor of the event and I love it. It’s been a great event; we’ve brought like-minded people together and shown them that there is support and guidance available for all.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
To raise awareness in and prepare the future senior crews. To show the potential of our industry and pass on my knowledge to others to help them achieve their goals as I have.
1. Yachtie since?
2008.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
37. Madagascar is my favourite.
3. Nationality?
British and South African.
4. Languages spoken?
English and enough Afrikaans to seduce my wife.
5. Current location?
Just came off my last vessel which was based in Seychelles. Cape Town for the moment.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
Started at the bottom as a deckhand. My highest position was Chief Engineer and my last position was rotational 2nd Engineer.
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
My girlfriend (who is now my wife) wanted to go on the yachts. I knew a good thing when I saw it and so I followed her around the world.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
I flew into Antibes with €150 in my pocket and the promise of accommodation in exchange for work. As a trained carpenter, I began to build houses, beds, and flooring for the members of yacht crews. This led to six weeks of day work on a boat.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
It’s easier to hide the truth than it is to hide a mistake.
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
On my first boat, the owner arrived with two duffel bags: one was filled with banded €500 notes and the other with sex toys and toothbrushes…
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
I see a career in yachting as a mechanism with which to create a future. In my opinion, yachting itself is not sustainable as a forever lifestyle as it makes it difficult to settle down and raise a family. I’m 36 years old now and will retire at 40.
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Honesty, dedication, tenacity, and resilience. Nothing in life comes easy and while yachting isn’t necessarily a hard job, it teaches you the value of eating sh-t.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
I wanted to give Green Crew the opportunity and utility to help further their careers. This event is a great intro for Green Crew – for their careers and for them personally. I think it’s been a super event.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
YACHTNEEDS is all about giving ships what they want, where they want it, when they want it. In yachting, we don’t worry about the price; we worry about availability. We deliver all yachting needs to port, to their management companies, or right to the back of their ships.
1. Yachtie since?
2019.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
14-15. Brazil and Argentina are tied for the number one spot.
3. Nationality?
South African.
4. Languages spoken?
English and a bit of Spanish.
5. Current location?
Cape Town.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
Deckhand.
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
I wasn’t actually seeking to become a yachtie but I was involved in competitive watersports (wakeboarding). It seemed like the best way to keep my life on the water while making money. I naturally transitioned into my teaching role and definitely find it a little more rewarding than scrubbing decks.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
I had older friends who were already working within the industry. I started off locally.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
What you do is way more important than the money you make. Unless you’re contributing, what’s the point?
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
I’ve seen some very, very crazy parties… That’s all I’ll say.
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
Whether you love it and do it forever or just try it out, you’ll come to learn greatly about yourself. Financial benefits aside, you’ll come out a stronger, more authentic person.
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Hard work, discipline, being a team player, and knowing how to read a room.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
SuperYachting SA is one of the sponsors. Alex trained with us and is incredibly committed to the industry so we love working with him and yachties love bars, so where better to do it than the Brauhaus? The event is a success with lots of room for growth; I’m excited to see what the next one brings.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
We’re here to grow Green Crew for the sake of the industry and not just sell them tickets. We select the best staff through a rigorous process to ensure our Green Crew receives the highest level of preparation possible.
1. Yachtie since?
1998.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
6. South Africa is my favourite.
3. Nationality?
British.
4. Languages spoken?
English and French. My wife still tries to teach me Afrikaans.
5. Current location?
Cape Town.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
I was a Charter Captain on the yachts.
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
The yachting aspect was almost a side purpose for me. I always loved instructing and in between, I was offered charters.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
I was living in a tent on a beach in the South of France while teaching kids to sail (on little sailing dinghies). If I could go back there, I would.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
To be honest and inclusive in the way I interact with people. Be who you are – don’t have hidden agendas.
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
I sunk a 52-foot yacht when a drive-shaft failure took place. It was a surreal experience to be sitting on a yacht at 2 am under a moonlit sky in totally calm weather while sinking into the ocean.
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
The opportunity to build one’s own life skills is something missing from the world of many young people today. Yachting teaches you to stand on your own two feet.
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Hard work, commitment, and honesty.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
I came to last year’s event and saw the value in it. As a sponsor, I want to support and help the industry. It’s also a massive opportunity to network and for people to ask questions and get answers from experienced yachties.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
We are here to help guide South Africans, international Greens, and anyone else interested in the yachting industry.
1. Yachtie since?
2015.
2. Number of countries you’ve travelled to (and your number one)?
10. Dubai is my favourite; it’s fast-growing, technologically brilliant; Innovative; and has great sustainability practices.
3. Nationality?
South African.
4. Languages spoken?
Afrikaans and English.
5. Current location?
Saudi Arabia.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
I’m currently the Head Butler and Spa Stewardess/Manager.
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
My first love is somatology but I wanted more from the world. Working from a treatment room vs. an island seemed like a no-brainer. The experience of being a therapist and knowing you can help people all over the world also played a large role in my motivation.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
I first studied somatology at Stellies and then heard about yachting, however, I had only heard of therapists going on cruise ships – not yachts. My parents encouraged me to go to the cruise ships as it was easier for someone like me who didn’t have the money to go and hustle for yachts overseas. I then saw what a high demand there was for health and wellness on board these yachts. My business was born by identifying this gap in the market but I first had to sew pillows to fund my business registration. You’ve got to make your own way in this world.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
Don’t keep it all to yourself. If you don’t feel respected, leave, but nothing comes easily.
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
We once broke an on-ship record by working for 32 hours straight. Coffee, Red Bulls, and shots from guests were all used to keep us going during that shift!
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
It’s not about the riches and comparing your life with those you work for, but really about realising that everyone is just human. You get to see the world from a different perspective
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Perseverance and consistency – never give up.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
I contacted Alex, told him that I’m in Cape Town, and that this is what’s missing – I pretty much pushed him into setting it up. Networking and creating this intimacy in the yachting community is what we need (especially in South Africa where we think we don’t rank on an international level, but where we really do). The event is such a success and exactly what I wanted.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
I want everyone to be authentic because I believe that’s what the industry is about. I’m all for empowering women and sharing this industry with all those who want to be a part of it. I want to show caring people how to direct that care within the yachting industry.
1. Yachtie since?
2006.
2. Number of countries you’ve traveled to (and your number one)?
62 countries and all 7 continents. Chilli is my favourite.
3. Nationality?
South African
4. Languages spoken?
English and Afrikaans. French and Spanish are my 2nd languages.
5. Current location?
Cape Town.
6. Position as a yachtie (presently or formerly)?
Purser.
7. What led you to join the yachting industry?
I completed my degree (BBusSci), realized that I didn’t want to work in an office, and the travel bug bit. I had a friend who was into yachting and she flew me from Johannesburg to Barcelona. Once there, my networking got me onto the yachts. I’m still friends with many of my original 2006 yacht crew.
8. Tell me about how you got started?
My particular skill set is remembering details – especially about people – such as their names, who they are, and what they do, and being a connector. So by unifying people, I got involved and entrenched. My friends call me Kevin Bacon because they say there are two degrees of separation between me and anyone else.
9. What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a yachtie?
As with life, there are so many good and bad things about yachting. The number one attribute that will set you apart in life is learning from a situation. That and resilience.
10. What is the craziest experience you’ve had while yachting?
Being stuck in the Lemaire Channel in Antarctica. While we were returning the wind picked up and blew icebergs into the channel so we had to put a big tender into the water to push the icebergs away.
11. Why would you advise others to pursue yachting as a career?
It teaches you many skills you wouldn’t otherwise learn: customer service, etiquette, resilience, hard work, and financial savvy.
12. What do you think it takes to be a great yachtie in roughly one sentence?
Putting other people first.
13. What brought you to this event and can you share your thoughts on it?
Alex brought me here and I’m a sponsor. I always love these events and Alex does such a great job with connecting people. FOMO brought me here too.
14. Tell me about your company’s objective?
We help crew evaluate their skills and network with a supportive community.
SIREN stands for: Support, Information, Resources, Education, and Networking
In conclusion, the YachtieWorld networking event organised by YachtieWorld founder Alex Haubrich, Pullnorth Yachting founder Marli Schoonraad, and Voyage International Beauty founder Bianca Blom, was a resounding success, bringing together industry experts and aspiring yachties from around Cape Town. With a full capacity of 450 guests, the event was a hub of energy and excitement, offering attendees the opportunity to connect and learn from experienced professionals in the industry. Alex's vision of empowering the local Green Crew with knowledge and resources is inspiring and his commitment to positioning South Africa as a premier destination for yachties worldwide is truly admirable. We would also like to thank our global partners for making this event possible at such short notice. Overall, the YachtieWorld networking event has proven to be an invaluable platform for aspiring yachties to realize their dreams and make meaningful connections. It is evident that this event has had a positive impact on all who attended it.
