OIL AND WATER
Alasdair Murray talks to Frances and Michael Howorth about his first superyacht job on board Symphony and explains why he crossed over to yachting from commercial ships
What were you doing before you joined Symphony? Like my father and my brother I went to sea in commercial ships. Dad is a Captain with Stena Line and my brother is a 4th Engineer. I became an engineering cadet and worked for Mearsk Line and Stenna.
What made you join the superyacht industry? There is a great future in the industry and you get to see more places than you would when serving on regular runs maintained by commercial ships which are in and out of port very quickly.
Will you stay with superyachts or re join the Merchant Navy? I have to say I will follow the commercial route with regard to my qualifications. From what I can see yachts are getting bigger all the time and having commercial certificates will give me the fluidity to chop and change between both. It is clear the MCA are not going to accommodate those who work in superyachts and are always going to favour those who hold commercial certificates.
Sail or motor, which do you prefer and why? I am an engineer and because, I have not seen too many 4,000kW sailing yachts I guess my future lies with motor but I did a lot of sailing in Australia often doing delivery voyages and I really enjoy the thrill of sailing.
How long have you been aboard your current yacht? Just for a couple of months now and although we have not even left port yet, I can tell you I like the life very much.
What do you most like about your current job? The opportunity to experience all sorts of different aspects of being crew working in yachting. One minute I am on deck washing down then it’s handling fenders and handling lines.
And least like?
There is less structure in yachting when compared to the cargo ships and I find that strange but I am sure I will get used to it.
How does working aboard a yacht affect your family life? All of my family are seafarers, growing up with my Dad at sea it just became normal. Yacht crew do not get nearly as much leave as those serving in commercial ships so I get home less often. Fortunately my girlfriend has a father who serves in ships as a Chief Engineer so she understands the life just as I do.
If you had a magic wand what would you change in your job? I would like to be the owner of a really large yacht for just a couple of days so I could experience what it is like to have access to all those toys and get the undivided attention of the entire crew. I am sure I would understand life on the other side of the fence as a result!
What’s the most curious request you have had made of you? When I was working on the ferries I had to dress up as a monkey and go out onto the passenger decks in character as Curious George. Lots of people used to want to have their photos taken with me and even though I had a monkey head covering my face I always caught my self smiling when the person taking the photo said “Say Cheese”.
36 | SPRING 2017 | ONBOARD
Do you have a pet hate and if so what is it? Bad time keeping. If you say you are going to be somewhere at 8, be there! Here in Barcelona see you at 8am can mean the person turning up at 3:30pm and that drives me mad!
What advice would you give to someone thinking of working as crew on a yacht? Remember this is not the sort of job for those who have no experience of the sea and unless you really want to be at sea you should not really consider it. It’s not a job for someone who only wants to go travelling because that type of person seldom wants to work hard and to get ahead in this job you have to work hard.
What tip for doing your job better are you willing to share? Don’t bloody argue and don’t ask why? Just do it. Once you have completed the job and if you are genuinely interested in the process that’s the time to ask why so you can learn. Another tip would be to bone up on terminology. No one wants to get caught out trying to locate that ‘Long Weight’ but ‘heave away on the breast line’ is an order and you should obey it!
What would you like to do when you stop working on superyachts? If
I am canny and play my cards right I will have built up a portfolio of investments that will mean that I do not have to work until I drop. I really would like to find the time to buy that yacht and go off sailing.
Quick Fire Favourite Movie Favourite Book Favourite Music
Favourite Music Artist Favourite Movie star Favourite Airplane Favourite City
Favourite Restaurant Favourite Food
Favourite Way to Relax Favourite Superyacht
CREW’S CV
Name Alasdair Murray Age 22 Nationality British Current yacht Symphony Number of crew 27 Number of deckhands 6 including the Bosun
Blues Brothers
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Heavy Metal Pink Floyd
Sean Connery Spitfire
Melbourne, Australia Tickets, Barcelona Game
Sailing and listening to music The Maltese Falcon
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