Give the gift of adrenaline this Christmas with a Bow Waves gift voucher.
Vouchers can be for a cash amount or for one of the below experiences
Powerboat Experience for two
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...Mayra completed some training with Bow Waves in Summer 2015. She is currently seeking career opportunities in the super yacht industry and will be blogging her experiences throughout. Keep an eye out for updates over the coming months...
Next stop... New York!
Post 3/October 2015
Mid-January I got offered my first permanent job. On a 72ft Sailing boat. In a way it was such a relief to finally have a secure job! My position is Deck/Stew, the others on board are a Captain/engineer and a chef, so its only 3 of us. It's been 3 months already since i have stepped on board. I really love it! There's good and bad things about it but in general I'm very happy, and lucky to have been recommended by a previous boat. In the past 3 months on-board, we have had 2 boss trips and a couple of charters taking us to St Barths, Anguilla, Antigua, St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada....sailed up to Puerto Rico, did the US virgin islands, and at the end we decided to do a 'crew holiday' in the British Virgin islands to celebrate a great season of back to back charters.
Even though I did stay on the boat while visiting all these islands, I did get to see a lot of nice bays and now and
then the guests took us out for dinner. In between charters we had days off in St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Puerto Rico and US virgin islands. It was difficult relaxing on my days off knowing there's a whole new island to explore! Dominica I found very interesting, we visited some nice waterfalls and
hot springs. In Grenada I went hiking and the scenery was amazing.. I met lovely people along the way and also plan to visit them in the summer when we head up north to the US. Our crew also took part in the 'Super yacht Challenge' in Antigua. We raced on a sailing boat called 'Gloria' , its a beautiful classic schooner with a great crew.
We were in Antigua for about a week ''getting some varnish done'' All in all, i've very happy with my job and I think I will stick with it for the year. Next month we are sailing to New York and plan to stay there until November, in other words..when it gets cold again. Then back to the Caribbean ! Its been a busy few months to say the least..
In regards to the Bow Waves Yachtmaster training scheme,
I attended the Winter ‘14/’15 yachtmaster scheme with Bow Waves, including the five STCW certification courses, based in Galway, Ireland.
The classroom and facilities were quite good. Bow Waves has a well rounded and diverse amount of props, computer programs, teaching aids and resources, literature, safety equipment demonstration units and an endless supply of tea and biscuits! I had around 15 different instructors, of different ages and experiences in the maritime industry throughout the various courses involved along the way to gaining the yachtmaster COC; all of which were well organized and qualified to be instructing their individual subjects. In particular, the principal and director of operations, Finbarr O’Regan, was the primary instructor, or lead instructor with assistance, of many courses. The class sizes were always in good numbers. Some larger classes with easier topics, which was nice as the interaction and exchange of personal experiences from different sides of the maritime industry gave good insight to other worlds and made those careers relatable though a common goal. Then again, the more difficult courses had few students and therefore appointed more one-on-one instructor/student time.
The mile building and practical courses were set in cruising grounds seen by few and in my opinion were some of the most amazing coastlines and bays I have ever seen or sailed. Galway bay in particular has a large tidal range and is able to provide all aspects for different training scenarios, from basic to advance navigation, in both day and night. That being said, these conditions of large tidal ranges and at times, quick tidal streams were one of the deciding factors that lead me to choose Bow Waves for the location. For mile building, over several trips, we sailed from Galway, South, around the Southern end of Ireland and up to Dublin. From there, across the Irish Sea to Whales, into the Bristol Channel and to the city docks of Bristol, to the Isle of Man and to the Southern and Western coasts of Scotland before navigating back across to Northern Ireland and finally, South back to Dublin. The winter months often provided challenging conditions, but again, these were the conditions I signed up for and am well prepared to face another day. We were also able to make a trip to the Mediterranean for a 5 day sail for our qualifying ocean passage required for the Yachtmaster Ocean COC.
The vessels used for the different trips were well equipped and comfortable. From small and large ribs, small keelboats, traditional gaff-rigged “Galway hookers”, 37ft cabin sloop and a twin engine M/V cabin cruiser. As we spent a significant amount of time on the vessels, we did run across different issues and breakages, but as with all boats, things fall apart and it is important to have the skills to overcome those problems and know how to troubleshoot, or find alternative solutions.
In addition to successfully completing and passing the Yachtmaster Ocean exam for both power and sail, Bow Waves was also able to host most of the courses required for me to prepare for the MCA 200grt/OOW 500grt oral exam I later took and passed in Liverpool, England. Upon receiving the MCA COC, through the contacts and networking of Bow Waves, I was able to secure a dual position as a mate aboard a 100ft modern sail yacht in Italy, and as the captain of a 50ft chase boat for that sail yacht.
I had an amazing time while studying with Bow Waves. I made many friends I will never forget and left with the skills needed to forge a lifelong career.
Thank you, BowWaves and faculty.
Sincerely,
D.Craggs
