Superyacht Captain Interviews

Carl Brandes, Captain of the Masteka

Carl Brandes is the skipper of the 110ft luxury super motor yacht Masteka. I visited him at Masteka's berth in Pittwater. Carl has been captain of the Masteka for about 3 years. Masteka is not a marina boat. She has just returned from a 3 month voyage to New Caledonia and Vanuatu (I took this photo in Port Vila, Vanuatu). Masteka gleams. The varnish, stainless, and fiberglass reflect the care that Carl, Sophie and the owner lavish on the vessel.

Q. Carl, this is the height of luxury. Do you live aboard?

A. Yes, we're kept pretty busy and it hardly makes sense to have a place ashore.

Q. That must help financially.

A. It sure does. One of the many benefits of the job.

Q. So how did you get started as a professional yachtmaster?

A. Originally I was working as an electroplater in west Sydney. But I had a passion for boats. I loved being around them. So I quit my job and began looking for work at the Akuna Bay Marina. At first I did boat cleaning work on the larger motor yachts. After awhile I began taking the boats around for fuel, then acting as a substitute captain or crew member whenever an owner needed additional help.

Q. Did you get any formal training?

A. Yes, I knew that in the long run, if I was to be successful, I'd need to have certification. I took training courses for my Coxswain ticket and then began working on my Master 5 ticket. This included courses in safety, fire fighting, emergency first aid, navigation, and so on. I built up my hours by working on boats as crew whenever I could. Sometimes I acted as first mate, sometimes serving cocktails at the bar. the hours built up pretty quickly .

Q. Lots of people take training like that, but don't wind up as captain on a boat like this. How did that happen?

A. I had a group of boats at Akuna Bay that I looked after both as a boat detailer and as captain. I was really dedicated to the boats and to the owners and gained a pretty good reputation.

It's so important to go that extra mile. If a boat was going out I'd show up very early, even the day before, and open her up to air it out. I'd clean up the boat, check the engines, fuel, safety systems, first aid kit, make sure the bar was stocked and food stored. When everyone showed up the boat was ready. After we got back to the dock and the people were gone , I shut down all the systems, cleaned everything, and locked up. The owners appreciated the extra service and attention to detail. Word gets around and I was kept busy.

One day I acted as a temporary skipper for the owner of Masteka, and a couple of years later he called me and asked if I would like to become his full time skipper. At first I declined because I was pretty dedicated to my flock of boats. I liked the guys at Akuna Bay and liked what I was doing there. But he persisted and finally I said yes. It was the smartest decision of my life. I never imagined what this would be like.

Q. What is it like? It must depend on the owner.

Sophie, the stewardess aboard Masteka, passing by with a basket of laundry stopped and said, "If you don't get along with the owner it is impossible, you can't do it. You are living with the owner, his family and friends for long periods."

Carl said, "We are very lucky. It's as if we are all family aboard. It's not a stiff snap your fingers kind of environment. The owner and his family and friends are actively exploring the seas with Masteka and they spend a lot of time aboard. It's great. As Sophie says, it would be impossible if you didn't get along with the owner.

Q. Do you know many other yachtmasters of super yachts?

A. Yes. I enjoy talking with the other captains. It's a very small community and generally a really good group. To do this kind of work they have to be a good group.

Q. In what way? What is the key to being "good" in the super yacht, yachtmaster crew and captain profession?

A. Going the extra mile. Doing more than is expected of you. Being sincerely dedicated to the boat and the owner.

I thanked Carl and Sophie for passing on their insights to others who aspire to similar positions as Yachtmaster on super yachts.

As I motored back to the Superyacht Crew Academy in the next bay I reflected that although he doesn't say so, Carl's attitude and personality are critical to his success; fueling his ability to go that extra mile. He's nice. In addition to being knowledgeable in all possible operating systems of the boat - from diesel repair to computer systems, Carl does whatever needs doing without hesitation. Cleaning the marine toilet or working the 110 footer into a tight anchorage in Vanuatu are both part of the job. Carl likes his job and it shows.

(Update 2011): Carl is now the proud captain of the Masteka2. He went to Taiwan and helped direct the construction of this fabulous new superyacht. I met him in Noumea, New Caledonia and he showed me around Masteka2. What an accomplishment! It is the height of perfection and Carl is happy to have been entrusted with overseeing the construction.

Carl told me that whenever they need new crew members he always goes straight to the Superyacht Crew Academy because he knows their graduates are top notch and well trained professionals. Sure enough there were a couple of Superyacht Crew Academy graduates aboard.

 

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