SHIPPING INDUSTRY TO YACHTING INDUSTRY

Hello everybody!! 

My name is Marianthi Kasdagli, I am a Captain Class A’ of Merchant Marine.  

Today I will explain to you how I did the transition from the Shipping Industry to the Yachting Industry.

We will need to go about 13 years back, when everything started..

I graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy of Macedonia, in Greece.

This took me 4 years of studies, with mandatory presence in the lessons, incorporating one full year of sea service.

So, my first embarkment to a ship, in fact this was a Cape Size Bulk Carrier, was when I was at the age of 18.

At that time, I did one year as a Deck Cadet, sailing around the 5 oceans, working on Deck and being in duty with the responsible Officer.

Upon completing my Academic courses, 2 years later, I did one more sea service of 6 months -again in a Cape Size Bulk Carrier- as an Apprentice Officer. 

Then I was awarded my Diploma as a Captain Class C’ .

Having my Diploma as a Captain Class C, I embarked again in a Cape Size Bulk Carrier as Junior Officer under continues training. 

Few months later , the Captain promoted me in 2nd Officer, meaning that at the time I was carrying out a bridge watch as the responsible officer, and having all the duties and responsibilities that comes with that; for example passage planning, in charge of GMDSS and Assistant in Safety and Security of the vessel.

I continued for another 4 contracts joining as 2nd officer in Cape Size Bulk Carriers, doing continuously transatlantic voyages for 6, 7 or 9 months. 

As soon as I hit the target of 36 months in sea-going service as 2nd Officer, I went to my next Academic step in order to take my Diploma as a Captain Class B’, meaning Chief Officer.

That involved another 6 months in the Academy, and further exams. 

Having successfully passed all the exams at once, I became a holder of Diploma Captain Class B’.

Exactly, on this point now is coming the TRANSITION from SHIPPING to YACHTING. 

I was already a Chief Officer at the time and I had more than 50months of sea going experience on my shoulders.

However, I was fascinated by the appeal of having a career in the cruising and/or yachting industry.

I needed to have on more Certificate/Study especially attributed to passenger ships Officers, related to crisis and crowed management. 

I had no problem obtaining this Certificate swiftly.

Coming to the Cruising and Yachting Industry it was something completely different. Merchant shipping compared to cruising and yachting are 2 different worlds.

We were not carrying commodities anymore, our “cargo” now has soul, voice, needs, desires, opinion….wants to socialize !

The requirements from the Officers are different, meaning the entire attitude, the politeness, the manners, the smiling, the cleanliness, the willingness to be of service at any given moment…

Even the ship maintenance standards are different, in yachting you care about the detail, you care about appearance, the polishing, the shining, the cleaning, the ambience….

Well, although I had my Diploma of Captain Class B’, I had to go a step back and join as 2nd Officer again on a boutique cruise ship to gain experience on the yachting industry that was completely new to me. 

I did a 6months summer season cruising in weekly cycles in Greek Islands as a 2nd Officer. On my next contract, I was promoted to Chief Officer, and performed cruises on a boutique cruise ship in the Red Sea. Then, I continued multiple contract and voyages as Chief Officer in places like Iceland,  the Caribbean Sea, Panama and Costa Rica.

As a Chief Officer, I was in charge of  Safety, Security and maintenance, reporting all these to Captain.

In the meantime, of all these voyages and while I was on board, I was studying Post Graduated lessons in SHIPPING, with a College in Greece. 

After all these big voyages in yachting, I needed to complete sea service in ships with bigger tonnage (in terms of GRT), to be eligible for the Diploma of Captain Class A’. 

So, then I turned into coastal navigation in big RO-RO/passenger vessels and a mega yacht of 70meters, trading around the Aegean Sea and Adriatic Sea in Italy, as Chief Officer. 

Having completed the required sea service for being Captain Class A’, I went again for one month to the Academy to study mandatory lessons and giving exams one more time. 

Having successfully passed all the lessons, I was proudly awarded the Diploma of Captain Class A’, unlimited!!!

Then with my Captain’s Class A Diploma in hand, I went to Dubai, where I claimed and gained my position as a Yacht Master on a mega-yacht.

Now, having this experience, concurrently with my Yacht Master activities, I am trying to put a small stone of Business in Yachting.

Obviously, those achievements are not gained by chance or luck, nor there was someone preparing the way for me.

I was, and I am still, in a continuous pursue of my dreams, trying and claiming what I believe about myself, what I am capable of and what I deserve. 

No doubt, it is a sacrifice, it is the endless cold nights and the tough sea conditions I could not ever imagine.  

That’s how I started my carrier, out in the oceans, away from home and family, all alone, a girl at the age of 20. 

Sailing the open sea, loving what I was doing every step of the way, stayed focused, and eventually gained all the seaman mindset to progress myself.   

Don’t be afraid to try, don’t be afraid of changes. 

If you try and fail, just try again and again and again and at the end you will make it! Don’t listen to the others, listen to your heart. 

It’s your choice, your dreams, your ship, or yacht or cruiser or bulker or tanker….

Imagine….