Wondering what one wears when planning to dock walk? Where to walk the docks and how to approach a yacht? Listen on The Seaworthy Podcast or read ‘The Stew Diary’ to find out more about your presentation whilst dockwalking, locations to dockwalk, how to approach a yacht and why you need a game plan for the day…as timing is everything!

So What exactly does dockwalking entail I hear you ask?
Dock walking is when you walk along the dock where all Superyachts are tied alongside, approaching each yacht and speaking to crew onboard to see if they need any help on the boat.

Why yachts need day workers? Quick turnarounds between charters, pre-season preparation or getting ready for a boat show can be an ideal time to look for day work. The deck departments need day workers to assist with daily tasks like wash downs, varnishing, and polishing so they can get the jobs done faster. The interior department may need a day worker to help detail guest cabins, helping out with crew mess duties or maybe the engineering team need someone to help tidy up the engine room or clean up the bilges.

So Why dockwalk? It’s a Way of getting valuable industry experience, your aim should be to get your CV through the door!  Think of it as if it’s a personal delivery of your CV to the boat.  

*This is an activity (Dock walking) where you will need to ditch your Crew House roomie for (sorry not sorry). Yachts will be more likely to hire a sole person rather than a group! You got this… ⁣

Now I am yet to meet someone who says they enjoy dockwalking but I will honestly say it was an eye opening experience to these boats and made me step outside my comfort zone… and that’s always a good thing right?  So let’s get into more about dock walking…

#1: Presentation- Why it’s important. 

• What to wear: White polo shirt, navy or grey shorts or skort, with a pair of sneaker or loafers. 
• Comfy shoes often there are many ports to cover in one day 
• Neat hair and makeup 
• Cover your tattoos 
• A SMILE 🙂
  Be confident and happy…. you’re in the South of France… it could be worse? Your goal is to get your foot in the door whether it be interior work, a job on a sail yacht or exterior work scrubbing teak on deck.⁣

#2: Locations to Dock Walk

• Palma on the Spanish island of Majorca, Antibes in South of France and Fort lauderdale in Floria The states are your yachting hubs for dockwalking. Previously, you used to be able to turn up at almost any port ready to dockwalk, but the practice of dockwalking is now becoming more strictly regulated and you may struggle to be allowed into certain marinas, especially in the bigger ports in the South of France and Spain like the IYCA in Antibes and STP in Palma.  
• But don’t let that stop you from dockwalking… unless you’re in Fort Lauderdale and you DON’T have a US passport – as it’s illegal to dockwalk if your not an American citizen. Also keep in mind those who have a British Passport are now (Post Brexit) considered illegal to look for work in the Med on the docks. Be careful not to end up getting kicked out of the EU.

Ports with heightened security (tough to dockwalk in):

• Antibes (IYCA)
• Palma (STP, Port de Mallorca, Pantalan Mediterraneo, Astilleros, Club de Mar)
• Barcelona (MB92, Marina Port Vell)

Places to give a try:

• La Ciotat
• Toulon
• Imperia
• San Remo
• Nice Port
• Cannes
• Monaco
• Genoa (Molo Vecchio)

Winter Season:

• Try Antigua – if you can afford to fly over and find a cheap place to stay (Marsh Village is a good example) there are plenty of boats who will change out crew after crossings or the first charter. Yachts will often favour qualified crew who are already there rather than flying someone in.

Don’t:

• Consider travelling to Fort Lauderdale to find work if you’re not a US passport holder – you’ll be breaking the law.
• Ever try to break into a marina or port to dockwalk – you could find yourself being reported to the authorities.

Tip: Websites such as marinetraffic.com offer live satellite tracking and show you how many yachts are in port and where; allowing you to best plan your day the night before. It’s also important to look beyond the large ports to smaller marinas that may receive less dockwalking traffic. For instance, if you are in Monaco, it’s a short walk across to the ports of Fontvieille and Cap d’Ail.

Don’t be afraid to look a little further than these main hubs, in europe you can catch a train to Laciotat (shipard), Nice 25 mins from antibes, Genoa in Italy.

Another tip when planning to catch these trains in France is to know thee trains often run late and have a lot of strikes so check online as to whether or not they are running. You can also pre-purchase your tickets online which saves you from trying your best at french trying to speak to the train ticket staff.

#3: How to approach a yacht when Dockwalking

• At the front of the yacht you will find the passarelle the platform used to get onto the boat from the dock. Have a look to see if you can spot a crew member on deck and politely try get there attention. If there is no one in sight press the passarelle buzzer (the intercom), just once. The intercom system will notifies a crew member inside and they will be out soon to greet you so be friendly and smile.
  Ask politely if the appropriate Head of Department is available for a quick chat Introduce yourself smile! Explain the position you are looking for, Tell the HOD you have your certifications ready to go & with your ‘x’ amount of experience (in a related area to yachting). You will pass on your CV in a plastic sleeve (not crumpled), let he or she know you appreciate taking time out of their day, remind them of your name, smile and walk away confidently.
  
  Now be open minded and don’t skip any yachts (day work is day work, sail yacht or motor yacht, deck position or interior position), everyone has to start somewhere.

#4: Timing

First come first served, plan to arrive early and avoid crew break times, which are usually 9:30-10:30 (morning tea), 12-1pm (lunch) and after 5pm (end of day).  the best time to dockwalk is when the yachts are preparing for the start of the season and looking to fill those seasonal vacancies or when a boat show is coming up.

When NOT to dockwalk:

• If there are guests onboard – not sure – check to see if the cushions or tables  are uncovered on the aft decks, theres shoe baskets and a nice mat at the end of the passerelle. 
• When the yachts is trying to enter or exit the port- this is a busy time for crew, they don’t have time to chat.

#5: Extra TIPS

• It’s important to identify your strengths, skillset and ensure they come across on your CV and when you’re talking to crew members on yachts. I am working on a CV Tool kit which helps you identify these strengths and helps you make a stand out CV which ticks all the Superyacht Industry boxes.
• Don’t take it too personally if the crew are too busy to chat, move onto the next boat and keep up those positive vibes- you never know when someone is hiring!
• Make sure your phone is fully charged- worthwhile bringing a back up charger as you need to be by your phone in case a captain calls you for the following day
• Keep a diary of all the boats you visited, the names of the person you spoke to and the general vibe you got from the boat. Worthwhile to look back on when you’re not sure if you’ve already been to see that boat or not. 
• Pack a spare polo shirt and a pair of socks for the interior – you may be lucky enough to score day work then and there- the chief stew will not appreciate dirty socks on the white silk carpet. 

Lastly I would like to leave you on this note… You have brains in your head and have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. Best of luck to you Dock Walkers! You never know what job opportunities are around the corner.