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Sail-World.com : Crewbook the shortcut for top crew
Crewbook the shortcut for top crew
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'Kate drew on her observations and experiences as chief stewardess when she devised the Crewbook ethos and strategy.'
MIAA
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An enquiring mind and interest in politics drew Kate Crulci to uni, but one fateful three month holiday break spent working aboard a cruise ship changed her career path forever, and she says, for the better. Now director of Crewbook Yacht Crew Recruitment, Kate is using her experience from all facets of the industry to place crew on yachts around the world, deckhand to Captain.
As Kate explains: 'I quit uni after my first experience aboard Coral Princess, a small cruise ship out of Cairns. I ended up working for them on and off for seven years, first as a cruise attendant, then purser then as HR manager.'
And that was the first step in Kate’s developing her unique perspective of the recruitment industry.
After a year onboard ‘Coral Princess’, Kate’s interest in the superyacht industry was such that she decided to travel to France and experience it for herself.
It took less than three hours to secure her first job as a Stewardess aboard a 1930s classic charter motoryacht. After nine months with only nine days off during that time, several charters and visits to the crème of Europe’s cruising destinations, she was hooked and there was no turning back.
Over the next 10 years, Kate worked in every conceivable role and traveled the world experiencing the best (and at times, the worst) of superyacht employment onboard vessels of around 40-60m. 'I worked as a stewardess in the South Pacific, Alaska, US, Europe, the Mediterranean about five times, Seychelles, Fiji,Tahiti and Australia.
'It’s a great way to see the world and places you might never experience other than onboard those amazing yachts, but at the same time, the commitment is 18 hour days, seven days a week, six weeks at a time. The work is hard, strenuous and at times very, very challenging.'
 | What other livelihood takes you to the world’s most exotic ports? - MIAA |
Along with high level expertise in a chosen field, like hospitality, as a chef or hands-on experience on boats for many years, candidates need maturity and tolerance in large doses.
Being confined onboard mostly 24 hours per day with people you don’t necessarily get on with is just one of the challenges. 'Your duty and your job is to the passengers or the owner. A service mentality is essential. Most important, as well as a solid work ethic, is that you’re adaptable. There are so many different situations you may encounter, it’s incomprehensible.'
 | 'Alone time' is generally cooped up in the mess with the rest of the crew, weeks and often months at a time. - MIAA |
Returning to Australia, Kate founded Crewbook, drawing on her decade of working in all manner of roles and specialising in what Kate refers to as'7 star crew'. Based in Sydney, where the number of willing candidates and need for crew have surprised Kate, Crewbook is a regular sight at international boat shows, but as she explains: 'It’s all done online these days, and very efficiently too.'
Crewbook uses online forms and interview to analyse client requirements and fit crew to yachts.
The aim is to minimise crew turnover so owners and management can concentrate on their business with minimum disruption. 'As well as being expensive, the effect of high turnover on crew morale and operations is devastating. I do everything in my power to appoint the right person, and I guarantee that crew member, from deckhand to Captain.'
As for her own strengths, Kate has been in the role of both client and customer. 'From my background, experience and training, also from years as a recruitment and HR manager, taking care of 100 staff in six diff countries on three different vessels, I learnt a lot. From hiring, accounting, travel arrangements, induction, people management, what to do in a crisis.
'I am an all rounder in the true sense of the word. From working in almost every single job in the industry, I have an acute understanding of the operations of a vessel from top to bottom. Just knowing the type of vessel, I can make assumptions about the crew needed and I can gauge how many crew, what type of clients they get, all those things.
'I’ve been in a position where I had to use crew agents. As chief stewardess, it was my role to hire crew, and there was no end to the frustrations in so many cases. I noted them all down for future reference, as I always knew this was something I wanted to do.'
Kate’s love of the industry is genuine. 'In the past 12 years, I have met the most fantastic people who are truly friends for life and I have traveled to places I would never have had access to otherwise.'
Running her own company, Kate is a regular at national and international boat shows, including SCIBS, SIBS, Fort Lauderdale and Monaco, promoting her services and her expertise to Captains, owners and potential crew. But she is also brutally honest about the drawbacks of employment on yachts.
'I would have to say it’s the toughest job on the planet. You’re working under hard, sometimes dangerous conditions. You really need a dedication, a service mentality and a certain amount of subservience, for want of a better word. The passengers or client is always right! Unlike an office job, you’re trying to deal with your workload, interact with many different personalities, and then, you don’t leave the work environment and go home at the end of the day.
 | A commitment to service is the most important attribute, along with flexibility, tolerance and professionalism. - MIAA |
'You eat and sleep with your crew members in a small mess. There’s no relief, so temperament important, along with self-control. It is intense. Then you have all the safety issues you have to blend with passenger enjoyment. Trying to get the balance right is a challenge in itself.'
Crewbook’s reach is global, with people on her books from many countries, but Kate asserts, according to her clients around the world, Aussies make the best crew.
'Australians the most widely accepted crew members in the world. People love us! Aussies know how to break the discomfort, tension and they appreciate the opportunities to travel and work aboard these incredible yachts.'
While the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Riviera are perennial favourites with her candidates, on the rise is the South Pacific for clients and candidates.
'The South Pacific cruising waters are largely unfamiliar for most people. Plus you can’t get sick of it – those sunsets, tropical islands, crystal clear, warm waters. Everybody wants to do it. It is idyllic and safe.'
So far, Crewbook has a foothold in Australia and the US, and Kate is hoping to break further into the European market. 'I am attending the Monaco Boat Show this year, working on attracting clients from superyacht captains and in cases of vessels between 80 and 100ft, the owners themselves.'
In terms of marketing, Kate says you can’t afford to be aggressive and in many cases, being female is an advantage. 'You have to be well-mannered and really know your stuff, inside and out.'
Next on the agenda is Dubai. Says Kate: 'There’s a lot of activity there and plenty of big boats that we need to bring to Australia.'
For information visit www.crewbook.com.au or Tel: 0418 336 478
by Jeni Bone
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http://www.marinebusinessnews.com/index.cfm?nid=57264
3:51 AM Fri 29 May 2009 GMT
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