Captains of Ships – Robyn Mackay

Finally, the cogs are turning on the superyacht industry.  As we chatted, Chief Officer Robyn Mackay was on the bridge of a 49m Feadship as she made her way from England to France, via Gibraltar.  Charter guests were waiting, first in Bonifacio, followed by Croatia, and the season was expected to conclude with some yard time in Palma.  There sure is light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.

Born in Johannesburg in 1984, Robyn was brought up in Durban together with her grandmother and brother Grant.  Her Mum was a nurse who sidestepped into a role with the South African National Blood Service, while her Dad was a carpenter by trade but progressed into project management for a renovation and restoration firm.  Robyn and Grant were told from a young age that they were both adopted.  Not really knowing what it meant, toddler Grant would often proudly boast, “I’m a doctor, I’m a doctor”.

Wherever she went, little Robyn used to be propped up like a stuffed dummy.  Born with hip dysplasia, she was fitted with a cast stretching from her waist to her ankles which had to be replaced each month for a couple years.  Underneath the heavy cast, she whiffed a bit, and her folks always used to joke about how embarrassed they were to take her anywhere fancy.  One day, having been propped up in her bedroom, Robyn came tumbling down the stairs at great pace to join her folks in the lounge.  She’d figured out that if she wedged a squidgy beach ball between her legs, she could roll about from A to B.  Highly resourceful for a mere tot – a sign of things to come?

Eventually, around the age of three, the casts were surplus to requirements and the doctor removed them once and for all.  That night, Robyn laid in the bathtub, bent her knee, and exclaimed, “ooo, I have one leg like Grant!”, then bent the other and said, “now two legs like Grant!”.   Robyn went on to make good use of her new-found mobility and played a lot of high-level sport throughout her youth, including hockey, waterpolo, cross-country running and lifeguarding.

Robyn picks up the story:  “Science and maths were my better subjects, so I decided to study for an accountancy degree – after all, everyone needs something to fall back on in life.  Having completed year one, I took a sabbatical to work on a kibbutz in Israel, then returned to work full time at a firm of chartered accountants, whilst studying part time.  Although I loved accountancy, I hated being trapped in an office and realised that I wasn’t destined to be sat behind a desk for the rest of my life.

“A friend worked in admin for a nearby sailing school, and together we’d show overseas students where to go out for dinners and suchlike.  During that time, I had an ‘aha’ moment where I realised my true passion laid with the ocean, so I did my STCW95 and joined the world of superyachting.

“Of course, I picked precisely the wrong moment.  It was 2009 and the world was deep in recession but, undeterred, I flew to France and grabbed a temporary seasonal stew job on 40m CRN Sima.  It was an odd introduction, a completely dry boat with a rather mismatched crew, but we had a very cool itinerary.  Having spent a long month on a swing mooring off the coast of Monaco, with not one single trip ashore, feisty 25-year-old me had the urge to grab a waterproof bag and swim to shore.  I could see Monaco, it really wasn’t that far, all I had to do was stick a buoy on and jump in.  The captain tried to dissuade me, but I was determined, so he eventually relented and ran us to shore.  With hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have phoned him at 4am to pick me up.  When my contract came to a conclusion, I hopped across to a 90-footer as deck stew to help finish their season.

“Having organised my B1/B2 visa back in South Africa, in 2010 I joined 40m Heesen Brazil in the States – again as deck stew.  Deck was where I really wanted to be and, due to the boat not being used that much, I only had to go below for one or two charters and the rest of the time was deck or yard work.  I learned one major career lesson on Brazil – don’t mess about with the water toys during a charter.  I was flung off a jetski at high speed, entirely my own fault, resulting in the hugest haematoma on my thigh.  I could barely walk but had to suck it up and host guests through gritted teeth.  Never again.  Sadly, the boat got repossessed and everyone lost their jobs.  So, I took the chance to go home once more and study for my Yachtmaster in Durban, before returning to the States to take up the role of mate onboard 106ft Westship Loose Ends.

“I loved that boat.  The owners were kind Canadians and our small crew was like a little family.  We sailed the entire Caribbean, did two major refits, and I have the captain, Bryan, to thank for teaching me how to drive, to dock, and some engineering skills – he was a fabulous mentor.  After two years on Loose Ends, I joined 142ft charter boat Lady J as bosun – again in the States.  It’s funny, once I left France in 2009, it was always the plan to return to the Mediterranean, but I got stuck over the other side of the pond for about ten years.  Of course, the pay off the bat seems much better in the States, but I would’ve liked a dual-season boat, it just never worked out that way.  After seven or eight months cruising the Bahamas, USVIs and BVIs, Lady J underwent a large crew change and things were never the same again.  I decided to head back out into the job market.

“It was now 2014, and I wanted to switch things up.  My next boat would be all about the itinerary, pure adventure, and I found one on the way to Central and South America.  Unfortunately, I only made it as far as Panama.  The captain was a complete psycho, veins would pop out his head as he yelled at us for ridiculous things such as using the printer without announcing it on the radio.  I told him where to shove it and left before the end of my probation.  I did have a chuckle when my Filipino crew members applauded me for standing up for myself.  They’d been treated like crap for ages but hadn’t got the courage for confrontation.  I later found out that the boat had run aground not once, but twice, both times with ‘Captain Rage’ at the helm.  It did make me smirk, not that we should ever take joy from the misfortune of others.

“I then jumped on a 120-footer to do a delivery with my mentor captain, Bryan from Loose Ends.  I hoped it would turn into something more permanent but, unfortunately, the owners went in the direction of an American flag.  At least I got some more driving practice.  I then bounced between him and my first captain, Alan, doing freelance work for charter and refit, whilst studying for my OOW.

“Just prior to my oral exams, I was trialled for a captain’s position on an 82ft Sunseeker.  I’d been onboard about 45 minutes, barely even walked through the boat, and they asked me to take her off the dock for a day trip.  It was nerve-wracking, but I just remembered everything I’d learned about how to handle a boat – fundamentally the principles of movement are all the same.  The next day, the outgoing captain left and I had the job.

“Truthfully, the owners were horrendous but, as it was my first drive, I sucked it up for my CV.  I did wonder why none of the captains lasted more than a year and, when I asked for a pay rise after 15 or 16 months, I was relieved of my services.  The proverbial penny dropped as to why no captain stuck around for longer than 12 months.  My favourite part of that job was babysitting the owner’s dog – a service-trained German Shepherd.

“After the Sunseeker, I once again teamed up with Bryan on a 45m Trident for three months to relieve some of his crew members whilst they took leave.  I then took a long seven-month break to spend time in South Africa with the family.  Whilst at home, Bryan called to see if I was interested in being his officer on M/Y Surina to navigate the waters of Central and South America.  Finally, the dream itinerary I had been searching for – I seized it with both hands.

“The boss took the kids out of school for half a year and turned it into a proper family cultural experience.  We did Miami, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Panama, then Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago, before coming back through Panama to the Pacific – my first trip through the Canal.  At some point during the odyssey, I fell for my chief engineer, Rowan.  We’d met almost a decade before, in the shipyard when I was looking for my first job in the States, but never romantically like this.

“Whilst on Surina, Bryan managed to injure himself and had to undergo corrective surgery.  So, for six of the 16 months on board, I acted as relief captain.  Upgrading from an 82-footer to 45m was ambitious, but the basics are the same, and Bryan had taught me well.  When a fully-recovered Bryan reappeared, I stayed a couple of months then did a quick flit to South Africa before returning to the US.

“Back in the States, I wanted to wrap up my Chief Mate qualifications, so looked for freelance employment to tide me over.  I ended up working on a private island in the Bahamas.  I was boat captain to a 46ft Sea Ray and watersports instructor.  Each morning we’d set up the jetskis, kayaks, SUPs, on the beach, take guests for day trips on the motorboat, then pack it all up that evening.  I’d then retire to a proper bed in a proper home.  All the good bits of yachting but with the perks of land life – isolation and no proper internet aside.  For four months, I worked several island stints in between my courses.  When Chief Mate was in the bag, I started the hunt for a role that would properly use my new qualifications.  I found it in the 49m Feadship I’m currently on.

“I joined as chief officer in October 2019 in Palma, Mallorca.  I felt like I’d hit the jackpot.  As a charter boat, it’s busy enough for good money, but not so busy it’ll have us all stressed out.  With a slightly older crew, dynamics are great, very professional, and you know the vibe is solid when you work together all day yet still choose to hang out with each other in the evening.  She’s had the same owner for 22 years and he cares about his crew, so much so that the current captain has been on 12 years, and the captain before even longer.

“We immediately left Palma, crossed the Atlantic, did a charter season, then went into Rybovich shipyard in Florida in January.  The plan was to come back to Palma for the summer season – then COVID-19 happened.  With a British captain, chef and chief engineer, we decided the best bet was to head for the UK so their nationals could swap in and out easily.  It was the right moment to leave, we didn’t want to be stuck in the States if there was a chance of a Mediterranean season.

“So, we spent lockdown in Falmouth on the Cornish coast.  It was beautiful, but you can’t properly appreciate Cornwall if you’re prevented from nipping out for a pie and pint – it felt eerily quiet with nothing open.  Meanwhile, also thanks to COVID-19, my boyfriend, Rowan, had been stuck on a yacht in French Polynesia with his boss, surviving on a diet of coconuts.  Ideally, we’ll have a long overdue reunion in France and take leave together, escape to some mountains, and then Rowan will pick up his yacht in Cabo San Lucas or similar.

“By the time this season is done, I calculated that I won’t have seen my family and friends in 19 months.  And, to add a twist to the tale, I have more family than ever to catch up with these days.

“Just two years ago, I met my biological mum for the first time.  Many moons previously, I’d been handed an info pack about her, but never gave it much thought and it got lost in the passage of time.  After a good friend was celebrating his biological daughter getting back in touch, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to search for my roots.

“I emailed a private investigator and, barely three days later, I was at Captain Bryan’s daughter’s wedding in Fiji with my Mom and Dad, when the phone went – the PI had found my mother.  My folks and I all hugged and had a good overwhelming cry.  We finally met in South Africa – on her birthday ironically enough.  She was stoked and said it was the best gift ever.  I now have new Aunties, Uncles and Grandparents who I never knew existed – very surreal.  We lost Grant though, he died from an unexplained heart attack age 30, leaving behind a wife and two little boys.  We’ll forever be adjusting to life without him.

“This long period away has made me realise that I’m ready to have some land-based life and set up home – for sure some place with plenty of surf like Portugal, Nicaragua or Costa Rica.   Rowan and I will take time out to explore and ensure we make the right decision.   I’ve achieved most of my career goals and I now need to balance my time doing more of what I love.  I adore the ocean, and this industry that’s served me so well for over a decade, so would be hard pressed to completely jump ship.  I’d love my own drive again, but would definitely also enjoy a position as a rotational officer.  In the meantime, my focus is to rescue this season that, thanks to COVID-19, almost never was – for sure 2020 will never be forgotten.”

By Sarah Forge hello@sarahforge.com

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