Growing up on the East Coast of South Africa, the ocean meant surfing and sharks to me, not a life, a career and adventure. It was only after a close friend got onto yachts and started sending me photos that I realised the potential out there on those same waves. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and then went on to pursue a 15-year career in super-yachting. Starting in 2005 on motor yachts, Galaxy, Romanza & Elysian, as well as running sailing yachts, including Saudade, Mystery and Indio and getting into the high octane regatta side of yacht life.
Throughout my career making friends (whom I still see and adore) and learning (which I’m still doing daily) were always the best part of yachting. Having travel and adventure be intertwined into our daily life is amazing, and it is even better when you have a tribe to explore, share and commiserate with. The people in yachting are some of the best humans I’ve ever met, what a wild and brilliant bunch we are!
However, with every “Dolphins on the bow!” radio call and every sunrise yoga session on the Helideck, there were also the missed weddings, birthdays and funerals and having lived through and experienced a vacuum in the industry around mental health awareness and understanding, I sought to find an industry-accessible solution and resource. Having completed a two-day Mental Health First Aid course, the ink was still wet on my new certificate I was found myself applying to be a MHFA Instructor and I found what I believe to be the most progressive resource available for anyone in the maritime industry – the opportunity to educate and empower crew on personal and collective wellbeing. Co-founding SEAS THE MIND, we have created a global resource and training program for seafarers to tackle, recognise and fortify individuals to understand their own and others’ mental health onboard.
For me yachting has been a wonderful playground, career and friend generator, I also know nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement and I would like to leave yachting even better for the next generation, and that’s what I believe we are doing with SEAS THE MIND.
