Filipino seaman Rodel Dioresma shares the challenges of working on a yacht, how he bravely confronts these difficulties and rises above them.
When Rodel Dioresma flew to Rotterdam to work on a 50-meter sailing yacht 21 years ago, he didn’t sign up to clean the captain´s house, neither do the laundry nor babysit his children when he was eating out with his wife. But at 22, he was young and naive that he couldn´t say no to these requests. ”I knew it was not my job but if I quit, what happens to me and my family?” confesses Rodel in our online interview.
So aside from cooking for the guests and crew on the ship, doing the laundry, cleaning the cabins, setting the sail, he was also busy working at his captain´s house whenever the ship was moored in Rotterdam.
Rodel, a native of Zamboanga Sibugay and a graduate of Nautical Science, had always wanted to be a seaman just like his uncles. After graduation, he worked at Shang-rila Hotel Makati washing dishes while waiting for his chance to board a ship. It finally came when he set off for the Netherlands in 2002, his first journey abroad.
Despite the not so pleasant experience on his first boat, Rodel doesn’t dismiss the things he learned from his one-year stint as a ship steward. “I took down notes. I paid attention.” Working on a sailing yacht is tough and exciting, he admits. As sailboats are wind reliant, stormy seas can put the boat at risk. “If the wind was strong and the sea was rough, I would throw up. I couldn´t eat and sleep.” They would cross the Atlantic going to the Caribbean and moor the ship in France or the Netherlands.
Another chance, another ship
After his contract, he went back home to look for a better employer. In 2004, he couldn’t believe his luck when he was hired over four other applicants who were more experienced than him. He flew to Kiel, Germany to work as a deckhand on a 96-meter private yacht. The boat is only used by its American owner for one month and a half every year.
Rodel´s tasks involved cleaning the decks and washing and repairing the yacht, NOT their captain´s house. He took his job seriously and learned fast. He was happy with how he was treated by his crew mates and superiors. His salary of 1,600$/month was a far cry from the 350$/month he was earning from his first job. After three months, he passed the probation period and later on, he was granted a holiday leave and a salary raise.
From being a deckhand, Rodel eventually worked his way up to be the ship’s second officer. In 2013, he was promoted after getting his Yachtmaster certificate from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. “I passed on my second attempt. I was so nervous on my first try that I failed the practical exam, I forgot to turn on the GPS and the radio.” Being second officer means more responsibilities, but he took them as a challenge and worked harder proving that he deserved his new post.
In 2022, Rodel was promoted first officer, reporting directly to his senior and second captains. “I feel so grateful that the management and my captains trust me 101%. One time, they let me pilot the yacht from Italy to France.” With his impressive work ethics, his superiors urged him to apply for a captain´s license. He plans to take the exam next year.
When the owner is around, Rodel starts his day at 7AM, setting up the yacht, making sure that the lounge chairs, the sunblocks, towels and other things the boss might need are in order. All the decks should be tidy and clean. They usually avoid the rough seas, staying 300 to 500 miles away from the low pressure area. “We pay a weather router company that feeds us info on the weather. But one time, we had to cross the Atlantic because our boss urgently needed the boat. We were hit by a hurricane with sustained winds of 60mph. The ship almost tipped sideways.”
Prayers and patience
For the most part of the year, the yacht is moored at the quay in the shipyards of Barcelona and Mallorca. It was in Barcelona where he met his wife Michelle in 2011, and made friends with a lot of kababayans that at every chance he had, he helped them find work in the shipyard.
As first officer, he gives his crew mates their designated maintenance duties. “Before the day ends, I check each task, then prepare the weekly report. We wash the yacht on Thursdays and Fridays.” As safety is his top priority, his team frequently does safety drills. “We don´t know when accidents will happen. Before we climb up the boat, we double check the harness, the safety equipment, the scaffolding.”
Rodel loves his job so much that he can´t imagine working anywhere away from his ship. At 43, he is no longer the pushover and naive steward that he was 21 years ago. From a lowly crew member tricked by his captain to being first officer to a crew of 17, Rodel has gone a long way. “Prayers and patience brought me to where I am now, and the support of my crew, some of whom I have been with for the past 20 years.” As his journey continues, he isn´t in a rush. Just like his ship sailing smoothly in the high seas, his time will come. Someday, he will be at the helm steering the ship across the Atlantic.
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