KEY POINTS:
Steve Willoughby, a Maori from Rawhiti in the Bay of Islands, has pretty much the dream job.
Aged 42, he lives in Dubai. On top of a big salary he gets six-weeks' holiday a year and a ticket to anywhere in the world and has a free luxury apartment. As he says: "If you find the perfect job you'll never have to work another day in your life."
But with the job there are big responsibilities. He is in charge of four super-yachts located in different countries, the largest, soon to be launched, is worth US$45 million ($67 million).
He is, at present, in New Zealand for 10 weeks at the New Zealand Maritime School, upgrading his Master's Certificate to 3000-tonne super-yachts and says he knows seven graduates from the school working in Dubai.
"The work, well that's exacting. A large part of my job entails being a perfectionist. Super-yachts are maintained to an impeccable standard and as a skipper you need to be able to respond immediately to a call that requires you and the ship to go anywhere in the world.
"When you are there you need to be ready to entertain the owners and their guests to an amazingly high standard. There are no menus. You have to provide what they feel like eating at any time."
Part of his role is also scouring the world for the latest maritime technologies.
"The super-yacht community is a small one. If my boss sees or hears of something new he will want to know if we should have it. So a lot of my time is spent reading to keep up to date with world wide developments.
"I have pretty much an unlimited budget to ensure that the ship is 100 per cent perfect. That is all the owners are interested in, not the details. Even so, vessels are managed like a small corporation and every dollar spent is accounted for."
He says New Zealand and Australian skippers and crew are popular in Dubai because they are reliable, have initiative and know how to get things done.
"In our industry you have to do a great job, build your reputation and not burn any bridges. People in our business want to employ the best. And that's what you have to be.
"Every morning I play Inspector Clouseau looking for possible blemishes in the condition of the boat. The crew call me obsessive and I am. In the world that I work in nothing can be second best."
For his present training he could have chosen other accredited providers in either Fort Lauderdale in the United States, Antibes in France or within Britain. But says he prefers the tuition in Auckland.
"All the tutors at the New Zealand Maritime School are professional mariners with a wide range of industry experience throughout the world. They have great practical knowledge."
Steve says the course is intensive. Lectures and practical training runs from 8am to 4pm each day and students often have to study well into the night.
"There are no short cuts in this business. Getting certification opens the door and you have to put in the hours to master the course work. Education is the key. It may not be easy but you have to do it. You have to find your dream and live it - and don't stop until you get there."
Part of Steve's training is on the school's computerised training simulator, which has recently had a $1.6 million upgrade.
One of the first new generation simulators in the world, the computerised simulator takes up half a floor at the school building in Quay Street and gives an intensely realistic experience of being at the helm of any of 42 different ship models in any of 38 international ports.
Head of the school, captain Tim Wilson, says the simulator uses five data projectors to show screen computer generated images on the windows of a replica ship's bridge.
"This system has more realistic weather conditions than ever before, giving a dramatic feeling of movement. This is also helped by movement and sound generators built into the floor of the room.
"We are in elite company with the only comparable simulators currently located in the US and Europe. This means we are increasingly on the shopping list of people seeking advanced training qualifications and to improve operating practice on their vessels."
He says a majority of the students doing the advanced superyacht masters' certificates are people who are based overseas.
Each year the school trains around 400 students across a range of maritime and logistics-related courses and qualifications. The school has more than 80 years' experience in maritime training and its qualifications are recognised internationally.
