Today we’d like to introduce you to John Cramer.
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I am originally from Little River, South Carolina; a small coastal town that borders North Carolina. I was your typical beach rat growing up. When I wasn’t in school I was at the beach, either surfing or sneaking into hotel pools and hot tubs with my friends. Even during school we’d get up early and go surfing before school started if the waves were good.
I got my first summer job at 14 working at Crickett Cove Marina as a dockhand. I did a little bit of everything at the marina; from fueling up boats for customers, maneuvering boats to and from haul-out slips, washing/waxing boats, cutting grass, etc. I had been around a couple of boats before through friends but I really didn’t have too much knowledge or experience prior to working at the marina. I was instantly hooked though. Even though I couldn’t take the boats very far I would practice maneuvering and docking them every chance I got.
Although most of the boats I was surrounded by were fairly small I knew that there were full-time Captains and some crew around that would make a living on these boats. But in a small fishing town, it wasn’t quite the living that I wanted for myself. So I did what I thought was the only next step and went off to college. I attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC studying Communications with a Concentration in Media Studies. I used to do the school news in middle and high school and I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career at this point in my life so I figured what the heck. I had an amazing time in Charleston but I was really struggling in school. After going back and forth from university to odd jobs to university for five years I finally called it quits on the school front.
Towards the end of that five years, I had gotten a call from one of my best friends from childhood who was in the Navy at the time. He said that he was based in Jacksonville, Florida, and that if I ever wanted to get out of Charleston for a fresh start he had a couch in his apartment with my name on it. So one day that’s exactly what I did. I packed up what little possessions I had and moved to Jacksonville. I quickly found a job at a marina there working for Jax Boat Club. It’s basically a boat membership club where people pay an initial membership fee and monthly dues to have unlimited access to a fleet of boats without having to worry about maintenance and upkeep. I hadn’t been on a boat since high school so I was pumped to be back in this element, even though I was now 22 and still doing the same jobs I was doing at 14. I didn’t care, I got to work outside on boats every day and be on the water.
After living on my friend’s couch and working at the boat club for about 8 months I heard about this yachting industry that was based in South Florida. I had heard of “yachts” and seen a bigger boat or two before but I had no idea what a megayacht or a superyacht even meant, those terms were completely foreign to me. So after doing a bit of research I decided that’s what I want to do!
I had another childhood best friend that was already living and working in Fort Lauderdale so he helped set me up with a place to live and gave me a job working with him trying to get a food truck franchise off the ground. I didn’t have nearly enough money to attend maritime school to get my basic certificates to get a job on a yacht so I drove a shaved ice and ice cream truck around South Florida for almost two years saving up money. I had some good times “bringing sweets to the streets.”
Shortly after receiving my STCW, which is just the most basic maritime certification for survival, fire, first aid, safety, and security, I landed my first job as a deckhand on a 95-foot motor yacht that was based in Fort Lauderdale and chartered in The Bahamas.
I haven’t turned back since. I’ve had so many amazing opportunities and experiences because of this industry. My only regret is that I wish I had found it sooner. At the beginning of my yachting career, I invested most of my money back into myself, furthering my education, getting more certifications, and upgrading my licenses. I had finally found something I was passionate about and I didn’t want to waste another minute not pursuing it 1000%.
I have endless amounts of stories about my experiences, my travels, and the people that I have had the chance to meet and sail with along the way. I’ve gotten to work on all kinds of vessels including motor yachts, sport fishers, and sailing yachts. I’ve been fortunate enough to sail from the Sea of Cortez to the ABC Islands and everywhere in between.
I am still based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and I am currently a full-time Captain for a private family. I hold a USCG 200-ton Master’s license, I am a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, a Level 1 FII Freediver, and an EFR/First-Aid/AED Instructor. I’m also taking courses right now to upgrade my license again to a 500-ton.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can’t imagine anyone has a smooth road when trying to pursue their dreams or goals in life. I, of course, have encountered a few bumps along my journey. When I look back at those twists and turns and bumps along the way, those are the moments that molded and shaped me into the person I am today. As much as it pained me to “learn the hard way” I almost enjoyed that struggle because I really do believe that is one of the most effective ways of learning pretty much anything. And better believe when I did learn the hard way I never forgot about it.
I was very lucky to always have the most supportive family and friends surrounding me growing up. My parents divorced before I was a teenager, and of course, that sucked, but they still held onto the common ground of being there for their kids. Sacrifice after sacrifice after the sacrifice was made in order to give my sister and me a fighting chance at life, and the opportunity to pursue whatever made us happy.
Most, if not all, of my struggles in life, have been self-inflicted. In the yachting industry, mental health and substance abuse are both widely prevalent and I was not one to escape that reality. You’re completely encompassed in these extravagant lifestyles that these yacht owners live in, day in and day out. As a crew member, you’re not directly involved with the schmoozing, but it’s constantly all around you forging this false reality that makes you think you are. Booze and drugs are very often around, and most of the time they’ve already been paid for.
The psychological struggle that I and loads of yachties suffer with is isolation. Being crew on yachts is a very unique environment. Being “On Duty” vs. “Off Duty” is basically the same environment when living and working on a vessel. There is no opportunity to “go home” and relax. Communication can be difficult. Often times you have multinational crews with different social backgrounds. You have a lack of social interaction with friends and family.
At the beginning of my career, I was ashamed and embarrassed by both of these personal struggles. I’m now very open and embracing these traits of mine. Through many talks with my loving partner, close friends, and family I sought therapy and learned to cope with and own these struggles. The yachting industry is making huge progress these days to recognize these issues and to really fight for its crew members.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a yacht captain, I get to wear many different hats. Commanding the yacht and navigating safe passages across the oceans is just a very small part of the job. I am also in control of the overall safety of the ship, its crew, and its guests. Crew management, budgeting, administration, maintenance, refit projects, voyage planning, and adhering to all international maritime regulations are a few more responsibilities that I am in charge of.
Along with those very necessary responsibilities, I am also in charge of providing my owners and guests with experiences of a lifetime. Most yachts have the luxury of being self-sustaining. The only things that keep us from staying at sea 24/7 are fuel and weather. We have generators for around-the-clock power and electricity, we have de-salination plants on board providing us unlimited fresh water, eco-friendly water treatment systems, and usually enough storage for provisions to last weeks if not months. So with all of those great things on board, we are able to sail to some incredible places in this world that you would otherwise never be able to experience. And I get to make that happen!
Image Credits
Alex Duggan
