Joshua Dorkins

Born in North Wales, Josh spent his early teens helping out on his father’s fishing boat, picking up some maritime practices and realising he liked being at sea.

Life took him another route though, working as a builder for some time and earning a degree from University. Josh knew however that he wanted something a bit different from his career, something that would take him around the world. Some friends visited him that worked as stewardesses, telling Josh that he would make a great Deckhand, and recommending UKSA as the perfect place to train. He enrolled on UKSA’s Superyacht Deckhand Training course in late 2019. “My friends told me about UKSA being the ideal place to get all my qualifications in one go, and they were right!”

Upon graduating, after spending Christmas and Winter at home with his family, Josh was proactive in his job hunting by emailing as many contacts as possible and signing up to crew agencies. In the Summer of 2020 he flew out to Antibes and his hard work had paid off, the contacts and agencies he had contacted were all keen to meet with him and having arrived in Antibes Wednesday morning, visiting an agency office on Wednesday afternoon, Josh had been offered a job Wednesday evening.

“The very next day I was on a train to Italy and started my role as a Junior Deckhand on a 44m yacht. It was the perfect place to start, with a small and close crew that were happy to involve me in as much as possible. I would help with everything from watchkeeping to dropping anchor. I learned so many skills during my time here.”

Josh actually met his partner on board this yacht, and after a season on board they decided to take some time off together. When the season started the following year, Josh had decided he wanted to progress his career and he and his partner began looking for positions on board vessels they could join together. It didn’t take long to find a position on board a 65m yacht, beginning as a Deckhand for only one month before being promoted to lead Deckhand.

Josh and his partner then decided that they wanted to join a dual season boat and spend time working in the Caribbean, finding a position in November 2023 as a Bosun. Recalling his time, Josh shared that crossing the Atlantic Ocean and arriving in the Caribbean were two of his career highlights. This boat were flexible, and even sponsored Josh enrol in Office of the Watch courses during leave as began he his training towards becoming a captain.

“UKSA is a bit of a journey for me from North Wales, but it’s worth it. It’s the best place to go as you don’t need to worry about anything whilst you’re there. You get meals, accommodation and there is even a gym – and it’s no more expensive than other training providers.”

We asked Josh if he had any advice for anyone considering enrolling on the Superyacht Deckhand Training course, “Go into it with a bit of a plan. There are real opportunities for a great career if you take your training and job hunting seriously. You could be retired by 40! Remember to enjoy it though. Appreciate the places you go, the sunsets you’ll see and the experiences you’ll get.”