ONBOARD Magazine winter 2019

AT YOUR SERVICE
Femke Jacobs talks to Frances and Michael Howorth onboard
Legend and explains her Hotel Manager’s position
Did you have a particular reason for
joining the superyacht industry?
Having managed two tapas restaurants
from opening until success I needed a
challenge but I also needed a rest so I went
travelling. I am however hugely ambitious
and I knew that I needed a new and more
exciting challenge and began to look around.
I heard a Dutch yacht owner who was very
commercially minded was seeking to employ
a Hotel Manager for a newer and larger
yacht he had just converted so I got myself
an interview. It lasted three hours and at the
end of it I knew I wanted the job so much. I
went without sleep for a week, but finally I
was rewarded with this fabulous opportunity!
Had you ever been at sea before?
No! This is my very first yacht and yes I know
how lucky I am to be able to step straight in
at the top. But the owner seeks out the very
best talent and employs them if he thinks
they are right for the job.
What do you most like about this job?
Being Hotel Manager on board this yacht is
truly a one off assignment. I work 4 months
on and 2 months off. I tend not to do the
passages but I am always on when the yacht
is being chartered which is the fun part. I
absolutely love waking up to a different view
every day when we are travelling.
And least like?
The hours are intense when you are on
charter and I really really like sleeping,
which there is not a lot of time for.
What is your favourite restaurant or bar in
the Mediterranean and why is it special?
I really enjoy the over the top and
wonderfully inspiring service you get at
Paradiso in Barcelona. It appears to be a
Pastrami sandwich bar that has a big fridge
on the right. If you open that door and walk
through the fridge, you emerge into a hidden,
1940s-style speakeasy serving fabulous
cocktails prepared by Giacomo Giannotti,
Barcelona’s best barman. You have to try
the bacon-infused Old Fashioned and don’t
forget to order a pastrami sandwich which
are as good as the cocktails. Order them at
the bar and they get served to you through a
secret hatch.
What is your favourite food and what food
do you most dislike?
I love eating Spanish foods, Paella is among
my favourites. Tapas and the way in which
they are served and eaten is an art form and
one to be enjoyed. Gazpacho on a hot day
takes a lot of beating and who can resist a
plate of well cooked calamari? I love Jamon
Iberico but really cannot understand the fuss
when it comes to Japanese sushi so perhaps
that’s my least favourite food.
Has any superyacht service provider
impressed you enough to give them a
mention?
We work a lot with BWA in ports all around
the world and they never let us down.
Name your three dream dinner party
guests:
My top three would include Beyonce, Carlos
Ruiz Zafón, the Spanish novelist and the
Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda.
Who is the most funny of all your fellow
crew?
Our bosun does a perfect imitation of Johnny
Depp’s pirate character Jack Sparrow and if
you close your eyes and simply listened you
would swear that he was on board just in
front of you.
What advice would you give to someone
thinking of working on a yacht?
There is no doubt in my mind that before you
think of working on a yacht you need to have
travelled alone, away from your immediate
family. I have seen very promising crew give
up their jobs because they are homesick.
You need to be very self confident and fully
understand what sort of job you are getting
yourself into.
What tip for doing your job better are you
willing to share?
Build your crew into a team and become
their leader by pulling the cart rather than
sitting in the driver’s seat cracking the whip.
Show by example and become someone they
are happy to follow.
If you had a magic wand what change would
you make to your job?
We have got a rock star crew on board this
yacht and I hate it when I hear friends might
want to leave so I would use my wand to
make sure no one ever wanted to leave this
magical yacht.
How does being at sea so far away from
home affect your family life?
My life was turned on its head when I
divorced a couple of years ago. Now however
I am getting family life sorted out and I am
beginning to enjoy my new found freedom.
We are a very close family and while Mum
hates it that I am away so often my Dad is so
proud of what it is I have achieved. My three
brothers are just as close to me and when
we are in Holland we all spend a great deal
of time together as a family. When I am at
sea the Internet makes being apart easier to
cope with.
QUICK FIRE
Are you a morning or night time person?
Night
How do you like your steak?
Medium
What was the last film you saw in a
cinema?
Beauty & the Beast
What did you eat for breakfast this
morning?
Oatmeal
What is your favourite style of cuisine?
Spanish
What food do you hate most?
Raw fish sushi
What would your last supper be?
Well made Paella
What are your favourite clothes?
Pyjamas
Where in the world would you visit if you
had the chance?
Galapagos
Where would you want to retire?
A sunny island
What car do you drive?
My Grandma’s 1998 Ford Escort!
32 | WINTER 2019 | ONBOARD