“I’ve loved boats since I was a child. It was my father and my uncle, who had a sailboat, who passed it down to me. After school I spent my summers at the seaside and I knew I wanted to make a job out of it. That’s why I chose the Genoa Nautical Institute, to make this love of mine into a career. I started out on 1 April 2019 in a seasonal job. This was my first real introduction to Navigazione. As I already had my Seaman Service Book, a few months later I was put on the motorboats as a trainee deckhand. There was a clear career progression: trainee deckhand and then deckhand. After a certain period of time on board and an internal exam, if you want to continue on the bridge you become an assistant helmsman, learn how to handle the boat and build up the days of experience you need. With those under your belt you can take the helmsman license exam. It’s a full-blown apprenticeship which takes years to complete. Helmsmen are the captain’s right hand where boat handling is concerned. You work as a team on the bridge: the captain is next to me. I move the boat to his orders and then there’s the machinist, the deckhand and the ticket officer, depending on the boat. The boat only runs when everyone is doing their bit. It’s never boring because the weather is always changing. Even if the stops are the same, every boat manoeuvre is different from the last: wind, currents, rain or sun make for a different approach every time. It’s not a ‘production line’ job. And it’s also a great job for people who don’t want to end up behind a desk. I’ve never seen myself locked up in an office and I never will. It’s a dynamic job. You’re using your head but it’s definitely more of a practical job. You’ve no need of a keyboard or screen. You’re active, with your hands and your head.’
