The sharp-dressed skipper of the third Amels 60, Satemi, remembers his childhood at sea and a close call on the start line of the Rolex Cup
How did you end up becoming a captain?
I’m a captain son of a captain father. When I was three months old, until the age of six, my parents lived on a sailing boat, and we sailed all over the Med. My destiny was already written. Later on in my teens, I spent every summer with my father working as a deckhand, then I was off to maritime college, onto the navy academy, before I got my captain’s ticket.
What would you be doing if youweren’t a captain?
I'd probably be a gas station guy or a firefighter, as every child dreams!
Where is still on your bucket list?
A Pacific island adventure: Clipperton Island to the Galápagos to Easter Island to the Pitcairns. I have always had this fascination with remote islands! I’m saving that one for when I retire though.
What is your favorite destination for cruising?
I am in love with the Aeolian Islands. I have been around the world, but no place beats those islands. They are so green, the water is so blue and when you drop anchor next to the shore, very close, you can smell the islandvegetation. The villages are full of history back to the Roman Empire, and Stromboli has illuminated the skies every night since ancient Roman sailors were crossing the Tyrrhenian Sea.
What has been your most memorable moment on board?
Many years ago, I was on a passage from Genoa to Gibraltar with my father. We spent many hours and plenty of nights together in silence, both sitting on a captain's chair, one on each side of the bridge. We rarely spoke but I was tremendously happy: I was with my father facing the sea, an old captain and a young one. There was no need to talk, the sound of silence was enough.
What has been a moment you would rather forget?
I was sailing at the Rolex Cup regatta in Sardinia on Ohana, and we realized too late that the Rolex Cup is a fleet start and not a rally like a superyacht regatta. We found ourselves packed in a very nasty spot because a J Class made a wrong tack. I made it, but I had nightmares about it for days.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Hold fast, be humble but be proud.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in yachting that can’t be taught in a classroom?
Always respect the sea. Every time you cast off is a new adventure. Every time you hoist the anchor, it is a new challenge. Never take for granted that everything is easy and the same as it was the day before. Once done, you won’t be able to rewind it.
What’s the biggest challenge you deal with as captain?
The crew. To sail a yacht is like reading a book; it can be good or bad. The crew is a blank page. Every day is something different, and every day there is an old and new problem to face, especially today with a new generation of sailors, those that are inspired more by money than Conrad or Melville novels.
What do you look for when hiring new crew?
How a person edits a CV can say a lot. The photo and the layout will help me understand their commitment. If those don’t match, I don’t read the CV.