Lauren Beck is the former editor of Dockwalk and was with the publication from 2006 to 2023. At 13, she left South Africa aboard a 34-foot sailing boat with her family and ended up in St. Maarten for six years. Before college, she worked as crew for a year, and then cut her journalistic teeth at Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal online. She loves traveling, reading, tennis, and rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
Name: Richardo Anderson
Position: Chief Engineer
Yacht: M/Y Lady S
LOA: 46M/151'
Builder: Benetti
Time in Current Position: three years, eight months
Years in Industry: Six-plus yachting, three in Merchant Navy
Previous Vessels: M/Y Heaven Can Wait, M/Y Focus, M/Y Solice, M/Y Inevitable
Nationality: Jamaican
Instagram: @kyng_rich
I have always had a love for architectural building designs. As such, yachting designs fascinate me — they're compact but spacious. If l wasn't on a yacht, perhaps I'd be doing something in architecture.
I got started in yachting after a fellow chief engineer friend invited me to work with him during a yard period back in 2016.
I wouldn't say any one part is the most challenging as I love the job overall; however, sometimes as the engineer your brain is constantly switched on and you don't truly relax as there are always technical and critical matters relating to safety and efficient operation at hand, which can become a little too much. Without breaks, you burn out.
My worst mechanical failure was when the stabilizer structural mount failed during a passage from the BVIs to Florida. We had to shut down the unit as soon as possible to prevent any further damage to the structural members and continue the journey without stabilizers. It's lucky we were only a day and a half away from port.
The biggest issue facing yacht engineers today is the limitation of the engineer department. On some boats, there is only one engineer and, as such, time is always an issue to have jobs completed within a specific time frame, while others might not understand the complexities behind a specific job.
For those looking to get started, just start and be open to suggestions — you'll learn along the way once you have a positive attitude and a willingness to progress.
If you're trying to impress, try to learn the correct method of executing a job and not just rush through it. This prevents accidents and near misses - don't act like you know when you don't know.
I discovered that I really like diving. Yachting opened my eyes to the underwater world.
My most significant achievement is attaining my Chief Engineer Unlimited certificate of competency.
The best part of my job is the traveling and visiting remote areas of the world.
This article originally ran in the February 2023 issue of Dockwalk.