Laura Shaughnessy is the former managing editor at Dockwalk.
Going to San Diego soon? In October, you’ll be able to enjoy the perks that the Good Stew Crew Placement program offers around-the-clock during your stay at Fifth Avenue Landing and Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW). Who better to head that up than a former crewmember with experience as both a chef and stew?
“The Good Stew offers an array of local resources, many stemming from our personal connections, including referrals for vendors/dayworkers, provisioning companies, rental cars, hotel stays, and the trendiest bars and restaurants,” says Dawn Stofberg, dockmaster at Fifth Avenue Landing (which is under the same ownership as MGBW). The former crewmember spent six years as a superyacht chef and six as a stew. The program also sells crew unforms and interior products, including Kanberra and Miele, and hosts multiple social events throughout the year.
Although it launched in 2015 as a complimentary crew concierge service to captains and crew visiting the U.S. West Coast as a platform to answer crew questions during refit season, it has morphed into a well-rounded program. And now, seven years later, it had a soft launch on August 1, with an official launch coming in October with a crew appreciation party. The launch was planned to coincide with the beginning of the fall refit season.
“For the last seven years, we have provided complimentary crew placement as a part of the Good Stew program. With an increased demand for crew placement on the West Coast, we saw the opportunity to expand the program into a formal crew placement service,” says Stofberg. Short-term crew placement (30 days or less) is complimentary — employment for a period that exceeds 30 days will be subject to a small placement fee paid by the vessel/employer.
Stofberg left her post aboard M/Y Desperado in February 2020 after six years as crew on vessels ranging from 35 to 40 meters. Before that, she was a stewardess for six years on vessels ranging from 45 to 60 meters, including M/Y Apogee, M/Y Wheels, M/Y Noble House, and M/Y Tuscan Sun.