monitoring and having to evaluate. His worst nightmare is long
periods of rain when people are keen to get out there and the
weather is not settled. ���I���ve got to make constant judgements as
to what���s safe and what���s reasonable, and then reason with them
if it���s not safe to go out.���
���When things change i.e. the weather, we���re prepared to go
out and bring the boats in,��� he says. ���We expect our customers
to have confidence to ring for help without feeling silly and we���ll
go out and help them or provide an instructor free of charge to
bring them back in if the weather turns bad. This turns into a
learning experience���
One of the appeals of Great Escape Yacht Charters was the
focus on education ��� an area that Darren has developed further.
Throughout his life, Darren has always taken advantage of
any educational opportunities offered and attained qualifications
as wide as Diplomas in Fire & Rescue, Ambulance, Adult
Education, Workplace Assessor, Certificate in Adult Training
and NZ Yachting Instructors Certificate Level Three. He employs
Inshore Launch Masters as skippers and has a crew of nine part
time instructors. ���It���s lovely sharing my passion of sailing with
customers and I do a lot of teaching as well.���
Darren says it���s all about the location too and therefore it���s a
unique place to teach and is extremely safe for learning. ���We
encourage them to get into sailing, which is why we run ���Learn
to Sail��� programmes.��� Many clients become firm friends and
go onto owning their own yachts. ���One customer is buying a
���I think MOSS has the potential to
be a step in the right direction as long
as it���s managed well���
for Frontier, Jubilee & Legacy
VIP.S90
50��� yacht, after learning with us and they plan to live on board.
We���ve been asked if we can bring it back from Tahiti next April.���
Wintertime is Darren���s time to take a breath. ���After working
all summer, it���s time to take any opportunity that looks good, and
jump on boats and beggar off, you���ve got to have time off when
you work seven days a week during the summer!���
He regularly reminds himself of why he is running a sailing
business. ���I take off shore delivery trips, race regularly, sail for a
living and also sail for fun. Sometimes people lose their passion
but that hasn���t happened for me!���
Winter is also a good time to catch up with maintenance and
refit a couple of boats.
Darren is looking forward to his fleet going into MOSS but
is concerned that the costs may be higher. ���I think MOSS has
the potential to be a step in the right direction as long as it���s
managed well and delivers on its promises.��� His rationale behind
his thinking is that he wants to have the ability to make decisions
on behalf of his business. ���Third parties are always a risk and
when I have to pay these people (SSM companies) to manage
my business on my behalf, the risks is there and open to their
interpretation. MOSS has the potential to manage my business
the way I see fit.���
Darren likes the original values of MOSS and provided it
doesn���t get diluted, believes it���s going to work.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson says, what lies behind us and what
lies before us are small matters compared with what lies within
us. Darren took the step and radically altered his life in a positive
way. In doing so, he became self-reliant, confident and
created the future he desired.
January/February 2013 Professional Skipper 39
