An Interview With Lisa Thatcher

As part of celebrating our 25-year anniversary, we wanted to share a few memories and experiences of some of our longest serving bluewater employees and give crew a chance to get to know us better!

02 March 2016
Lisa, our senior training coordinator & examination officer, is one of our long lasting bluewater employees and has watched the careers of crew members grow over the years, from them walking through our doors with no experience or knowledge in the industry, to holding their Master 3000gt ticket!

After completing an honours degree in Zoology, Lisa came to the South of France, where she joined bluewater. But not before completing a season onboard a yacht, after which she decided to go land based, settle down with her husband-to-be and get ready for a little bundle of joy that was on the way! She likes to think that not only did she embrace family life at home, but she also became part of the bluewater family.

1. How long have you worked for bluewater?

Nearly 9 years – crumbs!

2. What would you say is the best thing about working for bluewater?

Helping the crew get through their courses and telling them they’ve passed their exams – the most pleasant is when they have done all of their courses with us over a few months/years and then they pass their final oral exam. It’s so rewarding!

3. How would you describe bluewater in 5 words?

Dedicated, professional, personable, innovative and passionate.

4. What are your busiest times of year?

October-December and March-May.

5. What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part of my job is managing the external exams with the relevant authorities.

6. How many courses do bluewater run at the moment?

Currently we run 41 courses.

7. Finish this sentence "Working with bluewater gives me great satisfaction because…"

Every day is a challenge and every day is different.

8. What is the most popular course that bluewater run?

Probably, the STCW 95 Basic Safety Course.

9. What is your most commonly asked question by crew coming in?

Refreshers! Do I need to refresh my basic safety certificates? And when does it have to be done?
All the answers can be found in this article we've written about the subject. Also feel free to call us if you have any specific questions.

10. Do you know any crew now from back when you started? If so, what do they do now?

Yes, Y1 engineers and captains now holding their Master 3000gt ticket.

11. What is your favourite memory from working at bluewater?

Gosh there are lots of good memories over the years – it’s too difficult to choose a specific one. But if I had to, it would probably be our Christmas Party in Palma – it’s always amusing getting the whole team together!

12. What do you have to say about the evolution within the crew department over the years? Has much changed?

Absolutely, the biggest change has been the launch of the bluewater ONE Account, which is pioneering to bluewater and has changed and revolutionised the way crew placement can be done.

13. What is your favourite time of the year and why?

I would say July as we have our teen summer school running which is very upbeat and different to our traditional course schedule.
Lisa works in our Crew and Training Centre, in Antibes, Monday through Friday. If you have any comments or questions she can be reached by email on training@bluewateryachting.com or by telephone on +33 493 344 773.