Captain Carlos Pedercini has all the traits of a brilliant captain: leadership, compassion for his crew and a fierce love of the ocean. He tells Alex Westcott how testing out his sea legs as a young man set the course for him to take the helm of a cruise ship.
The ship's gentle sway is calming, as is the sight of an endless expanse of the sapphire-hued Arabian Gulf beyond the windows of the lounge and the strains of a violin being played in the background. I'm aboard the Legend of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship berthed in Port Rashid. The vessel is visiting Dubai for just a day before it continues on to Rome. I'm here to meet its captain, Carlos Pedercini.
When he enters the lounge, it's plain to see that this Argentine fits the ship's captain stereotype. Dapper, elegant and carrying his authority with expert ease, his hat is nestled in the crook of his arm – a perfect finishing touch to his postcard image.
His reasons for becoming a captain, he says, as we settle into conversation, were not motivated by power but spurred by his love of the ocean. Having grown up on the coast he was captivated by the infinite azure of South America's waters which were beckoning to be discovered, one sea leg at a time. It was never a question of what position he could achieve – Captain Pedercini started working on ships simply so he could always be at sea. And as he worked away in his chosen profession, his innate qualities – a love for people and natural leadership abilities – helped him reach the very top.
He became the first South American, and one of the youngest, to captain a vessel in the Royal Caribbean fleet. He crossed that milestone 13 years ago. Since then, his journey has been driven by his desire to learn from others as much as he possibly can.
I grew up in Argentina, in the city by the sea, Mar del Plata. I moved around the country with my parents while growing up, but I've always felt that Mar del Plata was my true home. My love for this coastal town was probably part of the reason why I decided to go to sea when I was 17. I'm from an Italian-Spanish background and, as an only child, I sought company in the form of the ocean. I spent my younger years practically living by myself on the beach. This was largely what led me to joining the Merchant Marine when I was 20 years old. I started out on cargo ships and worked on them until I was 22, when I my life changed as a result of one chance opportunity.
I never thought I was going to be a captain. It was never really a clear aspiration of mine. To be honest, as a youngster, I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Most of the time, you find people saying they knew what they wanted to do when they were six years old. That was not the case with me. I never dreamt of being a captain. What I did know deep in my heart was that I simply wanted to be out at sea. I wanted to travel the world and experience beautiful and diverse places and enjoy myself while doing it.
I joined my first cruise ship by accident.
I left a sign-off on the cargo ship I was working on at the time and, before flying home to Argentina, I decided to stop over in Miami to stay with a friend for a few days. That first night, we were sitting around a barbecue – a favourite pastime of mine in Argentina – and chatting about work. He wanted to know exactly what my job in the merchant marine entailed. I said that I was a Second Officer. He paused for a while and then hedged that I ought to consider applying for a job on a cruise ship. I told him he was barking mad. Plus I had also been told once that you needed to know English to be able to get such a job and English is not my first language. But my friend kept badgering me to at least send in an application. So, grudgingly, I cobbled together a résumé and sent it out to the three companies he'd suggested. Then I flew home to Argentina.
A while later I got a call from him asking me to call one of the companies I had applied to as they had expressed interest in my résumé. I thought he was joking so I ignored his request. I then received a call from his wife imploring me to do the same.
I was dumbfounded.
It was only a few days after the interview that they called and said, “When can you start?'' That moment changed everything for me. That was 20 years ago and now here I am.
I've never stopped learning. I joined my first cruise ship as a Second Officer. After that I moved to two other companies which operate cruise liners before ending up with Royal Caribbean. From Second Officer,
I went on to be a First Officer, then Safety Officer and then Staff Captain. I was working my way up the ranks without really trying to. Being part of a crew means you're continuously undergoing training – it never stops. You have to remain updated with international maritime regulations. Every time you change a ship, you have to undergo another kind of training.
I had a dream to see as much as of the world as I could, learn as much as possible and meet as many people as I could. I wanted to soak in every culture I came across. But my life has turned out to be more than I ever could have expected. Not only do I get to meet people from different cultures, but I am working with people from different cultures too. I currently deal with over 65 nationalities on this particular vessel. It is such a unique and unbelievable experience, because there is so much to learn from each and every crew member.
I believe that anyone can be your teacher. There is so much knowledge to be gained through interacting with people from different walks of life. I like to think that people learn something in the process of getting to know me too. Every time I go home – which is once every three months – I reflect on what I've learnt from that particular voyage.
I will never forget the day about 14 years ago, when I was woken up by a phone call from Royal Caribbean headquarters to tell me I'd been promoted to Staff Captain. That was the 'wow' factor for me. I said to myself then and there, 'That's it! That's all I can expect.' And then I was called again. This time I was asked, would
I like to be Captain?
I remember being told emphatically by the board when I was made Captain 13 years ago that I was not to change a thing about myself or the way that
I operate. If you set your goals in a linear way and you get to the last one, then what comes after that? You can get stuck in a rut if you stop working towards something greater. I vowed that I'd never allow myself to go that way. I wanted to set a goal for myself that would allow me to maintain my zest for life. In trying to accomplish that goal, I became a captain. Royal Caribbean is a Norwegian company and so the majority of the captains at that time were all from Norway. I was the first South American captain and in that position I had the priceless privilege of being allowed to work on different vessels.
I felt immense satisfaction after completing the building of Freedom of the Seas, of which I was a part. I worked with the chief engineer to ensure the standards of ship building were being met. It turned out to be a masterpiece. Inside and out, it was magnificent, and such a great achievement for the whole team. It was immensely satisfying to see something through from its early stages to completion. After the ship was built, going out on the maiden voyage filled me with pride.
I have worked all over the world. From South America to the Baltic region, the Mediterranean and Asia – I've been everywhere. Even after 20 years I'm still thrilled to find myself being excited about what I do. Not everyone is blessed that way.
I don't have a favourite destination or a favourite region. But I've noticed how the colour of the ocean changes from place to place. Every ocean has its own colour and personality. I think there's a link between the ocean's qualities and the people who live on its coast. It's an abstract concept to many, but to me it's a real thing.
Me and the passengers
Meeting passengers has its share of funny, scary and exciting moments. I've met celebrities, politicians and heads of state. And then there are the simple ones, who are sometimes more interesting than the famous.
Me and my family
I have three children, a boy and two girls. Along with my wife and me, they get to travel quite a lot. They are all still young so they haven't started school yet. My wife quit working after we were married in order to travel with me. We can spend a lot of time together, which I'm very thankful for. I'm slightly apprehensive about how this situation will change after our children begin schooling but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Me and challenges
The greatest challenge of working on a ship is being away from family and loved ones. Ship life is different from shore life. On land, you may work eight hours a day and go home; on a ship, you're 'at work' 24/7, and constantly surrounded by colleagues. You may not get to see your family for months at a time. You never leave work, and that can be tough.
Me and different nationalities
People often say that having too many nationalities working in the same environment is asking for chaos. I do not agree. If you want proof that it works, just consider the cruise ship as a model for intercultural cooperation. To work and live together in harmony, each person has to accept and respect the other's culture and way of doing things. This is the only way to do the job without conflict. We do that every day and I'm exceptionally proud of my crew as a result.
I tell our guests in the welcoming party that although we come from so many different countries, we work so well together. My hope is that the world could learn to work together as well as we do.
Sometimes we have crew sharing a cabin that come from countries who are in conflict. Many would argue that we should separate them from a sensitivity point of view. But the interesting thing is that, for the most part, they ask us not to do that. They say that while their governments might be at war, they are not. That carries a strong message for me.
Me and my crew
Crew welfare is very important to me. If the ship's crew are happy, the guests are happy. When you go to a hotel and you encounter a staff member who is smiling because he's been told he has to, it doesn't have the same effect on you as it would if someone greeted you with genuine warmth. I try to encourage a lot of teamwork and plan group activities with the crew. I want to make sure that they have a good life on board.
Me and leadership
People have this strange perception that the captain or the boss, in whatever industry, should know everything. I think too often many reach a position of seniority and begin to think they have all the answers or think they should have all the answers. To me, if you adopt that attitude, the game is lost. The more open-minded you are, the more willing you are to learn, the more you will grow. There can be no limit to growth.
As a junior officer, I encountered captains who thought they knew everything. They were all good captains in many ways but they had delusions of grandeur and carried their superiority too heavily, and that got in the way. I don't think being a captain or whatever senior position one might hold, should be about power. I think your first and most vital role is to get people to head in a common direction, and be open to them and their suggestions too. Someone's suggestion, no matter where they stand on the ladder, can sometimes be better than your own. Remind them that you don't have all the answers, but that you're willing to do your best to arrive at them. That's a sign of good leadership to me.
When you work in your own country, you have a tendency to believe that your country and your people have the best ways of doing things. When you work with different nationalities you become more open to alternate ways of doing things. You might be good at what you do, but you're not so good that you can't gain something from another way of doing it.
What preventative measures do you have to follow with health threats, such as the recent H1N1 outbreak?
We have to adhere to guidelines as stipulated by every country we visit. Before we arrive at port, we have to be in contact with the authorities to make sure that we meet all requirements. Every country has their own set of rules and regulations.
With regards to H1N1, we have a form to fill out that details any symptoms that the passenger may have experienced and we have a doctor on call to deal with any concerns. Our doctors are clued up about the international and local guidelines that need to be followed. We work towards prevention.
What is the most difficult situation you've faced as a captain and how did you deal with it?
I've had so many in my 13 years! Obviously a ship is a small community. Some of our ships can carry up to 4,400 guests and 1,500 crew. It's like a small town – in fact, some of the towns in the world have fewer residents than we have aboard a vessel! As a result, you face a lot of different situations, as can happen in any town.
One that I will always remember with sadness is when we had someone jump overboard. To have that happen on a ship under my command as captain was incredibly stressful and I was forced to grapple with how someone could do such a thing. What led them to it?
People have their own reasons for doing what they do. It left an indelible mark on me though. Particularly because I remembered having met and conversed with the man at the welcoming party. It was incredibly traumatic for everyone. His family had so many questions and no answers. I did everything I could by turning the ship around and notifying the necessary parties, but faced with that kind of grief, no attempt is enough.
My job, first and foremost, is to ensure that the ship is a safe and secure place for all on board.
How has the cruise ship industry changed over the past 20 years?
In the old days, a cruise ship was synonymous with the Caribbean, hence the name Royal Caribbean. But since the company, and many others too, have gone international, the scope has become much bigger. We have ships all over the world. There's more choice for passengers and it's an easy way to travel.
Everything is planned for you. You just need to bring yourself to the pier and we do the rest. It's a great experience. We're currently considering Dubai as a new home port for a new cruise route. Around every corner a new challenge awaits! The best we can do is to see where our voyage takes us.
