Sarah Sellen

My Present

Hello, I’m Sarah Sellen, Crew Compliance Administrator. My duties include processing incoming crew, keeping our records of crew documents up to date and making sure the crew on each vessel are flag state compliant. We are in regular contact with captains and crew and are typically the first point of contact for crew. Of course, with so many moving parts with worldwide cruising vessels, and traveling crew, our biggest challenge is to stay on top of communication with each individual crew to keep certifications and documents up to date. It’s my pleasure to stay flexible and friendly with all our clients and crew.

My Past

Hailing from Seattle, I grew up cruising the Northwest’s waters of Washington and BC on my grandparent’s modest yacht, Zephyr. An impromptu trip up through Canada’s Inside Passage to Alaska at 17 clinched my love and passion for exploring on the water. Years later after completing my second degree, I learned that people could actually make a living as crew and were able to travel while working on a boat. Needless to say, I was sold. I began my yachting career in the summer of 2008 as a stewardess with my first season in Southeast Alaska. Shortly after I relocated to Fort Lauderdale, where I created a community of fellow crew and industrial professionals. One perk of my position in Crew Compliance is that I come across previous colleagues and friends regularly. Since I am a social butterfly at heart, being able to connect with old friends and acquaintances regularly makes my role very enjoyable. Currently, I am based back in the Pacific Northwest, where I can enjoy the outdoors and am close to family.

My Future

My true passions lie in the welfare of the environment. Being a nature lover of the land and the sea, traveling as a seafarer has opened my eyes to the importance of the natural world and our place in it. Working in an industry that is directly impacted by not only the crew, but yacht builders, and the owners of these vessels, I strongly believe it is imperative that we all take our part in safe environmental practices and protection seriously. I love being able to create awareness of our impact on the world around us. My long-term goal would be to take my passion for environmental sustainability and become an advocate for implementing safe practices into yacht crew and yacht-building practices.

My Outside-Office Life

My passions include live music, travel, animals, art and movement. I am an avid yogi, snowboarder, and recreational dancer, particularly with a Latin flair. The past few years, I’ve combined my passion for animals with my natural artistic abilities to regularly create animal pet portraits for friends, family, and periodically on a commission basis. When I am able, I enjoy volunteering with animal organizations and love learning about animal husbandry. Cats being my favorite creature, I somehow find a cat wherever I am and have taken to care for homeless or neglected kitties in my spare time. I’ve been doing this for years, even during my time as an active yacht crew member. After one particularly busy charter season, I chose to use my month-long holiday to volunteer in Livingstone, Zambia for an African lion re-population organization. There I learned of the delicate balance between humans and animals and saw firsthand the impact of what people have destroyed but how coming together to rebuild can help the environment for future generations. An experience I hold very close to my heart.