About

NICE  TO  MEET  YOU  I'M  HUGO  ORTEGA!

The Unexpected Captain:
From an Engineer in the
Depths of Depression to the
Helm of a Superyacht

I overcame growing up in simple, humble, immigrant upbringing from the Bronx, NY as a child to graduate with a B.S. in Materials Engineering from The University of Florida, move to Houston, TX and start a professional career.

Soon after, I realized that despite achieving my life-long goals of "success," I felt empty and unsatisfied with my white-collar prison. Feeling unsatisfied and alone, I spiraled into a deep depression that consumed my life, job, relationships, and life direction. Traveling the world and discovering the Yachting Industry brought me back to life.

After college, I quickly realised that my career choice was a huge mistake. Playing it safe and following the career that my family pushed onto me didn't bring me the joy I expected. I questioned everything. What was I living for? My bank account was healthy, but my life couldn't be more boring. I needed a change.

My long-term relationship crumbled. I lost my apartment in the separation and bounced between friends' couches while picking up the pieces to my life. My work started suffering due to my instability and hatred for my career path. Things were going from bad to worse. And then, the unexpected happened. My industry faced a huge recession and 75% of my facility were instantly fired, including me.

Now, I was truly fucked. Or that's what I thought. Once the dust settled, I realised I could now pursue the only desire I felt in recent years: traveling. I left on a backpacking adventure through three continents and thirty countries over one pivotal year that changed my life forever. 

Over the course of the next year, I travelled through Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. I met people from even corner of the planet and created unbelievable memories. I taught English at Polish summer camps, bicycled the mountains in Bulgaria, and hitched rides in the smallest villages of Myanmar.

But most importantly, during this year I encountered my very first "Yachtie." He opened my eyes to the luxury industry known as "Superyachting" and taught me that even with no boating experience, you could become a Deckhand on one of these floating palaces.

At first, it sounded too good to be true. How could someone like me ever work on one of these boats? I barely knew how to swim! But after months traveling together and hearing countless stories, I finally thought: "What the hell, why not?" And as they say, the rest is history.

With over nine years in the industry and reaching a Captain's role after starting with zero experience, I've started teaching other aspiring crew, just like YOU on how to follow the same career. It took me a lot of time to figure out the ins and out of the Yachting industry, but there's no reason for new crew to keep reinventing the wheel.

Yachting saved my life, and I think it can do the same for you. I'll make sure that you're equipped with all the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed. Plus, you'll be able to avoid a lot of the expensive mistakes that myself and too many other Yacht crew fell victim to. 

Are you ready to get paid to travel the world aboard a Superyacht?