Yachting Art Magazine

At the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, we met Sahar Rasti aboard a Sunreef catamaran. The first female yacht captain in the United Arab Emirates, she has built her career in a maritime world where, when she started out, women were still virtually absent from operational roles at sea. After working in marine services at Abu Dhabi Ports and later commanding tugboats, she moved into yachting. Her approach to command is based less on asserting authority than on competence, composure and teamwork. Our interview aboard a luxury Sunreef catamaran revealed a captain who ultimately speaks relatively little about being a woman, and far more about seamanship, responsibility, crew and trust.

Captain Sahar Rasti, what do you believe defines a good yacht captain today?

SR – A good captain does not lead simply by giving orders. The role is about bringing together the people working on board and turning them into a genuine team. No yacht can operate properly through the efforts of one person alone.

A captain needs to recognise each individual’s strengths, appreciate what every crew member brings to the yacht, and create an environment in which people feel respected, listened to and trusted. When crew members know their work is valued, they no longer simply carry out a task: they become genuinely invested in the success of the yacht.

Of course, in an emergency there is no longer room for discussion. Instructions have to be immediate, precise and perfectly understood. But in the day-to-day operation of a yacht, command also means listening, supporting others and leading by example.

For me, the best captain is not the person whose voice is heard most often on board. It is the person who enables the entire team to grow, while giving everyone the confidence that, whatever happens, the yacht is in safe hands.

What is the most demanding aspect of being a yacht captain?

SR – Probably managing safety, people and everyone’s expectations simultaneously. And very often, everything happens at once.

The captain has to meet the owner’s expectations, look after the crew’s wellbeing, monitor the weather and navigational conditions, deal with technical issues and, at times, make decisions that will not please everyone.

Even when the guests are enjoying a wonderful and completely relaxed passage, the captain is still thinking several steps ahead.

My previous experience as a tugboat captain, with a qualification up to 200 GT, taught me a great deal. You have to make very precise decisions under pressure and have a thorough understanding of the vessel’s power, limitations and behaviour. I later moved into yachting and obtained my Yacht Master 200 GT qualification.

The environments are different, but ultimately the responsibility remains the same: everyone on board depends on your judgement.

And, paradoxically, a captain’s most important work is often the work the guests never see.

How did you establish your professional credibility?

SR – It was built gradually, through operational experience, technical knowledge, crew management and, above all, consistency in the way I worked.

I joined Abu Dhabi Ports in 2015, working in marine and navigation services. This gave me direct exposure to maritime operations, aids to navigation, tugboats and international safety standards.

I then progressed through the commercial maritime sector until I became a tugboat captain, before moving into yachting. Throughout that journey, I continued learning and gaining further qualifications.

But qualifications alone do not make a respected captain.

A certificate gives you authority on paper. Trust is earned through the decisions you make, through your discipline and, above all, through the way you behave when circumstances become difficult.

In our profession, credibility is built rather quietly: one operation completed safely, one responsible decision, then one difficult situation handled properly. And so it continues.

What distinguishes being a captain in the UAE from working in the world’s traditional yachting destinations?

SR – The historic yachting destinations have a very strong maritime culture and heritage. The UAE, meanwhile, combines luxury and beautiful surroundings with an extraordinary pace of development and an ambition to help shape the future of the maritime industry.

We have beautiful coastlines, numerous islands and some of the world’s most luxurious marinas. Within a single country, a yacht owner can move from a modern city built around the sea to much quieter islands, while still enjoying a very high standard of hospitality.

The UAE has also developed an entire ecosystem of ports, shipyards, marinas and specialist services. Its geographical position provides a natural link between Europe, Asia and the Indian Ocean.

It is also an exceptionally multicultural environment. For a captain, that is very enriching because it teaches you how to work with owners and crews from very different cultural backgrounds.

What I find particularly interesting about the UAE is that the country does not simply offer destinations. It also creates opportunities. It respects its maritime heritage while investing heavily in technology, sustainability and the future of yachting.

Where did you undertake your maritime training, and how did you make the transition from commercial shipping to yachting?

SR – My maritime journey began before I ever took command of a vessel.

In 2016, I became the first woman in the Middle East to obtain IALA Level 1 and Level 2 certifications in aids to navigation, through the international maritime organisation based in France. That training gave me a strong technical foundation in the systems that enable vessels to navigate safely.

I then studied with the Australian Maritime College, part of the University of Tasmania, through a programme organised in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Ports.

The initial training lasted around six and a half months and combined theoretical education with practical training at sea. I subsequently continued part of my maritime studies in Australia.

My command career really began in commercial shipping. I gained my qualification and served as a tugboat captain up to 200 GT.

I then decided to move into the yachting sector and continued my training until I obtained my Yacht Master 200 GT.

So it was not a sudden career change. It was a gradual progression: first understanding the services and systems that enable vessels to navigate, then commanding commercial vessels, and finally bringing that experience and discipline into the world of yachting.

Did being the first female captain in the UAE change the way you exercised authority?

SR – When I joined the marine navigation services department, the situation actually went beyond there simply being no female captains: in that environment, there were no women working at sea at all.

So I entered a world in which I had no female role model to look to.

I was also aware that, particularly at the beginning, some people would probably see the woman before they saw the maritime professional. My work, my knowledge and my decisions therefore had to speak for me.

I never asked for special treatment. Nor did I ever believe that authority required aggression.

On board, authority comes from preparation, fairness, discipline and the ability to remain calm when everyone turns to you to know what decision should be made.

Being the first was therefore not simply about reaching the position of captain. It was also about demonstrating that an Emirati woman could have a legitimate place at sea, assume responsibility for a vessel and lead professionally in an environment where women had previously been absent.

Has the perception of female captains genuinely changed since you started?

SR – Yes, enormously, and I think it is important to acknowledge the progress that has been made.

There are more opportunities for women today, and greater openness to their presence across the different maritime professions.

But being visible and being fully accepted are two different things.

Women may be welcomed into the maritime industry, but they must then be entrusted with command, given responsibility and provided with genuine opportunities for professional advancement.

When I started, simply seeing a woman working at sea was unusual. Today, the conversation is increasingly about competence and the ability to lead. That is a very important change, even though there is still further to go.

The sea itself makes no distinction between a man and a woman. It responds to preparation, judgement and experience. Ultimately, those are the criteria by which any captain should be assessed.

Ten years from now, what would you like your career to have helped change?

SR – Of course, I would like to see more women become captains.

But perhaps the real measure of success would be reaching a point where the fact that a captain is a woman is simply no longer a story in itself.

Being “the first” has a particular significance because it means that a door which had previously been closed has been opened. But opening that door only truly matters if a second woman, then a third, and eventually a hundred more can walk through it.

Ten years from now, I would like my journey to have helped show young Emirati and Arab women that commanding a vessel can be a genuine professional career for them, rather than a distant or unattainable dream.

I would not want what I have achieved to be measured solely by the number of vessels I have commanded, but also by the opportunities my journey may have helped create for others.

Because the greatest achievement of being “the first” is ultimately to make sure you are not the last.