The Yacht Crew Journal
Industry insights, career advice, training guides and progression resources for yacht crew worldwide.
Start here
New to yachting? These guides take you from zero to your first contract.
- 01Training · 5 min
How to Get Your STCW Certificate: The First Step Into Yachting
STCW Basic Safety Training is the non-negotiable entry ticket to a yacht career. Here is what the course covers, where to take it, and how much it costs.
- 02Training · 4 min
The ENG1 Medical Explained: What Yacht Crew Need to Know
Every yacht crew member needs a valid ENG1 seafarer medical. Here is what the exam involves, how to pass it, and how long it lasts.
- 03Careers · 6 min
How to Land Your First Yacht Job With No Experience
No sea time, no problem. A practical, step-by-step plan for breaking into yachting as a green deckhand or junior stewardess.
- 04Careers · 5 min
Dockwalking and Day Work: How to Find Casual Yacht Jobs
Dockwalking is how most green crew get their foot in the door. Here is how to do it well in Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale.
Most popular
- Careers · 7 min
Yacht Crew Salary Guide: How Much Do Stewardesses, Deckhands & Captains Earn?
A clear breakdown of yacht crew salaries by role — stewardess, deckhand, chef and captain — plus how tips, vessel size and the season affect your take-home pay.
- Careers · 6 min
How to Land Your First Yacht Job With No Experience
No sea time, no problem. A practical, step-by-step plan for breaking into yachting as a green deckhand or junior stewardess.
- Training · 5 min
How to Get Your STCW Certificate: The First Step Into Yachting
STCW Basic Safety Training is the non-negotiable entry ticket to a yacht career. Here is what the course covers, where to take it, and how much it costs.
- CV & Interviews · 5 min
How to Write a Yacht Crew CV That Gets You Hired
A yacht CV is unlike any other. Here is exactly what to include, what to cut, and the formatting that recruiters and captains expect.
- Deck · 6 min
The Deckhand Career Path: From Green Crew to Captain
How to progress on deck — the tickets, sea time and skills that take you from green deckhand to Bosun, Mate and ultimately Captain.
- Interior · 6 min
Interior Service Skills Every Stewardess Should Master
From silver service to wine knowledge and detailing, the interior skills that separate a good stewardess from a great one.
Career progression
- Deck · 6 min
The Deckhand Career Path: From Green Crew to Captain
How to progress on deck — the tickets, sea time and skills that take you from green deckhand to Bosun, Mate and ultimately Captain.
- Careers · 7 min
Yacht Crew Salary Guide: How Much Do Stewardesses, Deckhands & Captains Earn?
A clear breakdown of yacht crew salaries by role — stewardess, deckhand, chef and captain — plus how tips, vessel size and the season affect your take-home pay.
- Careers · 6 min
Mediterranean vs Caribbean: A Guide to the Yachting Seasons
Where and when should you look for yacht work? A breakdown of the two main seasons, their hubs, and how crew follow the sun year-round.
- Careers · 6 min
What Life On Board a Superyacht Is Really Like
The travel, the money and the long hours — an honest look at the daily reality of living and working on a superyacht.
Training guides
- Training · 8 min
The ENG1 Medical: What It Tests, What Fails You, and How to Prepare
The one certificate no yacht will hire you without. What the examiner checks, the conditions that cause a restriction, and how to book without wasting a trip.
- Training · 5 min
How to Get Your STCW Certificate: The First Step Into Yachting
STCW Basic Safety Training is the non-negotiable entry ticket to a yacht career. Here is what the course covers, where to take it, and how much it costs.
- Training · 4 min
The ENG1 Medical Explained: What Yacht Crew Need to Know
Every yacht crew member needs a valid ENG1 seafarer medical. Here is what the exam involves, how to pass it, and how long it lasts.
CV & job resources
- CV & Interviews · 7 min
12 Yacht Crew Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
The questions captains and chief stews actually ask, and the answers that separate hireable crew from the rest.
- CV & Interviews · 4 min
The Crew Headshot That Gets You Shortlisted
What captains see in two seconds, and how to take a professional crew photo without a studio.
- Careers · 6 min
How to Land Your First Yacht Job With No Experience
No sea time, no problem. A practical, step-by-step plan for breaking into yachting as a green deckhand or junior stewardess.
- Careers · 5 min
Dockwalking and Day Work: How to Find Casual Yacht Jobs
Dockwalking is how most green crew get their foot in the door. Here is how to do it well in Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale.
- CV & Interviews · 5 min
How to Write a Yacht Crew CV That Gets You Hired
A yacht CV is unlike any other. Here is exactly what to include, what to cut, and the formatting that recruiters and captains expect.
Recently updated
- Careers · 7 min
Yacht Crew Money: Salary, Tips, Tax and What You Actually Keep
The salary on Instagram is not the number in your bank. How crew pay, tips and tax really work — and the mistakes that cost crew thousands.
- For Parents · 7 min
Why So Many New Crew Quit in Their First Season
Not because they are weak. Because nobody told them what the job actually is. The honest reasons first-season crew leave — and how to be one who stays.
- For Parents · 8 min
The Real Cost of Becoming Yacht Crew (No One Puts It All in One Place)
Courses are the smallest part of the bill. A line-by-line breakdown of what it actually costs to get your first yacht job — and where people lose money.
- For Parents · 18 min
A Message to the Yacht Owners
What happens on board after the guests go to bed? A letter from the people living behind the polished stainless steel — about professionalism, silence, welfare, and the culture owners create on board.
- Careers · 9 min
Your First 90 Days On Board: The Unwritten Rules Nobody Briefs You On
Most green crew who do not last were not bad at the job. They misread the culture. Cabin etiquette, chain of command, the phone, the mess, and the day off that is not a day off.
- Interior · 9 min
What Chief Stews Actually Look For: Interior Standards Beyond Silver Service
Hospitality experience gets you the interview. These are the habits — laundry, detailing, discretion, wine, and anticipation — that decide who gets kept.
All
- Careers · 7 min
Yacht Crew Money: Salary, Tips, Tax and What You Actually Keep
The salary on Instagram is not the number in your bank. How crew pay, tips and tax really work — and the mistakes that cost crew thousands.
- For Parents · 7 min
Why So Many New Crew Quit in Their First Season
Not because they are weak. Because nobody told them what the job actually is. The honest reasons first-season crew leave — and how to be one who stays.
- For Parents · 8 min
The Real Cost of Becoming Yacht Crew (No One Puts It All in One Place)
Courses are the smallest part of the bill. A line-by-line breakdown of what it actually costs to get your first yacht job — and where people lose money.
- For Parents · 18 min
A Message to the Yacht Owners
What happens on board after the guests go to bed? A letter from the people living behind the polished stainless steel — about professionalism, silence, welfare, and the culture owners create on board.
- Careers · 9 min
Your First 90 Days On Board: The Unwritten Rules Nobody Briefs You On
Most green crew who do not last were not bad at the job. They misread the culture. Cabin etiquette, chain of command, the phone, the mess, and the day off that is not a day off.
- Interior · 9 min
What Chief Stews Actually Look For: Interior Standards Beyond Silver Service
Hospitality experience gets you the interview. These are the habits — laundry, detailing, discretion, wine, and anticipation — that decide who gets kept.
- Engineering · 10 min
The Engineering Route: From AEC to Y-Ticket, and What Each One Unlocks
The clearest-paying, least-crowded department in yachting. What the AEC actually qualifies you for, how Y4 to Y1 maps to tonnage and power, and the sea time behind each step.
- Careers · 10 min
The Schengen 90/180 Rule: How Yacht Crew Get It Wrong
Non-EU crew working a Med season run out of days without realising. How the rolling window is counted, where the seafarer exemptions apply, and what an overstay actually costs you.
- Careers · 9 min
Dockwalking, Properly: How Day Work Turns Into a Contract
A realistic, marina-by-marina guide to finding day work in Antibes and Palma — the hours that work, what to carry, what to say, and the mistakes that get you remembered badly.
- Training · 8 min
The ENG1 Medical: What It Tests, What Fails You, and How to Prepare
The one certificate no yacht will hire you without. What the examiner checks, the conditions that cause a restriction, and how to book without wasting a trip.
- For Parents · 11 min
What Yacht Crew Actually Do: A Parent's Complete Guide to the Job
A plain-English explanation of the departments, hours, hierarchy and daily reality of superyacht work — written for parents who have never set foot on a yacht.
- Careers · 6 min
The B1/B2 Visa: What Yacht Crew Actually Need to Know
Why the B1/B2 matters for crew heading to Fort Lauderdale, how to prepare, and the mistakes that get applications refused.
- For Parents · 12 min
The Real Cost of Starting a Yacht Career: A Line-by-Line Breakdown for Parents
Every certificate, flight, insurance and living cost required before a first yacht job — with typical price ranges, what is genuinely mandatory, and where money gets wasted.
- CV & Interviews · 7 min
12 Yacht Crew Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
The questions captains and chief stews actually ask, and the answers that separate hireable crew from the rest.
- For Parents · 12 min
Is Yachting Safe? What Parents Should Know About Risk, Rules and Red Flags
An honest assessment of physical, legal and welfare risks in superyacht work, the regulations that protect crew, and the specific warning signs of a bad vessel or agency.
- Interior · 6 min
From Stewardess to Chief Stew: The Realistic Timeline
What each step actually requires, how long it takes, and the skills that get you promoted rather than passed over.
- For Parents · 11 min
Visas, Passports and Paperwork: The Legal Side of a Yacht Career, Explained for Parents
Schengen 90/180, the US B1/B2, seaman's books and flag-state documents — what is required, what is commonly misunderstood, and how to avoid a costly mistake.
- Careers · 5 min
Looking After Your Head On Board
Long seasons, no privacy and constant proximity. Practical habits that keep crew well through a charter summer.
- For Parents · 10 min
Supporting a First Season: Contact, Homesickness and Knowing When to Worry
How the first six months usually unfold, what normal difficulty looks like versus a genuine problem, and how to stay useful from thousands of miles away.
- Careers · 6 min
Earning Well and Keeping It: Money for Yacht Crew
Salaries look large until the first winter. How to structure savings, tax and spending across a season.
- For Parents · 11 min
Where This Career Actually Goes: Progression, Earnings and Life After Yachting
Realistic salary bands by role, the certification ladder in each department, and the exit routes crew take when they come ashore.
- Careers · 5 min
How to Actually Work With a Crew Agency
Registering is easy. Getting called is the hard part. What agents look for and how to stay top of the list.
- Careers · 6 min
Antibes for New Crew: Where to Stay and What to Expect
A practical guide to arriving in Antibes for the Mediterranean season, from crew houses to the daily dockwalk route.
- Engineering · 6 min
Getting Into Yacht Engineering
The routes in, the tickets that matter, and why engineering is the most stable department on board.
- Careers · 6 min
Reading Your Contract: MLC Basics Every Crew Member Should Know
Rest hours, repatriation, notice periods and what a fair seafarer employment agreement looks like.
- Careers · 5 min
Charter or Private: Which Yacht Should You Join?
Tips, workload, guest time and time off differ enormously. How to choose the right first boat.
- CV & Interviews · 4 min
The Crew Headshot That Gets You Shortlisted
What captains see in two seconds, and how to take a professional crew photo without a studio.
- Careers · 5 min
Sea Time and Logbooks: Record It or Lose It
Your future certificates depend on documented sea service. How to log it correctly from your first day.
- Careers · 6 min
The Schengen 90/180 Rule for Yacht Crew
How the rule works, where crew commonly get caught, and what to check before a Med season.
- Careers · 5 min
Your First 90 Days On Board
What good looks like in the first three months, and the habits that get contracts renewed.
- Careers · 5 min
Palma: The Other Side of the Med Season
Refit yards, agencies and crew life in Mallorca, and when Palma beats Antibes for finding work.
- Interior · 4 min
Tattoos, Piercings and Grooming Standards On Board
Appearance policies vary widely. What is normally accepted, what is not, and how to ask without losing the job.
- Careers · 4 min
Seasickness: What Works and What Does Not
A practical guide for new crew worried about motion, including remedies used by working seafarers.
- Careers · 5 min
Day Work Etiquette: How to Turn One Day Into a Season
Day work is an extended interview. The small behaviours that get you called back.
- For Parents · 6 min
A Parent's Guide to Their Child Joining Yacht Crew
What the industry actually is, what the risks are, and the questions worth asking before they fly.
- Careers · 5 min
What To Do In The Off-Season
Three months between contracts is either wasted or the reason you get promoted next year.
- Careers · 7 min
Yacht Crew Salary Guide: How Much Do Stewardesses, Deckhands & Captains Earn?
A clear breakdown of yacht crew salaries by role — stewardess, deckhand, chef and captain — plus how tips, vessel size and the season affect your take-home pay.
- Training · 5 min
How to Get Your STCW Certificate: The First Step Into Yachting
STCW Basic Safety Training is the non-negotiable entry ticket to a yacht career. Here is what the course covers, where to take it, and how much it costs.
- Training · 4 min
The ENG1 Medical Explained: What Yacht Crew Need to Know
Every yacht crew member needs a valid ENG1 seafarer medical. Here is what the exam involves, how to pass it, and how long it lasts.
- Careers · 6 min
How to Land Your First Yacht Job With No Experience
No sea time, no problem. A practical, step-by-step plan for breaking into yachting as a green deckhand or junior stewardess.
- Careers · 5 min
Dockwalking and Day Work: How to Find Casual Yacht Jobs
Dockwalking is how most green crew get their foot in the door. Here is how to do it well in Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale.
- Interior · 6 min
Interior Service Skills Every Stewardess Should Master
From silver service to wine knowledge and detailing, the interior skills that separate a good stewardess from a great one.
- Deck · 6 min
The Deckhand Career Path: From Green Crew to Captain
How to progress on deck — the tickets, sea time and skills that take you from green deckhand to Bosun, Mate and ultimately Captain.
- CV & Interviews · 5 min
How to Write a Yacht Crew CV That Gets You Hired
A yacht CV is unlike any other. Here is exactly what to include, what to cut, and the formatting that recruiters and captains expect.
- Careers · 6 min
What Life On Board a Superyacht Is Really Like
The travel, the money and the long hours — an honest look at the daily reality of living and working on a superyacht.
- Careers · 6 min
Mediterranean vs Caribbean: A Guide to the Yachting Seasons
Where and when should you look for yacht work? A breakdown of the two main seasons, their hubs, and how crew follow the sun year-round.