What does it take to succeed in the
yachting industry?

An overview of the key skills, qualifications and personal attributes needed to forge a thriving career in the yachting industry, by freelance yachting journalist Rupert Holmes.

From the outside it looks like a dream life – a glamorous lifestyle living on board amazing yachts in stunning locations. And getting paid for it! But the reality of working in the yachting industry is that hours can be relentlessly long, and clients both demanding and discerning. The pay off is that you get the buzz and satisfaction of doing a demanding job well, excellent pay and benefits, and the chance to visit some of the world’s most sought-after destinations.

The industry offers a huge variety of career paths on sail and motor yachts of all sizes right up to the largest superyachts. Roles include interior crew, charter, flotilla and delivery skippers, engineers, deck hands and MCA-qualified superyacht deck officers.

This diversity suits a huge range of people with differing personalities, aptitudes and interests. This includes those who gain great satisfaction in providing ultimate levels of service, petrol heads who get paid to maintain engines of several thousand horsepower, and skilled captains with consummate people and seamanship skills.

Despite the enormous variety of job types, all the industry experts we spoke to agree on the key qualities that are needed to succeed in the industry, whatever the role. ‘It takes people who are intelligent, capable, perceptive, able to work hard and use their own initiative,’ says Emma Baggett, who joined UKSA after more than a decade working on board some of the world’s largest sailing yachts.

The background you’re from doesn’t matter – it’s how you do the job that counts, according to Jen Errico, author of Working on Superyachts and editor of www.crewtraders.com. ‘Whether you’re a deckhand, chef or captain, a stable personality and consistency regarding rules is really important,’ she says, ‘... as are organisational skills, attention to detail and a good work ethic.’ These are the qualities that separate an outstanding crewmember from an ordinary one, according to Errico. ‘And if you have a genuine enjoyment of the job and the environment, love the sea and are able to cope with people, it’s a fantastic way to make a very good living,’ she adds.

The right training

All crew on boats over 24m in length need a minimum of STCW95 basic certification – essentially a week’s basic training on safety issues. However, if you can point to having a wider skill set you’ll find there are more job opportunities, even for junior roles. ‘It really helps to be able to show an employer that you have skills relevant to the role in which you want to start out,’ says Errico. ‘A budding steward/ess could offer to work for a florist for free for a week, in exchange for learning the basics of flower and silk arranging.’ In a similar vein, silver service can be learnt through volunteering to work for a good restaurant, while prospective deckhands could spend time in a boatyard.

UKSA’s Ciaran Rogers points to some more unusual examples of skills gained from other areas that can help secure employment, including the delivery skipper who presented the owner of a large Oyster sailing yacht he delivered with an ice sculpture of the boat – he was offered the skipper’s job on the spot.

There’s no escaping, however, the need for formal qualifications and training – the industry is heavily regulated at all levels, and employers are increasingly choosy about who they take on. While smaller yachts can be relatively informal work places, notwithstanding the frequently heavy workload, the larger vessels have increasingly hierarchical structures. The industry is perhaps unique in that even the most senior staff generally started at the bottom of the ladder, usually as interior crew or a deckhand, but to progress up the career ladder you need to fit in periods of study and training at the same time as building sea miles. Starting your career with a higher level of qualification will open more job opportunities and speed progress into more responsible jobs.

The right attitude

This is perhaps the single most important element in building a successful career in the industry. ‘The most important thing is for people to be aware that it’s very hard work,’ says Christine Lewis, manager of Sunsail’s Sporades Yacht Base in Greece. Despite the glorious surroundings of her base on Greece’s idyllic Pelion Peninsula, she says: ‘People must understand they’re not coming here to do a glamorous job at all. There’s a lot of hard word and cleaning – cleaning being the key point – most people we get are not prepared for that part of the job.’

This aspect pervades every part of the industry – superyachts don’t gleam all by themselves – the exquisite finish is the result of a huge amount of daily effort on the part of their crew. Even with yacht deliveries taking care of the appearance of the boat is vital, even in difficult conditions mid ocean: ‘Preparation and presentation of the boat are key skills for our skippers’ says Nick Irving, director of Reliance Yacht Deliveries. ‘Our objective is to get boat from A to B in the best possible condition – at the end of a 4,000 mile voyage to the Caribbean we would expect the boat to still look brand new.’

The ability to adapt to changing conditions, problems and requests is also vital. ‘People need to be prepared for all eventualities,’ says Lewis. ‘When things go wrong, they need a willingness to try and use their initiative to solve the problem.’ Owners, guests and charterers can also exact a demanding toll on staff: ‘Some bosses can ask for the most unbelievable things,’ according to Errico. ‘But declining a client’s request is rarely an option!’ Although this could appear potentially infuriating it can also lead to very high levels of job satisfaction, when you successfully fulfil an apparently impossible request.

The people question

Getting on with the widest imaginable variety of people is a pre-requisite for a successful career in the yachting industry. Excellent technical skills and qualifications appropriate to your line of work are of course vital, but they count for little if you’re unable to work effectively as part of a very close-knit team. ‘On a boat you’re with everyone in a small space 24/7, so discretion, tolerance and the ability to live with others without gossiping are important,’ explains Errico. In addition, if you can derive satisfaction and a buzz from providing clients with the best possible experience it will help keep your motivation and drive strong through difficult times.

Of course, not everyone starts out with every single one of these skills and attributes at the beginning of their career. But if you’re able to identify any fundamental weaknesses and actively seek to improve your skills in these areas you’ll soon be oceans ahead of those who try to hide from their vulnerabilities.

Guidance, advice and further reading

If you would like to find out more about careers in the yachting industry, visit UKSA's training pages or find out about their monthly UKSA opendays which include presentations on careers and training available at UKSA.

You might also benefit from our free download booklet "Guide to careers in yachting" written by Jenifer Errico

You can also speak to the UKSA careers and training advisory team on 01983 203034