How to Hire Crew for a Sailing Yacht

Before writing a job ad, be clear about:

• The programme: private or charter, Mediterranean only or ocean crossings, racing or cruising, how much time at anchor or in the yard.
• The real job: a deck/engineer on a 30 m yacht does very different work from a deckhand on a 50 m one. Write down what the person will actually do every day.
• The team: who they will work with, the captain's style, the mood on board. A strong candidate who does not fit the team will not last the season.
• The package: salary range, rotation or leave, contract length, start date. Clear terms attract better candidates and save time on both sides.

Certificates show the minimum: STCW, ENG1 and the right ticket for the role. On a sailing yacht, what you need to know is whether the person can sail the boat safely: sail handling, winches and hydraulics, reefing, night watches, and how they behave when the weather turns.

Useful questions in an interview:

• “Walk me through a reef at night on a boat like ours.”
• “What is the worst weather you have sailed in, and what did you do?”
• “Which rigs and sail systems have you worked with?”

Then call references, ideally captains or mates who sailed with them, not only shore-based employers.

On a sailing yacht, a crew of six may share two cabins for months. Most crew changes during a season are not about skills: they are about people who do not get on, or who are not ready for life on board.

That is why every Sailing Match placement includes a psychometric assessment, reviewed with our clinical psychologist. It helps us understand how a candidate works under pressure, communicates and fits with the existing crew, before anyone joins. Read more about our recruitment process.

A trial day or a short trial trip is common practice and tells both sides a lot. Agree in advance how long it is, whether it is paid and who decides.

Then plan the handover: who shows the new crew member the boat, the safety procedures and the routine. The first two weeks decide whether someone stays for the season.

Crew on commercially operated yachts must have a Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA) that meets the Maritime Labour Convention: hours of rest, pay, leave, repatriation and medical care. Recruitment agencies must also be MLC compliant, and they cannot charge crew any fee.

Our MLC guidance lists what a good agreement should include.

A specialist agency is worth it when:

• you need someone quickly, before a passage, a charter or the start of the season;
• the role is senior (captain, mate, engineer) and a wrong hire is expensive;
• you want candidates who have been interviewed, reference-checked and assessed for fit, not a pile of CVs.

We recruit for sailing yachts only, and for urgent roles a shortlist is often ready within 24–48 hours. See how our fees work.