Are My Yachting Days Over?

Crew Members all rue the day they are considered too old to work on yachts anymore. It doesn’t mean it has to be the end. Many industry veterans enjoy successful careers still in the yachting field and you can too.

One of the most asked questions by crew members inching closer to their expiration date is whether there is life after the yacht. Many have spent years of their lives working from one yachting season to the next. It is normal to feel burnt-out after dedicating your body to such labour intensive work. When that all comes to an end you might fear having to shelve your skills and get a job outside of yachting altogether. That is not true. You have accumulated a wide pool of knowledge and wisdom that will serve you well in many professions that are still yachting-aligned. There are a number of career options available to you that would draw on your industry expertise.

Crew Recruiter:

If you have experienced dockwalking. If you signed up to any of the available crew agencies, searching for work when you were a budding crew member chances are you already know how to assist other yachties and green crew looking for work. This gives you a great opportunity to share your advice with crew looking for support and guidance because you’ll have all the trade secrets on the matter.

Yacht Agent:

There isn’t one crew member, active or retired, who cannot say they don’t respect and appreciate crew agents. From helping with paperwork and legal clearance to facilitating local excursions, crew agents make it their business to assist in ensuring the business of the yacht runs smoothly. Having been a crew member before, you will already anticipate what questions you will be asked and where you can assist.

Superyacht Broker:

Yacht or charter brokers act as agents in negotiating the sale of vessels. Regardless of your on board portfolio; you would have learnt what works for a yacht and what doesn’t, which areas of the boat were critical and demanded the most maintenance and which parts were purely aesthetic.

Provisioner/Chandler:

Provisioners and Chandeliers are often located near the major port. It is their job to provide yachts with boat supplies. This can include food, drink or mechanical tools. Your knowledge about the areas may give you an advantage as you will know where to source the best products as well as the most economically friendly ones.

Yachting Media:

There are countless publications and cover the yachting industry, looking to provide information and entertainment to both crew members and guests. You have insider knowledge of what happens within the crew. You have insight to share about guests as you have catered to their needs. Your first-hand experience only works to set you up as a valuable source of information.  

Crew-Training School:

The industry continues to grow and as it does, so does the demand for training instructors. Teaching other to become professional crew is rewarding in many ways as you get to cultivate the skills of the emerging yacht professionals. It also affords you a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Crew HQ would love to know where and what all our on land professionals are doing. If you have any stories from beyond the shore you would like to share, we would love to hear them.