Deckhand
This is a great job for being outside, driving tenders & taking guests out for their daily water sports. It does also come with the added bonus of CLEANING!  That’s right, you’ll become best friends with all sorts of cleaning products but mostly… Your Chamois (pronounced shammy)!  Ah there’s nothing better than waking up before everyone else and cleaning, ah such good memories…..
We all started here and these are the types of jobs you could expect;
Varnishing, Wash Downs, Painting, Polishing, Scrubbing teak decks & furniture, General Maintenance, Safety checks, tender driving and assisting with water sports amongst many other things.

Lead Deckhand
If your still working on yachts after at least a year, then there is a good chance you’re ready for a lead deckhand role.  This position does offer a lot more responsibility, assisting the Bosun with maintaining the deck & deck crew.  You will have a good understanding of all your cleaning products and terminology, competent with knots & general seaman ship, strong tender driving skills and be looking at furthering your career with study (Master Of Yachts 200gt (ITY) or Yacht Master(RYA).

Bosun
This is where the role of bosun changes depending on the size of the yacht or vessel.  Size/ length/ tonnage & flag state requirements will all determine what licenses you will need to work as bosun on a yacht.  Rule of thumb here is most boats will ask that you have a minimum of your Master of Yachts 200t for this role, however as the boats get bigger some will ask that you have your OOW.
The Bosun’s role is to look after the deck, deck crew, exterior cleaning and deck stores (consumables).  You will find this to be an exciting role as you move up the ranks, taking on new tasks, responsibilities, all whilst maintaining a high standard of work.  You may be accepted to lead the watch whilst underway and as watch leader assuming the responsibility of the vessel and crew’s safety.  You will also be the first point of contact from the Captain or First Officer when things need to be done.  You aren’t expected to know everything but a strong work ethic and the ability to assess the safety of situations are paramount. 

2nd Officer
Pre-requisite for this role will normally be OOW (officer of the watch ).  As 2nd Officer you will find that you are assisting the 1st Officer with the legalities of yachting.  Officer roles involve a good amount of time inside so be prepared to loose that tan & you’ll have to watch what you eat too.  It’s true that you don’t burn as many calories when your sit behind a desk!  Some tasks you may be asked to do are, Chart corrections, general paper work and safety inspections.


1st Mate/ 1st Officer
This position has its differences depending on the size of the vessel.  The easiest way to explain this is regarding the laws relating to the size of a vessel and it’s flag state.  The flag state states what licenses the vessel must have onboard to safely operate.  Also there is the issue of ISM (International Safety Management ), ISPS ( International Ship & Port Facility Security Code ) which come into play with vessels over 500gt.  With these regulations you now need crew with higher levels of certification to carry out the procedures.  In other words lots of paper work.  So in short, it’s possible to work on a yacht as mate with only having your Master of Yachts 200t…. where as on a vessel that is over 500gt they would need to have a minimum of their Chief Mates ticket 3000gt.
The First Officer’s role is to assist the Captain in running the vessel.  Assisting from all matters relating to crew & safety.  As the mate you can be expected to wear a number of hats, spend a lot of time inside if you don’t have the assistance of a 2nd officer doing the yachts paper work & also assisting the bosun with maintaining a first class vessel.  Time expected in the industry to reach this level is normally 3-5 years depending on the size of the yacht.

Captain
Some say when you reach Captain all you have to do is drive and park the vessel.  As Captain you have now accepted full responsibility of a multi million-dollar vessel.  Your license, your livelihood and the safety of all crew and passengers, lie solely on your head.  This is not a role that is taken lightly and nor should your expectations of the captain.  Everyone is human and works differently but just remember that he or she was once where you stood & they have your best interests at the top of their list!
A captain’s job will entail, passage planning for charters & guest trips, accounting, networking with brokers and agents.  The major item is assuring that owners and guests have a safe and memorable time aboard the yacht each and every time, with no exceptions.  They sometimes call these guys miracle makers!

 

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