A Career on Superyachts
What is a Superyacht?
Superyachts, Luxury Yachts, Megayachts, Gigayachts – or just a yacht, there are many words used to describe the thousands of large yachts that now cruise the world’s oceans.
To qualify as a “Superyacht” a yacht, whether it is privately owned or commercial, has to be in excess of 24 metres in length and it can be a motor yacht or a sailing yacht. The largest yachts are now over 150 metres!
And of course luxury yachts are very expensive to build and to maintain. Their owners take pride in their assets and quite justifiably expect them to be run and cared for by qualified and dedicated professionals.
A job on a superyacht can be highly rewarding. The financial rewards can be great as can be the personal and emotional rewards. These beautiful yachts visit some of the world’s most exclusive and exotic places – from St Tropez to Fiji, from Porto Banus to Bali, from Sardinia to Singapore.
But to gain these rewards one must adhere to four of the basic requirements of becoming a seafarer:
· Discipline
· Determination
· Responsibility
· Respect
If you follow these rules and are determined to succeed in the industry and not just treat it as a “filler” between less demanding, rewarding and varied land based jobs you could go far.
A glamorous industry? Yes of course it is – but it needs professional, dedicated people to ensure that is runs smoothly. Standing on the quayside watching a captain and his crew bring in a 80 metre yacht may look easy to an untrained eye, but it has taken a long time, training and practice to ensure that a multimillion dollar asset is handled with such skill and care. Everything looks easy – when you know how to do it!
The basic entry level on a superyacht is as Deckhand or Steward(ess) and in a few years it is possible to progress up the ladder to become a Captain.
To understand the individual job requirements and your choice of career progression just follow the links below: