Cook / Steward
A cook/steward runs the galley and much of the interior on a smaller yacht. You plan the menus, buy the food, cook for guests and crew, and then serve it, clear it and turn the cabins. It suits people who can cook well without a brigade behind them and who don't mind going from the stove to the laundry in the same hour.
The jobWhat fills the day
A cook/steward is the whole galley and much of the interior in one person. On a 28m motor yacht with five crew, you plan menus, provision, and cook three meals a day for guests and crew. Then you lay the table, serve, clear and turn the cabins. The captain or a sole stewardess may help with service, but the food is yours alone. You also keep the stores lists, track a galley budget and do the laundry when the boat is quiet. The job rewards people who stay organised and can switch tasks without losing track.
With guests aboard the days are long. Breakfast at 07:30, lunch on deck, canapés at sunset and dinner at nine, with cabins serviced in between. On charter you work from a preference sheet, so allergies, special diets and the children's tea are all your job. Without guests the pace drops. You cook crew meals, deep clean, do inventory and plan the next trip. On a sailing yacht the galley is small and heels under way, so one-pot dishes and well-secured storage matter.
Captains hire people they can trust to feed guests well with no support. Most people who get these jobs are experienced stews who trained as cooks, or chefs from restaurants and ski chalets who can also handle silver service and housekeeping. A folder of menus and food photographs will do more for you than a list of duties on a CV. Couples are common, and captain plus cook/steward is a classic pairing on 24-35m yachts. Owners want calm, discreet crew who can live in close quarters for months.
Most cook/stewards go one of two ways. If the cooking is what you love, the next step is sole chef on a 35-50m yacht, then head chef with a sous chef under you on larger boats. That route usually means a formal culinary qualification and the Ship's Cook Certificate. If you prefer the interior side, move to second stew and work up towards chief stew. Either way, two or three seasons in this role give you a broad CV that captains take seriously.
Skills captains look for
- Menu planning and provisioning
- Silver service
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Allergy and dietary management
- Galley budget control
- Cooking crew meals
- Working in small teams
A day aboardCharter day, 30m motor yacht, Hvar, Croatia
Put the coffee on, bake bread and set out the breakfast fruit and pastries.
Serve breakfast on the aft deck and clear it. Turn the guest cabins while the guests swim.
Prep lunch and ring the provisioner in Hvar town to have fresh fish sent out by tender.
Serve a light three-course lunch on the flybridge, then wash up and reset.
Two hours off in the crew cabin while the guests go ashore with the captain.
Cook the crew meal and prep for dinner, checking the preference sheet for a guest's nut allergy.
Serve canapés and sunset drinks, with the captain helping on deck.
Four-course dinner service, then clear the table and do a turndown in each cabin.
Clean the galley, write tomorrow's order list and head to bed.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
On charter yachts, tips are usually 10-20% of the charter fee, split evenly across a small crew, and can add several thousand dollars a month in a busy season. Private yachts pay steadier wages but often give less leave. See the Yacht Chef & Galley salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Gets you hired
- Ship's Cook Certificate
- Food Hygiene Level 3
- Culinary diploma or yacht chef course
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- WSET Level 2 in Wines
Visas
- B1/B2 for US and Caribbean yachts
- Schengen eligibility for the Mediterranean
Where it leadsA typical career path
Cook / Steward jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need to be a trained chef?
Not always, but you must cook to a standard guests would pay for, every day, with no one to help. Many people who get hired have done a short yacht chef course or worked in ski chalets. A Ship's Cook Certificate and a folder of real menus will put you ahead.
Is this a good way into yacht cooking?
Yes. It is one of the most common routes into sole chef jobs, because you learn provisioning, budgets and cooking for guests on a small scale. Two good seasons and a reference from the captain go a long way.
What size yachts hire cook/stewards?
Mostly 20-40m motor and sailing yachts with four to six crew. From around 40m upwards the jobs split into a dedicated chef and a separate interior team.
Can I get a job as a couple?
Often. A captain with a cook/steward partner is a popular pairing on smaller yachts, because it fills two key roles with people who already get on. Expect the boat to want proof that you both hold the right certificates and have enough experience.