Florist
A yacht florist keeps every guest area dressed with fresh flowers, from the main salon centrepiece to the bedside posy in each cabin. Dedicated florist posts exist mainly on yachts of 80m and over. On smaller boats the job usually goes to a stewardess who has trained in floristry. You need real design skill, and you need to be able to source stems in any port.
The jobWhat fills the day
The core of the job is design, sourcing and care. You plan arrangements for the salons, dining areas, guest cabins, the owner's suite and the decks. You order from wholesalers ashore, condition every delivery and check each piece daily. You also set tables for themed dinners and events. Every arrangement has to be secured so it survives a passage. That means heavy vases, hidden fixings, low designs on exposed decks and a clear sense of which stems will last five days at sea.
With guests aboard, the hours are long and the standard is exacting. Owners notice a drooping lily. When the yacht is empty or in the yard, the work drops to a few silk or dried pieces, so you will spend most of the day as a stewardess, on laundry, housekeeping and inventory. On 100m+ yachts with a flower room and cold store, floristry can fill most of your week. On a 60m yacht it might be two hours a day.
Most hires come from one of two routes. Some are trained florists from high-end shops, hotels or event companies who take STCW and ENG1 and join directly. Others are experienced stewardesses who have added a floristry qualification and a strong portfolio. Captains and chief stews want to see photographs of your work, especially large installations. They also want proof that you can handle service and housekeeping. If you can only do flowers, you are hard to place outside the biggest yachts.
There are few dedicated florist posts, so most people progress through the interior hierarchy. Many florists move into second stew and then chief stew roles, and their eye for detail and styling counts in their favour. Some become head of housekeeping on very large yachts. Others go back ashore and set up businesses supplying yachts in Antibes, Palma or Fort Lauderdale, where a good yacht florist with crew contacts can do well. A few work freelance, flying in to dress a yacht for a single event.
Skills captains look for
- Large-scale floral design
- Flower conditioning and care
- Sourcing in foreign ports
- Budget and stock control
- Table and event styling
- Silver service and housekeeping
- Securing arrangements for sea
A day aboardOwner trip, 95m motor yacht, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Walk every guest area before the owner's party wakes. Remove tired stems, top up water and check that nothing has shifted overnight.
Crew breakfast in the mess, then a quick briefing with the chief stew on today's guest plans.
Meet the tender at the dock to collect a wholesaler delivery from Olbia. Inspect, recut and condition everything in the cold flower room.
Rebuild the main salon centrepiece and the master suite arrangements. Fix vases with museum putty and hidden weights before tonight's run to Bonifacio.
Lunch and a short rest in the cabin while the guests are ashore.
Help the interior team turn down cabins after the beach club visit and clear the laundry backlog.
Style the aft deck for a white-themed dinner. Agree the look with the chief stew and chef, and keep the pieces low and heavy because of the evening breeze.
Final check of the table, candles and linen, then work the dinner service as an extra pair of hands.
Stand down once the table is cleared. Note tomorrow's flower order for the purser.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips usually run at 10 to 20 percent of the charter fee and are shared equally among the crew, so a busy season can add several thousand dollars a month. Expect 30 to 45 days' leave a year. Rotation is rare for this role. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
Gets you hired
- Floristry qualification such as City & Guilds Level 3 or equivalent
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
- GUEST Interior Operations introductory course
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- Portfolio of large-scale and event work
Visas
- US B1/B2 for Fort Lauderdale and Caribbean seasons
- Schengen right to work or visa for Mediterranean yachts
Where it leadsA typical career path
Stewardess & Interior Crew jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I join as a florist with no yacht experience?
Yes, if your floristry background is strong and you have STCW and ENG1. Large yachts do sometimes hire florists straight from luxury hotels or event companies. Expect to do stewardess work as well, and show that you are willing to do it.
Where do yacht florists get flowers in remote places?
You plan ahead. You order through wholesalers in the main hubs and have flowers flown or driven to the yacht, and you build up contacts with local growers. In places like the Maldives or remote parts of the Caribbean, deliveries may come once a week, so you choose long-lasting varieties and look after them carefully.
Is a floristry qualification essential?
It is not a legal requirement, but most captains will want to see one or a solid professional track record. A portfolio of photographs carries the most weight at interview, especially pictures of large arrangements and table styling.
What happens to the job when the yacht is in the yard?
Fresh flower work mostly stops during a refit. Florists usually move onto interior inventory, deep cleaning, protecting the interior and planning the next season's suppliers. Some yachts put the florist on leave for part of the yard period.