Mate / Deckhand

The job is half officer, half deckhand. On the bridge you stand watches, update charts and publications, check weather and help the captain plan passages and anchorages. On deck you run lines and fenders, drive the tender, launch the toys, varnish, polish stainless and wash down. On a 30m yacht you may be the only deck crew, so you do everything yourself. Most captains also hand the mate the safety paperwork: drills, life-saving equipment checks, the ISM logs and the deck stores.

Guest trips change the pace. Before guests board you are getting the toys ready, sorting the tender and preparing the deck. While they are aboard you run tender shuttles to Saint-Tropez or Gustavia, set up the swim platform, supervise jet skis and take the anchor watch while the captain sleeps. Between charters you catch up on maintenance. On bigger boats in this range there is a deckhand or two under you, and some days you spend more time managing them than doing the work yourself.

Captains hire people they can trust alone on the bridge at 3am and also with a guest's child on a seabob. Usually that means two or three seasons as a deckhand, a Yachtmaster Offshore with commercial endorsement or a Master 200gt, and good tender driving. If you can also help the engineer, or you have a dive or watersports instructor ticket, you are more employable. A clean reference from your last captain counts for more than a long CV.

It is a training ground for command. You see every part of how a small yacht runs, from guest logistics to marina bookings to port state paperwork. The usual next step is Chief Officer on a 40-60m yacht once you hold an OOW 3000gt, or Captain of a 24-30m boat on a Master 200gt or 500gt. Mates who keep working through their sea service and modules can be in command within four to six years.