Steward / Cook
The Steward / Cook keeps the interior of a smaller yacht running and puts food on the table. On one day you might turn cabins, set a lunch table, cook it, serve it and clear it. The role suits a stewardess who enjoys the galley, or a home cook who wants to get into yachting and can handle housekeeping to a high standard.
The jobWhat fills the day
The work splits between interior and galley. On the interior side you do housekeeping, laundry, cabin turndowns, table setting, drinks service and inventory. In the galley you cook three meals a day for a crew of three to six, plan menus, provision and keep the fridges and dry stores in order. On many boats you also cook for guests, usually breakfast, lunch and canapés, with a proper chef or shore caterer brought in for bigger dinners.
Guest trips change the balance. On a 26m charter boat in the Bahamas you may be the only person inside, cooking and serving for eight guests from breakfast to late drinks. On a 38m with a sole chef aboard, you cook crew food and cover the chef's day off, and spend most of your time on service. Off season, the job leans to deep cleaning, crew cooking and helping the deck team with shipyard or maintenance work.
Captains hire people who can do both halves without dropping either. A stewardess with a season or two and a real interest in cooking is the usual profile. So are career changers from hospitality, catering or private households. Bring photos of dishes you have cooked, sample menus and references. Couples are common in this role, often paired with a captain, mate or engineer on a small private yacht.
From here the path forks. People who prefer the galley take a culinary course, add the Ship's Cook Certificate and move to sole chef on a 35-45m yacht, then sous or head chef on larger boats. People who prefer interior move to second stew and then chief stew on bigger yachts. Either way, a few years in this role gives you a sound grounding in how a small yacht runs.
Skills captains look for
- Crew and guest cooking
- Menu planning and provisioning
- Silver service and table setting
- Housekeeping and laundry care
- Galley hygiene and food safety
- Working alone under pressure
- Budget and inventory tracking
A day aboardCharter day, 32m motor yacht, British Virgin Islands
Set up coffee and the crew breakfast, then lay the aft deck for guests with fruit, pastries and juice.
Cook eggs to order for six guests and keep the coffee coming while the deck crew prepare the tender and toys.
Guests head out snorkelling. Turn the cabins, refresh the heads and get the first laundry load on.
Prep lunch: grilled mahi, salads and a tropical salsa. Lay the table and chill the rosé.
Serve lunch, clear, then feed the crew from the leftovers plus a pasta.
Two hours off in your cabin while guests nap and the boat is at anchor off Jost Van Dyke.
Canapés and sundowners on the flybridge. Check stock and write a provisioning list for the next port.
Guests go ashore for dinner. Cook a simple crew meal, then do turndowns, fresh towels and water by the beds.
Guests back aboard. Serve nightcaps, tidy the saloon and set up for breakfast before bed.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips are often shared equally among a small crew, so on a busy Caribbean or Mediterranean season they can add 10-15% of the charter fee across the team. Permanent contracts usually include annual leave, flights and medical cover. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
Gets you hired
- MCA Ship's Cook Certificate
- GUEST Introduction to Yacht Service
- WSET Level 1 or 2 in Wines
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- Culinary diploma or short course
Visas
- US B1/B2 visa
- Schengen visa if non-EU
Where it leadsA typical career path
Steward / Cook jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need to be a trained chef?
No. Most captains want solid home cooking for crew and clean, simple guest food. A culinary course and photos of your dishes will set you apart, and the Ship's Cook Certificate matters if you want to move into a chef role later.
How is this different from a Cook / Steward?
The first word tells you where most of the job sits. A Steward / Cook is mainly interior crew who also cooks, while a Cook / Steward is mainly a cook who helps with service. Read the advert carefully, because the split varies from boat to boat.
Is this a good first job in yachting?
It can be if you already have hospitality or catering experience. Without it, most people do a season as a stewardess first, because being the only interior crew member on a small boat is hard when you are new.
Will I cook for guests or only for crew?
It depends on yacht size and programme. On boats under 30m you often cook everything for guests. On larger yachts with a chef aboard you cook crew meals and cover the chef's days off.