At the top of the hierarchy sits the captain, also known as the master. The captain is responsible for the overall operation of the yacht, including navigation, safety, and compliance with maritime regulations.
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The first officer, also known as the chief officer or first mate, is the second in command and serves as the right-hand man to the captain.
The highest-paid deck crew salaries were for captains, reflecting their pivotal role and the large amount of responsibility that they assume. In 2021, captains on a 100-metre-plus (328-foot) yacht were paid an average salary of around €18,000 (c. $19,600) per month, plus a discretionary bonus.
The First Officer, also known as Chief Officer or Chief Mate, is always second in command to the Captain. They will assist the Captain in a wide range of duties and tends to be responsible for the safety of the Superyacht and everyone on board.
The top of the hierarchy on each yacht is the Captain, who reports to the yacht owner either directly, or through a representative or a yacht management company. Salaries vary and depend on the yacht size, use, type and location, as well as the experience and qualification of the crew member.
In short, if a yacht carries more than 12 passengers, irrespective of whether payment is made, the vessel is considered a 'Passenger Ship' which puts it into a different category from standard luxury yachts. A 'Passenger Ship' must be SOLAS compliant, which requires rigorous testing, training, and surveying (and cost).
“Usually it is rare to see private yacht owners giving tips, but it is not rare to see their guests, friends or family coming for a few days at no charge and then compensating the crew if they had a great trip.” “On the yachts, we worked on, definitely not – only charter guests tipped.”
Dependent on the length of the vessel, tenure of experience, and level of licensing yacht captain salaries range from $48,000 to over $300,000. As the length of yachts increases, the complexity of the position of captain escalates.
According to Ben, serving as a Below Deck chef is the hardest job there is. You're on your own and you're in charge of provisioning, budgeting, it's a tiny little space, you have no help, he explained during Season 4 Episode 13 of the Below Deck Mediterranean After Show.
Generally speaking, smaller superyachts between 24-30m (80-100ft) in size will require a crew of between 2 and 8 members, whereas mid-sized yachts between 30-60m (100-200ft) will require between 8 and 20 crew members.
The reason lays in regulation. Once a vessel carries more than 12 passengers, even if it is being used as a private yacht, it is considered to be a passenger ship and has to comply with the SOLAS convention (Safety of Life at Sea) set out by the IMO (International Maritime Organization).
It took me some time to get there but with time and experience I found the ideal boat for the cruising couple is 35 – 45 feet (10.5 - 14 metres). Go smaller, or larger, than this cruising sweet spot and you start to encounter problems.