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Leading from the helm as a Captain is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling and rewarding career paths in the superyacht industry.

The Captain holds the most senior position onboard a yacht and the one responsible for the overall operation of the yacht, the safety of its crew, owners and guests. It’s an all-encompassing position where excellent navigational capabilities are coupled with a high level of administrative and managerial skills.

The role differs depending on the size of the yacht, its usage and its cruising itinerary. Captains on smaller yachts need to be hands-on problem solvers and multitaskers. Under 35m, for example, the Captain’s position also encompasses the role of an Engineer, whilst on larger yachts the Captain has dedicated teams and Heads of Departments under their command.

What does a yacht Captain do? | Yacht Captain Job Description

Commanding the yacht and navigating safe passages across the oceans is just a small part of a Captain’s job. A yacht Captain is also in control of overall safety, crew management, budgeting, administration, refit projects, voyage planning and adhering to all international maritime regulations (ISM, MARPOL, SOLAS).

The responsibilities of a yacht Captain include:

Safe navigation and operation of the yacht

Ensuring that the yacht is in all respects compliant with the relevant laws and regulations

Ensuring that the yacht is prepared for annual flag surveys, annual class surveys and port/flag state controls

The setting of budgets and budget management

Hiring, leading, appraising and dismissal of crew

Overseeing the maintenance of the vessel

Ensuring legal and regulatory compliance

Managing yacht refits and surveys

Managing fuel costs and dockage fees

Being an ambassador for the yacht, hosting and entertaining guests as required

Voyage planning

Soft and hard skills required to be a yacht Captain

Successful Captains are excellent leaders, able to set a common goal for their crew and able to communicate with owners, guests, crew, contractors and brokers alike.

The skills of a successful yacht Captain include:

Excellent leadership, management and diplomacy skills

Excellent yacht handling and navigation

Ability to stay calm in difficult situations

Good grasp of finance and legislation

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Organisation and administration skills

How to become a yacht Captain?

Maritime training and sea-going experience is required. Positions are qualification based, from a Master 200, Master 500, Master 3000 and up to a Captain Unlimited. Training may be completed in a National Maritime Academy, a university or a specialised Sailing School.

Mandatory certificates needed to work on board a yacht

All crew members regardless of position and seniority need to have a valid STCW Basic Safety Training certificate, along with a recognised Seafarers medical certificate, the most popular being the ENG1 which is issued by an MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) professional medic.

Without these two certificates, it is not possible for crew to work on board a yacht and a Recruiter will not be able to assist you in finding work onboard a yacht. For more information about mandatory certificates please visit our Mandatory Certificates Guide .

Are you ready to secure a Captain position on board a yacht?

Become a member of YPI CREW and connect with our recruiters so they can guide you through your job search.

Each of our recruiters is specialised in crew placement for a particular department and they will do their best to get you an interview on board a yacht. They will also advise you on how to best present your experience and skills and prepare for a yacht job interview.

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Ypi crew recruiters in charge of captain recruitment.

Ulrica Lindström

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How To Become A Superyacht Captain With UKSA

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a Superyacht Captain? To do so, it requires a combination of education, experience, and certifications across numerous years. In this article, we hear from Will Satterly, Head of Careers at UKSA , about how to become a Superyacht Captain.

Which Tasks Does A Superyacht Captain Carry Out?

As Captain, specialising in commanding and managing luxury yachts over 24 metres in length, you’ll be responsible for a crew and the safety of passengers. As well as this, you answer to the yacht’s owner about the decisions you make. Effective communication and leadership are crucial. Will elaborates:

“The Captain is responsible for the safety of the vessel and crew/passengers. Building an effective culture and maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and safety whist complying to all regulatory requirements. Managing expectations of owners and other stakeholders such as management companies, is another key part of being a successful captain.”

The smaller the yacht, the more hands-on the Captain must be. Yet they will have hold more administrative duties if the yacht is larger.

How Long Does It Take?

Naturally, depending on the candidate, this will vary. However, Will remarks that “6+ years is realistic to gain the necessary experience, sea time, and modules.”

The Qualifications & Traits You Need

As Captain, you will need:

Great communication skills (to deal with owners, contractors, crew, and guests alike)
Personnel management skills
Excellent seafaring knowledge
An understanding of accounting
IT and administration skills

The UKSA pathway for MCA Deck Office certification outlines a series of steps you can take:

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How to Become a Yacht Captain- An Expert’s Handbook

Do you want to become a yacht captain? Having watched my husband climb the ranks over the past 12 years, I have first-hand experience of seeing what it takes to become a yacht captain.

We started working on a small catamaran in the Seychelles, and today, he is the successful Captain of a world-traveling 50m super yacht.

Becoming a yacht Captain requires a significant investment of time and money, but the reward of commanding your own vessel and crew is immeasurable.

Let’s explore what it takes, including the salaries, necessary skills, and certifications.

Table of Contents

Job Description of a Yacht Captain

The Captain of a superyacht is responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel, the safety of the crew onboard, as well as protecting the environment.

They are the primary source of communication with the yacht owner, guests, and management company.

They also handle all the daily operations of the yacht, including crew management and safety training. The Captain deals directly with management companies, port control, maritime legislation, budgets, accounting, and human resources.

a 60m super yacht docked in a marina with other yachts

Yacht Captain Salary

The below super yacht Captain salary guideline is based on my personal research using an average of over 10 major yachting platforms:

20m-30m: $4000-$7500 p/m
30m-40m: $5500-$9500 p/m
40m-50m: $8000-$15000 p/m
50m-70m: $13000-$19000 p/m
70m+: $16500+ p/m

Additionally, with longevity a yacht Captain can also expect to see discretionary annual raises and bonuses.

If they work on a Charter Yacht there will also be charter tips received averaging $2500-$5000 per week of chartering.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Yacht Captain

The job of a Yacht Captain can be compared to that of a CEO, CFO, and COO of a large corporation. The responsibilities are huge.

On a smaller vessel of 35m or less, the captain will need to be more hands-on, and they will likely also be the engineer of the vessel.

However, as the vessel size increases, you will have larger teams and heads of departments to assist in delegating tasks.

Roles and Responsibilities

Crew Management and training
Hiring and dismissals of crew
Human resources
Accounting and budgeting
Safe navigation of the vessel
Safe navigational planning
Marine and environmental protection
Vessel maintenance – planning yard work and refits
Owner and guest liaison
Planning of guest trips and itineraries
Ensuring the yacht is compliant with maritime law
Ensuring the yacht is compliant with all flag state safety regulations

Soft and Hard Skills

When it comes to the question of how to become a yacht captain, besides the required licenses, it is essential to hold certain soft and hard skills:

Strong leadership skills
Team management
A quick thinker and problem solver
Calm under pressure
Exceptional communication skills
Diplomatic in decision-making
Excellent boat handling skills
Navigational skills
Administrative skills
Organizational skills
Computer literate
Strong understanding of maritime legislation

3 text books for legislation on how to become a yacht captain

Mandatory Certifications for How to Become Yacht Captain

The license required when identifying how to become a Yacht Captain is dependent on the size/tonnage of the vessel they wish to drive.

Your entry-level Captain license is the Yacht-Master 200 ton. This allows you to drive a vessel of under 200 tons, which is approximately 35m/100ft.

From there, with enough sea time and experience, you can move up towards the Master 500 and then Master 3000 tickets.

If you were to start from scratch, you would first want to look at how to become a deckhand . This will give you all the information and guidance you require before you get to the point when you are ready to start your master’s licenses.

Here is the order in which you would complete your courses:

ENG1 Medical
Efficient Deckhand (EDH)
Yacht-Master Offshore (200ton)
Yacht-Master Ocean (200 ton)
OOW (Officer of the Watch)
Chief Mate 3000
Master 500 ton
Master 3000 ton

Yacht Master Offshore 200 ton Limited

Holders of this certificate can Captain a yacht up to 200 gross tons and must be within 150 nm from a safe haven whilst doing so. This course is also required to legally stand watch on a vessel of up to 500gt.

The course consists of theory and practical work and takes 13 days to complete.

Pre-requisites for Yacht Master 200t Limited:

3,000 nautical miles while cruising at sea
50 days at sea as an active crew member
5 days as skipper on vessels less than 24m LOA
48 hours on watch at night underway as an active member of a yacht’s crew. During at least six hours of this nighttime experience, the candidate must have acted as the vessel’s captain or watch leader.
A GMDSS-compliant Marine Radio Operator’s Certificate such as the RYA Short Range Certificate or higher
All qualifying sea time must be within 10 years prior to the exam

a compass on the dashboard of a yacht helm

Master of Yachts 200 ton Ocean Unlimited

This certificate allows the holder to be in charge of a commercial yacht of up to 200 gross tons on unlimited voyages.

This comprehensive six-day course on celestial navigation is designed to equip future yacht Captains with the knowledge necessary to navigate the globe using a sextant and air navigation tables.

Additionally, it will enable them to plan, undertake, and manage an ocean passage with confidence.

Pre-requisites for the Master 200 ton Unlimited:

Before enrolling in the course, candidates must have completed two voyages of 250 miles each or one voyage of 500 miles. The majority of the journey must take place out of sight of land, which means being at least 20 miles away from the shoreline.
For the qualifying voyage, it is expected to create a passage plan that can be reviewed during the course.

Officer of the Watch (OOW)

In order to obtain the MCA Officer of the Watch (Yachts Less Than 3000 GT) Certificate of Competency, candidates must complete seven distinct modules. These modules are designed to prepare candidates for the MCA oral exam.

Pre-requisites for the OOW:

IYT Master of Yachts Limited certificate
A minimum of 250 days of actual sea service
115 days can be either sea service, stand-by-service or yard service
A Completed MCA approved training record book

The 7 modules include:

Navigation and Radar (15 days)
General Ships Knowledge GSK (5 days)
Proficiency in Survival Crafts and Rescue Boats/Advanced Sea Survival (3 days)
Human Elements and Leadership Management HELM (3 days)
Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS)
Efficient Deckhand EDH (5 days)
Electronic Chart Display and Information ECDIS (5 days)
MCA OOW Deck Oral Prep Work (12 days)

a large sailing catamaran sailing on the ocean. 2 men are putting up the sails

Chief Mate 3000GT

After obtaining the Officer of the Watch certification for yachts less than 3000gt, you can apply to the MCA for the endorsement of the Chief Mate (Yachts less than 3000gt) Certificate of Competency. It is possible to apply for both certifications at the same time.

Course Modules include:

STCW Advanced Fire Fighting (4 days)
Proficiency in Medical First Aid (4 days)
Human Elements of Leadership Management – Management level (4 days)

Master of Yachts (500GT)

This certificate is required in order to Captain a yacht of up to 500 gross tons.

Requirements for the course:

12 months as a watch-keeping officer with an OOW Certificate
A valid ENG1

Modules include:

Stability (5 days)
Business and Law (5 days)
Navigation and Radar with ARPA Simulator (10 days)
Seamanship and Meteorology (5 days)
Celestial Navigation Refresher and Exam (5 days)
Proficiency for persons in charge of medical care onboard a ship (4 days)

Master of Yachts (3000GT)

This certificate is required in order to Captain a yacht of up to 3000 gross tons.

The modules for the Master 3000GT are the same as that of the Master 500. If you pass all the modules and have met the requirements for the Master 3000GT, you can skip the Master 500gt Course and do the exam and oral for the Master 3000GT.

Requirements include:

including not less than 240 days watch-keeping service whilst holding an accepted OOW Certificate of Competency (CoC).
All of this service must be completed in vessels of 15m or over in load line length and include 12 months in vessels of 24 m or over in load line length, or 6 months in vessels of 500gt or more.
A valid ENG1 Certificate

Final thoughts

Most crew don’t anticipate the significant amount of time and money it takes when wondering how to become a yacht Captain.

My advice to you is to start logging your sea time from the very beginning and plan ahead. You don’t want to miss out on opportunities due to not having the required license.

If you are still looking for more detailed information or if you are looking to book a course, head over to the PYT website. They are an MCA compliant training facility with schools in Fort Lauderdale and South Africa.

Good luck on your journey. I hope to see you out in the big blue ocean commanding your own vessel one day.

Hi, my name is Lisa, a Chief Stewardess in the yachting industry with 10 years of experience, as well as 8 years of hospitality experience prior to that. Being in the yachting industry has been a whirlwind of adventure, growth, challenges and some of the best experiences of my life, and I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with all of you.