Today’s discerning yacht charter guests and owners expect exceptional experiences at sea. This means you need a yacht crew that offers unique talents and skills that go beyond ensuring the smooth day-to-day operations of a vessel.
For example, in demand specialist yacht crew include trained massage therapists, qualified dive masters, and experienced sommeliers. Having a crew with unique skills helps to create a yacht that really ‘wows’ , ensuring charter guests come back time and time again and offering the owner the utmost comfort while onboard.
Keep on reading to learn about some of the most in-demand specialist yacht crew roles, and how to recruit for these positions.
Specialist yacht crew roles
1 – Beauty providers
The desire for wellness services on yachts over the past few years has soared. Indeed, the finest superyachts often boast sumptuous wellness areas that rival the world’s most opulent spas on terra firma. Specialist yacht crew that are qualified masseuses, spa therapists, beauticians, and hairdressers are all in demand. While on larger yachts, a wellness provider may occupy a full-time position, on smaller boats, this position would likely be filled in the dual role of stew/beauty role.
2 – Sommeliers
In today’s world of yacht indulgence, there seems little point in feasting on expertly prepared meals by your yacht’s Michelin-star chef without having a selection of perfectly paired wines. Sommeliers boast exceptional knowledge of wines and will advise what to drink, when to drink it, and what wines to buy. They will also come with global contacts to ensure a yacht’s wine cellar is filled with some of the world’s finest vintages. A specialist yacht crew member who is a trained sommelier will be a central part of a superyacht’s food and beverage team.
3 – Personal trainers & wellness providers
With wellness at the forefront of many people’s minds, many yacht owners and charterers wish to keep up with their fitness regimen while at sea, making personal trainers a highly desired specialist yacht crew position. Personal trainers with additional skills such as boxing, yoga, Pilates, meditation, and nutrition, can ensure charter guests and owners enjoy turnkey holistic programmes. Personal trainers will help ensure guests and owners maintain their fitness regimen, while also working with the yacht’s chef to ensure nutritionally healthy meals.
4 – Watersports instructors
A specialist yacht crew member who is an expert watersports instructor can help ensure charter guests and owners genuinely enjoy all their yacht’s tenders and toys. And with boats getting larger and holding an increasing number of water toys on board, the demand for yacht crew who are trained watersports instructors is only set to continue. Current trends show a high demand for specialist yacht crew with qualifications in scuba diving, surfing, kitesurfing, and wakeboarding.
5 – Nurses
As yacht’s become larger, there has been an increasing demand for certified nurses who can help ensure the health and safety of those on board while also being able to help in a medical emergency. This yacht crew specialism is particularly sought-after on yacht charters, where charter guests, especially families with young children, value this additional skillset. Having a qualified nurse onboard is also particularly valued with guests and owners who wish to enjoy extreme sports in remote locations such as heli-skiing and scuba diving.
Recruiting yacht crew with specialist skills can result in a time-consuming search, which is why many captains and owners opt to work with a dedicated yacht crew recruitment agent. With global reach and qualified yacht crew registered and vetted, a yacht crew agent can quickly and seamlessly fill any specialist yacht crew roles.
What other on-trend specialist yacht crew roles would you add to our guide?