All roles/Deck and Bridge/Skipper
Deck and Bridge
Skipper
A skipper commands a smaller yacht, usually with a crew of one to three, and personally handles the navigation, maintenance, guests and accounts. The owner trusts one person with the whole boat.
- Department
- Deck and Bridge
- Reports to
- Owner or Yacht Manager
- Yacht size
- 15m to 35m
- Contract
- Permanent or seasonal
- Starting pay
- €4,500 per month
What the job is
A skipper runs a smaller yacht, usually 15m to 35m, often with one to three crew and sometimes entirely alone. You are in command and responsible for the safety of the vessel, the guests and the crew. A captain on a large yacht has officers and engineers below them. You do most of it yourself: passage planning, driving, mooring, maintenance, paperwork and guest care. On sailing yachts the title is common at almost every size below 30m.
The work changes with the season. In summer you run owner trips and charters, plan routes around weather and anchorages, book berths, brief guests on safety and drive the tender. In winter you manage the yard period, get quotes from contractors, oversee antifouling and engine services, and keep the boat legal under its code, such as the MCA Small Commercial Vessel code or the flag equivalent. You also handle budgets, fuel, provisioning and the owner's expectations.
Owners hire a skipper because they want one person they trust completely. That trust comes from clean accounts, a boat that always starts, honest reporting and calm handling when things go wrong. Most skippers come up through deck roles, sailing schools or the delivery world. A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster is the usual entry ticket. Many go on to Master (Yacht) 500gt so they can step up to larger yachts as captain.
What makes a good one
- Close quarters boat handling
- Passage planning and weather
- Hands-on engine maintenance
- Budgets and owner reporting
- Guest care with a small crew
A day in the life
- 06:30Engine room checks: oil, coolant, bilges, raw water strainers and generator hours. Then check the GRIB files and local forecast for the afternoon sea breeze.
- 07:30Brief your deckhand and stewardess on the plan. Wash down the decks and wipe the stainless while breakfast is prepared.
- 09:30Owner and guests arrive. Give the safety briefing: lifejackets, liferaft, fire extinguishers and what to do if someone goes overboard.
- 10:00Slip the lines from Puerto Portals and run along the coast to a cala. Drop the anchor in clear sand, well off the protected Posidonia seagrass.
- 12:00Launch the tender and water toys. Run the guests ashore for lunch at a beach restaurant and keep an eye on swimmers.
- 15:00The breeze builds and the anchorage starts to roll. Recover the toys and reposition to a more sheltered bay for the afternoon.
- 17:30Return to the marina and moor stern-to on the lazy lines with the deckhand on the bow. Connect shore power and see the guests off.
- 19:00Wash down, fill the water tanks and write up the log. Enter the day's fuel and expenses, then email the owner the plan for tomorrow.
- 21:00Final rounds: check the lines, fenders, bilge alarms and shore power before turning in.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a skipper on a 20m to 35m yacht. Pay rises with size, sailing or motor, crew numbers and ocean experience. Charter skippers usually share in tips, which can add a month's pay or more over a summer season.
- France and Monaco
- €4,500 – 7,500
- Spain
- €4,200 – 7,000
- Italy
- €4,200 – 7,000
- United Kingdom
- £3,800 – 6,300
- USA (Florida)
- US$5,000 – 8,000
- Caribbean
- US$5,000 – 8,000
- UAE
- AED 18,000 – 29,000
- Australia
- A$7,500 – 12,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$8,200 – 13,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (commercially endorsed)
- VHF Short Range Certificate
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Recommended
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean
- AEC 1
- GMDSS GOC
- Medical First Aid
- PDSD
- Master (Yacht) 500gt
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Skipper jobs open now
Questions crew ask
What is the difference between a skipper and a captain?
Both are in command, but a skipper usually runs a smaller yacht with very few crew and does much of the physical work. Captain is the usual title on larger yachts with a full department structure under them.
Can I work as a skipper with only a Yachtmaster?
Yes. A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore lets you skipper commercial yachts up to 200gt within 150 miles of a safe haven, and the Ocean removes the distance limit. For bigger yachts you need Master (Yacht) 500gt or higher.
Do I need engineering knowledge?
Yes, because there is rarely an engineer on board. You should be able to change filters and impellers, service generators and fault find basic electrics, and an AEC 1 is a good start.