Steward / Chef

On yachts between roughly 20m and 40m there is often no room for a separate chef and stewardess. The Steward / Chef does both. You plan menus, provision, cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests and crew, then lay the table, serve, clear, wash up and turn down the cabins. On a crew of three or four, you are the whole interior and galley department, and the captain trusts you to run it without being told.

Cooking is the centre of the job and the part owners and charter guests judge most. Expect to produce restaurant quality food from a domestic sized galley, often for eight to twelve guests, with dietary requests arriving on the preference sheet or halfway through a trip. You need to shop well in foreign markets, store food safely in limited fridge space and keep a tidy, inspected galley. Good service skills and a calm manner at the table matter almost as much.

Between meals you handle housekeeping, laundry, flowers, the bar and guest requests. When the yacht is quiet you deep clean, inventory, order stores and help the deck crew with lines or fenders when needed. Hours are long on charter and the work is physical, but tips are shared among fewer crew. It suits a confident cook who likes guests, can organise their own day and does not mind switching from apron to tray ten times before lunch.