All roles/Deck and Bridge/Third Officer
Deck and Bridge
Third Officer
The Third Officer stands bridge watches, keeps the safety equipment and charts in order and runs deck operations alongside the crew. You are the most junior licensed officer and keep the yacht safe and legal.
- Department
- Deck and Bridge
- Reports to
- Chief Officer / First Mate
- Yacht size
- 55m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €4,200 per month
What the job is
The Third Officer is the first rung of the bridge team on a larger yacht. You stand a navigational watch under way and at anchor, keeping a proper lookout, monitoring radar, AIS and ECDIS, logging positions and weather, and calling the Captain or Chief Officer when anything changes. On most yachts you hold the 8 to 12 watch, so you see the morning departures and evening arrivals. Your judgement on watch matters because the guests are asleep and the crew are trusting you.
Away from the bridge, the Third Officer usually owns the safety equipment. That means liferafts, lifejackets, immersion suits, fire extinguishers, EPIRBs, SARTs, pyrotechnics and the medical locker, with every service date tracked in the planned maintenance system. You prepare drills, update muster lists and help keep the ISM and ISPS paperwork ready for flag and class inspections. Many yachts also give you the chart and publication corrections and the passage plans for the Captain to approve.
You are still part of the deck team, and you will be in the thick of it. Expect to drive tenders, run guest water sports, lead mooring stations aft and get stuck in with washdowns before a charter. On a busy guest day you might plan a passage at 07:00 and be towing a doughnut at 15:00. Good Third Officers move between officer and deckhand without fuss, and that is how they earn the step to Second Officer.
What makes a good one
- Calm, accurate watchkeeping
- Passage planning and ECDIS
- Safety equipment management
- Confident tender and boat handling
- Clear radio and bridge communication
A day in the life
- 07:00Take over the anchor watch from the night deckhand. Check the anchor position, weather forecast and swell, and write up the log.
- 08:00Deck meeting with the Chief Officer and Bosun to run through the guest plan. You are down for tender runs and water toys after lunch.
- 09:00Monthly safety checks: inspect fire extinguishers on two decks, test emergency lighting and update the planned maintenance system.
- 11:00Apply chart and publication corrections and draft the passage plan from Cala d'Or to Palma for the Captain to approve.
- 13:00Drive the tender to collect guests from a beach club, then launch the jet skis and Seabob and stay on the water as safety boat.
- 16:30Recover the toys, rinse and secure them, and help the deckhands wash down the swim platform.
- 18:00Station at the anchor windlass for departure. Take the bridge watch for the passage, monitoring traffic on radar and ECDIS and keeping the log.
- 20:00Lead the aft mooring station as the yacht goes stern-to in Palma. Set lines, fenders and passerelle, then hand over to the night watch.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a Third Officer with OOW (Yacht) 3000gt on a 55m to 90m yacht, rising on larger yachts and rotation contracts. Charter yachts add tips, often €1,500 to €4,000 per charter across a season. Food, accommodation and flights are usually included.
- France and Monaco
- €4,200 – 5,500
- Spain
- €4,000 – 5,300
- Italy
- €4,000 – 5,300
- United Kingdom
- £3,600 – 4,700
- USA (Florida)
- US$4,500 – 6,000
- Caribbean
- US$4,500 – 6,000
- UAE
- AED 16,500 – 22,000
- Australia
- A$7,000 – 9,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$7,500 – 10,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- MCA Officer of the Watch (Yacht) 3000gt
- GMDSS GOC
- ECDIS
- HELM (Operational)
- Advanced Fire Fighting
- Proficiency in Survival Craft
- Medical First Aid
- PDSD
Recommended
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA PWC
- Ship Security Officer
- Medical Care
- PADI Divemaster
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Third Officer jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need my OOW 3000gt to be a Third Officer?
On most yachts over 500gt, yes, because you will stand a watch and the flag state requires a certificate of competency. Some smaller yachts take a Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean holder who is working towards OOW, but expect a lower salary and fewer watchkeeping duties.
How long before I move up to Second Officer?
Usually one to three years, depending on the yacht and how quickly you build sea time. Showing you can run the safety programme and handle the bridge on your own counts as much as time served.
Are Third Officer jobs offered on rotation?
Some are, mainly on yachts over 80m, often on a 2:1 or 3:1 pattern. Most Third Officer roles are still permanent with annual leave, and rotation usually becomes common from Second Officer upwards.