Working on a Yacht FAQs

Hi Jerri,
I accidently stumbled upon your blogspot after I googled "yacht crew and antigua"....haha anyways...I graduate from the university of florida next saturday, and my plan is to head down to the caribbean and work in yachting like you did....and i'm also pretty much flat broke like you were when you went to barcelona ( i listened to your podcast)...i've been down to fort lauderdale and have registered with the crewing agencies and everything, and i've gotten offers to work on boats,but i havent been able to accept any because of school. i love st maarten to pieces (i went there on vacation with my family about 3 years ago and fell in love with the yachting industry, and had a great time hanging out with all the yachties!), and i'm considering buying a one way ticket to the island. since lived there before, i was wondering what you think the chances of me finding a job are? i'm very torn because i love the caribbean and want to work there and i'm worried that if i stay here in fort lauderdale i'll miss my chances of getting work that goes to the caribbean because its not exactly the high season any more.....anyways, any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.....thanks!!

Congratulations on graduation! Working on a yacht is the perfect just out of college job in my opinion. Why don't you save yourself the money and get a yacht to fly you out to St. Martin instead of buying one yourself or find a boat delivery leaving from Ft. Lauderdale? If you go to St. Martin on your own, where would you stay? There are crew houses there in St. Martin, but I never stayed at them so I can't recommend any. Hotels are going to be pretty expensive. But you must know that to fly in to Antigua or SXM you MUST have a roundtrip ticket. It's required. If you get to the airport and check in and they see you don't have a return ticket you'll be required to buy one there or they won't issue you a ticket at all. And you'll pay full price for it!

High season starts in November and the boats start crewing up in September and October to go to the Caribbean. There is lots of work there, it's just a matter of working hard to find it...walking the docks and talking to the yachties. A lot of boats will be leaving from Ft. Lauderdale soon just in time to arrive in St. Martin to have the owners on board for Christmas and New Years. They are looking for crew to do deliveries.

I wish you the very best of luck! I know you're going to find a job really easily. I definitely do not think you are going to miss your chance in the Caribbean and you are going to have the time of your life!! Good luck, and please keep me updated!

Hi Jerri!
I'm a fellow traveler writing for a bit of advice. i'm leaving minneapolis (managing a hostel and working at a co-op), and want to possibly get into yacht work like yourself... can you recommend any means of getting started, if possible, this time of year?

Glad to help! First, I recommend checking out some crew agency websites. They list the positions available on yachts, typical salaries and what to expect. You can register with the agencies for free, interview with them in person or over the phone, and they will look to place you on a yacht. The usual ways people start on yachts is by working as either a deckhand, stewardess or chef or combo of all three! These are the agencies that I worked with. They are all located in Ft. Lauderdale.

http://www.crewunlimited.com
http://www.carolemanto.com
http://www.luxyachts.com

Now is a good time to start looking for work for the Caribbean season when all the yachts will looking to crew up to head to St. Martin, St. Barts, Antigua and the USVI. Some yachts will fly you out of whereever you are (minneapolis) or your best bet is to go to Ft. Lauderdale. You can day work there while looking for a full time job and pulling in anywhere between $10-15/hr. And if you need a place to stay there are crew houses where all the yacht crew go while looking for work.

http://www.maryscrewhouse.com

Great for networking and so much fun! Basically, they're hostels. Anyway, check these sites out. They should be really helpful. Remember it's really hard work, but the payoffs are so worth it! Best of luck to you and let me know how it goes!

The Wheelers: Role Models for Backpackers!

All backpackers are probably familiar with Lonely Planet and the ones that are really obsessive, like me, know who Tony and Maureen Wheeler are. They are the travelers-turned-publishers turned publishers-who-travel and creators of Lonely Planet Guidebooks.

The Seattle Times recently had an interview with the couple about their new book, Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story. In the interview they discuss mixing work and marriage and joke that going on a book tour is a good way to break up a marriage. If they can spend 35 years together traveling around the world, I think it's a safe bet to say that their marriage is solid enough to survive a book tour!

My favorite magazine, National Geographic Adventure Magazine, also has an interview with the couple along with their recommended travel tips in this month's issue.



If you are a big fan of The Wheelers or Lonely Planet you will find this book super interesting. It's an autobiography of the couple detailing their travels and journey into the world of publishing.

Working Around the World

I have written a little about ideas on ways to work your way around the world, but Laptop Hobo, has made an entire website dedicated to the subject of continuing your career while traveling and living anywhere in the world. LH co-Founders Richard Hamel and Carmen Bolanos are both professionals and avid travelers having lived and made a living in many countries. The site is filled with great resources and information on equipment you will need in order to set-up your office while on the road.

They even have an article, The New Nomads, recently written about them in Business Week.