Plank Runner

Life Onboard A Yacht As A Deckhand

Ahoy readers! Everywhere I go I get soooo many questions about my job as a deckhand. Everyone has an idea in their head from the show of course, I don’t blame ya its great television. Only, not all boats are like that. 

Difference Between The Show & Real Life

Boats are like snowflakes; Every single one is unique. Generally, a yacht or boat is classified as either private or charter. Private boats have individual ownership and typically are not available for renting. Thus, the same people and their friends/family are the ones using it. Private boats still function with full time crew and can travel around just as much. The downside: you’re typically not earning tips. The upside: you’re also typically not working as crazy hours consistently. There are no exact numbers I can find on the number of vessels registered as private versus charter. Still from my experience I’d say there are slightly more private boats out there than charter boats.

Charter boats are owned by an individual or company that are available for rent, AKA “charter”. Yes, just like the show. Chartering is synonymous with long hours, quick turn arounds and lavish tips for crew. 

The Job Basics

A deckhand’s job will vary depending on if the guests are on or off. If guest are not using the boat, the job becomes a classic 9-5. A deckhand has the responsibility to upkeep the health and appearance of everything exterior. Some deckhand jobs around the boat include: washing, painting, waxing, polishing, teak scrubbing, bird poop patrol, toy maintenance, water sports assistance, polishing, varnishing, organizing lockers, fire and safety checks, calking and most likely more polishing, just to name a few. Personally, I loved throwing on some music and spending the day outside doing projects. 

On the other hand, days with boss on might include these responsibilities as well. However, they have to be done strategically without disturbing guests. Being private the owner was allowed to use the boat as often as they pleased, though the longest trip we ever experienced was a month long. While boss was on, schedules varied anywhere from 8 hours to 15 hours with breaks for lunch, dinner and breakfast. While boss was on, my role transitioned to deck/stew meaning I worked both interior and exterior depending on our itinerary.

On Charter Work Schedule

7:00 Wake up, Check in with First Mate & complete exterior duties: blading windows, poop patrol, uncover, set up cushions and chairs, help pick up anchor, tow & move boat if need be 

8:00 Owner breakfast, interior duties: turn up beds, clean cabins, laundry, ironing 

9:00-12:00 Attend to guest needs: walk dogs, launch toys & tenders, prep snacks, continue laundry ironing, folding, pick & prep lunch set up

12:00 Crew lunch (Even though we get 30 minutes for lunch at any point if guests need anything I was responsible for attending, my owners were so nice though and always made it a point to give us our breaks) 

1:00-4:00 ish Break time!! Usually I took a shower/nap in my cabin or if we were close to land or on land I would get off the boat and go for a walk/read.

4:00-7:00 Assist with toys and tender clean up, finish any exterior projects for the day, pick and prep dinner set up, laundry, ironing, dishes, serve drinks, crew dinner, 

7:00 Guest Dinner, interior duties: turn down beds, clean cabins, laundry, ironing, assist with service 

9:00 Attend to guests, drink service, dinner clean up, exterior shut down, lights, cover cushions, pick out tomorrow’s breakfast setup 

10:00-12:00 Restock crew area, laundry, ironing, attend to guests until they turn in & lock up boat 

It’s A Lot Of Work, But It’s Worth It

After a while you develop a routine just like any other job and the long days become normal as long as no alarms go off while you are able to sleep. LOL. Jinx. Seriously though, if you are a deckhand or any crew member and are struggling please check out the resources available for you here.

There is so much more to being a deckhand that I want to share, but you guys didn’t sign up for a novel. If you’re still interested and this sound like the job for you check out How To Get Started In Yachting. Comment what aspects you want to hear about next!