| Larry Ellison, Paul Allen and Tiger Woods all have | | | | and yearly running budget |
| them. | | | | Mate - link between captain and crew members |
| I'm talking about mega-yachts - privately owned | | | | from all departments |
| floating palaces. In case you aren't already aware, | | | | Bosun - responsible for deck staff |
| a mega-yacht is any motor or sail powered yacht | | | | Deckhand - responsible for upkeep of yacht. |
| over 24m in length. They have award winning | | | | Engineer - reports directly to the Captain. |
| interiors, the very best navigation equipment | | | | Responsible for the myriad systems on board the |
| available and a permanent compliment of crew | | | | yacht |
| who live on board and travel with the yacht | | | | 2nd Engineer - assists the engineer with |
| where ever it goes. | | | | engineering tasks and keeping the engine room |
| And the jobs are open to anyone. | | | | immaculate. |
| The crews are comprised mostly of Australians, | | | | Head Chef - works with owners/Captain to set |
| Kiwis, South Africans, Canadians, Europeans, | | | | menus |
| South Americans and the odd US citizen. The | | | | Assistant Chef - assists the Head Chef as |
| industry is dominated by hard working travelers, | | | | required. |
| eager for tax free US dollars and the lifestyle. | | | | Chief Stewardess - responsible for entire interior |
| The lifestyle of being a 'yachtie' and chasing the | | | | and uniforms for all crew. Like a cruise director in |
| sun is very hard to beat. Being surrounded by | | | | many ways |
| opulence is a lot of fun, not to mention berthing | | | | Stewardess - responsible for keeping interior |
| downtown at some of the finest cities in the | | | | looking immaculate. |
| world. | | | | The smallest yachts will have 3 or 4 multi-tasking |
| Most of the work is spent keeping the yacht | | | | crew members while the largest have over 50. |
| looking pristine and when the guests are aboard, | | | | On some occasions, staff will assist the other |
| long hours ensue, but here are some of the | | | | departments. |
| benefits: | | | | Even though the Yachts are mostly registered in |
| * Great tax free salary | | | | offshore tax havens, as vessels, they still need to |
| * All expenses paid including free food, wine, beer | | | | comply with the standards set down by the MCA |
| * At least one paid trip home each year | | | | (Maritime and Coast Guard agency - UK). |
| * Travel to some of the best places on earth | | | | One of the recent changes is the requirement for |
| * Meeting VIPs, Captains of industry and celebrity | | | | all crew members to be STCW95 certified. This |
| types | | | | course covers survival at sea, fire fighting, first |
| * Use of the tenders and jet skis | | | | aid and occupational health and safety. Most |
| Most of the yachts will move between the US, | | | | yachts will require crew members to already have |
| the Med and the Caribbean, but 99% of them are | | | | this, although there are still some yachts that will |
| registered in offshore tax havens such as the | | | | pay for their crew to complete the course. |
| Cayman Islands. This allows people of all | | | | A word on pay. |
| nationalities to work on yachts located in the US | | | | Crew on privately owned yachts receive straight |
| or anywhere else in the world for that matter. | | | | salary, but crew on charter yachts - which cost |
| The yachts themselves tend to travel together | | | | anywhere from $50,000 and up per week to |
| and frequent the best parts of the world at the | | | | charter - offer tips as well. Usually 10-15% of the |
| best times to be there. | | | | total cost, they are usually divided amongst the |
| The real work only exists when the owners and | | | | crew. Charter yachts are hard work, but the |
| guests are on board and then it is all about | | | | money to be made is exceptional. |
| service. The yachts are used exclusively by the | | | | For the itinerant, hard working traveler, |
| owner or chartered out. The number of guests | | | | mega-yachts offer a very lucrative way to live in |
| will vary, but it is not uncommon for the owners | | | | luxury and see the world. As more and more |
| and several guests to be on board at the same | | | | people become wealthy and get into the |
| time. | | | | mega-yacht industry, the demand for crew |
| Below are some brief descriptions of jobs | | | | members will only increase. |
| available on mega-yachts: | | | | Do you want to be out there with them? |
| Captain - responsible for the running of the yacht | | | | |