Explore Yacht Captain Jobs on Private & Charter Yachts

What Does a Yacht Captain Do?

The captain's primary responsibility is overseeing all yacht operations, including navigation, crew management, guest experiences, strict safety compliance, and engineering oversight. Whether captaining a yacht on open seas or inland waterways, common sense and strong leadership are essential.

Required Certifications

You will need the following certifications to secure motor or sailing yacht captain jobs:

• STCW basic training 
• ENG1 Medical 
• Yachtmaster, Master 200gt, 500gt, or 300gt licenses, depending on the size of the vessel

Experience Needed

You must have logged extensive sea time and held prior officer roles to operate as a captain. You must demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and operational excellence on yachts ranging from 24 meters to over 100 meters in length.

Who Should Apply?

Are you planning to apply for a yacht captain role but unsure if you have the ideal profile? Here are the qualities that qualify you to apply for a yacht captain career:

• You must be a licensed yacht captain with leadership experience. 
• You must be an officer stepping into command roles. 
• You must have had a crew with expertise on vessels 24 m to 50 m+. 
• You must be professional, have excellent guest relations, and have a safety record.

Whether you're seeking private or charter yacht captain opportunities, Meridian has many open positions that may be right for you. Begin your journey with Meridian today.

Why Use Meridian for Your Yacht Career?

Meridian has helped thousands of yacht owners, management companies, and recruiters find exceptional captains and crew for amazing yacht vacancies since Crew4Yachts was founded in 2006, continuing after its acquisition in 2020.

Beyond this, here are other reasons why you should use Meridian to jump-start your yacht career:

• Fast hiring cycle: It takes less than 2 minutes to upload your CV so that hiring yacht owners, captains, and recruiters can search our platform to find, contact, shortlist, and hire you. 
• Trusted by captains and recruiters globally: We have been in the game since 2006, constantly connecting owners and recruiters with competent captains. 
• Easy-to-use yacht crew database: Our platform is user-friendly, making it the best choice for owners, captains, and recruiters. 
• Meridian grows with you: Today, you may be looking for work; tomorrow, you may be looking for crew. Within your account, you can easily switch from crew to employer.

Posting job vacancies or searching our platform for experienced crew takes just a few minutes.

Best Practices for Applying to Yacht Captain Jobs

Landing a yacht captain job requires more than seatime experience. You need an exceptional CV that will make you stand out from others and give you a competitive edge. Here is a simple way to make your CV stand out:

Start With a Compelling Summary

Begin your CV with a compelling summary that confidently states your professional experience. Your summary should include the following:

• Years of experience 
• Yacht size and type 
• Key skills (navigation, safety, leadership, etc.) 
• Certificates and licenses (e.g., STCW, RYA/MCA)

Detail Your Vessel Experience

List out all the vessels you have captained or crewed on. The list should include the following:

• Motor yachts, sailing yachts, catamarans, superyachts 
• Vessel size and flag 
• Whether it was private, commercial, or charter

Present Strong Leadership and Problem-Solving Skills

Talk about your experience recruiting and working with other crew members as a captain. Highlight the following information:

• Emergency response situations 
• Mechanical failures at sea 
• Crew conflicts or last-minute itinerary changes.

Highlight Crew Management Skills

Talk about your experience recruiting and working with other crew members as a captain. Highlight the following information:

• The types of crews you have recruited (officers, engineers, stewards, chefs) 
• Team size, structure, and culture 
• Your leadership or training style

Include Ports and Destinations

Include a section about the ports and destinations you have sailed to in your CV. It's an important feature of your CV that highlights your global experience in and around popular yachting hot spots.

Add a Professional Photo

Use a clear headshot with no dogs, other people, or distractions. It builds trust and gives owners and recruiters a sense of your personality and professionalism. With Meridian, you can even add an introduction video. If you're ready to take the next step in your career as a yacht captain, there's no better time to start. With new opportunities posted regularly and a platform designed to work for you, Meridian helps simplify and direct the process. Set up your profile, explore openings, and see where your skills can take you.