INSIDE THE GUIDE
Ten chapters. One honest version.
Everything I wish someone had told me before my first dockwalk, in the order you will need it.
Every chapter is on this site, free to read. The PDF is the same words in one file you can take to the dock.
A letter from the bridge
Who I am, why this guide exists, and how to use it if you are already booking flights.
What yachting actually is
Superyachts defined, private against charter, who owns them, and what a day looks like with guests aboard.
Is this for you?
The honest test, who lasts, who leaves in six weeks, and straight answers on age, gender and passport.
The perks and the price
What the boat pays for, what the first rung pays in 2026, and what it costs you in hours, privacy and leave.
Get certified
STCW and ENG1. What they are, what they cost by region in 2026, and the courses to skip for now.
Pick your department
Deck, interior, galley, engineering. What the day looks like, who fits, and what breaks people.
Right place, right time
The four hubs, a season calendar with 2026 dates, and the visa facts you cannot skip.
Landing on the dock
Arrival week, crew houses, agencies, daywork and dockwalking. What to do from the morning you land.
Your first job
Reading the advert, getting references, what is in the contract, and how to be asked back.
Your CV is your dockwalk
What a captain reads in thirty seconds, what kills a CV in ten, and where to build one that works.
What the paid guide adds, and a resource list
The honest version of what sits behind the paywall, and every name you need in one place.
PDF · 30-ish pages · 2026-27 edition · free
02 Is this for you?
Nobody on the dock cares where you studied. They care whether you turn up at 07:30 with a clean polo, a real CV and the sense to ask before you touch anything. If that sounds like you, keep reading.