CHAPTER 10 · HOW TO JOIN YACHTING
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.
Everything in this guide is what I would tell you standing on a dock with ten minutes to spare. It is the what. It is enough to get you on a flight, into a crew house and onto a passerelle, and if you never buy anything from me I am still happy it exists.
What the paid guide adds
The paid version is the 2026-27 Atlantic edition, out later this year. It carries the parts that change every season and cost me money to keep current: season plans by passport, so a South African, a Briton, an EU citizen and an American each get a different month by month plan; the US visa strategy in full; a certificate cost matrix across South Africa, the UK, France, Spain and Florida so you can see what you save and what it costs you in time; port sheets with maps, marina notes and the agencies that actually reply; and a day by day plan for your first fortnight in a hub. That is the how, the where and the when.
The resource list
Names only, checked against a live page in August 2026. Companies merge, houses close and groups reform, so check again before you rely on one.
Official bodies. The MCA, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, for certificates, ENG1 approved doctors and the codes yachts run under. The IMO for STCW. The ILO for MLC 2006, which is what covers your rest hours, your leave and your contract.
Job boards. Yotspot. DayWork123.
Agencies. Antibes: Bluewater, YPI Crew, Camper & Nicholsons, ReCrewt. Palma: Bluewater, Sovren Crew, Global Crew Services, Van Allen. Fort Lauderdale: Bluewater, Luxury Yacht Group, Crewfinders International, Northrop & Johnson, and Crew Unlimited, which now trades as Blue Oceans Yachting inside the Bluewater group. Register with every one in your hub, then go and stand in front of them.
Crew houses. Antibes: The Glamorgan, The Crew Grapevine, Debbie's Crew House. Fort Lauderdale: Lauderdale Crew House, SeaPark Crew House, Crew Castle, Mary's Crew House. Palma: shared crew flats and hostels around La Lonja and the STP yard; Hostal Apuntadores is the budget default. Newport: Crow's Nest. Prices are back in chapter 07.
Facebook groups. The long running ones are named plainly after the port: Antibes Yacht Crew, Palma Yacht Crew, Fort Lauderdale Yacht Crew, South African Super Yacht Crew, Dubai Yacht Crew Jobs. Groups die and reform constantly. Join whichever one has posts from this week.
Training schools. Never book on price alone. Check the school is on the recognised list for the certificate you are buying, ask them for the approval number, and check that number yourself with the administration that issued it.
Your CV and your papers. SeaPapers (seapapers.com). Free CV builder, plus a document folio for certificates, medical, passport, visas and references, dated and checked, one link to send a boat. Chapter 09.
From the bridge: Read this again the night before you fly. It reads differently once the ticket is paid for.
Reply to any email from me. I read everything.
The Captain