Working on superyachts - update from Antibes

Antibes is one of the most famous resorts on the Côte d'Azur, South of France. Teeming with a variety of restaurants, chic hôtels and private clubs, it's also home to a number of dream residences and the hub of the Superyacht world.

I flew down to Antibes last week with Fish UK Yacht Ops Director, Andy Hunt. Andy and I are both Yachtmaster Examiners and have a combined total of more than forty years training Yachtmasters and crew, many of whom have gone on to work on Superyachts. We were keen to get an up-to-date industry view of the job market and current training requirements.

The coastline from Antibes through Nice to Monaco is stunning. The Mediterranean is azure blue and the snow capped Alps sit majestically in the background.

It is easy to see why this area has become a playground for billionaires. On arrival in Antibes we were struck by the sheer numbers of superyachts filling every marina from Antibes to Nice and Monaco. This is an industry here to stay.

Anitbes itself is a beautiful old French town that appears to be dominated by yachting. Virtually every business we could find seemed to be linked to the superyacht industry.

We met with many industry experts - yacht captains and crew, crew agencies, crew house operators, yacht brokers and various other suppliers to the Superyacht industry and got some interesting feedback.

To work on a Superyacht is a dream job for many. Clearly it's very well paid (usually tax free). It offers a life of luxury travel to some of the world’s most beautiful locations. You live in luxury, rent free, in a stunning waterfront home. You are provided with gourmet food and just in case you get bored, you have a range of fabulous toys to play with.

So what are the downsides we asked? Not many was our view! Some said that they were away from home a lot, others complained of crew politics, a few said it was hard work. One woman told us the worst thing was the come down when you try to leave it - poor souls!

We found the overall mood was very upbeat. Everyone said the industry was picking up after the recession. Some crew agents reported having more jobs than people qualified to fill them. With a large number of ‘new builds’ coming out of the shipyards over the next few years the general feeling is that the industry is in for a sustained period of growth and that there will be plenty of work for well qualified crew.

So how do you get the first job? We spoke to Captain Nick James (MCA Master 500GT) who is a Flying Fish graduate.

Nick has been working as a captain in Antibes for ten years. Before that he was in the Caribbean and before that Australia. He is currently captain of a luxury yacht called Serendipity Blue. Nick has employed a lot of crew during his time in Antibes.

“All crew need an STCW 95 Basic Safety Certificate no matter what they are doing on board." he confirmed. "This is the absolute minimum requirement. From my point of view the reason for this is very simple. It means the boat is legal and I won’t get fined! Apart from that it's important from a safety perspective."

He clarified further :

"I prefer my crew to have MCA issued STCW 95 certificates. There are lots of STCW 95 tickets out there now. I have seen them from the Marshall Islands and various other maritime authorities around the world. The regulations are getting tighter and as 90% of Superyachts fall under UK MCA regulations many captains are insisting that you have MCA certificates.

Basically it makes our life easy and it is our responsibility to make sure the crew are properly qualified and the boat is legal."

Nick then went on to stress the importance of having additional qualifications.

"All deck crew need an RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification and a radio license. I need crew who are legal to drive the tenders (which can be quite large) and talk on the radio. The law here says that to drive a tender you must have RYA Powerboat Level 2 and once again, I don’t want to get fined so I simply won’t employ anyone without these."And told us he prefers crew with some sailing ability.

"I also like Deck crew who have some salt in their veins. If they have RYA/MCA Yachtmaster certificates then that’s great and is ideal if they are planning a Superyacht career. If not, then at least a Competent Crew or Day Skipper certificate says to me that you know how to tie a fender on or flake a mooring line and if I ask you to unblock the heads, you know what language I am speaking!"

"If you have aspirations of getting my job and becoming a captain you should start by getting RYA/MCA Yachtmaster/Master of Yachts 200. Preferably you will also have Yachtmaster Ocean as this means your ticket is unlimited."

We asked him, sail or power?

"Yachtmaster Sail has a much better reputation than Yachtmaster Power. Sailors usually have better boat handling skills and wind awareness. Most Superyacht Captains have the Yachtmaster sail ticket.""To get Yachtmaster/Master of Yachts 200 you need to make sure you have RYA Yachtmaster theory as well as practical. And, as I said above, you will need Yachtmaster Ocean in the long run so you are not limited to 150 nm from port. We can go that far in half a day! Quite a few crew don’t realise they need the theory too but the MCA are very hot on theory."

So how do you get from newly qualified Yachtmaster to Superyacht Captain?

"Once you have your Yachtmaster you can get command time on a smaller boat before going for your Officer of the Watch, Master of Yachts 500 and eventually Master of Yachts 3000. This is a great ticket to achieve.

Quite a few Superyacht captains cut their teeth as flotilla skippers and charter skippers for Moorings or Sunsail. This is a great path to follow as you really develop excellent boat handling and engineering skills.

Another route is to work as deck crew on a big boat for a few years before going back to a smaller yacht to get command time. The problem with this route is that deck crew don’t develop boat handling skills they develop cleaning skills! So I guess I am recommending the route above."

And to get a job as interior crew?

"Interior crew need STCW 95 Basic Safety. Any hospitality experience is a big plus. I also quite like them to have RYA Powerboat Level 2 and a radio licence so they can have a bit of fun and a break from the galley driving the tenders.If they also have a Competent Crew certificate or something that tells me they know something about yachts so much the better. Just STCW95 won’t usually be enough to get the job."

And a final word of advice

"All crew need to be very well presented. You are mixing with the rich and famous. This means no tattoos, no earrings, no long hair on blokes. You also don’t need to be an alcoholic or a smoker.

You do need to be hard working, knuckle down team players with a can do attitude, prepared to go the extra mile. Good interpersonal skills are essential. We are in a top end service industry and standards are very high.”

We also met up with Jason Downes (MCA Master of Yachts 3000.) Jason is an Australian Superyacht Captain based in Antibes. Jason and his wife Jennifer own and operate the ‘Crew Grapevine’ a professionally run crew residence in Antibes. Jason has spent several years at the pinnacle of this profession.

We visited the ‘Crew Grapevine’ and caught up with Jason and Jenifer as well as a number of the residents. Clearly the place is set up for Superyacht crew. The social environment, contacts and advice provided makes this a great place to stay and an excellent head start to the job search.

Jason began working as a Coxswain and Master Class 5 in the Whitsunday Islands.

“Quite a few Aussies and Kiwis turn up here with state issued qualifications like Coxwain and Master 5. Unfortunately these tickets are not recognised in the MCA yacht codes so I strongly advise anyone coming from down under to get their Yachtmaster ticket first" he advised.

Our conclusion was that to work on a Superyacht was an absolute privilege. Depending on your personal situation, it presents a very exciting career opportunity for somebody with an appetite for adventure and travel.

There is a professional career structure provided by the MCA. With the right training and career moves, an ambitious bright young sailor could become a Superyacht captain earning more than 10000 euros/month tax free in five years from scratch.

At present there is growth and opportunity in this industry but with such opportunity it is easy to see how the job market could become very competitive. Our advice - if this is for you, start tomorrow.

Andy Fairclough and Andy Hunt