YPI CREW’s 2020 Crew Salary Report

YPI CREW, a leading authority in yacht crew recruitment, has now published its 2020 Crew Salary Report.

The report comprehensively outlines the average salary range for each crew position, including captains, engineers, pursers, stews, chefs, and deckhands on both motor yachts and sailing yachts of varying size, as well as both temporary and permanent roles, providing a handy point of reference for both employers and crew.

The results are collated from YPI CREW’s free salary-sharing platform – yachtingsalaries.com offering insights into thousands of crew salaries.

Yacht crew salaries at a glance

At the upper end of the scale yacht captains on 81-100 metre motor yachts earnt the highest salary - up to 17,000 euros per month. The lowest yacht captain salary was 5,900 euros per month, on a below 35-metre yacht.

Other high-earning 2020 yacht positions include chief engineers, with the highest salary reported at 12,000 euros per month for a rotation position on a 101+ metre yacht. Chief officer salaries trailed slightly behind, with the highest monthly salary reported as 9,000 euros for a rotation position on a 101+ metre yacht.

Other well-paid positions include yacht chefs, with monthly salaries ranging from 3,900 to 9,000 euros, depending on yacht size and whether the position was permanent or rotation.

Comparatively deckhands, viewed as an entry-level position, earnt from 2,000 to 3,400 euros per month, depending on yacht size, while stews, also an entry-level position, earnt from 2,500 to 2,800 euros per month.

Across the board, crew on motor yachts were paid more than crew on sailboats, while permanent positions tended to attract a slightly higher salary than temporary positions. Additionally, crew salaries generally increased by yacht size, with crew working on the largest yachts taking home the highest salaries.

The full 2020 Crew Salary Report is available here.

Laurence Lewis, President of YPI CREW comments: “2020 was a rollercoaster year with a jaw dropping collapse of the recruitment market in April, followed by recovery during the summer from July onwards. Many crew lost their jobs and were disoriented with regards to future perspectives but somehow salaries remained stable.

"Border restrictions and reduced access to transport contributed to keep tension on salary levels as even yacht crew found it challenging to move around the world – the reduced availability of 'ready to employ' crew clearly acted as leverage on the market. We foresee that 2021 will see some stability return to the crew recruitment market and that salaries might either plateau or register a slight growth again.”