For many years, we researched and kept up to date, a data base of crew salaries and each year, writing in many of the magazines aimed at superyacht crew, we published our results.
The last in 2015 was published in On Board Magazine
Now the baton for keeping crew up to date with salaries has passed to YPI CREW, the yacht crew recruitment company based in Antibes.
The company has released its 2017 report using statistics gathered on and compiled using data garnered from its free salary-sharing platform, www.yachtingsalaries.com. This website collates salary information from thousands of crew and provides transparency to the yachting industry.
The new report comprehensively outlines the average salary range for each yacht crew position, from deckhands to captains, benchmarking industry standards and providing a point of reference for employers and crew alike.
This report should be both helpful for Captains and managers helping plan their season budgets as well as for crew who are either changing roles or joining the yachting world.
Not Much Has Changed
What is distressing for crew however is the fact that year on year how slowly pay has increased. Our own figures show that in 2002 we wrote for a magazine that was then called The Yacht Report and reported that the average wage a deckhand or an entry level stewardess on a 50 metre yacht could expect to earn is US$ 3,000.
In the same article we stated “Deckhands and entry level stewardesses have for years been level pegging.” Elsewhere in the same issue we reported, Salaries have remained almost stagnant over the past two years but evidence shows that after a little while in the job the Stewardesses are moving ahead.
Today YPI CREW reports that deckhands can expect to earn between €2,100 and €3,000 per month. When talking about stewardesses, YPI report their “pay spectrum starts at under €3,000”
Captains have not fared any better in the last 15 years except that we can assume that those commanding a very large (back then) 50 metre yacht are now commanding something much larger now. In 2002, according to the figures we published, the Captain of a private 50 metre yacht was earning $12,000pm Today YPI CREW suggest the figure is €11,000.
The YPI CREW report does suggest that of the 446 captains that submitted salary information, 83% work on motor yachts and 17% work on sailing yachts. The trend followed expectations insomuch as captains of larger vessels tended to earn higher earnings, with private and permanent contracts paying especially well for 50-65m sailing yachts and 81-100m+ motor yachts.
The report adds, “Only 1% of sailing yacht captains and 15% of motor yacht captains are on rotation, with salaries starting at €5,500 per month for both. However, motor yacht captains on rotation can earn almost €16,000 per month for large vessels, whereas sailing yacht captains on rotation earn an average maximum of €8,000 per month.
Responding to a real need for transparent information within the yachting industry, The Crew Salary Report has been created with the aim of freely sharing information and making the industry a level playing field for all candidates. Unlike most annual surveys, Yachtingsalaries.com is updated in real time and information can be searched instantly.
Although created by YPI CREW, yachtingsalaries.com is an independent entity, meaning there is no incentive for people to enter misleading information. Members of the community can report any inconsistent or inflated salaries as suspicious and they will be removed immediately from the system to maintain the platform’s accuracy and integrity.
The full version of the YPI CREW report can be found here: https://ypicrew.com/ypi-crew-reveals-average-yachting-salaries-for-2017/