What do I need before I register with an agency?

You need a one-page yacht CV with a professional photo, your STCW Basic Safety Training, an ENG1 seafarer medical, and your certificates either uploaded to their system or ready to email. Agencies often ask for a single PDF folder of all your certificates, so having that organised before you register saves time and makes a good first impression.

How to Register With Yacht Crew Agencies: A Crew Guide

Q: Do yacht crew agencies charge you to register?

Reputable yacht crew agencies do not charge crew to register or to be placed. They are paid by the yacht or management company that hires through them. If an agency asks you for a fee to join their books or guarantees you a job in exchange for payment, treat it as a warning sign and look elsewhere.

Q: How many crew agencies should I register with?

Register with several of the main agencies rather than just one, since each works with different yachts and management companies. Three to five is a sensible spread. Keep your details up to date with all of them, and let them know your availability and location whenever it changes so you stay near the top of the list.

Q: What is the difference between daywork and a permanent position?

Daywork is short, paid work by the day, often a single day helping with a wash down, provisioning or a turnaround. A permanent or seasonal position is an ongoing role on a single yacht with a contract. Green crew usually pick up daywork first, build references and contacts, and convert that into a permanent berth. Many agencies handle both.

When I started out in Antibes, dockwalking got me my first daywork, but the agencies got me in front of boats I would never have found on foot. The two work together. While you are knocking on hulls every morning, a good recruiter is quietly matching you to vacancies behind the scenes. Registering with them is free and it should be one of the first things you do once your CV and certificates are sorted.

What does a yacht crew agency do?

A yacht crew agency is a recruiter that places crew with yachts. Captains, owners and yacht management companies come to them when they need to fill a position, from a green deckhand to a chief engineer, and the agency works through its books of registered crew to find the right fit. The yacht pays the agency, not you, so a reputable agency never charges crew to register or to be placed.

Agencies handle everything from one-off daywork through to permanent and rotational contracts. For green crew, they are a way to reach vacancies that are never advertised publicly, because a lot of yachting hiring happens through trusted recruiters rather than open job boards.

Agencies ask for your certificates as a single tidy folder. YachtSync stores your STCW, ENG1 and the rest on your phone and exports them as one clean PDF you can email an agency in seconds. Free for crew, with 20 certs and 3 AI scans on the free tier.

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The main yacht crew agencies

Several long-established agencies place crew across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and worldwide, for both green crew and experienced positions. The names crew come across most often include:

Bluewater
YPI Crew
Crew Network
Luxury Yacht Group
Quay Crew

Many of these are based in the main hubs such as Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale, which is another reason being physically in those places helps. Walking into an agency office and introducing yourself in person leaves a far stronger impression than an email lost in an inbox. Whichever you choose, check the agency is reputable and never pay a fee to register.

How to register, step by step

Registering is straightforward, but doing it well sets you apart. Before you start, make sure you have:

A one-page yacht CV with a professional photo. Our guide to writing a yacht CV covers the exact format.
Your STCW and ENG1, plus any other certificates, ready to upload or email as one folder.
Your availability and location clear in your own head so you can answer straight away when asked.

Then, for each agency:

Complete their online registration or visit the office in person where you can.
Upload your CV and certificates in the format they ask for.
Be honest about your experience. If you are green crew, say so. Recruiters place green crew all the time and would rather know exactly what they are working with.
Keep your profile current. Update your availability, location and any new certificates the moment they change.

How to stand out to a recruiter

Recruiters speak to a lot of crew, so the ones who stand out are rarely the most experienced. They are the easiest to work with. From my own time being placed, the things that made a difference were simple:

Be organised. A clean CV and a tidy certificate folder tell a recruiter you will not be a headache to place.
Reply fast. When an agency calls about a position, the crew who answer quickly get put forward. Boats often need someone now, not next week.
Be reliable. Never accept a placement and then go quiet or pull out. It burns the recruiter, and the industry is small enough that it follows you.
Stay in touch politely. A short, friendly check-in keeps you front of mind without being a nuisance.
Take the daywork. Agencies notice crew who say yes, work hard and come back with a good report from the boat.

Send agencies your certificates in one tap.

Recruiters want a clean PDF of your STCW, ENG1 and the rest. YachtSync builds it for you and keeps everything current, so you are always ready when an agency or captain asks. Free for crew.

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Free for crew. 20 certificates, 3 AI scans, renewal reminders. No card required. iOS only.

Daywork versus permanent placement

Agencies place crew into two broad kinds of work, and it helps to understand the difference.

Daywork

Daywork is short, paid work by the day. It might be a single day helping with a wash down, a provisioning run, a turnaround between charters, or covering for crew who are off. For green crew it is the easiest way in, because a boat takes far less of a risk hiring you for one day than for a whole season. Do well, and that day often turns into more.

Permanent and seasonal positions

A permanent or seasonal position is an ongoing contracted role on a single yacht. This is what most crew are aiming for, and it usually comes once you have some daywork, a reference or two, and a recruiter who trusts you. Many agencies handle both daywork and permanent roles, so registering puts you in the running for whichever comes up first.

The realistic path for most green crew is daywork first, then a permanent or seasonal berth once you have proven yourself and built a network. Patience and reliability turn one into the other.

Working agencies alongside the dock

Do not treat agencies as an alternative to dockwalking. Do both. The agencies work the vacancies you cannot see, while dockwalking gets you in front of crew face to face and lands you the daywork that builds your CV. Together they cover far more ground than either alone. Our guides on dockwalking in Antibes and Palma and getting a superyacht job with no experience tie the whole approach together.

Frequently asked questions

Do yacht crew agencies charge you to register?

Reputable agencies do not charge crew. They are paid by the yacht or management company that hires through them. If an agency asks you for a fee to join their books or to guarantee a job, treat it as a warning sign and look elsewhere.

How many crew agencies should I register with?

Register with several rather than just one, as each works with different yachts. Three to five is a sensible spread. Keep your details current with all of them, and update your availability and location whenever it changes.

How do I stand out to a crew agency?

Turn up in person where you can, be polite and organised, and have a clean CV with your STCW and ENG1 ready. Reply quickly when they call, be honest about your experience, and never go quiet on a placement they are putting you forward for.

What is the difference between daywork and a permanent position?

Daywork is short, paid work by the day, often a single day. A permanent or seasonal position is an ongoing contracted role on one yacht. Green crew usually pick up daywork first, build references, and convert that into a permanent berth.