All roles/Dual roles/Captain / Chef
Dual roles
Captain / Chef
The Captain / Chef runs a small yacht and cooks for the owner and guests, keeping the boat safe, legal and moving while putting good food on the table three times a day.
- Department
- Dual roles
- Reports to
- Owner or Yacht Manager
- Yacht size
- 15m to 30m
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €5,500 per month
What the job is
This is a hands on command for small yachts, usually 15m to 30m, with a crew of one to three. You hold the ticket, plan the passages, drive the boat, handle the paperwork and manage the maintenance. Then you go below and cook lunch. Owners hire a Captain / Chef because space and budget allow few crew, and they want one trusted person who can do both jobs well. It suits experienced skippers who love food, or chefs who have earned their sea time.
The captain side covers navigation, weather routing, anchoring, berthing, safety drills, port clearance and keeping the yacht compliant with its flag and code. You run the budget, book marinas, organise contractors and look after the engines and generator with the help of a deckhand or mate if there is one. On many boats you are also the tender driver and the person who fixes the toilet at midnight. The owner judges you on a calm, well run boat.
The chef side means planning menus around the owner's tastes, allergies and itinerary, provisioning in local markets and cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in a compact galley. You need to cook to a high standard without a brigade, and fit it around the sailing day. The hard part is timing. You cannot leave the helm during a tricky approach, so smart Captain / Chefs prep ahead, cook while at anchor and lean on a mate or stew for service.
What makes a good one
- Confident boat handling single handed
- Cooking to a high standard alone
- Planning meals around passages
- Budget and maintenance management
- Calm judgement under pressure
A day in the life
- 06:30Check the weather and anchor position, then run engine room checks with the deckhand. Log oil levels and generator hours.
- 07:30Set up breakfast: fresh fruit, eggs to order, pastries bought ashore yesterday. Brief the deckhand on the day's plan while the coffee brews.
- 09:00Clear breakfast, prep lunch components and marinate the fish for dinner. Everything that can be done in advance gets done now.
- 10:30Weigh anchor and take the helm for a two hour passage to Cala d'Hort. Watch the traffic off Ibiza and anchor clear of the posidonia.
- 13:00Serve lunch on the aft deck: grilled octopus, salads and local bread. The deckhand helps plate and clears.
- 15:00Run the guests ashore in the tender, then deal with emails: marina booking for tomorrow, a quote for the watermaker service and the month's accounts.
- 17:30Collect the guests, launch the paddleboards and check the anchor as the wind shifts. Start dinner mise en place.
- 20:00Cook and serve a three course dinner. Finish with a quick galley clean and set the anchor alarm.
- 22:30Final rounds of the deck and engine room, update the log and plan tomorrow's provisioning list before bed.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a Captain / Chef on a 20m to 30m private yacht, usually paid in EUR or USD. Charter yachts add tips, often 10 to 15% of the charter fee shared among a small crew.
- France and Monaco
- €5,500 – 8,500
- Spain
- €5,500 – 8,000
- Italy
- €5,500 – 8,000
- United Kingdom
- £4,700 – 7,200
- USA (Florida)
- US$6,000 – 9,200
- Caribbean
- US$6,000 – 9,500
- UAE
- AED 22,000 – 34,000
- Australia
- A$9,500 – 14,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$10,500 – 16,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (commercially endorsed) or Master (Yacht) 200gt
- GMDSS GOC or VHF SRC as flag requires
- Food Safety Level 2
- PDSD
Recommended
- Master (Yacht) 500gt
- Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA)
- Medical First Aid
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- Food Safety Level 3
- AEC 1
Visas
- Schengen visa
- US B1/B2
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
- Deckhand
- Mate / Deckhand
- Skipper
- Captain / Chef
- Yacht Captain
Captain / Chef jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to be a trained chef to get this job?
Not always, but you need to cook confidently to a restaurant standard for discerning owners. A culinary background or the Ship's Cook Certificate makes you far more competitive.
Which captain's ticket do owners usually ask for?
For yachts under 24m, a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore is common. Larger or coded yachts often want Master (Yacht) 200gt or 500gt.
How do you cook and drive at the same time?
You mostly don't. Good Captain / Chefs prep meals before passages, cook at anchor or alongside, and use a mate or steward for service when underway.