Life on board
Who is in the crew and what each of them does
What crew does a charter yacht have and what do they do?
The short answer
What crew does a charter yacht have and what do they do?
A crewed catamaran under about eighteen metres carries two: a captain who runs the yacht and a chef or hostess who does everything else. From about twenty-four metres a stewardess and a deckhand appear, and above thirty metres an engineer and a second stewardess. The captain is responsible for the yacht, the itinerary and your safety, and has final say on where the yacht goes; the chef cooks to your preference sheet; the stewardess runs the interior and the service; the deckhand runs the tender and the water toys.
Crew by yacht size
| Yacht | Crew | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 18 m catamaran | 2 | Captain, chef or hostess |
| 18 to 24 m | 3 to 4 | Captain, chef, stewardess, sometimes a deckhand |
| 24 to 30 m | 4 to 5 | Captain, chef, stewardess, deckhand, sometimes an engineer |
| 30 to 40 m | 5 to 9 | The above plus an engineer, a second stewardess, a mate |
| 40 m and up | 9 and up | Full departments, often a dive instructor and a masseuse |
The captain has the final say, and that is the deal
You choose the itinerary and the captain decides whether it happens. If the crossing to Phi Phi is uncomfortable and the captain moves the day, that is not the crew being cautious with your holiday; it is the person legally responsible for the vessel making the call they are there to make.
A good captain explains the reasoning and offers the alternative in the same breath. That is what you are paying for, and it is a large part of the difference between a crewed charter and a bareboat.
What crew are not
They are not on call around the clock. Charter crew work long days across a five-month season, and a well-run yacht has a rhythm: service hours, a quiet period in the afternoon, and a stop time in the evening. Respecting it is what makes the last three days as good as the first three.
Tell the captain on day one how you actually want the week to run: early starts or late, whether meals are fixed or fluid, how much the group wants to move. Crew are extremely good at delivering a stated preference and cannot read minds.
Next
- Crew gratuity: how much, when and howHow much should I tip the crew on a yacht charter?
- The preference sheet, and how to fill it in properlyWhat is a charter preference sheet and what should I put on it?
- Bareboat, skippered or fully crewedShould I charter a bareboat, take a skipper, or book a fully crewed yacht?
Last checked 6 September 2026. Rates, fees and regulations in this market change every season, so figures on this page are correct as at that date and not afterwards. How the figures are gathered.