Crew and Personnel
Roles and/or titles vary between land and onboard. If you are new to working at sea or new to working on an English speaking ship/yacht it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the various departments and common roles.
Departments Onboard
- Deck Department,
- Engine Department, (Including AV/IT)
- Interior Department, (Including Service & Housekeeping) and
- Galley Department.
Note: A Service Department might also be separate from the Interior Department on larger yachts.
Deck Department
This department consists of the Master, Officers, Bosun, Lead Deckhand and Deckhands.
- Master is the preferred term for the captain of the ship. The term “master” is a holdover from older days when the captain literally (and legally), was the “master” of the ship and crew. The master carries four stripes and is in overall command.
- Deck Officers carry three stripes and are in charge of the safe navigation of the ship.
- Lead Deckhand/Deckhand may work as a lookout, a day worker or a combination of these roles. The lead deckhand usually leads the team.
- Bosun - Also known as Petty Officer, deck boss or a qualified member of the deck department. Bosun comes from the older term “boatswain” and is sometimes pronounced as so. Responsible for the components of a ship's hull and supervises the other members of the ship's deck department. He is usually the main tender driver.
Engine Department
This department consists of the Chief Engineer, Officers, ETO, AV-IT, Electrician and Motorman.
- Chief Engineer is the senior engine officer of an engine department on a ship. He or she holds overall leadership and responsibility for that department.
- Engine Officer also called an engineering officer or engineer is a licensed mariner responsible for operating & maintaining the propulsion plants and support systems for the yacht.
- ETO/AV-IT - Electro-Technical Officer and/or Audio Visual-Information Technology Officer is in charge of the daily maintenance of all the electronics, communication equipment and computers. This includes equipment such as radars, TV's and sound systems, radios, internet connection, etc.
- An electrician is in charge of all the electrical circuits onboard the yacht.
- The motorman is a member of a ship's engine department responsible for maintaining the ship's systems. He assists the chief engineer and engine officers as required.
Interior Department
This department consists of the Purser, Chief Steward(ess) and Steward(ess). On larger yachts, this department can be split into two, the Interior Department and the Service Department.
- The Purser is the administrative person onboard assisting the Master with the yacht paperwork. A purser might also be in charge of operations in the interior department.
- The Chief Steward(ess) can also be Head of Interior and Head of Service. The duties include managing the interior department and training of this department.
- The Steward(ess) main responsibility is to provide the highest standards of care to the yacht guests/owners. They can be either service, housekeeping or laundry depending on the yacht and its size. Service steward(ess) serves food and drinks whilst a Housekeeping steward(ess) takes care of the cleanliness of the interior and tasks like packing/unpacking for the guests. A laundry steward(ess) will be in charge of laundry and additionally assist as required. On smaller yachts, a steward(ess) might also assist the deck department as required.
Galley Department
This department consists of the Head Chef, Chefs and assistants.
- The Head Chef is responsible for the overall management of this department. He is in charge of creating guests and crew meals, ensuring food safety with a high standard of hygiene, ordering the correct and required provisions, etc.
- Chefs and Assistants - Assist the head chef as required and on larger yachts, they might be in charge of the crew meals.