Im going to give you an insight on why you should choose either a motor or sail yacht from a chefs perspective.
Pictured ~ First super yacht Job on 30m M/Y EnCore anchored off the famous monuriki island in Fiji.
So you're thinking if I should be working on a sail yacht or motor yacht? So far I've worked on a couple dive boats (23m-35m) sailing catamaran (16m), small luxury motor yacht (30m), large explorer yacht (63m), racing sloop sail yacht (37m), and now a large luxury motor yacht (61m). So it's safe to say I've hit almost all types of yachts within the industry.
To answer the age old question what yacht is better or most suited to what you want from the industry is a tough one as they all have their advantages and disadvantages. I would love to tell you a little bit of my experience below to help you decide. Of course all yachts are different and experiences definitely vary.
I received an email one afternoon from an Australian crew agent asking if I would be interested in joining a 30m motor yacht as a sole chef/first mate. At that time I wasn't happy where I was and in a transitioning point in my life. I didn't waste a moment and I was on the phone to the captain that day discussing when I could start. I sent through my C.V and whatever food photo's I had. Which actually wasn't many at all. Lesson learnt the hard way and that's why I now take pictures of everything! A few days later I was on a flight from Western Australia all the way to the French territorial Island of New Caledonia in the pristine waters of the South Pacific. This is also the yacht I met my partner Sabrina, more on couples getting jobs on yachts and 'screwing the crew' in another post. The yacht travelled to some of the most remote and beautiful places including, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Australia and of course New Caledonia. This is almost unheard of for a yacht this size and I was lucky enough to have a boss that didn't care to just sit at a marina to just be seen. They wanted to use the yacht, for what in my opinion these things are made for. Exploring the world!
As soon as the guests boarded the yacht, we were off! No matter what time it was, we would make our way to our first anchorage and wake up in some tropical paradise. We the crew were treated more like family, with only 3 of us onboard and such a small vessel there wasn't much of a crew area. My position onboard was sole chef/deck with the workload almost split down the middle. Remember I mentioned in my last post it helped to have my dive master and deck experience when I was hired for this position. Primarily on charter I was chef, helping out on deck when I had any spare time including fishing operations, diving, wash downs and tender the guests to and from shore. Then off charter I would mainly be doing deck duties as cooking for 3 of us didn't take too much time at all. These were some of the hardest but most rewarding days of yachting. Although being a small yacht, It made me appreciate everyone's positions and how to work as a team to make it happen. It eventually took its toll on my body after 3 years, I had to take break from yachting and look for the next adventure.
How to manage you health and well being.HERE
Pictured ~ Crew enjoying the toys on M/Y SuRi anchored in Fiji.
Sabrina and I then got a call from a friend Sandra and the Chief Stewardess at the time, asking if we would like to work a month temp gig on a 63m motor yacht in Fiji. One of the most incredible and original explorer yachts out there and she was called M/Y SuRi. My first taste of large motor yachts, having a sous chef and a $20,000 provisioning bill.
She had a crew of 23, including helicopter pilot, dive master, kite instructor and even a pilot for the 2 seater foldable seaplane. The galley was quite large, it had a huge walk in coolroom/freezer and seriously a grocery store sized dry goods area like nothing I had ever seen! Almost opposite to M/Y EnCore which was equipped to a home kitchen standard. I really got a taste of how good working on a large yacht was for a chef. Big budgets, big storage, big galley, big bucks and a sous chef to look after the crew. All seemed great. Although there was a downfall. I spent my whole time inside and never ventured outside in the whole 10 day charter. Except when the boss said I had to try out the seaplane! That was and still in my opinion the best investment for an explorer vessel. I did miss the fact I couldn't venture further than the galley slightly, but it wasn't all bad. Just different.
Pictured ~ S/Y Bliss in the Super Yacht Cup
After a short break from yachting we then got a call from Captain Andy after finding us on linkedin. He was offering us a couples position on a 37m high performance S/Y Bliss. A beautiful boat built in New Zealand at Yachting Developments. I was offered the position as Sole Chef and helping on deck when needed but not as nearly as much as what I had to do on EnCore as there were now Five crew. I really loved not having the pressure of doing other jobs and and getting back into some solid cooking. Cooking it was, but on an angle! The boss would sail any chance he got and so did the crew. So that in itself was a challenge as the chef onboard. It's certainly not for everyone as it can be really hard on your body constantly fighting to compensate the angle of the vessel, whilst doing 16 hour days. But it sure keeps it interesting and usually sail yachts are owned by people who love to adventure and explore! We joined the yacht in the far reaches of Indonesia. The yacht had already been cruising South East Asia for the past 3 years and was coming to the end of its journey before returning back to Europe which took 6 weeks and would love to tell you about that story in another article. Not before enjoying the best of this area has to offer. Raja Ampat, remember that name! Still till this day one of the most incredible places I've had the pleasure of cruising. I'll just leave this video here.....
So this brings me to our current couples position as I sit here on my holidays spending it in a house only 2 miles from where M/Y Arience is sitting in West Palm Beach, Florida. Finally having time to write these article during the Corona (COVID-19) crisis of 2020.
So now we have gained positions through yacht agencies, word of mouth, online platforms and now certainly one of the most interesting stories of how we got this next job..
As I worked away on the deck of S/Y Bliss in Palma De Mallorca during the longest shipyard period of my life. Which in my opinion is one of the hardest/boring times as a yacht chef on smaller vessels as you are expected to help out with all not so nice jobs that need to get done. This isn't to sound like spoilt brat but 7 months of yard period for a chef is seriously soul destroying, it can get you down, that's for sure.
Pictured ~ M/Y Arience during a 12 day crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Anyway! I hear some Aussie guy yell out in almost the same tone as what you would get from your father if you had done something wrong "can I see the chef!". I answer "yeh, thats me" walking over to the dock. I then proceed to have a short conversation with Dean the Captain basically asking me that he will be going for 2 captain position interviews in America on a 60m and 75m this week and if he secures one he wants Sabrina and myself to join as second Stew and Head Chef. He had followed me for awhile on Instagram and loved my style. A week later we get a call saying he got the job on the 60m. Not long after that we were flying over to West Palm Beach, Florida. I look back on this moment and think how crazy it was and how it couldn't have come at a better time! We were both ready to take the next step in our career and I don't know what would have happened to us if this opportunity never arose. I would love to tell you more about our unique experience on Arience and how we as a crew and yacht paved the way in social media and show the public what it's like to work aboard a super yacht this size and complexity.
So after hearing everything I've said about my experiences on all types of yachts, it really comes down to what might suit you the best.
Sole Chef/Deck/Stew 25 - 35m. You may be helping in other positions throughout the vessel. Which can take away from producing the best food possible.
Sole Chef 35m - 45m. Usually you will just be cooking for crew ad guests. You may also be helping out on deck.
Sole Chef 45m - 55m. The chef killer range! You usually will not have a sous chef just yet so you'll be cooking for 12 guests and 10-14 crew. It's a tough one and I call it the chef killer because it tends to ruin you. It's a huge workload usually with a huge salary compensation.
Head Chef and Sous Chef 50m - 80m. This is my favourite range. Its two working in the galley so the drama is kept at a minimum and you're still cooking for 12 guests and around 12 - 30 crew.
Head Chef, Sous Chef, Galley Hand 80m - 170m. The galley starts to really resemble what you might have on land and things run basically the same. So for someone who just wants to slip straight from land based to a yacht this is for you. They will usually be looking for michelin trained chefs and won't need any yachting background. Skipping all the small yacht stuff.
My personal experience has been a natural progression from the smallest of sailing yachts to what i'm on now, large motor yachts. This is usually the main route yacht chefs go.
It's really up to you in the end. If you have no choice and just want to get your foot in the door, take what you can get and see where it gets you. Every job will teach you something and help towards your future in yachting!
Next step you will be looking at provisioning for your first charter. Check out the link HERE!