Superyacht Daywork: How Green Crew Land Their First Job
If you're trying to break into yachting as a "green" (entry-level) crew member, there's one word to get obsessed with: daywork.
When your maritime CV is empty, superyacht daywork is the bridge from landlubber to fully contracted, salaried crew. It's the lifeblood of the green-crew economy — and often the only way to get that first reference everyone insists you need before they'll hire you. If you're still mapping out the bigger picture, our guide on breaking into the superyacht industry as green crew covers the full path; this one zooms in on the part that actually gets you onto boats. Here's what daywork is, what it pays, and how to land your first gig.
What is yacht daywork?
Daywork is exactly what it sounds like: temporary, daily-paid jobs on a yacht.
Superyachts are multi-million-pound assets that need constant, meticulous upkeep. When a boat is prepping for a show, coming out of a shipyard refit, or getting ready for the owner's arrival, the permanent crew gets completely swamped. So the captain or chief stew brings in extra hands by the day.
What you'll actually do depends on your department:
- Deckhands: washing down the hull, chamois-drying stainless, scrubbing teak, helping with paint and varnish work.
- Stews: detailing guest cabins, polishing a mountain of crystal and silver, vacuuming, and tackling laundry rotations that never seem to end.
None of it is glamorous. All of it is how you prove you can be trusted on a real boat.
How daywork works and what it pays
Daywork is simple, but it demands real professionalism. You're usually expected at the boat by 08:00 and working until 17:00, with an hour for lunch — which the yacht often provides, eaten with the crew.
Pay is a flat daily rate that varies by region:
| Region | Average daily rate | Usual payment method |
|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean (Antibes, Palma) | €100–€150 / day | Cash or bank transfer |
| US / Caribbean (Fort Lauderdale) | $150–$200 / day | Cash, Venmo, or check |
You're normally paid at the end of the day, or at the end of the week if a one-day job stretches into several.
The cash covers your crew-house rent. But the real currency of daywork is the reference.
Work hard and the captain or head of department will give you a written reference or a number to put on your CV. Better still, plenty of permanent jobs are born from a daywork gig — if they like your work ethic and your vibe, they may offer you a full-time contract on the spot. That's why every hour matters more than the day rate suggests.
Where to find daywork
Traditionally this meant being up at 06:00, pulling on a crisp polo and shorts, and walking the docks of the big marinas — "dockwalking" — to ask busy crew if they needed a hand. That still happens, and it still works. But the hunt has modernised, and the crew who land the most gigs use more than one channel.
Get your profile in front of captains
The least painful way to find daywork is a platform built for it. Radius Marine connects available dayworkers directly with captains and operators who need help right now. Instead of wandering hot docks hoping to bump into the right person, you build a profile, show your certifications (STCW, ENG1 medical), and pick up gigs from your phone. It turns a random hustle into an organised directory — and it's free for crew. Use it alongside dockwalking, not instead of it.
Be in the right place
You cannot daywork remotely. You have to be where the yachts are:
- April to October: base yourself in Antibes (France) or Palma de Mallorca (Spain).
- October to April: base yourself in Fort Lauderdale (Florida).
Work the docks and the groups
Stay active in local crew Facebook groups like "Antibes Yacht Crew" or "Palma Yacht Crew" — short-notice leads get posted constantly, and the fast responders win them. Check the notice boards at the well-known crew houses and crew bars too. And keep dockwalking; a confident knock on the passerelle still lands jobs that never make it online.
The golden rules of daywork
You're not just there to clean. Treat every hour like a live job interview — because it usually is. Get these right and a single day turns into a glowing reference or a contract.
1. Arrive early and ready (07:45). If you're told 08:00, be at the passerelle (the gangway) at 07:45. Clean solid-colour polo, smart shorts, sunglasses. Bring a notebook, a pen, and a good attitude.
2. Protect the vessel. Take your shoes off before you step aboard — never walk on teak or interior carpet in outdoor shoes. They go in the crew shoe basket on the aft deck.
3. Put the phone away. Keep it in your bag. Nothing kills your chances of being rehired faster than a captain catching you scrolling while leaning on a chamois mop.
4. Listen, and ask. Yachts are full of absurdly expensive, delicate finishes. If you don't know how to clean a specific marble or a piece of leather, ask. A "silly" question beats permanently ruining a €20,000 surface.
Your next step
Daywork is the entry point, and the bar to get started is low: be in the right port, be presentable, and be willing to graft. Before you go, make sure your yacht crew CV is ready to hand over the second someone asks — and that you know how to turn each gig into the reference that fills it out.
Get your dock shoes ready, list your availability on Radius, and start hunting. The first good day of daywork is the one that opens the door.