Yacht Crew Agencies in Fort Lauderdale: 7 to Register With

16 Oct 2026

Which yacht crew agencies are in Fort Lauderdale?

Four yacht crew agencies list a Fort Lauderdale office on their own websites: The Crew Network (TCN), Hill Robinson Recruitment, Luxury Yacht Group and Northrop & Johnson Crew Services. Crewfinders International, Following Seas Recruiting and Viking Crew are also based here, but without a walk-in office. You register with all seven online, and the yacht pays the placement fee, not you.

Fort Lauderdale is the US base of the superyacht industry. In the autumn, boats gather here for refits and the boat show before heading to the Bahamas and the Caribbean for the winter. The agencies sit a few blocks from the yards and marinas those boats use, so when a captain needs a deckhand or a stew by Friday, an agency is often the first call.

Agencies won't do the work for you, but they put your CV in front of captains you'd never meet on your own. If you're green, be realistic. TCN's own FAQ puts it plainly: "If you are new to the industry, you will have a more difficult time." Register anyway, then keep picking up daywork while you wait.

New to yachting altogether? Start with our guide to yacht jobs. Working the Med instead? See yacht crew agencies in Antibes.

The agencies with a Fort Lauderdale office

We checked each site on 15 October 2026. The list isn't a ranking, and where a site doesn't say something, the table says so.

The 17th Street Causeway bridge opening for yachts on the Intracoastal. Three of the four agency offices below are within a few blocks of SE 17th Street. Photo: Michael Bentley, CC BY 2.0.

Based in Fort Lauderdale, but no walk-in office

• Crewfinders International: works online, with agents working remotely since its SE 17th Street building was sold in 2020.
• Following Seas Recruiting: yacht crew and estate staffing in Fort Lauderdale; no street address published.
• Viking Crew: its Fort Lauderdale office is relocating ("New address coming soon").

Older guides list Crew Unlimited on Marina Mile. Bluewater's site now says Crew Unlimited merged into Bluewater, whose crew placement page lists agencies in Antibes and Palma only; its Fort Lauderdale office is listed for yacht management. So register with Bluewater online rather than expecting a Crew Unlimited desk in town. We also left out agencies whose own sites didn't confirm a current Fort Lauderdale office.

How to register with yacht crew agents in Fort Lauderdale

Every one of these starts online. None of the four office sites says it takes walk-ins, so register first, then phone to ask for an interview rather than turning up unannounced.

The Crew Network

"Simply apply to any of our posted jobs which registers you automatically with us," says TCN's FAQ, then "contact your local office to arrange an interview." The office is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and the team speaks English, Spanish and Bulgarian.

Hill Robinson Recruitment

Register through the form on jobs.hillrobinson.com and call +1 954 792 6112 before visiting. Most listings ask for experience (a First Engineer role wanted two years), but a rotational Junior Stewardess job on a 90m+ motor yacht was up on 15 October.

Luxury Yacht Group

Hit "Create your account" on luxyachts.com, build your profile and apply to live jobs. Its team page lists several crew placement staff based in Fort Lauderdale. Phone: +1 954 525 9959.

Northrop & Johnson Crew Services

The "Register Here" button on N&J's crew page takes you to superyachtcrew.io. The office is inside Lauderdale Marine Center, which N&J calls "the largest marine facility on the East Coast", and keeps Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm hours. Phone: +1 954 522 3344.

Crewfinders International

Registration is free and takes "10-20 minutes" if your documents are ready, according to Crewfinders' FAQ. An interview isn't required, but scheduling one with a placement officer helps. The SE 17 Street, Suite 113 address is for mail only; phone 954-522-2739.

Following Seas Recruiting

Email [email protected] with your updated resume and a brief introduction, or use the resume submission form on their site. Phone: +1-954-695-4006.

Viking Crew

While the office relocates, Viking Crew asks for all USA enquiries by email to [email protected]. It's headquartered in Dover, UK, and its site features a Green Crew Pathway initiative.

What to have ready

Between them, Crewfinders and TCN ask for the same core kit. Have it digitised before you start:

• CV (resume): PDF or Word only, under 500 KB per file (TCN's limit). See how to build a superyacht CV.
• Professional head-and-shoulders photo.
• References: three written references with current contact details agencies can verify.
• Passport.
• Certificates and licences: STCW Basic Training, your ENG1 medical and anything else you hold. You can get an ENG1 in Florida; see ENG1 medicals in Fort Lauderdale.

Crewfinders recommends being 18 or over.

Do yacht crew agencies charge crew a fee?

No. Legitimate crew agencies don't charge crew. The Maritime Labour Convention 2006, Standard A1.4, says "no fees or charges for recruitment or placement may be borne by the seafarer, in whole or in part." The exceptions are your own medical certificate, seafarer's book and passport. TCN quotes the rule in its FAQ, and Crewfinders explains the model: the owner, captain or hiring agent pays the agency's fee "over and above your salary."

Paying for your own STCW and ENG1 is normal. Paying an agency to put you forward is not. If anyone asks for a registration or placement fee, walk away.

Florida specifics: the season and your visa

When is the best time to look for yacht work in Fort Lauderdale?

Autumn. The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs 28 October to 1 November 2026, headquartered at Bahia Mar, and boats are crewing up for the Bahamas and Caribbean winter around it.

Do you need to be in Fort Lauderdale to get a yacht job?

It depends who you ask. TCN's FAQ answers "Yes." Crewfinders is softer: "It is not necessary to be located in Fort Lauderdale. However it is a good idea to be in town for the busy season if you can afford it." It also warns that most accommodation gets taken in the busy season, so book early.

Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale's deepwater port, just south of the 17th Street Causeway. Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0.

What visa do you need to work on a yacht in the US?

Crewfinders tells crew "You need a B1/B2 visa," and notes a C1/D "will only permit you to work on commercial vessels like cruise lines." The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual says yacht crew on a recreational vessel who can show "a residence abroad which they do not intend to abandon" are "classifiable B-1."

This isn't legal advice. A B-1/B-2 is not a general US work permit: the consulate decides whether to issue it, and border officers decide whether to admit you. Check with your US embassy or consulate and travel.state.gov before you book.

Can you walk the docks in Fort Lauderdale?

Not really. Asked whether crew should walk the docks, Crewfinders says: "due to increasing security risks it is now prohibited to walk the docks unless you already have business aboard a yacht. Most security guards will not let you into the yards or marinas without permission from someone inside those facilities." Our dockwalking guide still applies in the Med, but here your contacts, agencies and daywork do more of the work.

Crewfinders recommends daywork "to learn skills that will be vital to permanent placements." Every day on deck or in an interior is a new reference and a line on your CV. See the green crew daywork guide, where the daywork hubs are and when and current day rates.

With the docks off-limits, it helps to be findable. On Radius, crew sign up free, check in at their port and upload their ENG1, STCW and CV; captains and recruiters see available crew and dayworkers near them on a map.

How often should you check in with a crew agency?

Crewfinders suggests "once or twice a week". Logging in moves you up its list by check-in date, and it says daily calls or visits slow its officers down.

Update your profile the moment your availability or certificates change, answer unknown numbers, and reply to agents quickly. A recruiter filling a job by Friday moves on to the next candidate if you take a day to answer.

Your next step

1. Get your CV, photo, references, passport and certificates digitised, with files under 500 KB.
2. Register online with the yacht crew agencies in Fort Lauderdale that match your department. Chefs, see our guide to yacht chef jobs too.
3. Phone the offices to request an interview, ideally before FLIBS on 28 October.
4. Sort out your visa before you fly.
5. Line up daywork and make yourself findable while you wait.