How to join a yacht delivery as crew

• A yacht delivery moves a boat from one port to another for its owner. The skipper is often paid, and deck crew are often unpaid or have only their expenses covered.Source: Crewseekers (crew-matching service), seen 1 October 2026.

• Reported Crewseekers says deck crew on a delivery often expect only their travel costs to be reimbursed, and that paid roles vary by company.Source: Crewseekers (crew-matching service), seen 1 October 2026.

Every passage on Global Crew Finder states whether crew are paid, share costs or pay nothing, so you know before you apply. Ask what the stated terms cover.

• How much should crew contribute?

1. Open Find passages and choose the passage type Delivery.
2. Read the route, the dates, the berths and the cost terms.
3. Apply with a message that says what you have sailed and what watches you can stand.
4. Ask the skipper whether they will sign your logbook for the miles.
5. Agree the details in writing, including how you get home from the arrival port.

• Find a passage

• Reported Delivery miles can count as qualifying miles when they are logged and signed by the skipper. The RYA counts a qualifying passage as 60 nautical miles or more, continuous, from one port to a different port.Source: RYA Personal Logbook guide (logbook.co.uk) (commercial source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with Royal Yachting Association (RYA) before you rely on it.

Ask the skipper before you sail whether they will sign, and keep your own record as you go.

Skippers choosing crew for a delivery will want to see:

• a sailing CV with your boats and passages
• your logbook and any certificates
• the dates you are free and how far you can travel
• a passport that suits the countries on the route

• Reported Delivery companies and skippers often ask for Day Skipper before they let someone stand a night watch. Delivery agencies may charge a list fee and want a sailing CV.Source: Ardent Training (sailing school blog) (commercial source), seen 1 October 2026.

• Reported RYA Yachtmaster Offshore asks for a minimum age of 18, 50 days at sea, 2,500 nautical miles, five passages of over 60 nautical miles (two overnight and two as skipper), five days as skipper, and at least half of the miles and passages in tidal waters, all within the last ten years, with a valid VHF certificate and first aid, and the theory to the standard.Source: RYA (organiser or official source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with RYA: Yachtmaster Offshore exam before you rely on it.

Who is responsible if something goes wrong, and what insurance does or does not cover, are legal questions. We do not answer them and we do not check insurance. Read the notice below and ask the owner, an insurer or a lawyer.

• How we vet members and passages