What You Might Expect from the Yacht
In return for putting heart and soul into your job with the long hours and total dedication, you should expect to be very well looked after. There are a range of pluses and minuses, perks and bonuses that working on a superyacht offers and you should be aware of what they are. One of the first things you need to do when joining a yacht, is read the Terms and Conditions/Crew Agreement.

Crew Agreements – Yachts
It is now a legal requirement that every red flagged yacht employing more than four paid crew members must provide each crew member with a Crew Agreement. Below is a very rough outline of what the agreement should cover. Substantially more information can be found at the www.mcga.gov.uk . Marine Guidance Note MGN 149 (M) Approval of Crew Agreements – Yachts.

Section 25(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 provides that, unless specifically exempted from the  requirement, an agreement in writing (a “crew agreement”) “shall be made between each person employed as a seaman in a UK ship and the person(s) employing him and shall be signed both by him and by or on behalf of them”. Regulation 4(1) of the Merchant Shipping (Crew Agreements, Lists of Crew and Discharge of Seamen) Regulations 1991 provides that the requirement to have a crew agreement shall not apply to pleasure yachts engaged on coastal voyages or engaged on any other voyage provided that not more than 4 members of the crew receive wages for their employment.
In summary, a crew agreement is required to cover those employed on a yacht unless specifically exempted. Section  25(3) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 provides that the provisions and form of a crew agreement must be of a kind approved by the Secretary of State, in practice the Maritime and  Coastguard Agency (the Agency), and different provisions and forms may be so approved for different circumstances.

Very roughly a minimum standard agreement should include a front cover with sufficient information to easily identify the vessel and her owners and should incorporate a list of crew, rates of pay, list of young persons and your contractual provisions including:

• the persons between whom the agreement is made;
• the description of the voyage or voyages to which the agreement relates and their geographical limits and/or the duration of the employment;
• the capacity in which each seafarer is to be employed;
• the pay, hours, leave and subsistence;
• the other rights and duties of the parties to the agreement;
• the terms under which either of the parties may give notice to terminate the agreement;
• the circumstances in which, notwithstanding the provisions governing the  giving of notice, the agreement may be terminated by either of the parties

Regardless of the legislation every yacht should have a fully comprehensive manual of terms and conditions of employment and the above is a very small guideline on what the MCA require. However they actively encourage a more comprehensive agreement.

Crew agreements should be issued to new crew members the day they arrive on board, if not before.
This manual should contain a complete and thorough listing of all rules on board, including, but not limited to, health and safety issues. Every aspect of onboard life should be outlined in black and white. Having grey areas creates problems. Issues like who washes crew uniforms, who and how many crew stand watch, how many days leave you can expect, e-mail access, private use of the yacht’s vehicles. All these, although seemingly trivial, can cause an enormous amount of aggravation amongst crews. Having a good employment manual is a relatively simple managerial procedure to have in place and can save many hours of irritation by avoiding basic misunderstandings.

There are so many crew who have left a job because they were ‘told’ that it was six weeks leave a year but when it came down to it found it was only three. These seemingly small issues can aggravate like sand in a shoe until all there is for it is to resign. Essentially trivial concerns like who can and can’t have visitors on board or having time off when on back to backs or finding suddenly, that they can’t use the onboard gym do rankle. A manual of terms and conditions can help to prevent up to 95% of these misconceptions.

For many, venturing into the yachting industry as crew is a completely new way of life that can be very alien indeed. A good manual can help ease the transition from civilian life. For others, who are changing yachts, it can help to clarify situations where rules differ from yacht to yacht. A manual should cover a range of different issues that will give crew a feeling of knowing exactly where they stand. They should not, however, be pedantic in insisting that crew must be up and out of bed by 6.15 am and at the breakfast table having showered and tidied their cabins by 6.45 am. A good manual of terms and conditions should cover at least the following issues:

If your yacht does not have a crew agreement ask your captain to visit the website, www.mcga.gov.uk and search for Marine Guidance Note MGN 149 (M)