It is 06:20 and you are pressing a polo shirt you already pressed last night, because you slept badly and slept in it for twenty minutes. The chief stew will notice the crease. Not because she is cruel, but because the guest will notice it, and the guest is paying two hundred thousand euro a week to notice nothing.
Uniform
Yachts issue uniform and expect it worn precisely. A typical interior kit:
- Day uniform — branded polo shirt, shorts or skorts, deck shoes or plain white trainers.
- Service uniform — smarter shirt or blouse, tailored trousers or skirt, closed shoes.
- Formal/evening — for formal service; sometimes waistcoats, ties, or a specified dress.
- Dirty work kit — for turnarounds, laundry and yard periods. Never worn in front of guests.
Rules that hold almost everywhere:
- Uniform is pressed, unstained and correctly fitted every time you appear in a guest area.
- Shoes are clean and are changed between exterior and interior.
- You do not wear uniform ashore in a bar. You are identifiable, and you represent the vessel.
- Uniform is generally the yacht's property, replaced by the yacht, returned when you leave.
Grooming standards
| Area | Standard |
|---|---|
| Hair | Clean, tied back and off the face for service. Natural colours on most boats. |
| Nails | Short, clean, unvarnished or clear — chipped varnish near food is a hygiene failure. |
| Fragrance | Minimal to none. It carries in confined spaces and interferes with food and wine. |
| Jewellery | Minimal: a plain watch, small studs. Nothing that can drop into food or catch. |
| Tattoos and piercings | Policies vary widely. Visible tattoos are still a barrier on many yachts — declare them honestly at interview. |
| Hygiene | Daily, obviously — and with heavy physical work in heat, more than daily. |
Drug and alcohol policy
This is the shortest and most serious section in the course.
- Essentially every professional yacht operates a zero-tolerance drugs policy. Possession or use aboard means immediate dismissal, and in many jurisdictions arrest and imprisonment. The vessel itself can be seized.
- Random and for-cause drug and alcohol testing is common and is normally a term of your contract.
- Alcohol limits aboard are strict and often set at zero while working, on standby, or during guest trips. A vessel's alcohol policy may set a very low permitted blood-alcohol level for anyone with safety duties — which, via the muster list, is everyone.
- Being hungover on charter is a disciplinary matter, not a private misfortune.
- You will be surrounded by extraordinary quantities of alcohol, and you will pour a great deal of it. You do not drink it. Not the leftovers, not the open bottle, not "just a taste".
Onboard Notes
- Drug testing at crew agencies and pre-employment is routine. So is testing after any incident.
- Guests may offer you a drink. The correct response is a warm, brief decline: "Thank you, that's very kind — I'm on duty."
- Shore leave in a crew bar is where most drug and alcohol dismissals originate. What you do ashore is not private if you return aboard impaired.
- Prescription medication: declare it to the captain or the officer with medical responsibility. Some prescriptions affect a drug test and some affect your ability to stand a watch.