The chief stew asks you to plate the canapes and take the cheese board out. You have never been trained to handle food commercially. On a yacht, the person carrying the plate is part of the food safety chain, and the paperwork behind that is not optional.
Food Safety Certification
Interior crew handle, plate, store and serve food. A Level 2 Food Safety / Food Hygiene award (the common UK-style benchmark; equivalents exist in other countries) is the standard entry qualification, and many yachts and agencies now treat it as expected rather than optional.
It covers:
- Temperature control — the danger zone, chilling, hot holding, probe use
- Cross-contamination — raw and ready-to-eat, colour coding, hands
- Personal hygiene — hand washing, hair, nails, reporting illness
- Cleaning and pest control
- Allergens — a genuinely serious issue with guests
It is typically a short course or an accredited online course, and it is one of the cheapest things on your list. Get it.
Proficiency in Security Awareness
Under STCW, all seafarers need a level of security training. Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA) is the baseline for crew without designated security duties; crew with designated duties take Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD) instead. As green interior crew you will normally need PSA, and it is often bundled with STCW Basic Safety Training. Check what your course actually includes so you do not pay twice.
The Seaman's Discharge Book
A discharge book (also called a seaman's book) is an official record of your sea service, issued by a flag administration. It records the yacht, your rank and your dates of service, endorsed by the captain.
- It is your evidence of sea time — essential later for GUEST/Certificate of Competency progression and for shore-based employers.
- Which one you get depends on your nationality and the flags you can apply to. Common ones for yacht crew are issued by the UK and by several open registries.
- Get it endorsed every time you leave a boat. A captain who has moved on cannot sign for you later.
The Paper Stack
| Document | Why you need it |
|---|---|
| STCW Basic Safety Training | Legal minimum to work at sea |
| ENG1 or accepted equivalent | Medical fitness for sea service |
| Food Safety Level 2 (or equivalent) | You handle food |
| Proficiency in Security Awareness | STCW security requirement |
| Discharge book | Proof of your sea service |
| Passport (long validity) | Everything |
Onboard Notes
- Scan everything. Crew lose documents; the ones who keep clean digital copies get on the crew list faster.
- Do not let a yacht "sort your discharge book later". Later does not come.
- Again: xplor is not an accredited training provider or an approved centre. These lessons are study support only - they award no certificate and no regulated qualification, and every document above must be obtained from an approved provider or centre.