Key takeaways
- ✓References answer the questions a CV can’t: attitude, teamwork, reliability and how you behave under pressure.
- ✓Ask your captain, head of department or the owner’s representative — ideally before you leave the boat.
- ✓A strong recommendation names the vessel, your position, the period and concrete examples.
- ✓Written, verified recommendations save captains time and make you stand out in a pile of CVs.
- ✓Never invent or edit a reference — the industry is small and captains do call each other.
Why references matter so much at sea
Life on board is close quarters, long hours and real responsibility. A crew member who is technically qualified but difficult to live with can unsettle a whole team, so captains and crew agents put great weight on what previous employers say. In many hiring processes the reference check is the final step before an offer.
Written recommendations help too: they show a pattern of good feedback across several boats and let a captain decide quickly which candidates to call.
Who to ask — and who not to
- •Best: the captain or master you reported to.
- •Very good: your head of department (chief officer, chief engineer, chief stewardess, head chef).
- •Good for deliveries and private boats: the owner or the owner’s representative.
- •Useful as a second voice: a colleague who worked alongside you for a whole season or passage.
- •Avoid: friends who never sailed with you, and anyone you did not report to on that boat.
When to ask
The best moment is during your last week on board, or right after a delivery ends, while the work is fresh. Captains move on quickly, and a request that arrives a year later is easier to forget. Ask politely, say which vessel and dates it concerns, and make it easy to reply.
What a strong recommendation includes
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Vessel and type | “M/Y Aurora, 45 m motor yacht, private and charter” |
| Your position | “Deckhand, promoted to lead deckhand mid-season” |
| Period | “April – October 2025, Mediterranean season” |
| Concrete strengths | “Excellent tender driver, careful with guests, first to help in bad weather” |
| Teamwork and attitude | “Calm under pressure, positive in a small crew mess” |
| Would rehire? | “I would hire them again without hesitation.” |
Keep your references working for you
- •Save every written reference and the contact details (with permission) in one place.
- •Keep vessel names, dates and positions identical on your CV, discharge book and references.
- •Collect recommendations that are verified — written by a real account, linked to a real vessel and period.
- •Ask colleagues you sailed with for a recommendation too; peers describe teamwork better than anyone.
- •Update your profile after every contract so the newest reference is always on top.
On Maritime Delivery you can ask a former employer for a recommendation even if they are not on the platform — they receive a personal link, create a free account and write it in two minutes. Crew you are connected with can recommend you too, with the vessel, how long you sailed together, your position and at least 20 words.
For captains and employers: checking references well
- •Call, don’t only read — ask open questions (“How did they handle a difficult guest or a bad night at sea?”).
- •Ask “Would you hire them again?” and listen to how quickly the answer comes.
- •Check that vessel, dates and position match the CV and discharge book.
- •Give references yourself: a few honest sentences help good crew more than you think.
Frequently asked questions
How many references do yacht crew need?+
Two to three recent references from captains or heads of department are usual. For senior roles, employers often want references from your last two or three vessels.
Can a colleague give me a reference?+
A colleague’s recommendation is a useful second voice about teamwork, but employers give most weight to the person you reported to — normally the captain or head of department.
What if my previous captain has left the industry?+
Ask the owner’s representative, management company or another senior crew member from that boat, and keep the old written reference if you have one.
Is it legal to give a bad reference?+
Rules differ by country, but references should be honest and factual. Many employers keep them short and factual for that reason.
Sources
Put it to work