One of the many unique, distinguishing features of KaterBlue is the crew finder, which allows boat owners the option to search for crewmembers, and allows crew members to apply for work. This feature is used primarily by the boat and yacht owners; the people who already have a vessel at their disposal, but are in need of capable deckhands, sailors and perhaps even a captain. However, it’s also particularly handy for captains and crew that are looking for work to gain more experience. Through KaterBlue the latter group will be able to see a list of boat passages and their routes of which the charterer has indicated he or she is need of a captain or crew. An important group of people who use this option are those who want to make the required number of sea miles in order to subscribe to a Captain, Yachtmaster or Skipper exam, or people that recently passed these exams and are eager to gain more experience. Some boat owners will charge the crew members little to nothing and just make use of their labor for the much needed passage. The crew/captains, in turn, will have a great opportunity to build experience, including making more cherished sea miles, in quick, practical and affordable way.
Although the user can ask for a crew, and the crew members can apply to come along on a certain passage, the selection is always made by the boat owner/skipper. Besides crew and captain, the group of people who can offer their professional services on KaterBlue, free of costs, consists of anyone with the qualifications to work on a boat, in the catering business or as a teacher of any water sport. Typically on informal boats you will asked to pay a contribution or share in the food, fuel and marina charges. Sometimes more allowing the owner to make a margin for the running of his boat, the choice is entirely the boat owners. On purely commercially run boats the crew will be contracted for a certain period or delivery passage and receive a fee.
The crew finder constitutes a significant difference with other boat exchange websites, which offer a binary choice, renting out boats either with or without a crew. Below we have listed the most relevant categories of crew searchable on KaterBlue.
Boat & Yacht Crew
If you own a boat, or rented one without personnel, and you need a steady, skilled and professional crew for any type of journey, long or short, a certain passage, period or boat delivery, KaterBlue is the place to look. Anybody with the qualifications can list himself on our platform and offer his or her services. Evidently, there will be crewmembers with different kinds of qualifications. Some might be specialized in handling sails, others might have expertise in the workings, maintenance and repair of boat engines. It is up to the boat owners to select the crew which seems most suitable for a particular trip, depending moreover on the type of boat.
Boat crew, in turn, can look through the list of ongoing and planned passages, yacht delivery routes and request to work aboard one which suits their skills and experience and expertise.
Captain
Hiring a captain can be important from both the perspective of the charterer as well as the perspective of the captain. From the charterer’s perspective, it might be a good idea when you have a small to medium sized boat or small motor or sail yacht for a pleasure trip that does not require additional crew, but you cannot or do not want to be behind the steer yourself. It is quite possible to find the vessel of your dreams on KaterBlue, but in many cases the boat is only offered without a captain (bareboat). No worries! You can easily request a captain for your charter through our platform. Simply specify a time and route and get into contact with the Captain and see if he is available and suitable for you and the boat. You can also ask the owner to check his certificates and discuss with him the boat. He can help you select the man or woman that he knows will see the job through.
From the perspective of the captain, it is a great opportunity to gain more sea miles so to upgrade one’s skills. They can set out to gain a lot more sea miles and experience, all in a short period. It is also suitable if the boat already has a captain who does not want to be in control of the vessel all by himself. This situation is similar to chartering a boat or yacht with a captain for experience reasons, with the difference that the vessel is already provided for. Having a skilled second captain which whom one can alternate in difficult moments will provide the optimal secure setting for many aspiring or recently graduated skippers.
Sailing or Motor Yacht Delivery Crew
Are you looking for a delivery crew? Most delivery captains and skippers work on a freelance basis. There are some delivery companies that coordinate deliveries and they put their delivery teams together with a set of applicants on their database. KaterBlue does this for you and at a fraction of the cost. Just tick “find crew” and post your passage the KaterBlue platform will make a few suggestions for you. Please note, the delivery of a private yacht by a paid or unpaid delivery captain /skipper and crew does not constitute in itself a commercial use of the yacht. However, if there are paying guest on board then the passage is indeed classified as commercial in which case the vessel, skipper and crew will need to comply with any relevant commercial codes of practice and manning requirements relevant to the flag state under which the vessel is registered. The captain or skipper will owe a duty of care to the yacht or boat owner, as such, even for non-commercial passages, as a minimum it is recommended that the skipper holds the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence (or the national equivalent) and should also have a significant amount of experience on vessels of a similar style and size to that being delivered. Commercial delivery captains and skippers and delivery companies require crew for certain passages, legs or periods. They can easily match their requirements with crew profiles on KaterBlue. This is a great way for professional or amateur crew to get some extra miles and experience under the belt. Professional crew such as captains, skippers and first mates are generally paid, but for deck crew more often than not you only expect to be reimbursed for your travel costs rather than receiving payment for the delivery.
Stewards, Hosts, Chefs
KaterBlue does not only list people with boating and yachting paperwork. There are all kinds of roles to be fulfilled aboard and anybody with the relevant experience can enlist on our platform. There are always clients who require stewards, cooks, hosts or waiters to attend to them and give their boating experience a degree of comfort and class. Who wouldn’t want to be served a drink or a snack by a respectful, professional stewardess while relaxing on the deck of a stylish yacht, hand-picked by you! At KaterBlue it is not only possible, but actually quite affordable! Just take a look at the offers near you and before you know it, you will be sipping champagne aboard your “own” yacht while crossing the Big Blue.
Teachers and Instructors
While most of our offers are related to boats and yachts, it does not mean that other types of nautical leisure are neglected. If you have skills as a teacher of activities such as (kite) surfing, water or jet skiing, wave boarding, diving or snorkeling, you are warmly invited to advertise on KaterBlue, for free, and provide the fitting services for our clients. At the same time, if you are a potential client who wants to partake in any of these activities for a fun few hours, or to become a professional yourself, there is only one site has all types of water fun bundled in one place, easily searchable, readily accessible and reasonably priced.