Superyacht Captain Recruitment

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Placing permanent, seasonal and temporary Superyacht Captains worldwide.

Your specialist Captain recruitment service

Every superyacht is like a small business and requires, quite literally, a skilled, experienced and trustworthy Captain at its helm.

At Quay Crew, we have a proven track-record of placing experienced Captains onboard some of the most prestigious Superyachts in the world and have spent almost a decade consulting such Captains on their careers.

Our consultants combine 40+ years recruitment and industry experience, having a solid and well-connected network of reputable Captains at their disposal, so are well-placed to ensure your Captain is well-placed.

Utilising our unrivalled relationships and tailored executive search methods, we can ensure your Captain not only has the skills and experience to operate your vessel, but the intelligence, leadership skills and attitude to effectively manage a crew, guests and your financial interests.

Whether you’re an owner, rep or yacht management company, sourcing the right Captain for your superyacht is the first step to an exemplary onboard experience.

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Our executive search Captain process

Collaborative Brief

Understanding your needs, exploring key skills, personality attributes and experience of desired Captains, setting performance metrics and developing a detailed job brief and timeline.

Executive Search

Utilising our extensive network and relationships to source suitable candidates, both active and passive, in line with your operational, leadership and experience requirements.

Detailed Qualification

Shortlisting, verbal referencing and initial video interview including psychometric and ability testing if appropriate, presented to you with recommendations for internal interview.

Internal Interview

Supporting you to conduct inquisitive interviews following a bespoke set of questions aligned with your yacht’s objectives and ensure key stakeholder involvement.

Offer & Placement

Assisting in the negotiation and offer process, finalising in-depth background checks and verifying references with client and candidate support post-placement.

Captain Consultant and Director

Tim Clarke

Tim is one of our founding Directors and also specialises in Captain recruitment and consultancy.

After a successful career in corporate recruitment in London working on behalf of big banking brands including Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Reuters, Tim worked onboard as a Deckhand for two years before setting up Quay Crew with Caroline in 2013.

His honest client appraisals, personal coaching and mentoring has resulted in over 50 successful Captain placements, many onboard yachts over 100m, and he regularly produces industry insight reports specifically on the superyacht Captain recruitment market.

Our in-house Superyacht Captain

Simon Ladbrooke

New Zealand-born Simon has enjoyed an extensive and global career in the superyacht industry spanning more than 25 years. Most recently Simon was Build and Operational Captain on Elixir / Gigagi, 55m Amels for six years.

As well as being Captain on several prestigious superyachts, Simon has also worked in the boat building sector and as a project manager onshore.

With in-depth knowledge of vessel operations, crew management and owner relations, Simon is an expert at consulting clients on superyacht Captain sourcing and selection as well as supporting Captains with their career progression.

Sub-40m superyacht Captain recruitment

Max Lee

Max is one of our Yacht Crew Consultants focussing on the sub-40m market, placing superyacht Captains onboard yachts from 25m to 40m+.

Having spent three years working onboard superyachts all over the world as well as enjoying a corporate career in banking and digital marketing, Max now combines his corporate and first-hand yachting experience to match Captains with the right yacht.

Often working directly with yacht owners, both new and experienced, as well as yacht brokers, Max is incredibly skilled at sourcing Captain’s whose skills, experience and attitude aligns with the owner’s goals.

Over the last 12 months, numerous Captain placements have spanned major yachting hubs from the US to the Mediterranean.

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