You own the boat. You just need a professional to take command — for a delivery, a long passage, a family holiday where you want an expert on board, or simply because the crew isn’t there this time. Hiring a professional skipper for your own vessel is straightforward when you know who to call.

At Captains and Crew , we place professional licensed skippers with private boat owners across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and UK waters. No agency jargon, no unnecessary markup — just the right skipper for your boat, your route and your timeline.

When You Need to Hire a Skipper

What Qualifications Should Your Skipper Hold?

This is the most important question private owners ask — and the most often glossed over. For any professional engagement, the minimum is:

• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore — required for commercial operation within 150nm of shore. This is the baseline for any professional skipper working on private or charter vessels.
• RYA Yachtmaster Ocean — required for offshore passages beyond 150nm from shore, and for transatlantic voyages. If you’re doing the Atlantic, this is non-negotiable.
• MCA Commercial Endorsement — required if the skipper is being paid to operate your vessel commercially. Without this, their insurance may be void.
• Valid first aid and STCW Basic Safety Training — standard for any professional operating offshore.

Every skipper we place holds current RYA certification appropriate to the passage and carries commercial skipper insurance. We provide licence numbers on request before any booking is confirmed.

Areas We Cover

How to Hire a Skipper: The Process

We keep this simple. You tell us about your vessel and what you need, we match you with a suitable skipper, you speak directly before confirming. No hidden steps.

1. Tell us about the job — vessel type and size, departure and destination (or charter area), dates, and what you need the skipper to do.
2. We propose a match — within 24–48 hours we’ll present one or two skippers who fit your route, vessel type and timeline, with their qualifications and references.
3. You speak directly — before any booking is confirmed, you have a direct conversation with the skipper. If it doesn’t feel right, we find another option.
4. Logistics are agreed — fee, travel to the vessel, pre-passage check, handover documentation and any specific requirements are agreed in writing before departure.

What Does It Cost to Hire a Skipper?

Professional skipper hire is arranged around your specific passage, vessel and dates. Every engagement is quoted individually — contact us for a personalised quote.

Every engagement is quoted individually. Travel to/from the vessel, provisioning and port fees are itemised separately, so you know exactly what’s included before you confirm.

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Ready to Find Your Skipper?

Tell us about your boat and where you need to go. We’ll come back within 24 hours with a skipper proposal — no commitment required.