| Deckhands on luxury yachts get to travel all over the | | | | period. My favorite place to start: St. Tropez in |
| world. Moreover, when not working, they get to | | | | France. This is practically the world headquarters for |
| enjoy the pleasures of exciting and often exotic | | | | the superyacht set. Other great yacht ports include |
| ports of call. But if you're just starting out looking for | | | | Nice, Cannes, Barcelona and Ibiza, just to scratch the |
| deckhand job opportunities, where do you go? | | | | surface in the western Mediterranean. The eastern |
| The easy answer is: Anywhere the big yachts go. | | | | Mediterranean has its share of fabulous yacht ports, |
| You may find mega- and superyachts almost | | | | too. |
| anywhere there is coastline and good port facilities. If | | | | The Caribbean will be more accessible to North |
| you're in the United States, for example, you may | | | | Americans. Traveling from port to port will be slightly |
| well encounter some billionaire's luxury vessel at the | | | | more difficult here than in the Mediterranean -- you |
| moorings in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, | | | | can't take a train or a bus from one island to the |
| Boston, New York or Miami, just to name a few. | | | | next -- but that just means you'll be spending more |
| To stand the best chance of finding deckhand | | | | time aboard one boat or another, which is one of |
| opportunities, you must go to where the big yachts | | | | your objectives anyway (the other being to land a |
| congregate in large numbers. That means, first of all, | | | | job on a boat). |
| the ports of the Mediterranean, and secondarily, the | | | | If you can't get to the Mediterranean or Caribbean, |
| ports of the Caribbean. These are also the ports that | | | | though, do not despair. If you live anywhere near |
| will have active hiring agencies that are dedicated to | | | | any ocean coast, you can find a deckhand |
| filling crew jobs on those big boats. | | | | opportunity. It won't necessarily be on a superyacht, |
| The great thing about the yacht ports of the | | | | but the variety of boats that need crew members is |
| Mediterranean is that many of them are close to one | | | | huge. Getting your feet wet aboard a boat (so to |
| another. Even if you're traveling on a shoestring | | | | speak), whatever the vessel type, can serve as the |
| budget and a tight schedule, you won't find it difficult | | | | gateway to an eventual job aboard the yacht of |
| to check out several of them within a short time | | | | your dreams. |