Stewards on Below Deck earn a monthly salary, typically around $5,000 for junior stews and $5,500-$6,000 for a Chief Stew, plus significant tips, which can add up to $15,000+ per person for a 6-week charter season, totaling a substantial income for the short season. Actual earnings vary by experience, yacht size, and tips, but the combination of salary and tips can be very lucrative, with some crew making upwards of $22,000 in just over a month.
Whether the yacht is chartered or privately owned will all contribute to your monthly pay packet; your basic salary will be the same whether you work on a charter yacht or a private boat, though on a charter, you will generally receive tips; this usually around 10% of your monthly salary, or it can range between €1,500 ...
On Below Deck, a chief stewardess can reportedly make upwards of $65,000 (c. €61,000) for a season, while deckhands and junior stews typically earn less. These figures are broadly in line with standard industry salaries in 2025.
Captain Sandy Yawn of Below Deck has a net worth of $400,000 according to The Sun. A seasoned veteran in sailing, she receives the same salary between $150,000 to $210,000 and the $5,000 to $6,000 a month appearance fee.
The comments made by the ``Below Deck'' crew about their current group of guests were inappropriate and beyond unprofessional. Our crew all believe that the show has now crossed the line of being bad for yachting, and especially bad for charter yachts.
While exact figures vary, Ben Robinson (Chef) is often cited as the wealthiest cast member due to his multiple seasons and post-show ventures, with estimates around $2.5-$3 million, but Captains like Lee Rosbach & Glenn Shephard earn significantly more annually (hundreds of thousands) from salaries and large tips, though their net worths are harder to pin down, with Captain Glenn estimated at $1.5M.
How Real Is Below Deck? On Below Deck, real sections are very prevalent in the show. It is quite an accurate show that does not appear to have too many scripted sections. The “cast” members all do have experience in yachting and do currently still serve aboard boats all around the world!
Captain Sandy Yawn was in jail multiple times due to severe alcoholism, leading to arrests for drinking and driving (DUI) and other alcohol-related offenses, including one night she had to stay overnight in jail, before she got sober in 1989. She struggled with addiction, stealing cars, and being constantly in trouble before turning her life around and pursuing a career in yachting.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $200,000 and as low as $33,000, the majority of Chief Stew salaries currently range between $93,000 (25th percentile) to $146,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $171,500 annually across the United States.
After the draining charter was finally over, Captain Glenn Shephard informed the crew that their tip was a measly $6,500 to be divided amongst them. When the episode aired, fans were furious at how cheap Erica and Charles were and slammed them on social media for leaving the worst tip in Below Deck history.
My understanding is the Bosun would typically just be in charge of the deck crew/exterior where the First Officer is basically the stand in for the Captain in all things when the Captain is not available, and typically will be responsible for some of the admistrative duties that would otherwise fall to the Captain.
How Does 'Below Deck' Star Lee Rosbach Make Money? The beloved but sharp tongued captain likely brings in up to $210,000 a year by helming the yachts featured on Below Deck, Worldwide Boat reports, as that's the salary for skippers of boats in the 150 feet to 177 feet range.
🏆💸 Stream the latest episode on @peacock. Now, the tip. Not every tip is always going to be as big as the first tip but success is much about how we pivot and rebound. So, in this case, what I love is these charter clients actually saw how hard you worked and so they decided to give you $40, 000.
The "12-person yacht rule" states that a private yacht carrying more than 12 passengers (excluding crew) must meet stricter, cruise-ship-level safety and certification standards under the SOLAS convention (Safety of Life at Sea), a United Nations maritime treaty, making them a "passenger ship". This limit applies to commercial charters; private trips have flexibility, but exceeding 12 guests on a commercial charter requires extensive, costly upgrades (like SOLAS-approved lifeboats, advanced fire systems) for the vessel, making it impractical for most.
Who pays for provisions on a yacht? The charter yacht food provisioning is paid for by the charterer as part of their Advanced Provisioning Allowance (APA). To err on the safe side, we usually recommend budgeting around an additional 35% of the base price of the yacht charter fee to go toward your APA.
The chef makes about $7,000-$10,000 a month, depending on experience and training. The deckhands usually make around $3,500-$4,500 a month, while a bosun would make a little more at approximately $5,000 monthly.
Sorry the chef doesn't outrank the chief stew, they are equal heads of different departments.
Becoming a certified yacht stewardess or steward involves more than just obtaining the necessary qualifications. It's about building a portfolio of skills and experiences that make you stand out. Networking within the industry and gaining experience through day work or entry-level positions on yachts can be invaluable.
Below Deck Mediterranean's Captain Mark Howard Dead at 65 - IMDb.
Below Deck's Captain Lee Wasn't Invited to Captain Sandy's Wedding.
“My least favorite? Captain Sandy,” Captain Lee said in the video. “And we all know why. I don't like her. Normally I don't have to like people to work with them, I can work with almost anyone.
Hence, he made copies of his original documents and those were the ones showed to the maritime authorities. He said that he wasn't informed prior to the filming of the scene that his original documents would be needed. He continues about the Yacht Masters certificate and regretfully admits that he was scammed.
Bravo TV has rocked the reality world with a bombshell announcement — Below Deck has officially been canceled after its chaotic Season 12 left fans disappointed and ratings sinking.
According to Kate Chastain of Below Deck, the tips they get on the show aren't entirely representative of what you'd receive in real life Superyacht jobs. While the Below Deck crew often get up to $5,000 a week on their private vessel thanks to the generous tips, they're typically paid around $2,000-$2,500.