So, you want to know how to become a Chief Stewardess on a superyacht?
You’re not alone. A junior stewardess (aka stew) messaged me the other day and said:
“If someone wanted to grow within the industry from a junior stewardess to eventually being a good Chief Stewardess, where do we even start?”
Honestly?
Such a good question 💕 – and one I wish I’d asked when I first started. Because the truth is, there isn’t one neat little ladder to climb in yachting.
Some stews spend years perfecting their role before stepping up.
Others get thrown into leadership way earlier than expected.
Neither is wrong.
But here’s what I do know 👉 if you try to rush it, you’ll regret it.
A promotion before you’re ready doesn’t make you feel important – it makes you feel like you’re drowning 🫠.
Cue stress, overwhelm, and a lot of crying in the walk-in fridge.
Instead of chasing the shiny title, focus on actually growing where you are. That’s what gets noticed, and that’s what sets you up to move forward ✨
🛳️ What My Journey to Chief Stewardess Looked Like
To give you context, here’s how my career has unfolded since early 2014 👇✨
(This isn’t a “follow this exact path” roadmap, but you’ll see how every stage taught me something)
- 34m sailing yacht (Junior Stew)
Tiny team, you do a bit of everything. - 130m+ motor yacht (Housekeeping Stew) 🧽
Hands down the best standards I’ve ever seen. Systems, detail, team rhythm – it was like bootcamp for housekeeping. Busy but high-functioning, and it shaped my standards forever. - Asked to go back to the 34m SY as Chief Stew 😅
Thrown straight into service with not much experience. Sink or swim (spoiler: I swam, but it was a big learning curve). - 100m+ motor yacht (dayworker → Service Stew → Head of Service in 4 months) 🥂
BUSY, oh my goodness. So busy. Guests wanted the best service, and the pace was crazy. I learned how to stay calm, fast, and smiley under pressure. - 65m motor yacht – Chief Stew 👀✨
VERY formal guests with VERY high standards. This taught me precision, patience, and how to keep composure even when every detail is being scrutinised. - 120m+ – Head of Service 🍸
Full leadership: running teams, lots of admin. My first experience of lots of crew being let go, and we went down to a skeleton crew. I was “acting Chief Stew” for my last year onboard and oversaw the sale of the boat. - Next, I spent 3 years working land-based, where I helped build an IAMI Guest Accredited training academy, created courses, was Brand Manager to a training & recruitment company, had my own business writing CVs/ Health + Life coaching.
- Then I went back to yachting as Chief Stew/ Purser, and then moved to my current job as Chief Stew on a 100m+ motor yacht.
👉 Here’s the thing: it’s not fancy courses that move you up (I only started those later).
What really makes the difference are the small things you do every day onboard.
For me, it came down to being curious, building relationships, learning how to communicate, and putting my hand up for more responsibility.
So let’s get into the things that will actually help 👇💕
1. Curiosity 🔮
Curiosity shows you care about your work – and that’s what makes you stand out when you’re ready to move up.
Curiosity is one of the quickest ways to grow in yachting. Not the annoying “why, why, why” kind – more the “oh that’s interesting, can you show me how that actually works?” kind.
Start with your own role. Don’t just learn the steps – ask why things are done a certain way and how you can get better at it. It makes you better at your job and shows your Chief you’re genuinely interested.
You can even ask things like:
- “I’m really keen to learn more about X, please could you show me when you get time?”
- “What would you like to see from me going forward?”
- “What do you think are the things I can focus on for my next steps?”
- “Is there anything I could be doing better?”
Chiefs love when stews ask for feedback because it shows you actually care about improving.
And sometimes it’s about stepping outside the interior.
Ask other departments about their work.
Ask the Chefs about the food they make, or how the galley runs, or if you see the engineers working in the interior, ask them about what they’re actually doing and be interested in it. They’ll remember you for it.
I ask loads of questions –
For example, when I was in a shipyard period, AVIT were taking down deckheads in the main salon. Instead of just accepting “it’s for new wifi,” I asked them what was actually happening once the panels were down.
They explained that these little wifi boxes needed to be put up in the ceilings in different areas and explained the installation process, and suddenly it all clicked, and I was like – ahhh, okay, thats super interesting and now that makes sense, thank you for explaining.
✨ That kind of curiosity shows you’re keen, helps you see the bigger picture, and makes you more confident in your role – and people notice.
✨ It shows respect for other departments, because you’re genuinely interested in their work (and not just staying in the interior bubble).
🎀 For you: Don’t just tick jobs off. Be interested, ask questions that help things make sense, and don’t be scared to ask your Chief what they’d like to see from you. It shows you care – and that’s what makes you stand out when you’re ready to move up.
2. Relationships 🤝
If there’s one thing that can make or break your career in yachting, it’s relationships.
Most jobs don’t come from a shiny CV – they come from people. Recommendations, ex-colleagues, or interviews where you click with the Captain/ Chief Stew/ HOD/ whoever is interviewing you.
And that “click” isn’t about being fake – it’s just about reading the room 👀✨.
If the Captain or Owner’s Rep is serious, match that energy. If they’re laid back, you can lighten it up.
My very first job, the Captain had posted the role on Facebook, so I took a look at his profile – he was clearly English and a rugby fan – and the Six Nations rugby was on at the time. So when I sent my CV, I cheekily added: “Have a lovely day (hopefully Wales win today!).”
His reply came back along the lines of: “Don’t tell me you’re Welsh???!! Come on England!”
And just like that, we were off to a good start before the interview even happened. A little personality can go a long way 💅.
And honestly – it’s not about rugby (I couldn’t explain the rules if I tried 🏉😂). It’s about keeping up with what’s happening in the world so you can hold a conversation about something. Sport, politics, AI, whatever’s in the news – being able to talk about it gives you common ground with people you’ve just met.
Onboard, it’s the same. Learn names, ask about people’s lives, show genuine interest. Even the notoriously grumpy engineers usually warm up once they see you actually care.
🎀 For you: Relationships matter way more than you think.
People hire (and re-hire) people they like.
Don’t be afraid to show personality in interviews.
Stay curious about the world so you can join conversations.
Build connections onboard.
Those relationships will carry your career 💕.
3. Communication 🗣️
✨Communication✨ is honestly one of the biggest things that can make or break you onboard. You can have perfect service skills, but if you can’t actually connect with people, it’s going to hold you back.
Active listening 👂
This isn’t just nodding while secretly thinking about what YOU are going to say next. It’s properly listening, repeating things back, and showing the other person you’ve heard them.
A lot of the time, people don’t even want you to fix the problem – they just want to feel like someone is actually listening 💖.
Personality types 🎨✨
Everyone communicates differently and has a different personality type. I especially love learning about the personality colours:
Some people need all the details (blue type), some thrive on encouragement and energy (yellow), some want calm and steady (green), and some just want the bottom line (red – me!).
Figuring out who’s who means you can adjust how you speak to people so it actually lands.
Not making it all about you 🙊
People LOVE talking about themselves. Ask people questions, actually listen, and remember the little details – it makes such a difference.
Being helpful 🤝
Sometimes the smallest phrases change the whole vibe. Saying things like “How can I support you?” or “What do you need right now?” shows you care.
You don’t have to fix everything; just showing you’re in their corner makes people feel lighter 💕.
🎀 For you: practice active listening, notice different personality types, avoid making conversations one-sided, and look for little ways to be helpful. People will always remember how you made them feel 💖.
4. Asking for More 🙋🏻♀️
One of the quickest ways to grow in yachting (or honestly, in life) is simply… to ask.
People aren’t psychic.
They’re not sitting around wondering, “who secretly wants more responsibility?” – you’ve got to say it out loud ✨.
That could mean asking to shadow someone so you can learn, putting yourself forward when a role opens up, or even asking for a pay rise 💸.
The worst that happens is they say no.
The best?
You get exactly what you wanted.
🎀 For you: Don’t wait until you feel 100% “ready” (spoiler: you never will). If you’re keen, put yourself forward. Whether it’s extra responsibility, learning opportunities, or a pay rise – if you don’t ask, you don’t get 💪.
5. Attitude 😅
One of the biggest things that gets noticed onboard isn’t just how well you can set a table or fold a napkin – it’s your attitude.
Guests don’t want stiff robots 🤖, and crew definitely don’t want sulky crew hiding in the pantry.
And honestly, when I think about the best people I’ve worked with, it’s not “oh, she was amazing at cleaning” or “wow, she really knew her wine.”
It’s: “She was such a legend because she gave 110%, was super keen and supportive, asked great questions, and was genuinely lovely to be around.”
That’s the stuff people remember 💕.
A good sense of humour, staying calm when it’s busy, and being approachable goes further than you think.
You can always teach someone service techniques or housekeeping standards, but you can’t teach them how to bring good energy ✨.
🎀 For you: Focus on being approachable, steady, and pleasant to work with.
Keep your humour, stay calm, and bring good energy.
Skills can always be taught – but the right attitude is what people really remember 🌸.
6. Don’t Rush 🚫
I know it’s tempting to want the shiny new title.
Chief Stew! More money! Rotation! Authority!
It all sounds so good.
But if you haven’t nailed your current role first, stepping up will just feel like drowning 🫠.
A promotion doesn’t magically make you better at the job – it just gives you more to handle.
The stews I’ve seen thrive are the ones who slow down, get confident in their role, and really build a solid foundation. Then when the next step comes, they’re actually ready for it (and enjoy it way more 🎉).
And remember – every stage teaches you something. Even a bad manager will teach you how not to lead when it’s your turn.
🎀 For you: Focus less on “how fast can I move up” and more on “how well can I do where I am right now.”
Learn the lessons as you go, good or bad. That’s the energy that gets noticed ✨🌸
And it’s what will make you genuinely ready when you do step up.
✨ Final Thoughts 💡
Look, there’s no secret map to becoming a Chief Stew. Everyone’s path is messy and different.
Some of you will crawl up the ladder step by step, some of you will get thrown into the deep end with zero floaties 🫠. Both are fine.
What matters is how you show up along the way 💅.
Stay curious 🔮
Build good relationships 🤝💕
Actually listen to people 🗣️
Put your hand up when you want more ✋
Keep your attitude in check 😅
And most importantly?
Don’t sprint to the finish line before you’ve learned how to walk 🚫.
Do that, and you won’t just “get the title” – you’ll actually enjoy it (instead of sobbing in the pantry and wondering what went wrong).
💌 PSA: Just to be clear – I’m not saying courses don’t help. They do! Education is very important!
I’ve done some over the last few years, and they’ve added so much value for me personally.
But here’s the thing: courses alone won’t move you up.
Don’t rely on them as your only “plan.” The habits you build onboard every day – curiosity, communication, relationships, attitude – those are what really get noticed ✨.
💬 Over to you: if you’re a junior stew right now, what’s ONE thing you’re focusing on learning this season?
Tell me below 👇🎀✨
If you enjoyed this post, I think you’ll love these too 👇✨
- Cabin Comforts: Yacht Stew Essentials I Always Bring Onboard (aka Soft Girl Survival Kit) 🌸🎀
My must-haves for making cabin life a little more ✨aesthetic✨ and a lot more comfortable. - Superyacht Shipyard Survival for Chief Stews 🛠️💅
Tips and tricks for staying sane (and organised) during your first yard period as Chief Stew.
