Skipper jobs in the UK: where the yacht delivery work is and how to get it

Short answer: most UK yacht delivery and skipper jobs start on the south coast, above all around the Solent and the River Hamble, with steady work from the West Country, the east coast and Scotland. The work peaks in spring, when boats move to their summer base, and from late summer into autumn, when boats head south to the Mediterranean. For paid skipper work owners expect a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore, STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical. On Boat Gigs you apply to a posted delivery with a short message and your fee, and agree the job with the owner directly.

If you searched for skipper jobs in the UK, you are probably after one of two things: paid skipper work, or crew berths that build your miles. Delivery work offers both. This guide covers where UK delivery jobs come from, what they ask for, and how to get picked.

Where are the skipper jobs in the UK?#

UK delivery work follows the boats, and the boats cluster in a few areas.

• The Solent and the River Hamble. The centre of UK yachting, from Southampton and the Hamble to Lymington, Portsmouth and Gosport: marinas, boatyards, brokers and dealers. New boats are commissioned here, used boats change hands here, and many autumn deliveries to the Mediterranean set off from here.
• The West Country. Plymouth, Falmouth, Dartmouth and Salcombe. A common jumping-off point for Biscay and a regular stop on coastal moves.
• The east coast. The Suffolk and Essex rivers, plus boats arriving from the Netherlands and Belgium across the southern North Sea.
• Scotland and the Irish Sea. The Clyde, Oban and the west coast, and passages to and from Ireland and Wales.

Jobs in Hamble: why so many deliveries start there#

The River Hamble, between Southampton and Portsmouth, is lined with marinas, boatyards and yacht brokers. That makes it a natural start or finish for a delivery: boats bought through Hamble brokers move to their new home port, boats leaving for a season in the Med set off from the river, and boats come back to it for refit or sale.

A recent example from the Boat Gigs board: a 2024 Dufour 470 from Hamble to Gibraltar, about 1,250 nautical miles, skippered by a captain with two crew. That is a typical UK to Med job. Our routes page plans Solent to Gibraltar at 9 to 13 days at sea, plus preparation and handover.

What kind of UK delivery jobs are there?#

Distances and days are the planning figures from our routes and prices page, for a 40 ft cruising yacht. Short coastal moves are often one skipper, sometimes with a mate. Longer offshore passages usually need a skipper plus one or two crew, which is where crew jobs and mile-building berths come from.

When is the busiest season for UK delivery work?#

• Spring (March to June): boats come out of winter storage and move to their summer base, new boats are delivered to their owners, and boats that wintered abroad come home.
• Late summer and autumn (August to October): the move south. Owners who want a winter in the Mediterranean send their boats across Biscay, ideally well before late October, when the weather gets harder to work with.
• Winter: quieter in UK waters. The work moves to the Canaries, the Atlantic crossing and the Caribbean. See Transatlantic delivery: the best windows.

Which qualifications do UK skipper jobs ask for?#

For paid skipper work on a delivery, owners and their insurers usually expect:

• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore as a minimum for offshore passages, and Yachtmaster Ocean for long ocean legs
• A commercial endorsement on that Yachtmaster, which adds an ENG1 medical, safety training and the online PPR course (details in Commercial Endorsement)
• STCW Basic Safety Training and a valid ENG1 medical
• A VHF radio licence (SRC) and a first aid certificate

Coastal jobs sometimes accept Yachtmaster Coastal. Crew positions ask less: STCW Basic and logged miles help, and some skippers take on newer crew who want to build miles. For the full picture, see Yacht delivery captain licences and How to become a yacht delivery captain.

What do UK delivery skipper jobs pay?#

Pay is agreed with the owner, usually as a day rate or a rate per nautical mile, with travel, fuel, marina fees and provisioning paid on top. Many UK skippers quote in pounds, but the structure is the same as in the rest of Europe. The ranges we publish, and how to work out your own rate, are in Delivery skipper rates.

How do you get picked for a UK delivery?#

• Fill in your profile properly. Tickets, sea miles, the boats and waters you know. Owners look for someone who has sailed their kind of boat in their kind of water.
• Upload your certificates. Once checked they show as Verified badges on your profile, which is the first thing many owners look at.
• Apply early, with a specific message. Three sentences: why this route suits you, your relevant experience, and when you are available.
• Quote clearly. Say what your fee covers and what is billed on top. A transparent quote reads as professional.
• Stay reachable. Answer messages on the web or in the Boat Gigs app. A quick, clear reply makes a good first impression.

Other boat jobs in the UK#

Deliveries are one part of UK boat work. Sailing schools hire instructors, charter and flotilla companies hire skippers for the season, and superyachts recruit crew through specialist agencies. Boat Gigs focuses on deliveries: one-off passages you can fit around other work, with the owner as your direct contact. If that suits you, start with yacht delivery jobs or yacht delivery crew jobs.