Superyacht Crew Sleep in Tiny Hidden Cabins – but the Tips Can Be Big

• Crew members working on the Ohana make about $1,400 per Monat and receive large tips.
• Insider was told by the superyacht crew that it is important to get along with your colleagues.
• Superyacht work can be stressful, so it is important that the captain understands the needs of his crew.

As a guest, it is an incredible luxury experience to sail on a yacht.

However, for the crew it is a very different story. They must work long hours before they can go to sleep in the tiny cabins onboard the vessel. 

Tea Kundić and Valentina Rijeka were two of the crew who worked this summer on the Ohana, a 160-foot superyacht based in Split, Croatia.

They spent six months catering to up to 30 people, making sure everyone was happy from the moment they arrived until they went to bed at night.

The crew cabins are located at the rear end of the main deck. Kundić and Rijeka each have their own en-suite cabins where they go when their working days are finally done.

Rijeka, 30, is the most recent recruit to Ohana’s crew, led by captain and owner, Josip Šerka.

While she is paid a basic salary of 10,000 Kunas (about $1.400), guests often tip generously at end of stay. 

Rijeka stated that sometimes you can get as much as $1,000 extra after a seven day charter.

Rijeka said to Insider that she is trying to save as much money as possible in order to fulfill her dream of opening a Hawaiian bar.  

Šerka splits tips equally between the crew and does not take a cut himself, according to the crew members.

Kundić, 24, described the captain as a “calm soul,” adding: “He just makes some jokes and makes everyone happy.”

The captain’s right-hand man Zoran Vidović, 39, told Insider that working on a superyacht can be very enjoyable but is often quite demanding. This is especially true for young people who charter the yacht to party, he said.

He recalls an incident where the crew were preparing to raise the anchor when some guests jumped into the water near the propellers: “You’ve got to be on it –  you must think about safety at all times.”

Rijeka states that it is important to be able “to get along” with fellow crew members. This is because you will often be working with the same people for several months. It’s important to “respect each other’s boundaries” and give people space when they need it, Kundić adds.

It is crucial to make sure everyone feels supported, she said. 

Šerka knows just how his crew feel, because he was in their shoes before becoming captain.

“I was working as a sailor, a waiter in the kitchen – I tried everything, so I know how hard it is,” he says. “I would like to have the same boss as when I did these jobs.