The Below Deck crew members are raking in the cash, but which yacht crew makes the most?
In the first season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, the crew made a total of $143,000 in tips for a six-week season, allowing each yachty to pocket $16,000. That’s a nice chunk of change for a mere six weeks, but that amount is considered mid-range compared to what other crews have received in the franchise. For instance, Captain Lee Rosbach‘s season five crew took home $56,650 each in tips alone.
According to one yachting source, crews working on motors yachts, such as the ones featured on Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean, tend to make more in tip money, and they also earn higher salaries than sailing crews. Motor yachts require a higher level of formality, which is one reason for the difference in pay.
“Motor yachts are more formal regarding uniforms, owner and guest relations, and job requirements,” according to the source as reported by Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “That is why the salaries are higher.”
For example, a deckhand on a sailing yacht earns around $3,250 per month while someone with the same position on a similar size motor yacht will bring in about $4,000 per month. This difference also applies to the stewards as a motor yacht stew makes about $3,300 monthly while a sailing stew will earn around $2,500.
As for captains, it’s unclear what Captain Lee, Captain Sandy Yawn, or Captain Glenn Shephard are making. According to Luxury Yacht Group, yearly salaries range anywhere from $48,000 to $310,000, but the amount completely depends on experience and the size of the vessel.
Although Captain Lee likely receives a higher salary than Glenn, Lee claims that Glenn’s job is more difficult.
“Sailing vessels are a lot of work, but we usually have more crew on same size motor yacht, but I would say sailing on a big sailboat is harder,” he explained to a curious fan on Twitter on March 1.
Sailing vessels are a lot of work, but we usually have more crew on same size motor yacht, but I would say sailing on a big sailboat is harder. https://t.co/kDTlloKxE5
— Captain Lee (@capthlr) March 2, 2021
The Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew does have one big advantage, though. They are typically able to spend more time exploring the beautiful surroundings than those on a motor yacht.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Monday nights on Bravo at 9/8c.
Photo Credit: Laurent Basset/Bravo