UK-based recruiter Nick Wilson of Whitewater Recruitment is examining the current state of yacht crew salaries, starting with the engineering department, after a recent LinkedIn poll he conducted indicated that many crewmembers are seeing little improvement in pay. Wilson, a former chief engineer, launched the poll to gauge salary trends across the industry. Of the 131 respondents, 54 percent said their salary had either remained the same or declined over the past 12 months. According to the poll results: • 18 percent received a significant increase • 26 percent received a small increase • 42 percent said their salary stayed the same • 12 percent said their overall package had worsened “More than half of the crew who responded are either standing still or moving backward, while the cost of living ashore continues to rise,” Wilson said. Wilson said salary discussions in yachting are often shaped by anecdotal information, outdated figures, or assumptions about current market rates, making accurate data increasingly important for both crew and employers. To gather more detailed industry insight, Whitewater Recruiting has launched a salary survey focused on yacht engineers, with plans to expand into other departments. Engineers interested in participating can complete the survey.