Quay Crew is the superyacht recruitment arm of Quay Group, a specialist staffing agency serving the UHNW sector across yachting, private estates, maritime, and family offices. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Watford, UK, Quay Crew has placed over 2,000 candidates and serves more than 350 UHNW clients worldwide.
Background
Quay Crew was built on a simple principle: the people who recruit yacht crew should understand what it's actually like to work on a yacht. The company's superyacht consultants are all former crew members themselves — giving them an insight into onboard culture, hierarchy, and the realities of life at sea that generalist recruiters simply don't have.
What started as a yacht crew recruitment agency has grown into Quay Group, encompassing four specialist divisions:
Quay Crew — superyacht recruitment (captains to stewardesses)
Quay Maritime — land-based maritime sector recruitment
Quay Estates — private residence and estate staffing
Quay Family Office — family office and UHNW investment firm recruitment
Approach
Quay Crew's philosophy is "quality over quantity." Rather than flooding clients with CVs, the team follows a stringent due diligence, pre-screening, and verbal referencing process. Every candidate put forward has been assessed not just for skills but for cultural fit, aspirations, and long-term potential.
This consultative approach means the agency works closely with both candidates and clients to set realistic expectations — maximising performance and longevity while significantly reducing the cost and risk of a bad hire.
Expertise
With 75 years' combined onboard experience and 90 years' recruitment expertise across the team, Quay Crew covers every position on a superyacht — from captains and chief engineers to chefs, stewardesses, and deckhands. The agency also handles technical managers, heads of HR, and shore-based maritime roles.
Industry Contribution
Quay Crew is an active voice in the conversation around crew welfare, retention, and professional development. The agency's data on crew turnover and career patterns — including surveys of hundreds of serving crew — has been cited across industry media and informs how owners and management companies think about staffing.
In an industry where finding and keeping good crew remains the single biggest operational challenge, Quay Crew has positioned itself as the trusted partner for those who take crewing seriously.
