We just finished our charter yesterday. We had a terrific week! It was the first time we had a chef onboard, but I don't think it will be the last. We won't be able to afford one every time, but we would definitely do it again. The food was fantastic, and the help with the cleanup was much appreciated. It was great to have someone thinking about the next meal while we were playing. Plus the help with provisioning was great too!

What did it cost to have a chef aboard and where did he/she sleep?

Also interested in the details here.
Must you also have a licensed captain aboard to have a chef aboard? (i.e. looking for any weird regs that might apply).

Why I ask is that we've considered having a chef, but I charter/run the boat though I'm not a licensed captain. License is generally not required for a bareboat charter.

Twanger - I'm available!

The chef slept in the crew cabin. This is not the best of cabins on a Lagoon 450 - it only has deck access via a hatch. However, she did not complain once about it. We offered to switch her around to an inside cabin because the kids were sleeping outside or in cockpit of their own choice, but she said she was just fine in the crew cabin.

The fee was $200 per day (plus a tip), which I think is higher than the Moorings fee for a chef. While this seems high, I think our total expenses were not a lot higher than other trips because the beach restaurants charge soooo much. (I do have a sheet of our expenses to go over, but I have not done it yet.) We ate dinner out once, and spent $400 on one meal (Wonky Dog). We ate lunch out once and spent a lot there too. Onboard we had no waiting for tables or slow service! I thought I would miss going out to eat more often but I really did not. We would sometimes go in for a drink at bar, but since we were having dinner onboard I think our bar bills were generally lower too.

We occasionally pitched in to help with washing some dishes, but the chef did 98% or more and helped keep the main salon more tidy than it usually is. We set the table sometimes, but with everything lined up for us, it was a trivial task.

We got along very well with her and she seemed to like us, or at least she was very good at making us feel that way. Perhaps this is an important skill for an onboard chef to have. She did say she would be happy to go on a trip with us again.

I do have a captain's license, but I don't think it's necessary to hire on crew. She was not paying us for the trip, which is generally the test. However, I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice!

It was a real treat when appetizers, cocktails, or a yummy meal just appeared for us! And this happened multiple times a day!

Her name and contact info ??

Ditto

I'm thinking your charter company can probably connect you with someone. I know the chef we has is booked up for while, but I will ask her if I can pass along her contact info.

hopefully her paperwork is in order, should you decide to publish her name...

Really ?? You're not going to share her name and contact info ?? That kind of screws her out of future business, don't ya think ??

Whoa...easy now...She's booked up at the moment and I want to check with her before posting her info. It just seems more like the more courteous thing to do. Nowhere in my posts does it say I will not share.

If she's properly licensed and is in this career to make a living she would certainly want her contact info shared here. Being booked is a great way to garner interest for future business.

Why would you need a license to prepare food on a private vessel?

I'm with you here, Steve.
I do not want my information posted
on the internet without my permission.
I would not post anyone's contact info
without their permission.
One man's opinion.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Mike

You would need a valid work permit if a non-belonger.

Because you are operating as a business enterprise and accepting payment for those services.