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Meet Cara
Over 30 years of experience in Yachting Taught Us One Thing
Finding the right crew is not about ticking boxes. It is about understanding people.
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Our story
We have done these jobs, not just recruited for them
Cara started as a stewardess/deckhand on a 68ft sailing yacht and finished as Purser on 75m+ motor yachts. In between she worked across deck and interior on both private and charter boats, which means when a captain describes a problem, we have usually lived it.
That is the difference between reading a CV and understanding one. We know which certificates matter for which boat, which roles burn people out, and why a technically perfect candidate can still be the wrong person for your crew.
Cara Lees Yacht Crew was founded in 2021 to do this properly rather than at volume: a small number of yachts, handled personally, with relationships that outlast any single placement.
The professional journey
From deck and interior to Purser
The beginning
Stewardess / Deckhand
68ft Sailing Yacht
Learning the trade in the most literal sense. On a boat that size the job runs across both sides — deck work and interior, the long days, and the seamanship everything else is built on.
Command and management
Purser
75m+ Motor Yacht
Running budgets, crew logistics and administration on large vessels, and watching how the right and wrong crew decisions play out across a season.
Cara Lees Yacht Crew Ltd is registered in Scotland, company number SC693620, and operates in line with MLC 2006. It is an MCA certified recruitment and placement agency. Read the Statement of Conformity.
About the agency
Common questions
Who is Cara Lees?
Cara Lees is the founder of Cara Lees Yacht Crew, a yacht crew recruitment agency based in Edinburgh. She spent over 30 years working on superyachts, starting as a stewardess/deckhand on a 68ft sailing yacht and finishing as Purser on 75m+ motor yachts, before moving ashore into recruitment.
When was Cara Lees Yacht Crew founded?
The agency was founded in 2021 and is registered in Scotland as Cara Lees Yacht Crew Ltd, company number SC693620.
Is Cara Lees Yacht Crew MCA certified?
Yes. The agency is an MCA Certified Recruitment and Placement Agency and operates in line with the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. It was also a finalist for Best Superyacht Recruitment Agency at the 2022 Superyacht Business Awards.
Does it cost crew anything to register?
No, and it never will. Under MLC 2006 a recruitment and placement service cannot charge crew a fee for finding them work. Crew are never invoiced for placement.
What kind of yachts does the agency crew?
Private and charter superyachts, typically between 30m and 90m, across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the United States. Placements cover deck, engineering, ETO, galley and interior, from junior crew through to captain and heads of department.
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