Super Yachting South Africa Stewardess

Our latest beautiful group of SYSA Stewardess course graduates (4 - 8 May 2026)

CONGRATULATIONS to HLUMELO GATSI and THATO MATLELA for achieving DISTINCTION (80%+) in your written exams!!

Kiara Botha, Thato Matlela, Madison Engelbrecht, Mine Rossouw, Rapafadzo Gwanzura, Emily Blumrick, Inge van der Walt (absent from photo: Hlumelo Gatsi)

Our amazing SYSA Steward/ess course graduates this week! (20 - 24 Apr 2026)

CONGRATULATIONS to ELIZE MALHERBE, NICOLE MATTHEW and NADIA DE VRIES for achieving DISTINCTION (80%+) for your written exams!!

Olivia Angileri, Nicole Matthew, Elize Malherbe, Nadia de Vries, Ronel Luttig, David Griesel (missing from photo: Inge van der Walt)

GREENIE EVENT!!!

DON'T MISS THIS IF YOU ARE IN PALMA!

Venue: The Crow's Nest Restaurant - Cala Major, Palma de Mallorca
Time: 18:30
Date: 24 April 2026

Co-hosted by an amazing Crew Placement Agency EL CREW CO

Another great week with our SYSA Steward/ess graduates (13 - 17 April 2026)

CONGRATULATIONS to BRITNEY OOSTHUIZEN, ZHOEY GREEN and KYLE PRETORIUS for achieving DISTINCTIONS (80%+) for their written exams!!

Sinethemba Khowa, Sarah Wolfswinkel, Grace Nicholson, Kayla Botha, Taflene Jones, Zhoey Green, Skye Breetzke, Britney Oosthuizen, Kyle Pretorius, Emma Martin, Barend Vorster

New Schengen Immigration Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-Schengen nationals:

What does it mean for yacht crew?

Date: 15 April 2026

As you may know, the new Schengen Immigration Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-Schengen nationals entered into force on 10 April 2026.

This new digital EES registration replaces the system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. It is a European database in which the Member States record the data of nationals of non-EU and non-Schengen Area countries, who cross the borders into the Schengen Area. It has been gradually implemented since 12 October 2025 and has been "fully" operational since 10 April 2026.

The PYA reached out to EU officials to discuss the situation of non-Schengen nationals joining a vessel in a port in the Schengen Area, and I met with officials from the French Immigration administration, to discuss how the system would be implemented.

In theory, nothing has changed for Non-Schengen nationals, other than the fact that they are digitally stamped in (not in their passport) when they enter a Schengen border and digitally stamped out (not in their passport) when they board their vessel, and vice versa.

Individuals who require a visa will still need a visa and their passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned end of stay in the Schengen Area.

A new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for nationals not subject to a visa, will be implemented towards the end of 2026.

The system in practice

From now on, when a non-Schengen national arrives at a Schengen border, their passport will be scanned into the system with the date of entry. The very fact that the immigration officer will let the individual into the Schengen Area, serves as a proof that they are legally allowed to remain in the Schengen Area.

As with the old system, the individual should then go to the immigration office, local to their vessel, to present their passport. It will be scanned again and the immigration officer will make a digital note in the system (not in their passport) that the yacht crew has been “stamped out” to join the vessel.

The reverse should be implemented when the crew leaves the yacht to fly outside the Schengen Area.

A very important matter, with huge consequences, is the fact that only Customs & Immigration and the Border Police have access to the Digital system.

The individual will have no visible proof to show that they are legally in the Schengen Area and within the number of allocated days.

Serious implications

1. The responsibility lies with the crew member, to make sure that they are operating within the confines of the immigration law.

2. They will have no official means to prove the above to the yacht captain or to the management company. This is the reason why we recommend to all non-Schengen nationals to keep a record of their Schengen entry & exit dates (this could be on a loose sheet of paper, copies of their boarding passes and any other means to document their coming in and out of Schengen borders, such as dated photos at airports, etc.).

3. Should a non-Schengen national exceed their number of days in the Schengen area, they may face a number of possibilities:

• If trying to be stamped back into the country to leave the boat, the immigration officer is likely to refuse and ask the captain to sail the vessel to a non-Schengen country, in order for the crew member to disembark;

• If going straight to the airport or to any other Schengen border to exit, a note will be inserted into their file and this may adversely affect their next attempt to enter the Schengen area. They can be declined re-entry or, at the very least, the individual will have to wait 90 days outside the Schengen Area before they can re-enter for another short stay.

In theory, the above is the way the system should be implemented in the whole of the Schengen area.

The situation in Italy

We understand that Italy is implementing a different procedure than described above, requesting vessels to depart Italian waters within 10 days, in order for crew to be stamped out. We are told by non-Italian officials that this country’s “application of the new EES is not in line with the Schengen Code”.

Food for thought

1. As is often the case, administrations are not best at communicating new regulations. We understand that the information should have been communicated “Top-Down”, from central administrations to regional administrations, then to harbour authorities, etc. We understand from local Immigration officers that not many stakeholders are aware of the workings of the new EES. For this reason, please feel free to distribute this email widely to your own network, management and other companies, other vessels, Harbour masters, etc.

2. As we have seen in the past, crew may face different situations when addressing immigration officials, depending on the port or even sometimes depending on the individual they are addressing. Should crew encounter any problems or issues with the implementation of the new EES, please contact me at [email protected], as we would like to gather, and document, real-life experience to provide feedback to administrations and to maritime authorities.

Best regards
Christophe Bourillon
CEO, PYA

STEWARDESS POSITION - MEDITERRANEAN

Seeking a Second Stewardess for a 32m charter boat in the Mediterranean.

If you need any additional information about the position, please contact Deborah Drake.

Send CVs to:
Deborah Drake [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

If you are already in Palma, don't miss this great networking event!

For more information, contact Lynne at:
www.phoenixsyt.com

Contact www.phoenixsyt.com for any information - be sure to attend!

https://dailyinvestor.com/finance/124666/sars-warns-south-africans-working-in-these-specific-jobs/

SARS warns South Africans working in these specific jobs South Africans working as yacht crew, divers, or riggers remain subject to complex tax rules and must carefully comply to avoid penalties and unexpected tax liabilities.

A little heads up if you are going to Antibes
(***This is meant as a positive, uplifting post, some of it may be outdated, but just some guidance on all the options out there. If some of it is not possible anymore, keep trying - the point is to advise you to think outside the box).

by Patrick Forsyth

So through my different interactions with yachties - green or not, some going back for second season, some already in Antibes. I've got a few tips, that can save you some time and frustration. The shipyard in Antibes, Chantier Naval Trehard, do not allow people to walk around inside the shipyard like they used to do. It was magic back in the day, the captain would be standing there watching his boat come out the water and you were standing next to him waiting to get a word in and telling him you were looking for daywork. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. These days you have to leave a CV with the office and they will give it to the captains as their boats come out the water and they are looking for someone.

Now you can be one step ahead and perhaps if your nose is really to the ground like a good hunting dog, see or hear of or be partial to a boat that is coming out the water. I've known times when a captain on his boat on the mooring says to me: "I am coming out on the hard on Friday..." You say: "Great I'll see you there." And then just hope you see him again, but when they are time slotted to come out the water its a real thing, so that boat will be leaving its mooring at break of dawn and moving over to the shipyard, and if the captain is alone, he needs someone to do the lines. Girl or guy - it makes no difference. You wait there and assist with the lines. So that could be another option to just leaving your CV with the office, sniff out the boats that are coming out the water. And be ahead of the curve.

I believe also through a deckie that I spoke to, that the International Quay doesn't allow anyone to walk along there anymore either, they must have someone manning the gate. Again back in the old days, we could walk all the way down to where M.Y. Kingdom was moored and get some day work. So the only way around this is if you know the name of the boat and you say you are going to such and such boat, the guy at the gate will let you through. They have crew walking through there during the mornings, so I don't see why they wouldn't let a deckie/stewardess - male or female through there if you know the keyword that opens the chasm. Think outside the box. Watch the gate and see what's going down, how are these people getting through what are they saying to the guy on the gate. And then the next morning give it a shot.

M.Y. Kingdom can hire like 10 dayworkers at a time. I used to work for them for about three months all in all every year. Prepping to paint and then painting, grinder and mastic, and anti-rust and undercoat and top coat. Plenty of work. just have to get past the 'open sesame'.

So that's all I have, other than do the agencies, get on the train and go to Golfe Juan, two places to look are: outer sea wall and inner berths closer to the road. Once that's done, get on the train and go to Cannes and do the Vieux Port, and once you've done there, take a nice long walk along the Croissette to Port Pierre Canto. Do the boats there. There is also a shipyard in Cannes that takes out powerboats for its annual wash and change of anodes, buff the hull and propeller and paint the chain. Keep your eyes peeled and that spirit of winning. The more you scratch, the more you'll find. It's just the way it is. All the best, season kicks off at the end of April - ready for the Cannes film festival and then Monaco Grand Prix. And for one last idea, why don't you make it a day and go to Monaco and walk the docks. Good luck, and don't despair, its a marathon this industry, not a sprint. Just keep locked in and focus. All the best. You've got this.