So during COVID times the concept of boatlife occured to me. Summer of 2024 I went to Greece and did a 5 day RYA competent crew course with exactly zero previous sailing experience.

I fell in love with sailing and want to sail for a real long term job. Is this even realistic at 29 years old?What more do I need to learn? Which courses do I need to do?

For what it's worth I think I have very usefull and transferable skllls based on my previous work experience. After highschool I got into HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) for a couple years. This taught me how to use tools and also how to diagnose mechanical & electrical equipment. I did that for 2.5 years. Then I was in the military for 4 years 8 months (Canadian Armed forces, infantry, I don't wanna say my unit online because I think that's a little too specific/personal/unnecessary). Obviously I'm not expecting any gunfights lol, I think this is useful because there were many days spent being vigilant at all hours of the day & night, living off naps & shitty food. The I left the army in 2023 and have been doing HVAC again since then.

It seems like I'll need to find work in the off season, based on those skills I suspect that won't be too difficult.

Long story short wtf do I need to do in order to sail for work?

Hey guys

a quick question from a newbie, since the licensing and recognition is quite confusing for me: Is it necessary, to get an ICC if you completed an RYA course?

I'm planning to do the RYA Day Skipper and right after the RYA Costal Skipper upcoming spring in Greece. The RYA unfortunately only issues ICC if you are a UK resident. My homecountry, Austria, only issues an ICC if you did a course in Austria. And since we are a landlocked country, the possibilities are limited.

So, if i do all my RYA courses in greece, there is no possibility (at least i think so) to obtain an ICC. The important question: do i need one? Or is it suffitient if i show my RYA license if i charter a sailboat in the USA, Europe or anywhere else in the world?

Thanks for your help, looking forward beeing a part of your community

I'm in the UK and want to take up sailing as a hobby. I understand the best route to gain experience is to offer myself as crew, but what experience would be useful first? I'm looking at RYA Competent Crew vourses. Would anyone recommend? TIA

We are 2 young brisbane based lads who are sick of our office jobs and want to venture out on an Arctic voyage in a wooden ship. We understand the voyage may be dangerous and we will have long periods of darkness and we may never return. But we hope to have alot of glory upon the end of our voyage.

Note: has to be a tall wooden ship (non negotiable)

Brand new to sailing (only a few "learn to sail" sessions under my belt, and taking my STCW certification next week) and looking for what I think may be an impossible ask... I'd love to live aboard a research vessel for a few weeks and learn to sail! I did this once in college, lived on a sailboat for a few weeks in Italy researching whales, and it was amazing but the only thing I can find online is scammy-looking expensive voluntourism programs. I have a degree in conservation biology and worked aboard oyster boats for 5 years, and would really love to be put to work in any capacity (cleaning, cooking, boat repair, and of course actual hands-on sailing!) - I'm not just looking for a fun vacation. I know that looking specifically for a research vessel narrows my options down to basically nothing, as I'm finding out, but - that's my dream! I work in marine conservation and would love to be a part of a project while learning to sail and lending my skills.

Anyone out there got any advice? TIA!

We are a young couple (26 and 30 years old) looking for a crew and sailboat to join to cross the Atlantic, from East to West, starting in January or February 2025. We are very flexible on departure and arrival dates, and on departure location (France, Canaries, Cape Verde, etc.) and arrival location (Caribbean islands, Brazil, US etc.).

We're easy-going, non-smokers, eat and drink everything, love to cook and are willing to help with any tasks on the boat. We are Belgian but have both lived in different places abroad. We're both sporty, big fans of adventure, and used to traveling in small spaces (boats, vans, etc.). We're beginners at sailing, but we're both comfortable at sea and very motivated and eager to learn! (And, of course, we're willing to contribute to the boat expenses).

If our profile interests you, don't hesitate to contact me (or tell anyone you know who might be interested)

2019 Beneteau 38.1 727-776-9199

Hi all! My name is Gary.

I have no hands on sailing experience but I am looking to be an extra hand and learn as I go. I have done a lot of reading and and know where most things are on a sailboat. I'd love to do some experience building and help where I can before before taking on the ASA courses. No job is too big or too small. Thanks!

Contact, trainedmonkey68@yahoo.com

Hi - new to sailing and just did my first race last night. I found the captain and boat on Gosailing and he charged $40 per crew. There was only two of us plus the captain and his wife. He taught us a lot about trimming the sails and racing techniques. For this situation should I send him a tip?

Also, for ASA certifications do you tip the instructor at the end?

Thank you!

I recently completed my first offshore delivery as crew on somebody else's sailboat, from Seattle to San Francisco. It was an unpaid, trading-labor-for-opportunity kind of deal, and I was one of two such crew. (Probably the more experienced one, with years of sailing experience on smaller keelboats, and some coastal skippering in challenging conditions in my logbook.) The owner/captain was a liveaboard and solo cruiser who just needed help for that one rather tough passage.

I learned a lot, and it was overall a really good experience, but there was a lot of personality conflict with the captain and he said some things that left me confused at the end. So I have questions.

I made an honest and concerted effort to treat the boat as carefully as he did, to do what I was told and chip in unasked, and to offer help when I saw him working on something I wasn't sure how to assist with. I also took the watch schedule very seriously, and voluntarily stood some of his watches (with his permission) when he began to get visibly run down.

Not to say that I was perfect. But I tried my best to improve or set things right when criticized. Several times during the trip, he was positive about my performance. I'm confident that he trusted me to stand watches alone and generally appreciated my helpfulness from day to day.

He also occasionally expressed disappointment with our level of experience, complained about not being able to find better [free] crew, and got downright irrational and nasty when the sleep deprivation started to pile up, despite our efforts to stand extra watches for him. At the end of the trip, he expressed an overall dissatisfaction with my attitude and helpfulness, which I found kind of baffling given how hard I'd tried to serve and how positive he'd been at times.

I'm NOT looking for judgment of the captain's behavior on this trip. It would be pointless without his perspective to balance mine, and useless to me as I'll likely never sail with him again.

Instead, I'm trying to make sure I learn the abstractable lessons from this experience. I'd really love an informed discussion about what sailing crew "should" do on a delivery. If (when) I do this again, I'd like to leave behind a happy captain with good memories of my performance and company.

• What chores and social customs are expected of crew?
• Captains, what do you look for when choosing crew?
• Experienced crew, how do you decide whether you want to sail with a particular captain?
• What are your tips for maintaining morale aboard?
• How much do these answers differ for paid -vs- unpaid crew?

Thanks for wading through this wall of text, and for whatever insight you can provide.

To all the sailboat owners and crew, I sail in Chicago. I have been sailing for about 4 years and have raced for 1 year. I want to crew in club regattas, but don't want to be railmeat. I get it that you need to prove your worth on a boat and put in the time, but how do I actually learn how to race and not be spending the next 2-3 years on the rail? I know I have minimum sailing/racing experience, but how else am I to learn? YouTube and books can only do so much.

Hi all, I went to see this WIBO 930 last weekend. It seems to be in very good conditions. Is there anything specific to this boat model that I should know ? My goal is to cross the Atlantic next year (East-West) with 2 or 3 people on board. I am particularly concerned about the ballast/displacement ratio, which is about 33% and is somewhat low.

I am also looking for experienced crew to join the trip, starting January from Portugal, heading to Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and aiming for Salvador de Bahía for Carnival 2025.

Any thought / tip is welcome.

https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/sy-wibo-930/2835043250-211-46

Always looking for crew for day sails. Lagoon 42 Catamaran. Crew needs to have some experience in docking and catamaran boat handling. Docked in Marina Del Rey.

I'm looking for boat/crew to cross the Atlantic in Jan 2025.

I'm experienced but have no boat. So I can either join some (reach out if you have a spot!) or find a crew to buy a boat and sail together.

Any recommendation or advice is appreciated!!

Hello everyone!

I would like to ask some questions about a specific subject, as I'm writing a script that requires a lot of research. Even though it's a fantasy script, I want it to be as accurate as possible, so I thought I'd use Reddit to ask the experts.

Here’s what I would like to know: 

• How did the sailing ships used to work?
• What were the roles and responsibilities of each member of the ship's crew?
• Where did the crew members of the ship used to sleep based on their roles?

Thank you very much in advance!!

Hello,

We are Jonathan and Frieda, both 18 years old, from Germany, and we have just finished school. We are looking for a sailing opportunity to South America. There, we want to spend a year gaining new experiences, exploring different cultures, and, in short, seeing the world.

Although we have no sailing experience, we are very interested and ready to learn quickly. We both speak English and can cook. We are easygoing, can adapt well, and handle stress effectively. Our open and cheerful nature makes it easy to connect with new people.

We would be very happy to find an opportunity on short notice.

Best regards, Jonathan and Frieda

I know there’s probably a lot of pipe dreamers that come through here, so this question has likely come up a lot. But I’m looking for some guidance on how to get on a boat with no experience. I’ve had a dream for a while of sailing, but for some reason someone decided to make everything in life cost money so I need to have some form of income while I do it. I don’t plan on immediately dropping my day job and jumping in a boat for the rest of my life; I’d like to do a few unpaid short trips to get some experience, knowledge, and my sea legs first.

I live in southern OH so the closest water to me would be Lake Erie, which limits my options for learning without major relocation. I’ve read several posts on this sub that mention going to boat clubs/docks and asking around or looking for postings. Is this a viable option without being near a big sailing area?

Sorry if these are all repeat/ignorant questions, but I’m having trouble finding many opportunities through my own searching, so I figured I’d ask some people who know what they’re talking about. Thanks!

Im writing this review to worn people before they go on this sailing adventure with Ally and Shawn.

SAILING CREW ADVENTURES WITH SCUBA DIVING

My partner and I and an American lady took the so called adventure from Palau to Borneo which was meant to be a 25 day sail. It was the sail from hell. We always heard the term winging poms but never really thought this was a thing. Well this captain and partner have their picture attached to this name.

This couple are on a 5 year sail and invite folk every month to join them. They say its not about the money and they are providing adventure for people at $20USD a day per person. remember you need to fly to what ever port they are at, pay for food as well, which l must say is picked by them and is the worst food you could possibly buy. Then you must pay into the kitty $300USD each for this food, then more money for fuel, pay port costs ect ect. Even air for a Scuba tank they charge $10USD. Let me tell you it is all about the money, that's all they are doing this for. Not only do they penny pinch for evey cent they can get they are total scrooges with the food. They will buy food that they know you won't eat it all, but they will be able to keep once you are off the boat.

The captain will watch everything you eat, will ask who's food it is you are eating and cry and scream like a baby until he finds out its yours. You can only eat a sandwich for lunch and if you don't want the bread you are not allowed to eat the contents. They will count pump counts on when you shower and wash the dishes. He will fight about you boiling eggs in the wrong pot.

The American lady who was a paying customer was fully abused for eating tuna for lunch with shaved cheese over the top. It wasn't until the end when she explained it was her own food. Then he comes out will a little apology after acting like a baby. This did not stop. When this lady left the boat the captain Shawn accused her of not paying for her trip. Called the police, immigration and threatened that they will stop her catching a flick out and had two hours to respond. She was in tears and could not believe the crap she was just dished out.After explaining herself to this moron when and how she paid on boarding the boat, he came out with a little sorry again. Then he also blamed her for breaking some little fan in her cabin, which she did not. He had another big baby cry about this. On exiting this boat the captain and Allly would not give back this ladies scuba gear. after many attempts of asking them they would not open the hatch for her to retrieve them. You could class this as stealing. Once again its about the money and what ever they can keep from you.

The captain has a saying on the boat (my house and my rules) Well just let me tell you that some of his rules are disgusting. On the Voyage we were asked and forced to throw every can we opened or drank into the water. This is against MARPOL law. He insists that it all breaks down within two years. Do not believe them. Cans are not made like they were in the old days. Cans are now made up of plastics folded into the layers which are toxic. Not only will they sit in the ocean for up to 200 years they also can be eaten on the way down by marine life. Its a disgusting thing to do with no regard for our oceans or marine life.

Im not even going to go into the crap we had to endure. All we can say if if you have your own opinion he won't like it. Their racists views on culture and religion will shock you. Oh and if you are muslim or coloured l strongly suggest not to go on this Yatch. 

Listen guys if you are thinking of going sailing with these guys save your money. Hire a boat for a week or two somewhere and eat what you like. It will cost the same and you will not regret doing it. We have been on several sailing trips and these guys are really a sad sad couple. Miserable together and with life. 

They advertise on Facebook for people to join them under the name (SAILING CREW ADVENTURES WITH SCUBA DIVING) Don't get sucked in guys.

Happy sailing and fair winds to you.......

I’m pretty sure the answer is anywhere. Hostels, camping, sleeping out, hotels, Airbnb.

I’m in a tiny town in Newfoundland and besides sleeping out somewhere the only options are expensive hotels and Airbnb.

Maybe this is more of a rant that anything, but any input is appreciated!

Hello everybody,

I am looking for a sailing coach job in EU from the end of August to December. Do you know about a website to look for the job? (like Sail1design but for EU). I speak English and Spanish. All the help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi guys, I'm currently working as a deckhand in Sydney Australia. I'm not working on superyachts but a fleet of 5 vessels doing whale watching, harbour tours and private charters. Have to leave Australia next year and will have 2 years experience doing this full time. I know I can get casual work on some white boats/ superyachts while I'm here. Do you think if I were to go to antibes in a few years I would struggle to get a permanent position?

I’m on my first coastal cruise as a deckhand. It’s a 4 month gig working our way from the southern tip of Nova Scotia, up the St. Lawrence to Quebec and back out to set up the boat in St. John, NF for winter. That is to say I’m still a newbie, but have some ok experience.

For my next leg, I’d like to sail the Pacific starting sometime in early 2025. I’m not particularly attached to a specific Pacific destination. Thinking of starting from Hawaii as I have friends there.

Any recommendations on when and where to get a deckhand gig? Start on the west coast of the US, Central or S America? Dock walking in Hawaii? Fly to somewhere in the South Pacific?

I plan on putting myself out there online: FB groups, cruisersforum, maybe some of the crewing websites.

I realize this is a super open ended question, but I have a pretty open ended agenda.

Thanks guys!

Hii! I'm (29f) looking for an opportunity to join delivery crew. I've been into yacthing since 2019, and did one delivery. I'v been around boat and had lots of leisure sailing around the coastal area and hasn't been sailing since 2022. I want to do it again and this time properly. I would say that I am a beginner, but I definitely not awkward around boat and have sea legs!

Please DM me if you are looking to have an extra crew, I would love to be part of the team.

I am an easy going person, can work in team very well. Have a chat with me or an interview if you're interested. Thank you🙏🏽

We are planning on chartering early or middle Dec a mono or cat in BVI. Looking for a couple to join us. We are in our late fifties,easy going. If interested please reply for pm exchange etc . Departing either Dec 7 th or Dec 14th.

Sailing from Key West, FL to Pensacola, FL next week, depending on wind and weather (mostly weather). The itinerary is KW to Clearwater (~200nm), turn and burn to Pensacola (~250nm). They'll be a sister ship making the voyage alongside. If the prep time works out Dry Tortuga's for a night and depart from there.

Anyway, if you want to stop dreaming from the dock and have some availability - we got some bunks. All travel expenses to KW and from Pensacola-ish would be your responsibility.

I stumbled into an opportunity to go crewing for 1.5 months for some people in the PNW and would like to have some advice on it. This would be my first time being paid to crew, though I have done overnight sailing trips before, and this is their first time having paid crew as well so I would like to do some research.

1. Salary? We both don’t know a value for this, still up for discussion. Most to all expenses will be covered by them. I will be helping them out with a lot of tasks but we won’t be doing a lot of extreme sailing and just going about leisurely. Any information/experience on this matter would be extremely appreciated.

2. Ground/Safety Rules? I intend to have a thorough discussion with them on things to do if x, y, or z happens, exchange emergency contacts, safety/emergency procedures for the boat, and location of first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc. They do want to show me the boat before we set off.

Please let me know if there anything obvious that I missed and any advice is welcome. Thank you.

Sailing around the world alone

I'd like to make it very clear that I have no knowledge about sailing.

Im just a regular dude with a burning desire for an adventure, something epic, a story to tell my grandkids one day, if I survive.

Im just a guy with a dream and messed up enough to try it.

I'd like to start from the mediterranean sea (Turkiye, Italy, Spain, it doesnt really matter that much, it's gonna be a cost-minded decision), sail over the Atlantic, maybe rest in central/south America for 2 days, no more.

Sail through the Pacific, rest again just for a couple of days in Australia/south Asia.

Pass the Indian ocean, stay close to India, Oman, Yemen because I heard there's still pirate activity near Somalia (correct me if Im wrong, I pray to be wrong).

Cross the Red Sea and then head north on the canal back to the Mediterranean Sea.

I may sound crazy, I may be, but that's not of importance.

I'd like a sailboat no bigger than 8 meters (26 feet (?) ), as I am not rich lol. What should I be looking for? Any site reccomandations for buying one? Maybe a blog to read, youtube channel to watch, about sailboats? I dont need luxury, comfort is not my main concern. I want a sailboat that can take me on this journey, nothing fancy.

What equipment would I need? Solar panels, radios, a radar? I have no idea, please enlighten me. What about food? Can I take a utility knife and maybe an axe? Would that be legal? Any tools I would need for repairs? Will I have to make repairs on the road?

Sailing routes? Any legal fees I would have to pay? What about the actual sailing, how do I learn that?

How much would this adventure cost me? As I said, Im not planning to stay for long anywhere, just go about my business. I dont want anything fancy, just what I really need to do it.

How long would it take? When would be the best time to do it?

Just throw everything you know at me, EVERYTHING. Im dead serious about this.

Blogs, videos, documentaries, everything about it, everything that can help me make my dream come true, would be very much appreciated.