Hello from the coastline!

[Derek Schwartz]

Hello everyone! Several years ago when I graduated college someone asked me "What do you want to do now?" and I easily replied with "I want to own a sailboat!" There was a good laugh all around, but oh dear reader, I knew it was no joke. Time has passed and I have been travelling since July 2013 with a bicycle. After an unsupported 7000 miles of pedalling I have stopped this bike tour in Ireland and am now faced with the Atlantic ocean sitting between me and my home. My plans of learning to sail here in Ireland came to an unexpected end through no fault of my own and I am still an inexperienced sailor. Luckily someone guided me to this website! It is still not an auspicious moment for my boat ownership but it is a grand time indeed to continue research into those most basic forces of wind and water in their relation to transportation. I don't believe my research will be groundbreaking to anyone familiar with sailing but it will definitely broaden my understanding

I would greatly appreciate if anyone can help me find my way onto a sailboat. I am currently in County Cork, Ireland trying to make it to the Canary islands. It would also be appreciated if anyone knows of someone in the Canaries who needs crew to cross the Atlantic. It seems that any website I have found for matching potential crew with boat owners requires paying rediculous sums of money.

Happy sailing everyone!!!

[Dockhead]

The vast majority of sailors crossing the Atlantic will be looking for crew who are both (a) willing to pull their weight as crew; and (b) willing to share the considerable expense of taking a boat 3000 miles across the ocean. If you've got neither skills nor money to contribute, then you might find it hard to find a berth, as normally both are required.

[haw1961]

Welcome to the forums Derek. I can not help with your predicament, but, if you keep pedaling south your chances of finding a ride should improve. Good luck with your plans.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and welcome Derek!

There is a crew wanted forum here on this site too. It is free. Check it out.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f30/

Good luck!

[Derek Schwartz]

Thanks all for the welcome!

Dockhead: I have funds available to share the expenses of the journey, this is not a problem. I expected that any opportunity would at least require financial contributions. I should have made that more clear. I am just not interested in paying for the opportunity only to contact people. Most crew/captain matching websites I have found are charging £75 for 6 months. The most rediculous one I found wanted $75 per month. And this is only to contact them without knowing if they will reply. Yes, my knowledge is limited but my physical skills are not. From my little experience, I feel there are many basic skills that are easy to acquire such as turning or continuing in a straight line especially in open water when the only obstacles are other boats, or perhaps an ill-placed whale. Hopefully I can find someone willing to teach.

Haw1961: Thanks for the advice but I am done cycling on this continent, hooray! Hahaha. I have accepted that I will have to fly to the islands if I want to even make a claim that I tried to sail across the ocean. I prefer not to fly because to me the best part of the journey is found in getting there and planes just get there too quickly. But, "you can't always get what you want."

Steady Hand: Thank you, I have found that forum already and have posted my listing on there under the title "Crew Available: Atlantic Crossing East to West 2014." I have also posted on any Crew Wanted add that I found relevant and sent my email to user's in a private message.

[Ex-Calif]

Welcome aboard CF Derek...

If you are not fixed on location get to a port where Atlantic journey's most start from and visit the marinas and get your face out there.

Maybe the Atlantic crossers will weigh in about logical start points but I would guess England, Southampton. Look for boats with solar, jerry cans on deck, well weathered etc.

You will learn to spot cruisers vs. day sailers. It will help to have a really good personality, a go along-get along personality, a hard work ethic and manic desire to pitch in and be helpful while not exceeding your skills and knowledge limits - i.e. ask before doing something stupid.

Read a book - Start Sailing Right, Sailing for Dummies or similar. Learn the 4-5 basic knots and learn the terminology of a boat.

It will help if you have a skill like cooking. It will help if you volunteer to clean decks boat and do laundry.

You have to understand as "last" mate your jobs on the boat are going to suck. You have to be cheery and helpful or no one will want you on the boat.

My brother has rejected 3 hitchhiker crew. All young and fit but not one of them had the work ethics I described above. One guy was a real carpenter so it was agreed he would work on some boat projects. They got one done grudgingly and the guy was basically lazy and just expected free passage. He ran out of patience waiting for the weather window etc. and got grumpy. Bye-bye...

Living in a 40 foot tube with strangers is really challenging...

Oh - PS. I am guessing there are few winter crossings of the Atlantic so your timing is probably really bad...

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!