Crew Available: NYC

[Globalksp]

Hi All,

I'm a 31 year old freelance photographer, digital tech, and photo assistant living and working in NYC and I'd like to get back sailing.

My sailing experience is limited to a year spent living in the USVI where I occasionally crewed on a day sailer and, most recently, as crew aboard a 31' Beneteau that participated in friendly, Wednesday night races on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. The only things resembling a passage I've ever made was a small one from the San Blas Islands to Cartagena.

Being honest with myself and quelling those dreams of immediate boat ownership, I'm researching the various sailing schools in and around NYC in order to gain the certifications necessary to then become a member of a sailing club and thus be able to sail when I'd like.

Being more of a cast the lines off and learn kind of person, I take to doing a lot of my own learning via books and information resources (Annapolis Guide, Coast Guard Information, OpenCourseware classes on meteorology, Yacht design and boat science, etc...) as well as practical things like learning knots and reading people's first hand accounts.

I see the opportunity of crewing as a great middle ground to those two schools of learning. Being a freelancer, I have a flexible schedule and am interested in crewing on everything from a daysail around the city to a long distance delivery. I'm happy and able to pay my own way for provisions and for the right circumstances, share operational costs.

Finally, I'm interested in learning all aspects of sailing and perhaps more importantly, maintaing yachts. If you have a boat on the hard in the NYC area (I keep a car in the city) that you are working on, I'd be glad to come out and lend a hand, trading my work for your knowledge.

I'd rather not talk more about myself than I already have (as much as I enjoy it of course), so, I'll leave it at that. If you're interested don't hesitate to get in touch.

Cheers,

Kyle

[DennisM]

If you'd like to drive up to Haverstraw, NY, and do some daysailing on the Hudson, you'd be welcome aboard. I may also do an overnight cruise down to 79th St. Boat Basin and back some time in June. Mostly, I sail on weekends, but I am self-employed, so my schedule is somewhat flexible also.

Email, if you like: jbandd at yahoo (dot) com

[PaulSommers]

If you are still interested in crewing in Jan. 2014, please contact me not later than November. I will be taking my 30' junk rigged sailboat from N. Florida down to Puerto Rico, 12+ days offshore if the weather cooperates. If the forecasts are marginal, then maybe a cruise through the Bahamas while waiting for an offshore window. For some idea of my experience and the boat, see sommerstravels dot com. I will be looking for 1 or 2 crewmembers for this voyage as my wife does not like offshore passages - she'll join me at San Juan PR.

Don't rule out the do-it-yourself approach - it all comes down to learning how to do it yourself in the end. And some people have done surprisingly well with such approaches. See for example a book about the circumnavigation of a newbies-to-sailing couple on s/v bumfuzzle (Google: bumfuzzle), or the tales of another young adventurer couple from New Zealand who bought another junk-rigged boat in Nova Scotia and sailed it through the NW Passage to Alaska (Google: Teleport NW Passage). It sounds like you have done a lot of reading and courses, so the next step is real experience, whether by crewing or on your own. Another way to gain crewing experience - look for racers needing crew. Many opportunities on Long Island Sound - head for some yacht clubs and ask around. Good luck however you go about it!

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted by DennisM

If you'd like to drive up to Haverstraw, NY, and do some daysailing on the Hudson, you'd be welcome aboard. I may also do an overnight cruise down to 79th St. Boat Basin and back some time in June. Mostly, I sail on weekends, but I am self-employed, so my schedule is somewhat flexible also.

Email, if you like: jbandd at yahoo (dot) com

Sounds great, Dennis. Email coming.

-K

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted by PaulSommers

If you are still interested in crewing in Jan. 2014, please contact me not later than November.

Hi Paul,
This sounds good. My calendar is wide open in January. I'll pencil in the passage on my end, please do the same on yours. I'll send you a PM with my full contact info.

Originally Posted by PaulSommers

Don't rule out the do-it-yourself approach - it all comes down to learning how to do it yourself in the end. And some people have done surprisingly well with such approaches.

Thanks for this as well Paul. Trial by fire has proven to be my preferred course of learning in most things. Financial hurtles seem to be the only thing keeping me from diving right in with my own at the moment.

Originally Posted by PaulSommers

See for example a book about the circumnavigation of a newbies-to-sailing couple on s/v bumfuzzle (Google: bumfuzzle), or the tales of another young adventurer couple from New Zealand who bought another junk-rigged boat in Nova Scotia and sailed it through the NW Passage to Alaska (Google: Teleport NW Passage).

After Slocum and Moitessier and Roth and Heyerdahl, I ventured online and found both Bumfuzzle and Teleport as well as so many other inspiring stories (many of them via furledsails.com.

Hope to see you in January.

-Kyle

[SecondBase]

Sailing yacht local to NY harbor. PM contact details if you're still looking.