Gulf to VIrgin Islands/Caribbean

[htx_sailor]

Howdy, fellow newbie sailor in Houston here. It was about 2 years ago I was in your shoes, just getting hit by the sailing bug out of no where and hitting the forums.

I would definitely recommend going to Galveston Bay Cruising Association - Home and the local yacht club sites and post on the crew lists. This is how I first sailed, and scored a steady position on a j-80 for the racing seasons.

Also the restaurant Villa Capri is where the races in Clear Lake are hosted, they have a pier with a crew flag you can raise before the race starts to try and score a ride. Wednesday nights, races start at 6. I have had success in this and have seen plenty others use it.

The Seabrook marina (next to the bridge) is a good spot also to try and find a boat to crew on. If you hit up the dry docks at 5pm on Wednesday nights, it is very likely you will find someone willing to take you out. In fact I'm heading out from there tonight for the races, of which I met on the forums.

It's a lot easier than you think to get on the water, trust me. I have a couple seasons of races as crew under my belt, just took the 101 ASA at Bay Area Sailing School (highly recommended), and am now looking to purchase a cruiser to be hopefully voyaging on this time next year.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by Camcmillen

I also have signed up for ASA 101, 103, 105 courses for this summer.

If you get some sailing in this summer, and want to get a taste of offshore sailing, look for a crew position on a boat doing the Harvest Moon Regatta -
Harvest Moon Regatta®

It's late October, and you'll need to have the time for this. Maybe even a couple of weekends to sail with the crew of the boat you're on before the regatta. Also, there are usually plenty of boats needing crew for the return trip.

The website lists crew wanted positions as the race nears, so keep an eye on the website if you're interested. Or... go check out the yacht club and ask around. Don't be shy.


This isn't a hard core race (except for the serious guys). Mostly a bunch of people sailing from Galveston to Port Aransas (150 NM), getting their feet wet offshore.

Good luck.

Ralph

[Camcmillen]

Originally Posted by htx_sailor

Howdy, fellow newbie sailor in Houston here. It was about 2 years ago I was in your shoes, just getting hit by the sailing bug out of no where and hitting the forums.

I would definitely recommend going to Galveston Bay Cruising Association - Home and the local yacht club sites and post on the crew lists. This is how I first sailed, and scored a steady position on a j-80 for the racing seasons.

Also the restaurant Villa Capri is where the races in Clear Lake are hosted, they have a pier with a crew flag you can raise before the race starts to try and score a ride. Wednesday nights, races start at 6. I have had success in this and have seen plenty others use it.

The Seabrook marina (next to the bridge) is a good spot also to try and find a boat to crew on. If you hit up the dry docks at 5pm on Wednesday nights, it is very likely you will find someone willing to take you out. In fact I'm heading out from there tonight for the races, of which I met on the forums.

It's a lot easier than you think to get on the water, trust me. I have a couple seasons of races as crew under my belt, just took the 101 ASA at Bay Area Sailing School (highly recommended), and am now looking to purchase a cruiser to be hopefully voyaging on this time next year.

well HOWDY! Its nice to see someone from my area who has also been in my shoes. I am signed up for the ASA 101 sailing class at Bay Area Sailing School. I definitely will have to see about going down there one day to try to hop on as crew. I hope to see you around someday soon!

[htx_sailor]

Forgot to mention my most successfull source for crewing: Wednesday Night Sailboat Races on Clear Lake!!

[xeon_tsd]

Originally Posted by htx_sailor

Forgot to mention my most successfull source for crewing: Wednesday Night Sailboat Races on Clear Lake!!

That is exactly what I was going to post...

You got 2 years left in school??? Why not get a small 27ish boat to live on now? Sail it some on the weekends.. Maintain it but I wouldn't try to make it your dream boat. Learn what you like and hate about the layout. This will give you real experience on what works and what doesn't. You will also find out if you can handle the small space for extended period of time.. living at the dock on a small boat is very different from living in a small apt... I lived aboard during and after college (in Cali) it was fantastic!

I will have my boat sailing again in a few weeks. Always looking for crew.

[Camcmillen]

Originally Posted by xeon_tsd

That is exactly what I was going to post...

You got 2 years left in school??? Why not get a small 27ish boat to live on now? Sail it some on the weekends.. Maintain it but I wouldn't try to make it your dream boat. Learn what you like and hate about the layout. This will give you real experience on what works and what doesn't. You will also find out if you can handle the small space for extended period of time.. living at the dock on a small boat is very different from living in a small apt... I lived aboard during and after college (in Cali) it was fantastic!

I will have my boat sailing again in a few weeks. Always looking for crew.

hey xeon! I would totally do that, however, I am moving to Lubbock at the end of July. and that happens to be the farthest place from the coast I could go in Texas. There are not even lakes. Just one small water reservoir for recreation with no docks or fuel stations.

I would be willing to help out crewing. I would also help put in free man hours fixing/cleaning boats for anyone if i was taught things. I would consider it education. With all the rain we've had you can probably sail from Austin to Houston then down to the Gulf.