New Life

[CaptainTtwo]

So I am thinking of starting a new life. I assume that living in the US if I wanted to be a sailing instructor, ASA training would be the way to go? What if however; I was most interested in Yacht delivery with the eventual goal being a delivery Captain. In this case would RYA or some other form of training give me the best chance to find first deckhand and then later skipper jobs???

[David M]

I chartered a boat from a local sailing club a few months ago. I asked the head of the club about becoming a very part time sailing instructor. I used to teach sailing 25 years ago for another sailing club in the SF Bay Area where I was paid $15/hour....which was not bad for a full time student working on the weekends. I was astounded when the sailing club said we pay $15/hour...25 years later? I did not apply for the part time job. It was not worth my time.

My point is, sailing instructor jobs don't seem to pay much more than working at fast food places. Check out first what they pay in your area. Getting a Coast Guard license these days costs some serious money...it may take a long time just to break even.

[CaptainTtwo]

Originally Posted by David M

I chartered a boat from a local sailing club a few months ago. I asked the head of the club about becoming a very part time sailing instructor. I used to teach sailing 25 years ago for another sailing club in the SF Bay Area where I was paid $15/hour....which was not bad for a full time student working on the weekends. I was astounded when the sailing club said we pay $15/hour...25 years later? I did not apply for the part time job. It was not worth my time.

My point is, sailing instructor jobs don't seem to pay much more than working at fast food places. Check out first what they pay in your area. Getting a Coast Guard license these days costs some serious money...it may take a long time just to break even.

Ya I used to teach flying about 20 years ago and it is the same kind of deal. I am more interested in the boat delivery side of things, and what training I need to work up that ladder. In either case it is not really about making money as much as it is the sailing--for me.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by ROAD RUNNER

In either case it is not really about making money as much as it is the sailing--for me.

It's awfully hard to make appreciable money in a line of work where half your colleagues are hobbyists doing the work for love of the activity. I was a scuba instructor for many years, and ended up as Education Director for a dive shop in Monterey. There must have been five dozen professionally certified instructors on my waitlist hoping for teaching assignments. Most of them had no hope of ever paying off what they'd invested in the training, and no doubt lost thousands of dollars every year in what professional association dues and liability insurance cost them. All this is the hope of being assigned a class where they'd make less than $500 for a month's work. But the guy who owned the dive shop had no incentive to pay his instructors more, because if you didn't think you were getting enough money a whole flock of wannabe's were eager to take over your job.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by ROAD RUNNER

Ya I used to teach flying about 20 years ago and it is the same kind of deal...

Most flying instructors are working for the HOURS, not the fee/$.

[Ocean Girl]

Road Runner, go for it. Not sure about which class ( sorry) but the plan sounds good -Teach sailing , find crewing jobs, build sea time, and get your Captain license. Godspeed to your dreams.
Erika

[CaptainTtwo]

Thanks Ocean Girl I don't really need the nay sayers at this point in my life!!!

[CaptainTtwo]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Most flying instructors are working for the HOURS, not the fee/$.

Ya I know they are working for hours, I have been there done that and worked my way up to flying a 362 passenger Tri-star. Then I had a heart attack and now I could probably Fly again, but my company went belly up and the industry is to competitive with my health history. This is why my post is called new life—No surprise a woman (Ocean Girl) kind of get's it. I am starting from scratch so I understand I will need to pay my dues again. The average non-military pilot is 30 by the time they get there first airline job so please don't bore me with the negative stuff. What I think I should have called my thread is CALLING ALL DELIVERY BOAT CAPTAINS! I bet the delivery boat Captains that make the best steady income work for a Yacht manufacturer; but full time is not really what I am looking for as I have already been there and done that.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by ROAD RUNNER

Thanks Ocean Girl I don't really need the nay sayers at this point in my life!!!

They're not nay-sayers, just realists. If you can survive and be happy making fifteen bucks an hour, hey, knock yourself out. But that is the reality of the sailing instructor gig. It ain't a way to make a living. And there are a lot of under-employed delivery skippers out there too.

[CaptainTtwo]

I am ready to knock myself out: now who is next?

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by ROAD RUNNER

I am ready to knock myself out: now who is next?

This is a friendly place with friendly people who are more than happy to help. It is hard to feel comfortable in a new place and easy to feel attacked but I assure you that's not what anyone is trying to do here. They are just trying to give you literal answers to a literal question.

Which is what I will try to do now: if you would like to become a delivery captain/instructor buy a copy of Chapman's Book Of Piloting and Seamanship and fall asleep reading that every night all winter long. Then in the summer fall asleep in a boat every night all summer long. Do that for three or four years then get your Captain's license. The whole time you are doing this make as many boating friends as you can and do as many deliveries as crew as you can. After five or six years you should be good to go. It is about that simple.

It's the same as getting good at guitar: fall asleep listening to music when you aren't playing it but play it all the time eventually you will be good enough. If you are a cool dude people will want you in their band!

Good luck here at CF just go slow and steady most people here are super friendly and helpful its just easy to read into what people are saying.

As per fstbttms post: I would love to be making $15/hr right now so don't knock it. A huge percentage of Americans call that, and much less, a living. Some of them just cruise on Hobie Cats and Sunfish. Some people might also love instructing enough to do it for less.

[Blue Stocking]

ROAD RUNNER

I have a lot of time in Tri-Stars as well - about 30 rows behind your seat. If you were in the front row - you got nothing to prove to me Do what you want to do - life is not a dress rehearsel.

[anjou]

Road Runner

If your not going to or dont want to hear the nay sayers, why ask advice here?

Peeps are only trying to be realistic. Theres nothing new under the sun and all that glitters isnt gold, so If you say youve already been in a paralell situation, maybe in your heart you know the answers to this question too.

Good luck what ever you decide

[CaptainTtwo]

Unbusted67 Yes I believe it is a friendly place: and I will hang on to this post because it seems to have some good advice in it. I will also order that book on Monday.


Blue Stocking-- I thank you for the ego builder; I seem to be needing that lately.


Anjou I really do not know the answer; I know there is such a thing as part time delivery boat Captains and I know It would be a fit for me.


I am 45 and have sailed 30 years, but it has been mostly lake sailing and 3 turns at skipper on two 30 and one 38 foot boat in the Virgin Islands. I have NO Blue Water experience but (for the friendly nay-sayers and or realists) all I can say is I know it is a fit for me. I also have virtually no formal sailing training, and that is why I ask about what ratings RYA-ASA etc to get if my goal is to first be a deck hand, then mate, then Captain In the boat delivery world.

[Ocean Girl]

If I understand correctly, Road Runner's question is: what class will help get him to his goals efficiently. Not whether it can be done. I am sure a delivery captain will pipe up soon.

I know in my experience, crewing was the absolute best way to gain knowledge and connections. The first time I crewed on a vessel was for free, but extremely profitable in my opinion because it gave me a starting point. Within five years of living aboard full time and crewing on boats, opportunities to captain vessels became more and more common. I never went that route because I have no desire to be a captain. Unbusted, I laughed when I read your post. Some of my fondest memories are of bedtime reading of Chapmans. I woke up more than once tangled in my knot tying practice line (that darn rabbit!).

Twenty years ago I dropped out of college and drove to the nearest water so I could "find a boat and sail around the world". Everyone thought I was nuts and nieve. They were right in many ways, except they didn't take into account the drive I have to be near/on the ocean. Nothing can stop our dreams but ourselves.

Erika


PS
I haven't sailed around the world (yet). I have logged over 20,000 ocean miles and people still think I am nuts and a bit nieve - go figure

PSS
Pilots make the BEST sailors!