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Old 09-06-2019, 03:16   #1
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How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

Hi all!

First time post and VERY new to the whole concept!

I'm in the VERY early stages of looking to buy a 40ish ft catamaran with the intention of sailing it in various locations around the globe.

My question is, how likely is it that I could find someone to sail with me to some or all of my intended locations? Should I be looking for crew or are there individuals who are looking for opportunities who would be happy to contribute to such a mission?

Perhaps there are other forums to ask the question so please direct me if I'm asking the wrong question or in the wrong place!

Thanks everyone!
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Old 09-06-2019, 04:46   #2
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

depends on the type of crew you are looking for and where you want to go and plans for getting/being there
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Old 09-06-2019, 04:56   #3
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

You will MOSTLY find volunteer crew anywhere. Well ... crew. You will find volunteer bodies willing to "learn the ropes". I can guarantee you findng people to sail with.

The second and most complicated portion will be, will you want this "whoever" person on your boat. And this is were volunteer crew becomes a very complicated issue.

Cheers!
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:15   #4
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

Ok. Thanks. So I wouldn't necessarily attract 'qualified' or experienced crew?

Are there forums/networks for getting references for 'crew'?
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:27   #5
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

You should check out the thread Horrible Guests, Terrible Crew by Kenomac. He ended up with a pedophile on board! Not something you would wish on your worst enemy.
There seems to be plenty of people wanting to crew judging by the success my customers have in finding people to sail with.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:05   #6
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

You've got an advantage at this point. When you get your boat your first "voyages" are going to be very local day trips while you learn the ropes. You don't have to make a commitment for more than a few hours. You have an opportunity to develop sailing friends as you go along, and eventually have people you know who know you and your boat for the longer trips.

It works both ways... I crewed as a teenager for a skipper so bad that my dad bribed me not to sail with him again.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:27   #7
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

Ok. So it sounds like there will be plenty to choose from when the time comes. Thanks for the input.
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Old 09-06-2019, 08:08   #8
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

Like with most human activities, it can be very helpful to find and join a community of like-minded people. Eg a club or marina, a boat-owner's group, etc.

We belong to a small yacht club, and also to a group of owners of the same boat. From these associations we've met and sailed with many different people. This is the foundation of our network, from which other opportunities materialize - eg with other Sandpiper sailors we did a BVI bareboat charter on a 41' monohull, and just last weekend, via a Sandpiper buddy, I was invited to sail on a CS36 for a 5-day jaunt around eastern Lake Ontario.

So - our community has introduced us to like-minded people and provides references and "vetting" of both skippers and crew: we find out who the nice skippers are, and they have some initial confidence in us.

I don't know where you are in your sailing career. I would recommend taking lessons, sail with whoever will take you, maybe buy a small beater sailboat to learn on and as your entree into a marina or club, and start building your network. With luck, you'll develop a list of friends and associates who you are already comfortable with, and you won't have to issue cattle-calls for crew.
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Old 09-06-2019, 12:30   #9
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

First, learn to sail.
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Old 09-06-2019, 13:39   #10
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

with the promise of the right type and amount of beer and all the ribeye steaks I can eat I could be talked into accepting a free round trip plane ticket to come help crew your boat a while
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Old 09-06-2019, 20:01   #11
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

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Originally Posted by Lake-Effect View Post
So - our community has introduced us to like-minded people and provides references and "vetting" of both skippers and crew: we find out who the nice skippers are, and they have some initial confidence in us.

... start building your network. With luck, you'll develop a list of friends and associates who you are already comfortable with, and you won't have to issue cattle-calls for crew.
Thanks. This makes a lot of sense and will help me avoid a few pitfalls I'm sure.
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Old 09-06-2019, 21:28   #12
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

Don't be put off by all the horror stories.

I've had pretty much positive crew experiences so far, and there's nobody I wouldn't ask back. Some I've met through this forum. (Whether they'd WANT to come back is a totally different question.)

Once you have your boat, get comfortable and confident with it yourself THEN start inviting people aboard. Don't load it up with a whole lot of expectation, just a few hours at first. You'll soon find people with whom you can work well. Others won't be such a great fit, but that's ok. We are all different.

Good luck.
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Old 09-06-2019, 22:09   #13
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

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Don't be put off by all the horror stories.

I've had pretty much positive crew experiences so far, and there's nobody I wouldn't ask back. Some I've met through this forum. (Whether they'd WANT to come back is a totally different question.)

Once you have your boat, get comfortable and confident with it yourself THEN start inviting people aboard. Don't load it up with a whole lot of expectation, just a few hours at first. You'll soon find people with whom you can work well. Others won't be such a great fit, but that's ok. We are all different.

Good luck.
Thanks GILow. Its good to get different perspectives. Especially since I'm new to the whole thing!
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Old 09-06-2019, 22:53   #14
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

There's even a sub-forum right here at CF devoted to matching crew with boats. It is moderately well used.

If you let Google be yourself friend ("crew finder") you'll find a bunch of web services, FB groups, Twitter groups, etc. Some of them are devoted to paying/professional gigs, but others are our kind of volunteer/friend/casual crew.

For local stuff most yacht and sailing clubs have a bulletin board (some electronic, some old school) to get people together.

And then there's the sailing magazines, most of the smaller local ones have some kind of crew list.

As noted above, building a network is a good way to go, there are lots of places to start.
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Old 09-06-2019, 23:19   #15
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Re: How easy is it to find someone to sail with?

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There's even a sub-forum right here at CF devoted to matching crew with boats. It is moderately well used.

If you let Google be yourself friend ("crew finder") you'll find a bunch of web services, FB groups, Twitter groups, etc. Some of them are devoted to paying/professional gigs, but others are our kind of volunteer/friend/casual crew.

For local stuff most yacht and sailing clubs have a bulletin board (some electronic, some old school) to get people together.

And then there's the sailing magazines, most of the smaller local ones have some kind of crew list.

As noted above, building a network is a good way to go, there are lots of places to start.
Great. Thanks very much. I'll dig around when the time comes but its reassuring to know how common the requirement is.
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