But how can I find someone to come sailing?

[Jay Bee]

Hi all, new to the forum here.

I've recently taken an early redundancy and so with time on my hands have decided to buy a boat. Something along the lines of Hallberg Rassy 31 would suit me fine and I was thinking of berthing in Chatham marina. My experience of sailing is probably 'novice coastal cruiser'.
Now my wife, who loves an Ionian Flotilla ,has said point blank that she refuses to come along for some yachting in the chilly waters of Kent or anywhere else that's not the Med in summer. And because I've retired early, all my friends are still working and can't take the time off!
So my question is: How do I go about enjoying daysails / coastal cruising etc on my 30/32 ft yacht without any viable crew member?

 

[KompetentKrew]

Try the Solent crew wanted group on Facebook (not the crew available one) and set up a profile on CrewBay.com

There are also some London sailors Meetup groups that you might contact.

 

[ryanroberts]

Crewseeker worked for me as a skipper, but not as crew (where you have to pay).

 

[davidej]

When the lockdown ends, go round the local yacht clubs and put postcard on their notice board.

Worked for me!
I found a friend and co- owner with whom i have sailed getting on for 10,000 miles.

 

[prv]

If you want company then I guess you’ll need to find friends with compatible schedules, but for what it’s worth a boat that size is perfectly singlehandable.

Pete

 

[Aurai]

Hello, at least my flat looks out over the Marina at Chatham. Happy to offer to crew, but do have my own boat. Kept at Hoo Ness YC and my suggestion is to think about joining one of the local Clubs. We have non boat owning members starting out and looking for crewing experience. When I started with boat and no crew, Sailing Networks was my saviour. Though you had to work the site and the messaging system to succeed. The lateral thought is to avoid clubs where members have boats and no crew, but look at the landlocked clubs that have plenty of crew and few boat owners. Bromsgrove Boaters for £20 a year, let’s you in and connect with willing crew. Please do not take mine! Best wishes

 

[RupertW]

Hi all, new to the forum here.

I've recently taken an early redundancy and so with time on my hands have decided to buy a boat. Something along the lines of Hallberg Rassy 31 would suit me fine and I was thinking of berthing in Chatham marina. My experience of sailing is probably 'novice coastal cruiser'.
Now my wife, who loves an Ionian Flotilla ,has said point blank that she refuses to come along for some yachting in the chilly waters of Kent or anywhere else that's not the Med in summer. And because I've retired early, all my friends are still working and can't take the time off!
So my question is: How do I go about enjoying daysails / coastal cruising etc on my 30/32 ft yacht without any viable crew member?

A far far better and more enjoyable idea is to buy an ex charter boat in the Ionian, then in normal times fly out there for a week at a time or a long weekend and have vigorous or laid back sailing as you prefer but be there in lower season, at the beautiful bay a day after the flotilla has been, And enjoy it together as she builds up her confidence with a warm night sail to Italy, mooring under a spectacular amphitheatre in Croatia, with seaside meals of truffle and pasta in old Sardinian town instead of chicken in a basket In Newhaven.

We did it 10 years ago and I actually kept our boat on the South Coast of the UK as well but any spare time, even in the Summer it was so much better to be out on our ex-charter boat that the UK boat sat unsailed for nearly 4 years.

 

[ashtead]

There is a lovely lady at Haslar Marina who has a small Hallberg -you might find that by c ontacting Haslar marina or Haslar yacht club there is a deal to beg done here . I don’t want to disclosure more and mindful of your location might be worth exploring

 

[peteK]

Get used to handling the boat on your own don't rely on having crew.

 

[Gwylan]

Cannot send you a p.m. - takes a few posts before that is allowed, I think. I'm in that area. Recently sold my boat.

Know the Channel Coast on both sides. Never been beyond Oare Creek or near the Medway by sea.
Collected my Coastal Skipper before it included GPS and chart plotters.

When things are less odd drop me a p.m.

See if we could have the odd sail together.

 

[Concerto]

I am berthed in Chatham on B4. I sail singlehanded virtually all the time. If you need some assistance on learning how to singlehand your boat, then I am happy to assist. Cannot crew normally due to other commitments of family and sailing my own boat. I sail a Westerly Fulmar, so a similar size to your choice. Started sailing in 1965, so just slightly older than you. My boat has been almost completely renovated, so just look at the PowerPoint presentation. https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/3/3f/Concerto.pdf

 

[pandos]

If you want company then I guess you’ll need to find friends with compatible schedules, but for what it’s worth a boat that size is perfectly singlehandable.

Pete

I agree with the above...you need to learn to sail solo... You might get to like it... But in any case you need to be able to sail entirely solo before taking out non sailing friends for company,

if you get a competent sailor to come along regularly or you can manufacture one from a willing novice then that will be great...

The marinas are full of boats that are not sailed because of shortage company/crew.

 

[Babylon]

Single-handing is the great liberation and a 31 footer would be ideal, but you'll probably need at least a first season with a crew to get used to the boat and being a skipper, etc.

That deals with the technical side of things. As to the company side of things, you know what the answer is: a dog!

 

[wully1]

Change wife’s?

 

[Adios]

If you are already competent to sail (and don't need crew to help with what to do) then flying solo is great for focusing the mind, you'll learn faster and it will cement your knowledge. More than if your crew knows more than you and you end up relying on them or they distract you.

Its a different mental/spiritual experience as well being out at sea alone, I love it, though some people really need other people with them for company so it won't be for everyone.

But if you rarely expect to have anyone on board or maybe one other you might be better to start smaller, you can go anywhere in 26ft yachts and they are easier to learn to single hand on, everything is lighter and quicker to do which if you're single handed and tacking up the medway or thames most of the time will make a hell of a difference.

 

[Never Grumble]

if you haven't already bought the boat then wait until this Covid thing is over, that is unless you like throwing big handfuls of money into the river and watching it swept down stream. At the moment generally speaking you cant access your boat and then end of it all seems unclear.

 

[CardiffYacht]

Adding a notice to your local yacht club and spreading the word within that community will certainly yield results. You are in a lucky position as you have a boat and are looking for a crew, its generally the other way around where people are trying to get on a boat.

 

[ryanroberts]

Having a wee and parking in strange places is the most difficult bit about solo sailing so far for me. I prefer company usually, but mostly due to living alone on a boat in the first place.

 

[johnalison]

I have friends who have non-sailing wives or nearly so. They mostly manage with a combination of solo sailing and sailing with mates. I can’t speak for your social circle, but there are quite a lot of people around who would jump at the chance to sail regularly without the cost or responsibility of owning a boat.

Sailing in the English summer can be very enjoyable, and I wouldn’t give up on your wife yet. Second-hand models can be unreliable, as with cars. An HR 31 would be a good choice for local sailing, as well as being comfortable. Your wife might well enjoy coming down to the boat and playing at being in a country cottage, perhaps overnighting. In time, she might be happy to do trips round the bay, and might even enjoy it. This will only happy if you acquire competence at boat handling and can communicate this confidence to her without suffering from skipperitis.

 

[Adios]

without suffering from skipperitis.

Inflammation of the skipper? Is the main symptom shouting in panic for no good reason? A nasty condition best cured with lots of solo sailing. Before bringing inexperienced others onboard and trying to rely on them to do anything well and on cue. Its funny how having more bodies is assumed to make things easier when it just adds a whole other complicated and unpredictable challenge for a skipper to deal with.