Looking for a way to sail across the atlantic (and the pacific, but one step at a time)

[EdwarddrawdE]

Hey (don't know if this is the correct forum subcategory, but that's kinda my deal)

so i've heard a bunch about how you can tag on to skippers who need crew to sail with them across various oceans, as in to do the travelling without the massive barrier to entry that is to own a boat.

and i'm looking for any help that anyone can offer, which might point me in even a general direction

if it helps: i'm in sweden and want to get to australia around december 2020-march 2021, as well as trying to get back a little after that

 

[coopec]

Edward welcome to the forum.

There are some sites which specialise in finding crew:

• Yacht Crew Wanted Amateur and professional yacht crewing positions available worldwide
• Find a Crew™ is the World's largest international online Boat & Crew network
• Crewbay

Good luck!

 

[RJJ]

Hi Edward

You may already be aware but...

Some skippers want crew with some experience. Others are glad to glad to take a relative novice. In either case recognise (as does a good skipper) that we're always learning and that know-alls do themselves no favours. If you wildly exaggerate your experience to hitch a ride across an ocean, you are potentially creating a situation of danger. That said, an ocean passage can be less pressured than a trip from one crowded harbour to another.

Then there's the basics. Wash up and tidy up. Ask if you are contributing to bills and pay promptly. Offer to arrive well in advance of departure to help prep the boat; likewise don't jump ship at the end. Get up on watch without fuss. Don't be boring.

 

[roaringgirl]

My wife and I did this from Europe to NZ in 2007/8. We started by crewing on the ARC.

With a couple of notable exceptions, we concluded that people who needed strangers to crew for them either didn't know how to sail or didn't know how to make friends. As an owner/skipper I see this from the other side now and I realise that your friends with 'normal' lives simply might not be able to spare the time to crew when you need it.

The very best boats we were on were the ones who didn't need us. The very worst were extremely dangerous, and there was more than one potentially fatal incident that we averted by being there.

By the time we were in half way across the Pacific, we had a long list of interview questions that we would go through with any boat/skipper we were considering crewing for - to ensure they knew what they were doing and the boat was sound.

The best boats to sail with/for were found face to face in marinas, moorings and anchorages. This is gets hard as when you leave one boat your visa may expire. If you don't have another one lined up it can be expensive/complicated with immigration officials.

We used a couple of find-a-crew type websites when we had to, but it was rarely the best way to find a good skipper/boat. Get as much experience as you can so that when you're in trouble and your skipper doesn't know what to do, you do!