I want to crew on a boat, working up to clipper type ships how do I get experience?
I only have experience sailing dingy type yachts when i was a kid.
I only have experience sailing dingy type yachts when i was a kid.
I only have experience sailing dingy type yachts when i was a kid.
October 6th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Ask the question of The Royal Yachting Association.
I assume you have your RYA 1 & 2 Certificates already.
The RYA are probably the best people to point you in the direction of any necessary qualifications needed and to give you info about possible contacts for a career on, maybe, a tall ship
October 8th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
merchant marine, or the United States Power Squadron.
October 10th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
A hundred years ago you could have signed onto a ship as a deck hand or joined the navy. Now there are relatively few jobs available to work on sailing ships.
Here’s a video to show you what it was like:=-1184583933122407708&hl=en
There are programs to train people how to crew on tall ships. I’ve listed a couple in the source links below. If you’re interested, you can search in your area for similar programs and see if there is something available.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
You need a license! Check United States Power Squadrons for their basic boating course to get your recreational license, then join and take the rest of their courses, including Sail. You’ll meet fellow boaters and learn alot! And it’s fun. Great people (I could be called a “Power Squadron Brat,” I suppose, since I took their jr. course as a child & joined as an adult). Best place to start! Network your way into crew, racing, etc. Go to their website, usps.org, for info on squadrons in your area. And they cover power & sail! About 1/2 of members sail, 1/2 power, some both. This is the oldest boating organization in the US and renowned for their education and safety programs.
Also look into the US Coast Guard, which offers courses leading to a Captain’s license. If you want to captain or crew commercially, you must have USCG licensing. Tough courses! If you start with Power Squadron courses, USCG will be much smoother sailing. And USPS members are often Coast Guard Auxilliary members and have lots of info & help on that.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I am not sure where you are located. But if in the U.S. check out the American Sail Training Association. The majority of the Tallships in North America are members, and if people are looking for crew they often advertise in their publication or website.http://www.sailtraining.org/billet/billet.php this is their link. Some ships will give you all the training you need and experience isn’t necessary. I would also suggest that you check out their list of ships and see if any are in your area. (www.sailtraining.org and find member vessels). You can always volunteer and learn that way. The experience is wonderful and the people who work on the ships are some of the best people in the world. The pay isn’t the greatest, but people,the view and the experience is worth it. Good luck finding your perfect position.
Sailing gal