Do you need to be experienced to crew on another sailboat?
I regularly seek crew on my sailboat, and I know many others who do… and we are not always looking for experience. I can manage everything on my boat, and when I seek crew, sometimes I am just looking for people to be social with, and maybe lighten the workload. Of course, I want someone on board who will follow basic instructions and that does not always mean an experienced sailor. I’ve found that sometimes more experienced crew can be rather annoying and try to impose their will. To quote Homer, “Too many kings can ruin an army”. Imagine you are on your own boat, and a new crew member comes aboard and tells you “you’re doing that wrong”. It’s usually younger males who seem to have a need to show their prowess, that will act this way. I can remember in my younger days, it seemed I always needed to prove myself. Older males and most females tend to be more willing to allow the skipper to be in charge; which is also why I somewhat prefer a female crew, except, if I advertise that, then I look creepy. Many females have crewed with me, and they come back over and over because I treat them with respect. It’s not that I actually prefer female crew, it’s just that I don’t like a cocky know-it-all telling me how to manage my vessel. Of course, some race boats want only experienced crew, but, if racing is your thing, find out when the beer can races are… those are all about fun (or at least they should be).
How do you find a boat to crew on? There are many places on the internet, and Facebook groups are one of my favorites. Where my boat usually is, there is a group called “Sailors in San Diego – Crew Pool“. You can find (or create) groups like this wherever you are and create and search posts. I post there from time to time. Go see some of my posts. You can ‘pound the docks’ as they say, but in some areas the docks are private, so that may or may not work. There are also some apps like Crewseekers and Coboaters (and probably several more).
So what should you do when you are inexperienced and would like to spend time aboard someone else’s boat?
Here are some suggestions;
- Do not exaggerate your skills to the skipper. Be honest about your lack of sailing experience, and then follow it up with a few attributes that the skipper may value, like that you are willing to learn, willing to clean, willing to cook, etc.
- Ask if there is anything you can contribute. I love when someone offers to bring along chicken wings or their favorite dip!
- Show up early and offer to help prepare the vessel for departure. That might be removing dodger covers, or preparing food, or just whatever is needed. Then, be among the last to leave and help clean the vessel and even take out the trash. Is that sucking up? Maybe, but, the boat owner has a financial investment, as well as a time investment, checking engines, and steering, and other important items that he or she needs to take care of to ensure everyone’s safety, so take their trash up to the bins and clean the head and the galley, and even wash the boat before you leave to show your gratitude and you will probably be invited back.
- While underway, ask some questions so you can learn more, but don’t be annoying about it. I happen to enjoy sharing my knowledge with others, but not all skippers do, so try to be mindful of that.
- Respect the skipper’s rules. Some require everyone to wear a life jacket while underway for example. If that is not your vibe, don’t come back next time, but don’t argue with them about why they are wrong.
- All of the above can be summed up with the phrase, be respectful.
What if you are experienced? Should you understate your skills? I don’t think so, however, in my opinion, if you are very experienced, let the skipper know your experience and any special knowledge you have gained (maybe you are very knowledgeable about marine diesel engines), then let him know that you are there to help and that you respect that there is only one skipper on any vessel and that he is that skipper. After that, he will use your skills and knowledge at a level that he is comfortable with. Remember, just because you told him you are very knowledgeable about marine diesel engines, does not mean you are, and he may prefer to handle any engine issues himself.
What if the skipper is doing something wrong? First of all, just because someone is doing something different than you, does not mean they are doing it wrong. There is more than one way to learn to tie your shoes, for heaven’s sake, so just because someone is not performing a task the way you do it, does not make it wrong. Second, is the thing they are doing “wrong” likely to bring harm to anyone, or is it maybe just less efficient than your way? If I am in a situation where someone is being unsafe, I will try to remove myself as soon as possible, and with the least amount of friction. If you are planning on telling the skipper he is doing something wrong, I suggest before you say anything, use the Buddhist principle and ask yourself, is it true, is it kind, is it necessary?
What if the skipper (or other crew) just aren’t pleasant or for whatever reason they rub you the wrong way? Again, it’s not your vessel, so I suggest you suck it up until you can get off at the next port. It’s not worth the headache of battling with any other crew member.
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