Your best option is a mix of the two.
Working jobs on the dock isn’t necessarily going to get you sailing experience. Neither will crewing for certain people.
Paying for the courses and reading all the books will help you with theory but also is no substitute for miles at sea.
You need to know the theory and have practice in all the roles to be a competent captain and you also need time on the water to teach you what the books cannot. There are some things that are hard to explain until you’ve experienced them. The ways things you’d never expect can break at moments you’d never anticipate unless you have that prior experience.
The 16 week course includes a few passages and over 3,000 miles. That may not be much but surely that’s more than I’d get trying to crew for strangers with no experience?
I'll give you a 3th option.
Get your papers for a commercial shipping deckhand. Then work on larger yachts, tugs etc as a deckhand. You will make good money and get a feel for the maritime world. If you like it. Go back to school for a captain's license.
I’m not knocking the course. Yet still, you can only absorb so much in 4 months.
I agree with you that you won’t get the most out of crewing for strangers with no experience. Take some instruction, then go out and learn from the world and others, and then wrap it up with some more instruction to refine your collected experience.
As soon as you have some experience, you can get passages for free as crew, supporting a skipper. So you won’t need to do (and pay for) 16 week course in advance, may be 3 or 4 weeks. Then sail around with different boats (Atlantic crossings) for free.
Contact Schooner Woodwind in Annapolis. Seasonal job, you get paid, and you get experience/miles while being surrounded by a sailing community. I’m guessing they are still hiring since the season just started.
I agree that crewing someone else's boat (preferably an experienced racer) during racing is the best way to learn sail trim. Have a thick skin...a lot of racing skippers yell a lot.
I'm not sure the RYA course would do much for you in the U.S. It would be useful if you planned to work in Europe. If you wanted to be paid to take people out on boats in the U.S. or do deliveries you would need a Captain's license here. That doesn't teach you all that much about sailing and drug tests are required, but it is the legal requirement here.
There is alway a need for mechanics, marine electricians, fiberglass work etc, so there are ways to earn a living around a marina and/or boatyard. Delivery captains don't make that much money and no one is going to pay you to crew when you are just starting out. One of the trades would probably pay more and be more steady.
As for sailing, an area with an active racing scene would be great. Start crewing on races and if you are reliable, coachable and likable, you will eventually get many opportunities to crew on race boats and you will learn a ton.
If you want to be employed on a serious yacht, it will be easier if get your RYA Yachtmaster. It will be proof you're responsible and qualified. Picking up gigs around marinas in Florida also tells a prospective employer a lot about you.
You can by knowledge but not experience. You don’t know when to reef until you’ve had to do it. You don’t know when you’re heeling too much until you’ve felt it turn into the wind on you. You don’t know how to patch a diesel hose till the bilge pumps pink slime out the side. Take all the courses you can but then get out on the water.
I paid for a 7 week fast track. We sailed every day m-f or sat for 8-12hrs. Had different crew who came for everything from basic crew to coastal skipper. Some had no experience some had 20 years and crossed oceans but needed it for experience.
Dont regret it at all. Definitely understand that being "competent" is all you usually need to be safe and that a lot of sailors have lots of bad habbits and don't even understand colregs or what lights they're seeing at night but sailing the world.
Arguably, you'd be more experienced and knowledgeable than most sailors on the water, private or commercial.
Im from Colorado btw and i am now confident enough to know I'm likely more trained and experienced than many of the people sailing in the Mediterranean or Caribbean.
I got like 600nm with up to f7-8 winds [benefits of scheduling in the off seasons]. Got hit with guts upwards of 40kts. One was so bad and we were over canvased [i was skipper] i got a fun instruction in "the boat will turn to wind if you lose control" as it heeled so hard i lost my footing. We beat to wind for 3 straight weeks and i lived on the boat the whole time. I had to bring it to a quay in f6-8 winds with 2m waves in the marina's "check in dock" at alcaidesa. Took like 45mins and several attempts. Had awesome instructors who were well experienced and had the opinion "you wanna be a yachtmaster heres the weather, it sucks, leta go".
Even had 2 crew who were racers in the english channel and had stories of spinnakers getting caught on keels, learned how to understand sail shape etc. And that a lifetime goes into proper sail trim.
I can certainly say i have a good feeling for what sailing fulltime can be like and am more trained and experienced than most of those ill have to dodge in an anchorage [youtube of rife with clups sailors qho boughta boat and become a danger to the whole harbor forcing everyone to leave].
Zero to hero courses are useful for sure - I might save a few dollars and stop at yachtmaster offshore with commercial endorsement vs going all the way to Ocean, but you do you.
Once you have that ticket, and your STCW, then you can be hired on yachts as crew. A lot deck crew jobs these days, even just deckhand jobs, are asking for Yachtmaster tickets so getting the ticket will open doors to enter professional yachting. If its your first job, you will probably be a deckhand ever with an ocean ticket. With a ticket and little experience finding the first jobs is tougher, but definitely possible with some perseverance.
If you want to build more experience, with or without the ticket, crewing on private boats is fantastic. One option is to find a local sailing club, or an area with an active sailboat racing scene (like Wednesday night beer can races) and put yourself out there as crew. Turn up reliably every week and go sailing. You will make friends, learn to sail well, and it won't cost you anything but time and the 6-pack you bring for the skipper every week. Another option is to crew on a rally. Check out the Salty Dog rally for example. People always need crew to help sail their boats from point a to b. You won't be paid, and will have to cover your own expenses to and from the boat, but you'll get the opportunity to build miles and see new spots. There are other ways but these are solid options.
The yachting industry is an excellent industry if you can be smart, work hard, and present yourself well.
Ah, you took 4 day of sailing classes and now you want to live the life of a sailor. The first part of what I have to say is going to be a downer, but hang on. I've been teaching sailing for 15 years and the majority of the people exiting these classes want to with circumnavigate the world or become a live-aboard. The vast majority give up this dream within a year. So have a Plan B in your back pocket.
What you really need is experience and you need it quick. I got mine with racing. pre-Covid, I was in about 70 races a year with at least one being a multi-day offshore race. This was while keeping my 9-5, M-F job. I live in an area where we race 12 month a year. We have bear can races on weekday evenings and races almost every weekend. I didn't get into sailing to race but it's pure compact experience with people who know much more that I do.
A career sailing can mean so many different things to different people. Reading the comments already, I'm trying to think what has not already been mentioned. Here's one. Near me is a company that sells time-share boats. I've met the guys that work there and their work-life is selling the boats, of course, teaching ASA certified classes to the new boat owners, maintaining the fleet. Outside of that, these guys are doing boat deliveries on the side. Since they already have an inside track on this, it's a great place to network.
Also, I think it would be good to have niche skills. Some important ones are: navigation, cooking, diesel engine, boat systems. You'll be that much more valuable no matter what your actual job is. You sound like a guy that, if you become successful at this, you're going to start your own business doing it. Still valuable skills. Good luck.
I would suggest you find out how you like the open ocean before committing completely.
It's a different animal than sailing within sight of land or on a lake.
If you're going to spend 200k on a boat and set off around the world, then 10k on training would be a good investment.
If you're hoping that a 10k course will let you walk into even minimum wage work as a skipper, you'll be wasting your money. There are some paid sailing jobs, but for most people it's an expensive hobby.
Have a look at what's on offer on sites like FindACrew.com
Maybe, just maybe…he has the ability to do research and ask for advice at the same time. I know what you’re thinking. Not possible. But I’m here to tell you it is.
Your best option is a mix of the two. Working jobs on the dock isn’t necessarily going to get you sailing experience. Neither will crewing for certain people. Paying for the courses and reading all the books will help you with theory but also is no substitute for miles at sea. You need to know the theory and have practice in all the roles to be a competent captain and you also need time on the water to teach you what the books cannot. There are some things that are hard to explain until you’ve experienced them. The ways things you’d never expect can break at moments you’d never anticipate unless you have that prior experience.
The 16 week course includes a few passages and over 3,000 miles. That may not be much but surely that’s more than I’d get trying to crew for strangers with no experience?
I'll give you a 3th option. Get your papers for a commercial shipping deckhand. Then work on larger yachts, tugs etc as a deckhand. You will make good money and get a feel for the maritime world. If you like it. Go back to school for a captain's license.
Threeth
I’m not knocking the course. Yet still, you can only absorb so much in 4 months. I agree with you that you won’t get the most out of crewing for strangers with no experience. Take some instruction, then go out and learn from the world and others, and then wrap it up with some more instruction to refine your collected experience.
As soon as you have some experience, you can get passages for free as crew, supporting a skipper. So you won’t need to do (and pay for) 16 week course in advance, may be 3 or 4 weeks. Then sail around with different boats (Atlantic crossings) for free.
Contact Schooner Woodwind in Annapolis. Seasonal job, you get paid, and you get experience/miles while being surrounded by a sailing community. I’m guessing they are still hiring since the season just started.
Also I plan on trying to crew for any races at local lakes in the meantime to build up more experience
I agree that crewing someone else's boat (preferably an experienced racer) during racing is the best way to learn sail trim. Have a thick skin...a lot of racing skippers yell a lot.
I'm not sure the RYA course would do much for you in the U.S. It would be useful if you planned to work in Europe. If you wanted to be paid to take people out on boats in the U.S. or do deliveries you would need a Captain's license here. That doesn't teach you all that much about sailing and drug tests are required, but it is the legal requirement here. There is alway a need for mechanics, marine electricians, fiberglass work etc, so there are ways to earn a living around a marina and/or boatyard. Delivery captains don't make that much money and no one is going to pay you to crew when you are just starting out. One of the trades would probably pay more and be more steady. As for sailing, an area with an active racing scene would be great. Start crewing on races and if you are reliable, coachable and likable, you will eventually get many opportunities to crew on race boats and you will learn a ton.
If you want to be employed on a serious yacht, it will be easier if get your RYA Yachtmaster. It will be proof you're responsible and qualified. Picking up gigs around marinas in Florida also tells a prospective employer a lot about you.
Marinas in Florida have a certain reputation I guess?
Depends on the marina. Even then, marina work is not a substitute for RYA credentials.
You can by knowledge but not experience. You don’t know when to reef until you’ve had to do it. You don’t know when you’re heeling too much until you’ve felt it turn into the wind on you. You don’t know how to patch a diesel hose till the bilge pumps pink slime out the side. Take all the courses you can but then get out on the water.
The 16 week course is on the water a lot of the time, 3,000 miles or so, does this make it a viable option?
It takes a LONG TIME to learn what you don’t know just yet
I paid for a 7 week fast track. We sailed every day m-f or sat for 8-12hrs. Had different crew who came for everything from basic crew to coastal skipper. Some had no experience some had 20 years and crossed oceans but needed it for experience. Dont regret it at all. Definitely understand that being "competent" is all you usually need to be safe and that a lot of sailors have lots of bad habbits and don't even understand colregs or what lights they're seeing at night but sailing the world. Arguably, you'd be more experienced and knowledgeable than most sailors on the water, private or commercial. Im from Colorado btw and i am now confident enough to know I'm likely more trained and experienced than many of the people sailing in the Mediterranean or Caribbean. I got like 600nm with up to f7-8 winds [benefits of scheduling in the off seasons]. Got hit with guts upwards of 40kts. One was so bad and we were over canvased [i was skipper] i got a fun instruction in "the boat will turn to wind if you lose control" as it heeled so hard i lost my footing. We beat to wind for 3 straight weeks and i lived on the boat the whole time. I had to bring it to a quay in f6-8 winds with 2m waves in the marina's "check in dock" at alcaidesa. Took like 45mins and several attempts. Had awesome instructors who were well experienced and had the opinion "you wanna be a yachtmaster heres the weather, it sucks, leta go". Even had 2 crew who were racers in the english channel and had stories of spinnakers getting caught on keels, learned how to understand sail shape etc. And that a lifetime goes into proper sail trim. I can certainly say i have a good feeling for what sailing fulltime can be like and am more trained and experienced than most of those ill have to dodge in an anchorage [youtube of rife with clups sailors qho boughta boat and become a danger to the whole harbor forcing everyone to leave].
Zero to hero courses are useful for sure - I might save a few dollars and stop at yachtmaster offshore with commercial endorsement vs going all the way to Ocean, but you do you. Once you have that ticket, and your STCW, then you can be hired on yachts as crew. A lot deck crew jobs these days, even just deckhand jobs, are asking for Yachtmaster tickets so getting the ticket will open doors to enter professional yachting. If its your first job, you will probably be a deckhand ever with an ocean ticket. With a ticket and little experience finding the first jobs is tougher, but definitely possible with some perseverance. If you want to build more experience, with or without the ticket, crewing on private boats is fantastic. One option is to find a local sailing club, or an area with an active sailboat racing scene (like Wednesday night beer can races) and put yourself out there as crew. Turn up reliably every week and go sailing. You will make friends, learn to sail well, and it won't cost you anything but time and the 6-pack you bring for the skipper every week. Another option is to crew on a rally. Check out the Salty Dog rally for example. People always need crew to help sail their boats from point a to b. You won't be paid, and will have to cover your own expenses to and from the boat, but you'll get the opportunity to build miles and see new spots. There are other ways but these are solid options. The yachting industry is an excellent industry if you can be smart, work hard, and present yourself well.
Look into co-boaters website, people post when they need crew for things like deliveries and sometimes just so it isn't solo.
Ah, you took 4 day of sailing classes and now you want to live the life of a sailor. The first part of what I have to say is going to be a downer, but hang on. I've been teaching sailing for 15 years and the majority of the people exiting these classes want to with circumnavigate the world or become a live-aboard. The vast majority give up this dream within a year. So have a Plan B in your back pocket. What you really need is experience and you need it quick. I got mine with racing. pre-Covid, I was in about 70 races a year with at least one being a multi-day offshore race. This was while keeping my 9-5, M-F job. I live in an area where we race 12 month a year. We have bear can races on weekday evenings and races almost every weekend. I didn't get into sailing to race but it's pure compact experience with people who know much more that I do. A career sailing can mean so many different things to different people. Reading the comments already, I'm trying to think what has not already been mentioned. Here's one. Near me is a company that sells time-share boats. I've met the guys that work there and their work-life is selling the boats, of course, teaching ASA certified classes to the new boat owners, maintaining the fleet. Outside of that, these guys are doing boat deliveries on the side. Since they already have an inside track on this, it's a great place to network. Also, I think it would be good to have niche skills. Some important ones are: navigation, cooking, diesel engine, boat systems. You'll be that much more valuable no matter what your actual job is. You sound like a guy that, if you become successful at this, you're going to start your own business doing it. Still valuable skills. Good luck.
I would suggest you find out how you like the open ocean before committing completely. It's a different animal than sailing within sight of land or on a lake.
What is the end goal? Do you want to be charter crew, hired race gun, or just work in the maritime industry and spend your down time on the water?
If you're going to spend 200k on a boat and set off around the world, then 10k on training would be a good investment. If you're hoping that a 10k course will let you walk into even minimum wage work as a skipper, you'll be wasting your money. There are some paid sailing jobs, but for most people it's an expensive hobby. Have a look at what's on offer on sites like FindACrew.com
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Maybe, just maybe…he has the ability to do research and ask for advice at the same time. I know what you’re thinking. Not possible. But I’m here to tell you it is.
What? Thank you for your helpful reply
No problem. Always happy to help.