Sail the World - For Free!
Sail the World - For Free!
By Mark Baird
Have you ever wanted to learn how to sail? Experience exotic destinations? Embark on an adventure? We all have at some point or another. Well I would like to tell you about a website that enables these things.
Findacrew.net is a website that is designed to match up sailors (you) looking for a boat to work on, and boats looking for crew members. You can sign up for a free account that then allows you to send very basic emails expressing your interest in working aboard the ship. You can’t customize these emails in any way with the free account, however if a captain shows interest in you, they will send a response with information on how to get a hold of them.
On this site you can find just about any kind of personal boat to work on. Whether it is the small 22ft sailboat with a retired firefighter or a full on 200ft mega yacht, all sorts of ships are looking for all sorts of sailors. Generally any of the commercial (paid positions) require at least a small amount of experience and sailing knowledge. Finding a position like this, especially if you don’t live in an area conducive to face-to-face meetings, is very difficult. However, if you are just looking for a ship to sail on and someone willing to teach you what to do, this is the place to do it!
I have found that a lot of the users on this site are retirees, ex-pats, or generally people that were just bored with life. They have turned sailing into a lifestyle, and in many cases they have done it on their own. Through my searches on the site, I have found literally dozens of people who will allow you to join their vessel for FREE and teach you how to sail. Many of them will pay for all boat related expenses, and some are looking for you to help share the costs. But either way, it can offer an amazing adventure for minimal expense.
I have been VERY close to actually joining a crew in the Caribbean (literally an hour away from booking a one way ticket to St. Maarten) but some responsibilities at home got in the way. However, I am hoping to be able to follow through with some of the contacts I have made within the next couple of months!
There are many other sites that do the same thing as Find a Crew but I have found this one to be the most useful in my quest to accomplish # 13 and 14 on "The List".
Note: Find a Crew did not pay me in any way at all for writing this. I have had no contact with the site. I only wrote this to tell you about a great tool to use in your quest to live life to its fullest.
