Available to make trans-Atlantic passage

[ChrisFH]

I am a physically fit, trustworthy and hardworking 22 year old male, looking to make a trans-Atlantic sailing passage this summer. I am from the New York City area and am free from June 1st through August 31st. My knowledge of sailing is limited, but I am eager to learn and help any way I can.

I am very comfortable around the water and an overall confident individual. I lifeguarded for 6 years and swam competitively at a national level for 12 years. As an Eagle Scout, I am familiar with various knots and small boat sailing. College educated in Industrial Design. In my free time I enjoy skydiving, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding, kayaking and traveling. I love challenges and don't break under pressure.

Whether it be standing watch, cleaning, making repairs, cooking, hauling a line or merely providing interesting company, I can help.

~Chris

[JohnRPollard]

Chris,

Good post. If I were making such a passage, I'd consider you a good candidate for crew. If I could suggest a few ways to improve your credentials, it would be to maybe take a basic sailing class this spring at your local yacht/sailing club. And then try to crew in some of the local regattas.

Keep a running log of your time spent aboard, what sort of boat it was, and the skipper's name as a potential reference. This is all info that would be of interest to a boat owner/skipper that might consider you for crew.

Also, first aid experience is a big plus. I wouldn't be surprised, as an Eagle Scout and life guard, if you already had some CPR and other experience. You might want to add that to your note.

Good luck! If you do end up hitching a ride, take a lot of photos and come back and tell us all about it.

[ChrisFH]

John,

Thanks for your feedback. I will make sure to push my first aid experience as a selling point. As a lifeguard I did learn basic first aid, resuscitation and CPR.

A regatta sounds like fun, I will look into formal sailing training courses in my area. I will look around for yacht clubs in the area which offer courses.

Thanks,

Chris

[Cruisingdad]

You might consider contacting Daniel Goldberg on this forum. He runs the Bermuda Rally. Unless I am mistaken, they look for crew on some of these boats. I think he pushes off in June... so give him a shot.

Brian

[Giulietta]

Have you sailed high seas on a 30 to 45 foot sailboat??? And I mean real sailing in waves, winds etc.?? Not daily trips. Not as deck or crew on a Coast Guard vessel.

The worse thing can happen is 1 week into the trip, you fall ill of sea sickness, and become:

1) 1 less help
2) 1 more burden
3) 1 more to look after
4) dressed in vomit 24/7
5) scared, desoriented, etc..
6) dead
7) lose it with the crew
8) jump overboard (happen more than you think).

I am not peeing on your parade..just being realistic, that I doubt any one will take you across ther Atlantic, for at least 26 days, if you are limited or no expereince at all in ocean pasages on a small sailboat.

By the way..sailing from Ny to Europe in the summer, probably you will be downwind all the time, in moderate winds..the boat has the worse rocking motion...sideways..drives one nuts..20 days of that.

Hope you find your dream, but think it before...it's not like you are rock climbing, or kayaking or canoeing, where you come home at the end of the day.

And no matter what your swiming credentials are..you fall over board ansd they don't pick you up..you die...you can't swim home.

So bottom line is...go sail, get some miles, crew in smaller passages, then..go for it...