Since the ARC began, sailing enthusiasts from all walks of life and from all over the world have made their way to the Canary Islands in search of a yacht which will sail them some 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to the warm waters of the Caribbean and each year, captains often need a reliable extra pair of hands to help them make the crossing more comfortable and share duties on board. Previously, prospective crew needed to physically walk the docks in search of that spare bunk, and owners were faced with the last minute rush introduce a new crew member to the boat.
OceanCrewLink.com, developed by ARC organisers World Cruising Club, has been designed to offer a simple online networking service connecting boat owners looking for crew, and crew looking for boats. It specialises in opportunities for ocean sailing, asking key questions about experience and abilities along with the expectations of duties and roles on board. Since its launch, over 3,000 users have signed up to the service and around 40 new ocean sailing opportunities are advertised each month, many for World Cruising Club rallies.
As the ARC+ fleet are now approaching their departure date from Las Palmas on Sunday 10 November, Muelle Deportivo is continuing to swell with crews as they prepare for their Atlantic crossing. Yacht Marsail is a Hallberg Rassy 41’ owned by Italian Massimo Marrone. This is Massimo’s first ARC, having wanted to sail it on his own boat for many years. Needing crew, Massimo turned to OceanCrewLink.com where he found Lauryn, Javier, Julie, Gerard and Larissa, who were all seeking a boat to sail on and the six of them are now about to embark upon a trip of a lifetime together!
Massimo said “Thanks to OceanCrewLink.com, I was able to not only find suitable crew but get to know them through skype calls and emails back and forth before finally meeting in Las Palmas. I feel I know my crew very well already. It’s a reassuring feeling.”
Marsail Crew including Massimo and Lauryn who used OceanCrewLink.com for ARC+
23 year old Lauryn Buon is one of the crew sailing onboard Marsail and is very excited about her first Atlantic crossing. Lauryn’s first sailing experience was back in May when she participated in ARC Portugal, a 6 week rally which begins in Plymouth, and heads across the Bay of Biscay before day sailing down the coast of Spain and Portugal to Marina de Lagos. She found a boat to sail on thanks to OceanCrewLink.com, and after such a good experience decided she wanted to cross the Atlantic with ARC+. “I logged on to OceanCrewLink.com once again and now I’ve found myself in Las Palmas about to set sail to the Cape Verdes and onto Saint Lucia. I can’t believe it!”
Planning Ahead
Inviting new crew onto your boat, or joining a new boat as crew is exciting and can lead to long and fruitful friendships but, as with all preparations for crossing an ocean crossing, planning crew early is often key to finding harmony on board. It’s good to meet in advance and the best way to get to know people is to have a trial sail together before starting the voyage if possible. Don’t forget that you will all be living together in cramped conditions, so personality can be as important as sailing skills. If you’re looking for a boat to sail on, be honest about your sailing skills and don’t pretend you have more experience than you really do.
There are lots of great opportunities to sail with interesting people on a wide variety of boats in many World Cruising Club rallies and independently. So, whether you are a potential crew or a potential captain, visit www.oceancrewlink.com ,where ocean sailors connect.