To the uninitiated, sailing can look like the province of the wealthy, with spare money to buy expensive boats, and endless spare time to maintain and sail them.  The thought of spending enormous amounts of money to enter a sport we know little about can be daunting to even the wealthiest among us.  While it is true that you could spend absurd amounts of money to learn how to sail, it is also true that almost anyone who lives in or near a coastal city can begin sailing regularly for almost no money at all.

Throughout the sailing world, there is an enormous community of people who enjoy racing their boats.  The appeal of the sport is sufficient that few coastal or lakeside cities are without several organized yacht racing clubs.  One can watch as dozens or even hundreds of yachts race each other every weekend, and sometimes multiple times a week.  In my home port of Vancouver, it is possible to race as many as four times a week, and more if you are willing to travel or enter some of the larger races.

However, the little known secret of yacht racing is that every one of those boats needs crew.  Aside from a few ‘singlehanded’ races, most racing requires at least a few people on each boat.  Some boats have as many as fifteen crew aboard for a single race.  Outside of the professional sailing world, crew are unpaid and sailing purely for the joy of it.  And the reality for most racing captains is that it is hard to find crew to race their boats on a regular basis.

Racing boats are so much in need of crew that they are almost always willing to take on novice crew members.  No matter if you have never once set foot on a sailboat, it is likely that you could find a spot on a racing boat within days.  Many racing clubs have websites where a person can list her name and contact information for skippers seeking crew.  Some clubs even have a location (often outside the entrance to the marina or yacht club) where interested crew can show up before a race to fill spots on boats.By putting my name on one crew list I ended up racing for years on several different boats.  I made several excellent friendships.

The advantages of learning to sail as a novice crewmember of a racing boat are enormous.

The entry cost is minimal.  In the warm season, often all a crewmember needs is some sailing gloves () and some raingear.  In some cases it is necessary to bring your own flotation (i.e. a pfd). The rest of the equipment belongs to the boat and is the responsibility of the owner.

Experience is the best teacher.  Racing boats will sail in a wide range of conditions, and will push their gear to the limit.  Once you have raced for awhile, a quiet charter trip or cruise with the family is not at all intimidating.

Racing is a social activity.  While there are many intense challenges, you get to be part of a team that is working towards a goal.  Shared challenge is an excellent way to make new friends and broaden your horizons.

You can become a highly skilled sailor in a fairly short period of time, at no cost.  While there are a wide range of courses available to novice sailors, they can be quite costly.  If you do eventually decide to pay for a course, you will gain much more from it as a seasoned racer than you would as a complete novice.          

The sailing world is full of adventure and excitement, and very accessible to people on even the most modest of incomes.   I now have my own boat, and can take my family sailing with the confidence borne of years of experience racing in all conditions.  For a novice who is curious about sailing but does not know where to begin, crewing on a race boat is an enjoyable, affordable and thrilling way to begin.