Competitive Sailing

January 26, 2005 3:55 PM

How do I get into competitive sailing? Primarily multi-hull open ocean regattas? (mi)

I have been sailing for several years now. Crewing on boats from 20-40 feet, I have done some club-type races but am looking for something with a little more extreme edge. I would really like to get into open-ocean regattas on high-tech ships (syndicates) and am willing to train for x-years to get there.

Anyone have serious tips or starting points to get crewing for a syndicate? I am located in Washington D.C./Baltimore and can travel for training and races.

posted by omidius to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 answers total)

A relative of mine got invited to go down to New Zealand and crew for a big old fancy racing yacht, and if I remember correctly he was invited because his girl friend introduced him to the boat's owner, or skipper, or whatever, and they hit it off. It was that kind of thing. Previously, he'd been crewing in a fairly well-known local boat (similar, it sounds, to what you're doing, though I am totally ignorant of this stuff, in case you couldn't tell), and before that he'd been racing his own boat with a revolving crew of friends in very small events. My impression of it was that it was the kind of thing where you get exposed to increasingly elite cliques, slowly, over time, and, if you're good enough, one day they let you eat at the cool kids' table.

I will ask him for details if I can get ahold of him. Last time I tried to consult him for a boat-related AskMefi question, he didn't get back to me for days though, so don't hold your breath.
posted by Hildago at 4:09 PM on January 26, 2005

Join a local yacht club. My sister lives near you and sails in the Albacore Nationals. I think that would be the best place to seek out the right connections.
posted by astruc at 4:20 PM on January 26, 2005

I race competitively, and astruc is spot on. Join a club if you haven't already.

If it's the extreme stuff you're going for (Aussie skiffs, multihulls, etc) you're probably looking at New Zealand and Australia.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 6:04 PM on January 26, 2005

And, if possible, get out to some of the bigger regattas on the circut and maybe get a little distance experience. The Newport - Bermuda isn't too hard to get a crewing position on, if you've got a bit of experience and you'll meet the right sort of people.

The Newport / Annapolis area in general is pretty hot for that sort of stuff.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 6:09 PM on January 26, 2005