Pretty much my whole adult life (Guess how many years is that;)), I’ve been living a minimalistic nomadic life in, on and near the sea. End of my twenties, I started getting into sailing having no idea about it. Only an extreme curousity and drive to explore. I thought sailing was for rich people or people growing up sailing. Now, I sailed +40.000 miles, on +50 different boats and in every continent, mostly as as amateur crew, but also as professional crew, captain, boat caretaker, and expedition organizer. I experienced the different ways of sailboat travel. And learned how and how not to travel on boats to make it rewarding, not only for yourself.
Here are 5 reasons why to dip your toes into sailing the world as crew instead of your own vessel.
1. You worry less. Having your own boat is a serious responsibility
Sailing as crew is less of a responsibility and commitment. Maybe you’re not ready to commit to buying and maintaining a boat. Boat ownership also comes with storing and taking care of the sailboat. You don’t have all of that by sailing on someone else’s boat.
Sailing as crew I learned how much time, money, and work it takes to own a vessel before I actually bought one (I didn’t). I took care of some boats as if they were my own, and though I’m grateful to have learned a lot, it didn’t allow me to actually sail much. It was mostly fixing, maintaining and worrying about dragging anchors. Maybe someday, but for now, I mostly want to explore, be active, sail a sailboat, and pursue multiple passions, including sailing around the world. I’m grateful to have learned valuable lessons on how (& how not) to be crew for a safe and value-aligned time at sea.
One season I got offered to take care of a friend’s boat, as if it were my own. I could take her sailing wherever I wanted as long I kept her in good shape. I thought, great life lessons await me on this journey! Like this, I can experience what it’s like to own a boat without purchasing one. And I could take people sailing in ‘my home,’ which seemed like a more genuine experience than in a charter vessel. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. The boat caretaking turned into research, maintenance, fixing, worrying, sleepless nights and, of course, a few epic sailing adventures. I learned how much time, money and energy actually goes into ‘owning’ a boat. Which was deducted from the actual adventure time.
2. You get to sail more
As sailing crew you get to sail more. If you own a boat, a lot of time goes into working for and on the boat. And another part is sailing. If you jump on board someone else’s sailing boat, they often take you because they want to sail. There are sailing opportunities to be found in all parts of the world.
3. Worldview expansion and next level gratefullness
Through sailing as crew I’ve seen the good, bad & ugly. Sailing brought me to remote wild places and fewer things are more exciting. I’m grateful to have seen so many beautiful wild ocean creatures. I vividly remember the dolphin jumping show on my birthday in the middle of the Atlantic. And be eye-to-eye with whales, see pristine corals and coastlines. But also seeing the plastic soup in the most remote places, fishing fleets scraping the sea, dead zones, and finless sharks with my own eyes made me become a next-level ocean advocate.
I’ve next level learned to appreciate the preciousness of water, power, greens, fruit, land, sleep, and simply having a cup of tea without it falling over. The simple luxuries of land life become priceless when you’ve lived without them during your sailing life. Of course, every boat and trip is different, so I’m happy to also have learned how to be prepared.
Boat ownership will give you of course also this magical experiences but the journey to actually be out there may take much longer. Time is precious. Which brings me to the next point.
4. You can sail away soon
Sailing as crew is more accessible. You can jump on a yacht tomorrow instead of buying a boat, having the funds to buy a boat, and having the yacht ready to sail away. It’s a way to test the waters without making huge time or money investments upfront into buying and preparing a boat.
5. You learn from different people
Another reason to sail on someone else’s sailboat, especially if you’re strongly considering getting your own boat, is that you can learn a great deal from other captains and from figuring out what kind of boat you like and which kind of boat you don’t like. There are so many different boats and so many different captains, and there’s so much to learn by putting yourself on different sailboats with different sailing crews.
Learn by doing and start sailing life through crewing. You can get expensive qualifications, certificates and your own boat later. First explore and experience to know what style, boat, experience and mission matches your bigger aspirations. And you may realise you don’t need so much to keep going. There’s so much to be learned from sailing with different people.
Summary
Of course, owning a boat could be great, and it’s nice that you can make it your home. But there is just way more to boat ownership than exploring by sail. I may be a boat owner someday. But there are so many beautiful boats out there, and the owners and captains are eager to share some of it with you, the aspiring ocean adventurer. Sailing as part of a sailing crew gets you out there faster and smarter and prepares you best for boat ownership some days if that’s part of the dream.
Curious to exploring the world by sailboat? Let me guide you!
Sailinglife has brought me so much. That’s why I’m so excited to help you as a newbie to sailing, into sailinglife. The best part of being a sailor is the adventure. No boat, big budget, partner, or sailing experience is necessary to start. You find that on the way.
Here’s how I can guide you sail the world as crew
Sailboat Travel Crew Checklist
From zero to living the dream ocean lifestyle. 50 Steps to guide you. Download for free.
Sailboat Travel Guide Books
I’ve written two travel guide books on travelling the world by sail.
- Ocean Nomad: The Complete Atlantic Ocean Crew Guide. (2017, + 3000 copies sold)
- Salz auf der Haut (2024, +1100 copies sold. It’s in German)
Eco-Conscious Sailing Community
Sailing adventures require deep respect for the ocean, and careful preparation and selection of your sailing crew and boat. As I couldn’t find my tribe and value-matching (Like vegetarian, purpose-driven, adventure minded, safe, male/female balanced) vessels, I created it, into what’s now the Ocean Nomads network, a community of (aspiring) adventure and impact driven sailing nomads. With Ocean Nomads we connect ocean people, vessels, projects, and environmental action to facilitate sailboat travel, adventure, impact, and a nomadic and ocean-conscious way of life. There are currently +70 vessels and hundreds of nomads in the network teaming up for ocean adventure and supporting each other along the way. You can join as member for 3 coconuts / month to tap into all the resources and connections. It’s really cool to see how many connections and adventurers have come out of it so far. But what is definitely most exciting and energizing is taking people into the big blue! Welcome to join!
Online Sailing Crew Course
This sailboat travel crew course is designed to transform determined beginners into confident ocean adventurers and advocates. All the guidance, toolkit and network I wish I had when I started out a sailing newbies. Spring 2025 we are launching!
Join the waitinglist to be the first to know and get the best offer :). On this instagram account I share all about sailboat travel for newbies tips and course info so you can explore if it’s for you:
Offshore Sailing Training Trips
The Ocean Nomads trips connect people to each other and to the ocean. Nothing brings people together like actually bringing people together. And nothing triggers more than actual experience. We add nature and adventure into the mix, and we have a recipe for creating a big dose of positive energy and accelerating change for a common good. We provide ocean adventure and encourage low-impact travel by sail. 100x your opportunities in the sailing world by joining an Ocean Nomads Trip.
My wish for you to see for yourself how beautiful the ocean are! And hopefully ignite the superpower within you to take steps into a more conscious and perhaps nomadic life in or near or for the sea, and give back to the ocean, our playground, our home, our life. The pursuit of a healthy ocean and lifestyle are one and the same. If you ever dreamed about sailing the Atlantic ocean as crew, visiting remote tropical islands or a classic sailing adventure like nothing else, this could be it!
What are you curious about to experience at sea?
