Finding Paying Sailboat Delivery Work

Posted by owmagow@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 12 comments

Hi, friends. I’d like to ask for some advice and direction in my search for paying sailboat delivery work. Any thoughts you have will be greatly appreciated. Some details about me:

I’m currently awaiting delivery of my USCG OUPV (Six-Pack / Captain’s) license. Shouldn’t be much longer now. I’d like to start working with someone around October or November — sooner if the business I currently work for ends up closing down.
I currently work as a diver. I’m looking to do more work on top of the water and less underneath.
I do NOT think I’m currently qualified to be solely in charge of sailboat deliveries, but I have been in key roles in delivery of two 40+ foot sailboats so far. One south across the Gulf from Gulfport, MS, to Isla Mujeres, MX. And another from Gulfport, MS, to Miami by way of the Keys.

I’m fine working under another captain or assisting capable boat owners with moving their boats.

I can provide reference for my two previous deliveries

I am looking more for PAYING opportunity at this point. I’m not really looking for free experience these days. I’m fine being paid crew, a co-captain or assisting however I need to. I’d really like to find the right person to really show me the ropes and mentor me.
While I’m open to various locations and regions, I’d like to regularly do deliveries along the US eastern and southern coasts.
While most of my experience is sailboat-centric, I have some powerboat experience I’m also happy to assist in delivering those too. As long as I’m on open water, I’m pretty happy.

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Sailsherpa@reddit

I went to work for a builder as a rigger and started delivering boats to boat shows. I spent lots of time on marlinspike skills. This was a time of wire halyards with rope tails. I was also a former USCG navigator. I would suggest Newport RI for opportunities, maybe Newport Shipyard. Been working for a single client for 10 years.

whyrumalwaysgone@reddit

Another delivery captain here. My day rate for crew is also $200/day, and I typically split my crew 50/50 between experienced crew and novices. I don't pay novice/backpacker crew for their first trip, but I do bring them back as paid crew for the second and future trips if they like it and want to continue. I wouldn't hire someone I have not sailed with unless there was no other choice, but I've got a pretty good crew list by now so it hasn't come up.

I wish you the best of luck, there are very few paid crew jobs that can be found by being online. If you're serious about this as a real living you will need to be in a place like Ft Lauderdale, Mallorca or Newport RI where there is a higher volume of boats that can afford crew. There are also specific times of year where Beaufort NC, Canaries and a few of the Caribbean islands are a good place to catch a ride. Always will involve talking to people though, or maybe a physical bulletin board in the right marina.

owmagow@reddit (OP)

Thank you.

Original_Dood@reddit

Can you move to Florida or mid Atlantic/North East? There are far more opportunities and communities in those areas. As someone else said, it's mostly about who you know. If you don't already have those connections where you currently live, you probably need to relocate until you've made them.

Pale-Egg-251@reddit

Sailors think the wind is free and everything else should be. Sailboat owners think you should contribute for the opportunity to move their boats. Paid work doesn’t materialize, except in rare occasions, until you can competently captain powerboats larger than 75’

ErieSpirit@reddit

You would be surprised how much delivery captain work there is moving under 50' sailboats around. Charter bases either taking delivery of new boats, or repositioning boats is nice work. Owners taking delivery of a new boat where the insurance company requires a licensed captain aboard for the first big passage. Owners that need a boat moved and can't do it themselves due to health or other reasons. I have circumnavigated on my own boat and have run across quite a number of people that make a living moving boats around in this manner.

bill9896@reddit

Delivery skipper here. I tend to do long range, ocean passage deliveries, so this is biased that way. I do 5 or 6 a year. My hext one is from Martinique to Proto, Portugal.

Crew dynamic is very touchy. I have never brought aboard crew I did not know VERY well either professionally or personally. Being confined to the hull of a sailboat for 2 weeks (or more!) is a very difficult social situation if personalities clash. Honestly, my deckhand pay rate sucks. $200/day plus expenses. Not exactly a living wage. People who do it are doing if for fun, not profit. But, that said, I have never turned down a trip because I could not find crew to go along.

Are you saying your overall rate is $200/day, or deckhand rate?

My rate as captain is 400. my crew get 200. It=f we are both on the boat the client is paying 600

Thank you. I just sent you a message.

the-montser@reddit

Word of mouth. It’s all about who you know. Who do you know?

I know a lot of people at my marina. I don’t think many of them move their boats long distances.