Crew Service Frequently Asked Questions for Crew Candidates

• What is the Crew Service?
  The Crew Service is Member Benefit managed by the Salty Dawg Sailing Association (SDSA) and is a service that connects Crew with Captains for any sailing purpose at any time. It is not a delivery service. Crew utilize this service to broaden their sailing experience and satisfy their passion for sailing. Captains utilize this service to find Crew to assist with duties such as standing watch, to mentor fellow sailors, or to find an experienced leader. As a non-profit educational and social sailing organization, we hope the Crew Service will be utilized to educate and assist sailors while fostering long term relationships.

• Does the SDSA vet captains or crew candidates?
  No. The SDSA does not review or certify credentials and does not accept responsibility or liability for actions on behalf of Captains or Crew. It is the sole responsibility of the captain and crew to determine qualifications and compatibility. Crew & Captains should interview each other to determine qualifications and compatibility, and perhaps sail together before setting off on a longer passage.

• Who is Eligible
  All SDSA members are eligible to participate either as a Captain in search of Crew, or a Crew looking for an opportunity to sail.

• Do I need to maintain sailing experience to participate?
  No. The SDSA is a non-profit educational sailing association and part of our mission is to educate and mentor candidates who desire offshore experience. Crew candidates of all levels are welcome to participate.  

• Is there a cost to participate in the Crew Service?
  No. The only fee associated with this service is for your SDSA membership.

• Can a captain charge me a fee for being a crew?   No.  The SDSA is a non-profit educational & charitable volunteer organization and the Crew Service is provided as a benefit to assist captains seeking crew and as a service to crew who desire to broaden their sailing experience

• What other costs do I pay as Crew?
  Generally, on passages, Captains cover onboard costs such as meals and boat fees, and crew cover costs to and from the boat along with ashore costs such as meals. However, Captain and Crew may agree to other financial arrangements. Captains may not charge candidates for their participation.

• As a prospective crew, may I charge a Captain for my participation?
  The Crew Service is not intended for this purpose, but there may be appropriate instances. An example is a less experienced Captain who may be willing to pay an experienced Crew candidate to take advantage of the crew's particular skill set. In these circumstances, the SDSA does allow the Captain and Crew negotiation of an appropriate payment arrangement. However, please note that other services exist and may be preferred for finding paid captains.

• How is the Forum for Crew Service organized?
  Opportunities are subdivided into "Captains seeking Crew" and "Crew available". Participating Captains may simply choose not post, and just peruse the listings for available crew. To maximize exposure, participants may post specifics of their availability. In all cases, post only to the proper forum.
  

• The Crew service previously didn't require multiple separate posts for events. What gives?
  Although a check box makes life easy for posters, it blended all the users together, making a search for specific needs a bit challenging for participants and SDSA administration. We hope this streamlines searches. Separation into different forums allows the user to modify/edit and most importantly, delete old information or opportunities.
  

• How do I use the Forum for listing my availability as Crew?
  Go to our Forum section, and under the heading of "Crew Service" you will see our Crew Service Forums. On "Crew Available" you will post a notice of availability. You must post one notice for each specific event that you are seeking. Each event has its own forum. Find the relevant forum, then Click "New Topic" and under the Subject line, summarize your availability. For example, "Experienced sailor with cooking skills" is preferable to "I'm available". Provide details in the body of the post.    INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT PHONE OR EMAIL IN YOUR POST.  If you wish to advertise for more than one rally, use multiple different posts for each availability. So that when you are matched with a captain or you no longer wish to be considered for the experience, you remove that specific post. For more details and hints on how to promote yourself, visit About the Forums in the Other Forums Section when in Forums index.

• How do I use the Forum if I am a Captain listing an open Crew position?
  Go to our Forum section, and then to the Crew Service Forums. In "Captains Needing Crew," click "New Topic" and under the Subject line summarize the position available. For example, "Seeking Sailor with cooking skills--Caribbean Rally" is preferable to "Opening".  Provide details in the body of the post.   INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT PHONE OR EMAIL IN YOUR POST.  If you have filled the position please delete the post.  For more details and hints on how to promote your opening, visit About the Forums in the Other Forums Section when in Forums index.

• How do I update my Postings?
  Access your original post and edit or delete it. In this manner, your posting will always be up-to-date. If you choose to re-post, please be sure to delete the original post. Please do not post frequently simply in order to bump yourself to the top of the list. When you accept a crew offer, or when you have filled a position, please access your posting and disable it by deleting it.

• What happens after I post and how does the process work?
  In the Crew Forums you cannot reply directly to the Forum. You must email the poster. For this reason, posts should include reference to their personal email address. Note that if the email address of the poster is not in the original post, you can click on their name or profile picture and see their Member Profile which usually has their preferred contact information.

• As Captain or a Crew, do I have to post openings or availability?
  No you don't have to post. You may choose simply to review the active posts.

• How can I provide important feedback about my crew service experience? We encourage honest and open, face-to-face discussions between captain and crew. Beyond that, captains and crew can send us your thoughts, concerns and suggestions by contacting [email protected].  Please only post crew related opportunities to the Captains Seeking Crew or Crew Available forums.  

• Does the SDSA vet captains or crew candidates?    No. The SDSA does not review or certify credentials (except for requirements that are enforced for participation in our longer rallies) and does not accept responsibility or liability for actions on behalf of Captains or Crew. It is the sole responsibility of the captain and crew to determine qualifications and compatibility. Crew & Captains should interview each other to determine qualifications and compatibility, and perhaps sail together before setting off on a longer passage.

• How is the Forum for Crew Service organized?
  Opportunities are subdivided into "Captains seeking Crew" and "Crew available". Participating Captains may simply choose not post, and just peruse the listings for available crew. To maximize exposure, participants may post specifics of their availability. In all cases, post only to the proper forum. Please do not use the "Captains Seeking Crew" or any of the "Crew Available" forums to post commentary (negative or positive) about any posted offer. This type of feedback should go to [email protected]

• Does the SDSA provide detail about Captains and their boats to Crew?
  No, generally not. It is the responsibility of the Captains to initiate contact with Crew and provide required information. It is the responsibility of Crew to interview the Captain to determine qualifications, compatibility and passage details.

• Who will provide me with information about the passage?
  The SDSA provides prospective Crew with general information about the Rally on its webpages. However, your Captain is responsible for providing Crew with specific details, expectations and costs concerning the passage.

• How do I plan for the length of time of a passage?
  The amount of time for a passage depends upon many factors, but weather is the most important of the unpredictable variables. Please ask your Captain about specific passage details and expectations for availability. As a general rule of thumb, you should have a reasonably flexible time-frame and not establish time constrains for a passage. Please communicate with your Captain about your time-frame as weather related delays or postponements can and do occur. 

• Are there safety and tracking resources provided by the SDSA?
  Yes. For our rallies, the SDSA provides educational seminars/webinars, information about recommended safety equipment and on-site recommendations when convenient. We also maintain a Shore Coordinator that tracks rally boats on a daily basis. All rally boats are required to “check-in” daily with the Shore Coordinator. During rallies, the SDSA also provides a SSB Radio Net Coordinator and professional weather forecaster who corresponds with all boats on a daily basis. We also work closely with the USCG during rallies in tracking boats. Underway, we support your emergency concerns with an emergency response team. Upon completing your rally Crew Emergency/Waiver Form, you are registered in our database for the rally and we will refer to that information if needed. Your family and friends may follow the fleet and track your passage with our follow-the-fleet link. We do not provide tracking and safety support services for non-rally passages.

• Why am I not receiving inquiries from Captains or prospective Crew?
  The SDSA maintains no control over how and when a captain or crew chooses to respond. Review your posts for accuracy. Upload any supporting documents that speak to your experience.
  
  
• Why am I receiving crew inquires from captains if I have already been selected?
  You have not deleted your post for that passage. Find your original post and delete it.

Info, Questions, Feedback:   Contact Crew Coordinator at:  [email protected]

For Forum specific questions contact: [email protected]