1. Create a resume with an honest assessment of your sailing experience and physical abilities. This should reflect your prior roles onboard and types of boats you sailed and raced. Ask yourself what kind of value you add to a racing crew. You probably won’t submit this document to anyone, but it’s a good mental exercise that will help you present your value to a racing boat if asked.
2. Decide the type of racing you prefer (e.g., weeknight “beer can” races, weekend regattas, offshore racing) and the specific type of boat you’re looking for (e.g., racer, cruiser, small one-design, large sled).
3. Share a photo of yourself, ideally while sailing, along with a brief bio, on local Facebook crew finder pages or online crew lists available on yacht club or event websites.
4. Attend racing and rule seminars at your local yacht club.
5. Look for speaker programs at local yacht clubs that attract racers and are open to the public. These are perfect events for networking.
6. Consider taking a class or course that includes some racing content.
7. Check out the local racing calendars on your local yacht club’s website.
8. Weeknight “beer can” races held during spring and summer present great opportunities for finding boats to race on and gaining experience.
9. On race days or evenings, show up at local yacht clubs two hours before the scheduled race starts to walk the docks and ask if anyone is looking for crew. After the race, hang out with the crew and other racers.
10. Once onboard, offer to help rig the boat or unload gear off the boat. If you are unsure about any rigging tasks, ask an experienced crewmember to check your work or show you the correct configuration. Be friendly and courteous but not chatty. Ask questions about your role and what you’re expected to do.
11. Consider the conditions and length of race when packing. Arrive as ready and geared up as is reasonable. For a day race, your bag should be no larger than a typical backpack, as most boats are weight and space conscious. Bring your own water bottle/thermos, snack, and personal safety gear if needed. Leave a change of clothes in your vehicle or the boat’s dock box for after the race.
12. After the race, help put the boat away by folding sails, flaking sheets, packing spinnakers, wiping down counters and floors below, etc.
13. Provide your contact info so that they can invite you back or refer you to other boats.
14. Continue to improve your knowledge of racing by reading articles and books, and by watching videos. Check out UK Sailmakers’ “Lessons Learned” podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Amazon Music.
15. Always arrive at the boat on-time. Be positive, and be helpful!

By following these tips and staying committed to learning and improving, you’ll increase your chances of finding a crew and enjoying the thrill of competitive sailing. With time and dedication, you’ll become a valued member of the local racing community, building skills and connections that will serve you well on and off the water.

We were mostly happy with our upwind tactics and boat speed, powered by my X-Drive mainsail and an older J3. We rounded Lightship in good shape, determined to make solid gains on the long downwind run to the finish off of St. Francis Yacht Club. As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge, the wind built to 20+ knots with a little ebb current coming out the bay. Our boat speed was a steady 8-9 knots hitting 11-12 knots in the puffs.

Since this was our first time racing doublehanded together, we talked through our jibing techniques before attempting it. Unfortunately, our three jibes did not go as planned and we rounded up each time with my crew left vulnerable on the foredeck. On the third poorly executed jibe, we found ourselves getting too close for comfort to the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge so a decision was made to douse the S2 chute. An afterguy was lost but there were no other issues, and some valuable lessons learned.

After sailing under the bridge with full main and J3 on a broad reach, we noticed our competitors making gains behind us, all of whom carrying their spinnakers. Instead of leading a spare afterguy and repacking the chute, we decided we were close enough to the finish to maintain our lead without risking a roundup in front of spectators (and cameras) at the clubhouse. Our calculations proved to be accurate but we were embarrassed about the optics of finishing without a chute.

Lessons Learned for Doublehanded Spinnaker Work:

•  Practice a jibe, even if only in the slip before the race, both an end for end jibe and a dip pole jibe.
• Make sure the trip lines are working on the spinnaker pole. All too often, all the trip lines on a spinnaker pole are the same color as the bridle. When I am singlehanding, I know where everything is and how things work. But this was not a solo race.
• Ensure the spin sheets are within reach of the driver when the crew goes forward. For some reason we had led the sheets to the cabin top winches instead of the secondary winches by the helm. When we rounded up, I was unable to reach the sheets.
• Invest in a new UK Sailmakers Stasher for quick and easy dousing of the spinnaker without taking the entire sail down and having to re-lead the sheets and guys. We watched a doublehanded Cal 40 easily jibe their much larger kite this way.

What I think we did correctly is to remember the big picture and not push the boat too hard before a big race less than two months away. Had we shredded my S2 chute or, God forbid, broken the mast so close to Singlehanded Transpac, that would impact both my budget and ability to adequately prepare for the race. Not re-hoisting the chute was the right call, and we were lucky enough not to have blown our lead.

I’m looking forward to using my new UK Sailmakers Stasher on the next race, which I think will make jibing both my asymmetrical and symmetrical chutes much easier when racing shorthanded.