Find a Crew™ is home to a dedicated team of diverse and dynamic people with backgrounds from marine, marketing, management consulting, IT&C (Information Technology & Communications), education and human resource.

Find a Crew™ is Australian owned, managed and developed, and is based in locations around the world with its head office in Australia at the Sunshine Coast, Mooloolaba.

Find a Crew™ was launched on the 1st of December 2004, and within a very short time has reached a truly global status. Find a Crew™ has active Members in over 135 countries, receives daily member payments originating from over 125 countries, and has over 60 convenient Find a Crew™ telephone support locations around the World (see 'Contact Us').

Find a Crew™ is the World's largest International Online Marine Crew & Boat Network providing a point of introduction for mariners around the world.

Find a Crew™ is NOT a Crew Agency - Our network is designed to help you find a good crew or a great boat to join by yourself, which provides a cheaper and faster alternative. Find a Crew™ is suited to people who like to make their own decisions about what is best for them. Crew agents are however also welcome to use our service if it helps them to find the right crew for their clients.

Anywhere! Find a Crew™ is totally online and Worldwide. You can use Find a Crew™ anywhere you have an internet connection, to find or fill crew positions anywhere in the world.

Approximately 40% of our members are from the USA, 40% from Europe, 10% from Australia, and 10% ROW (Rest Of World).

Anytime! If you are looking for a new crew or a new crew job or position anywhere in the world, it is worth looking on Find a Crew™!

Find a Crew™ caters for Professional, Recreational and Commercial boating, for boats of all types and sizes, and for all associated crew positions and jobs. Visitors to the site can search and view profiles and have a look around, but must be a registered member to send messages.

Find a Crew™ offers an alternative to finding or filling a crew position whereby members are in full control to make their own choices about what suits them best.

• Privacy and Security - Our members are in full control of who gets their email address, minimizing the chances of being 'spammed'. All personal data entered is SSL Secure encrypted, and we DO NOT store any credit card details when making payments. Payments are made via a secure online payment gateway, which communicates directly with the member's bank.
• Make contact instantly - Members can contact any listed crew or boat member who matches their profile to let them know that they are interested. Members can upgrade to Premium Member if, and when they like, to make exchange contact details.
• Value for money - We offer free registration, free listing, free searching and free initial contacting. We want members to use Find a Crew™ and be happy with the service before paying any money. Paying for a length of time subscription rather than a pay per view gives you more options if the first contact doesn't work out for you.
• Customer Service - Yes - we are an online service, but are also a business run by real people. You can call us at over 60 phone numbers around the world, and offer fantastic email support 24/7/365. We are here to help!

Every day that there are relevant matches, Find a Crew™ will send you two daily notification emails.

• New members - the summary of the new members who have registered and have a match of more than 60% to your profile.
• Updated members - the summary of any existing members who have updated their profile to now have a 60% or more match to your profile.

The other emails you can get from Find a Crew™ are occasional Newsletters, and Email Alerts if we need to notify you of anything going on with the site.

In addition to this, you will recieve emails of all messages sent to you. If you find you are getting too many notifications, or that they are coming from members who are not what you are looking for, you can reduce the number by narrowing down your selection criteria. If you tick the Mandatory box next to any criteria, then only the members who have that in their profile can contact you. (eg - Only crew members from a certain area, or of a certain age or gender)

You can change any details for your email settings or add mandatory selections using the relevant controls under the orange My (Boat / Crew) Profile tab.

Yes - you can do any of that anytime you like when you have found a crew or boat, or do not need your profile for now.

• SUSPEND My Profile: Profile is still visible. Visitors and members can still view your profile and you can write a brief message to inform others about your status. You can also tick the box if you no longer wish to be contacted by any members.
• VISIBILITY: Choose who can see your profile. You can select who is able to view your profile, or even make it Silent. A Silent profile can not be seen by anyone unless you contact them, but you can still keep logging in to check your profile against others.
• DELETE Account: Account closed - Profile is gone. Use this feature if you wish to unsubscribe or cancel your Find a Crew™ profile altogether. Your profile can no longer be accessed by you or viewed by any member. Your email address can now be used again to register for a new account. Deleting the profile can NOT be reversed by the member.

Important Note to keep in Mind:

• While your profile is suspended or hidden, your Premium Membership will not be suspended or de-activated and you will still have full functionality of your Premium Member status.
• You can un-suspend or re-activate your profile again, anytime you like.
• Remember that your profile will automatically be removed (hidden), but NOT deleted, from the listing if you have not logged in to your account for more than 45 days.
• Whenever you log in again, your profile will be placed at the top of the listing.

Use the drop down menu under the orange My (Boat / Crew) Profile tab to change your visiblitiy or delete your account.

If you forgot your password, simply click on Forgot Password (in the Member sign in box) and enter your email address. Your current password will instantly be emailed to you.

To sign in (or login), you will need to enter your Username. which is your full email address or member number, and your chosen password.

To sign in (or login), you will need to enter your Username, which is your full email address or member number and your chosen password.

If you have trouble signing in, make sure that cookies are enabled. For more info about cookies, see the About Cookies page. You can also try to sign in on another computer to check if it is the settings on the one you were using.

Yes - you can have both a Boat and Crew profile, however you will need a different email address for each profile. Your email address is your user name (you can also use your member number once you have registered) and this has to be unique for you to sign in.

If you do not have two email addresses, you can create a second one using a free online service such as Gmail, Hotmail etc.

Your QuickLists tab at the top of your profile is where you can find your 'Shorlist' as well as an optional 'Blocklist' and a 'Since my last sign in' list. Any members you block from viewing or contacting your profile will be in your 'Blocklist'. 'Since my last sign in' show you activity since you last signed in (how many updated & new members edited their profile, how many new members registered and how many existing members signed in).

*You can add members to your Shortlist and Blocklist by clicking the link below the photo.

You can upload up to 6 pictures to your profile. A picture can say a thousand words and could make all the difference.

Supported file types are JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, or TIFF. Pictures larger than 500x500 pixels will automatically be resized. Although, we don't generally censor uploaded pictures, we reserve the right to do so.

• You agree to have permission of the people shown on your pictures to be displayed on your profile.
• Uploaded pictures with names, emails, websites or product advertising will be edited or removed.
• We DO NOT remove pictures featuring naked people, as this is part of the ocean lifestyle.
• We reserve the right to mark a picture as 'Explicit', that might be explicit or offensive to some.
(Pictures marked as 'Explicit' can only be viewed by members who selected that option in their account settings.)
• Any picture comments are visible to everyone (visitors and members), once reviewed by Find a Crew™.
• We do not recommend to upload images larger than 3Mb in file size, please resize before hand.

If you are experiencing problems uploading a picture, please email it to us at picture@findacrew.net with your
member ID (number) in the subject line. We will crop, resize, and upload it to your profile for you.
 

Recreational /Social
Recreational crew positions are offered on recreational or leisure crafts such as sailing, amateur racing, fishing, diving, cruising, motor boats etc. that are used for social, non-commercial activities. Recreational boats are not permitted to engage in any commercial activities such as charters or to have any paying guests aboard (see definition for guests). Crew contributing to journey and running costs of the boat are usually permitted.

Professional
Professional crew positions are offered on boats that hire mostly paid, and usually qualified or specifically trained crew aiming to achieve a goal other, or rather than just a profitable income, such as professional racing, private or corporate (but licensed!) charters, private expeditions, etc.

Commercial
Commercial crew positions are offered on all boats that engage in legal, commercial activities with the main intend to generate a profitable income, such as commercial fishing, public charter, boat hire, cruises, diving, research, cargo or bulk transport. To achieve a profitable income, an exceptional performance is usually and consistently demanded from personnel and boat. The crew is required to maintain specific qualifications to permit lawful operation of the vessel as requested by regulatory bodies, insurance companies, home port and local (visiting) government authorities.

Any professional or commercial crew positions usually cover food, uniform, essential insurances, travel expenses to, while on, and from the boat. However, always check before signing anything!
 

Recreational /Social - share costs:
Crew will contribute to their share of the basic running costs of the boat such as food, docking / mooring fees, fuel, etc. The shared costs or contribution usually range between US$25/day per person, up to US$300/day per person if training or splitting charter costs are involved. Some boats charge a fixed rate per day, while others establish a 'kitty' from where all costs are paid and everyone puts the same amount of money in when funds run low and pay out in equal shares of what is left. Either system works great as long as you are very clear upfront of what is included and what is excluded, and most importantly add a sensible amount of generosity to make it all work. (Nothing worse than having a paranoid crew member continually checking up on others how many pieces of chocolates they ate, or asking for $1.67 they spend on some yeast. But still make sure someone is in charge of rationing so the provisions lasts until you are back in port!)

Recreational /Social - unpaid:
Crew is not paid in any form for being a crew, but also do not need to pay anything for being aboard.
However, crew usually pay for their own personal expenses such as travel, insurance, accommodation when off the boat, food, alcohol, unless agreed otherwise with owner or skipper of the vessel (put it in writing).

Recreational /Social - paid:
You get paid an agreed fixed or/and variable (commission) amount on a daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or on completion of a contract. Travel, insurance, accommodation on or off the boat, clothes, call & communications expenses, toiletries, food, alcohol, might not be inclusive of agreed payment and may need to be covered by the crew - check about this before travelling to the boat!


Commercial / Professional - unpaid, work experience:
The crew is not paid, but is part of the crew for training or experience purposes.

Commercial / Professional - paid, fixed rate:
The crew is paid a fixed amount in regular intervals as agreed in a written contract and possibly an additionally signed agreement.

Commercial / Professional - paid, commission:
The crew may (but not necessarily) be paid a retainer (minimum amount) in regular or agreed intervals, plus a defined commission as per a written contract.
 

Owner: The owner can be an individual person, a group of people, a company or an organisation that owns the boat. The owner is liable for any expenses arising to insure the boats' safe operation, if berthed or at sea.

Personnel: The personnel are all officers, crew and employees hired by the owner for the administration, operation and service on or off the boat. All personnel are employed by the owner, but are appointed directly or indirectly by the captain.   

The Captain (Commanding Officer, CO): The captain has the ultimate responsibility for the operation and safety of the boat, all crew and its guests. The commanding officer of the boat cannot be overridden, not even by the owner, in matters of directing the boat's operation. An owner can dismiss the captain from command, but cannot interfere with the operation of the boat while the captain is in command.

Crew: A crew is a person that is invited or hired to serve aboard a vessel participating paid or unpaid in allocated operational duties. While on an aircraft in flight, any personnel operating or servicing are considered crew, on boats all personnel operating or serving aboard are distinguished as officers and crew.
IMPORTANT: A crew is not permitted to invite or hire other crew, or to invite guests aboard on their own accord or on behalf of someone else without the permission of the captain, or the captains order.

Guest: A guest is a person who is under the responsibility and care of one or several crew and is under no obligation to complete any participation, work or operational duties. However, all guests have to follow the orders of the captain, regardless if given in person, via a crew, as a written notice or by a printed symbol (e.g.: no smoking). A guest may pay for this privilege, or may be invited by the owner or the captain to come aboard without having to pay. Recreational boats are not permitted to take paying guests aboard.

IMPORTANT: A guest is not permitted to invite other guests or other crew aboard the boat without the permission of the captain, or the captains order.

It is important to keep your profile up to date at all times, and on Find a Crew™, you can manage your profile yourself and change any details at any time. You can access all sections of your profile and account under the orange My Profile tab at the top of the page, or click on the Edit tabs next to each section.

You can put as much detail as you like in the Dear Shipmates / Dear Crew Member sections, but if you want to put in extra contact information, please only put it in the 'For Premium Members only' box. You can also put websites in this area - we do not accept them in the other text fields as we do not want companies trying to promote products or services in this way.

Remember to SAVE the changes every 5 - 10 minutes.

When you sign in, go to My Account and Email settings under My Profile to change following features to suit yourself:

• Time Zone - set your local time so you don't get calls at midnight!
• Default Currency - shows you currency to see what the exhcange rate is when you upgrade to Premium Member (all payments processed in Australian Dollars)
• Default Coordinate format and unit for distance
• Default language
• Picture options
•  

Here, you can also change your email settings. Choose the format you want, which emails you wish to recieve from us, and the percentage match of your daily notifications.

Your Find a Crew™ profile is there for two reasons - to tell people who you are and what you are looking for, and to make people want to find out more about you.

Making a decision of whether or not you want to contact someone can be made very quickly as you scan the profile summaries. Instinct plays a big part in meeting people in any situation, and it is no different online. Remember, the people viewing your profile use the same instincts as you. They know nothing about you, so anything you can tell them about yourself will be useful. If your profile shows character, you will have more chance of being contacted.

From the moment it is live, people are viewing your profile, so if you have not shown who you are straight away, you may miss opportunities from the beginning. It is a good idea to write your text in Word first, then copy it across, and remember to Save it! Make sure you keep it up to date as your details change, so that you always get the relevant profiles to match yours.

Upload a photo! Yes - it is true - the photo is most of the time the first thing people will look at. It is human instinct to be drawn to faces, and people will know very quickly if they want to know more about you from looking at your photo. Profiles with photos do attract a higher success rate.

If you do not feel comfortable to have a photo of yourself online, it may be a good idea to write in the text that you will provide photos when contact is made. Also think about what message the photo gives the viewer. The old cliché of 'a picture says a thousand words' makes no exceptions online.

Yes, any Find a Crew™ Boat or Crew Member can submit a reference about another member.

Four simple steps:
1) You submit your reference about a Member.

(Click on 'Provide a Reference' on that member's profile - under the photo)
2) Find a Crew™ will pre-approve your text.
3) The Member can approve or disapprove.
4) If approved by the Member, your reference will be shown on their and your profile.

Once a reference is approved by the receiving member it can no longer be changed by either party.

It depends what the problem is. If you are being harassed by a member with repeated emails through our message system, you can block that member from seeing your profile or being able to send more messages.

If you have come across a suspicious profile which may be a scam or a spammer, please let us know straight away so that we can look into it further.

In the rare and unfortunate case that things don't work out on a journey, or when making direct contact with other members, you can let us know, but be aware that we are not in the position to judge a situation or person based on another person's comments. We cannot lock a member profile just because you didn't have a good time, but we can do so if we are notified by relevant authorites.

We suggest that if you have had to fear for your or other people's lives or have been abused in any way, you should report it to the local authorites (police, coast guard etc).

More importantly, before you do take further steps with any new people you meet, please ask a lot of questions, discuss all arrangements in detail, and always have a Plan B in case things don't go as planned.

Find a Crew™ has many features implemented in order to make if unattractive to be used by scammers and spammers. Most importantly, your email address is never publically displayed to anyone, and you are in total control of who ends up with it.

We have systems in place to detect anyone who seems suspicous, and we lock most attempts before they go live. If one does get through, we usually find it within a short time, but if you see a member who you think may be a fraud profile, please let us know so that we can look into it further.

Meeting new people online is not a lot different to meeting them in a pub, through a friend or by answering a newspaper ad - your instincts will guide you as to whether or not you feel comfortable. To help your instincts though, we cannot stress enough to ask lots of questions! The more you know from the start, the less surprises there will be.

If you contact people directly via email to ask questions and build your relationship, make sure you save all the emails so that you can refer to them in case of any confusion later on.

Before you meet someone..

Ask Questions! (see Example list of Questions to ask!)

It is a good idea to meet the person for the first time somewhere public, rather than having them pick you up from the hotel, or going straight to the boat. Meet at the airport, local cafe or bar. Spend some time having a chat. This also enables you to see how they treat other people - waiter etc - are they rude and demanding, or friendly and relaxed.

Always have a Plan B! If you find you are feeling uneasy around someone, there is usually a reason for it, so it is important to have thought through what you will do if it does not work out. It is a good idea to discuss this with the other person as well if you do sail together to give you both the reassurance and protection which makes you feel more comfortable.

The Find a Crew™ system is designed to help you find a great crew or a great boat to join by yourself, and this involves also taking responsibility for your decisions. Just like meeting new people in any sitution, YOU can best decide what you feel comfortable with and how much background checking you want to do. Most people will have no hesitation providing you with references and more information. Your gut instinct will play a large part in your decision once you have established direct contact.

Our main focus is introductions, and making it easy. This covers a very broad range of expectations. While Find a Crew™ is not a dating site, we do have members looking for a companion, partner or relationship. This is fine as long as they are upfront about it.

Find a Crew™ does not do background or reference checking, but focuses on providing an efficient platform for you to make new introductions. The rest is up to you. However, you can always contact us if you are unsure and we will do our best to help.

We can never generalise about what members expect from each other as every single situation is different.

From when you register your profile on Find a Crew™, think about what you are really after. If you are contacted by someone on the first day, be ready with questions and details of your own situation. The more questions you ask, the less surprises there will be.

While most of our members report fantastic experiences, it can be very distressing if things don't work out how you would like. Many of these situations can be avoided just by asking more questions from the beginning.

Questions such as:

Boat Info
• What safety equipment does the boat have, and what is in need of repair?
• What condition is the boat in?
• Who does the maintenance on the boat?
• What communication tools are onboard (email, sat phone etc)?
• Who is responsible for any expenses related to the boat, mooring etc?
• Who owns the boat?
• Are there any crew from a previous trip that I can talk to?

Position description / expectations / responsibilities
• Financial commitment from either side?
• Is it a paid position? What is the rate and conditions of pay?
• Expenses while onshore?
• What will be your responsibilities?
• What do you expect from the other party?
• Is there smoking / drinking onboard?
• Physical / emotional relationship expectations?
• How much free time will you have?
• Expectations from both sides of free time activities - onboard and onshore.
• Who does the cooking and daily domestic duties?
• Must a uniform be worn? Who provides the uniform?
• Travel expenses - who covers them?
• Travel to and from the boat - how, how much, where?
• Where will you meet for the first time?
• Must the crew pay a fee or contribute to any other expenses?
• What skills, qualifications and experience are required by crew?

Journey Details
• What is the expected route of travel and how long do they plan to be underway?
• Who are the other people on board, and how often and why do they change crew?
• Who will be on this trip with you?
• Any special luggage requirements - climate conditions?
• What is the time schedule of the trip?
• Will you have your own quarters?

Insurance / Visas / Passports
• Is the boat or crew insured, and who is responsible for this?
• Do you have the correct visas for the areas you will travel to?
• Is your passport valid for longer than the time you will be away?

Other questions
• Have they had crew/ found a boat through FAC or a similar site before?
• Can they provide personal and / or professional references?
• Can you swim?
• Are you familiar / comfortable with first aid procedures?
• Do you get seasick?
• What is Plan B if things don't work out?

There will be many more to relate to each situation, but the more time and thought you put into this side of things, the better your experience will be!
 

Make sure you have checked that your documents are in order before you leave on any journey to avoid complications at the other end! It is also a good habit to always leave a copy of your important documents and any relevant contact details with someone at home.

Passport:

• Check validity - it must be current and not due to expire while you are away.
• Correct Name - Make sure your passport name is the same as on the tickets you will travel on - (eg - use your maiden name on your tickets if that is on your passport)

Visas:

• Whether or not you need a visa will entirely depend on your nationality, where you intend to go, and what you intend to do.
• Always check with your local home country embassy to find out what is needed.
• Visas are entirely your responsibility!

Insurance:

• Make sure you have appropriate travel and health insurance for your situation and that the policy covers both the destinations you will be travelling in, and the activites you will be undertaking.

Immunisations:

• Some countries do require certain vaccinations. See your local travel medical centre before you leave to make sure you are covered.

Privacy is of utmost importance to Find a Crew™. All personal details and sensitive data are transmitted via SSL Encryption.

At no time is your email address displayed unless you send an internal message as, or to, a Premium Member. This way, you choose yourself who your email address is given to.

Other contact details are submitted at your discretion, and only Premium Members can view them. Remembering that although the point of using Find a Crew™ is to make contact with people, you are still very much in control of who that may be.

When you make a payment on Find a Crew™, we do not store credit card details, and in fact, do not even see them as our secure online payment gateway deals directly with your bank and only sends us the confirmation when the payment has been approved (this happens within a few seconds!)

Identity theft can be a harmless prank or a serious crime that can affect the way you live. .

Unfortunately there are many sites which publicly display all contact details with no control over who may have access to them. This can lead to spammers and scammers annoying you with sometimes harmless, but sometimes dangerous emails.

Find a Crew™ is likely the most secure Online Marine Crew Network when it comes to your personal contact details. Your email address is never passed on without your consent and you choose who you are passing it on to. All your other contact details are at your liberty if you wish to provide them.

It's not safe! A CV or resume is a personal document with often personal information and contact details of yourself and other people (references) who may not appreciate having their details online for all to see.

You should be in full control of your CV and know who is reading it! On Find a Crew™ you can put information about yourself, your experience and expectations in the text fields of your profile and once you feel comfortable with people you make direct contact with, you can forward your CV directly to them.

It is best practise NOT to use the same password as you do for other systems such as banking, email, work, etc.

Make sure your password is unique. You can easily and instantly request your password anytime you like if you have forgotten it and it will be emailed to you. We advise that you don't save emails from us to you that confirm your password. Do not share your password with anyone and change it regularly. This is for your protection.

Registration is a 4 step process which should take about 10 minutes.

Step 1 - Your email address and password to create your membership.

Step 2 - About you - your personal contact details.

Step 3 - About the Position - details of your availability and what you are looking for.

Step 4 - Extra Information - Write text in your own words to tell more about yourself.

When you complete your registration and view your 'My Profile' page, you will see some messages with suggestions about how to further customise your profile, and to confirm your email address and phone numbers.

Yes, you just register individually as Crew Members, select Couple / Team in the positions, and then write in the 'Dear Shipmates' section that you are a couple or a team and write the account number of your partner or team mate(s) and describe your situation. Boat Members can then search your partner or mate(s) by account number if they wish to find out more about them.

As soon as you complete your profile, it will be live on Find a Crew™. Profiles do go through an automated monitoring process to ensure that no-one misuses or abuses the system, and to keep the quality of our member profiles at a high standard. This process also helps us to detect any fraudulent or spammer attempts to misuse Find a Crew™. Most of these attempts are stopped before they go live, and if they do, are usually detected within a few hours.

Age is no constraint with Find a Crew™. If you are young or seasoned, we welcome you, as we can't check how old you are anyway. We do suggest that you enter your real age instead of pretending to be 19 when you're 17 or 65 instead of 85 for that matter. However, you are allowed to write in your 'Dear Shipmates' section if you are 80 going on 25!

Premium Members pay their fee by credit card , so there is a fair chance that most Premium Members are over the age of 18 anyway.

If you are under 18 years of age and wish for an opportunity to go day sailing we encourage you to do so provided your parents know you have registered with Find a Crew™.

Boat Members who take Crew members under the age of 18 aboard have to assure they have parental permission!

There are many ways you can find what you are looking for.

QUICKFIND: Members can use the Quickfind feature which will automatically calculate the best match to your profile and display them in order of percentage match. (To use Quickfind, just sign in and click on the orange tab at the top - Quickfind.)

SEARCH: Click on Find a Crew or Find a Boat, even as a visitor, and browse through our entire data base (if you have a lot of time!) or narrow the search down by selecting relevant criteria (go to Advanced Search for more criteria).

MATCH COMPARISON: When you are signed in and you look at a profile, you will see a match comparison showing you which criteria match your profile and which don't. (ticks or crosses)

DAILY EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS: You will also get two daily email notifications of any new members or those who have updated their profiles, who have a match with your profile of 60% or more. (You can adjust email settings under My Profile>'My Settings')

SHORTLIST: Keep track of members you are interested in by adding them to your Shortlist. Just click 'Add to Shortlist'. (to remove from your Shortlist, go to the profile and click 'Remove from Shortlist) (To view your Shortlist, click on the orange tab which says QuickLists).

*TIP* After your first search, you will get an icon next to the Find a Crew or Find a Boat button. This will take you back to the last search you have done so that you don't have to enter all the criteria again if you are searching for the same thing.

The best way to find relevant matches to your profile is to use the Quickfind feature (when you are signed in, click on 'Quickfind'). This will show you the profiles which match yours with a percentage match of 60% or more in order of highest match first.

You will also be notified by a daily notification email of new and updated profiles which match with 60% or more to your profile. If you find these are totally not relevant, you can increase the percentage match to 80% or 90% - whatever you like.

You can find your account controls under the orange My Profile tab.

The other way to get better matches is to use the 'Mandatory' buttons - this will mean that if there is a criteria which you have specified, no-one who doesn't match that criteria can contact you, and you won't be notified of them in the daily emails. For example, if a boat member is looking for a Female ONLY, then no males can contact them.

To add 'Mandatory' fields to your criteria, click the tick box next to the each section.

An SMS (Short Message Service) is a text message that can be sent between mobile phones, or from a PC to a mobile phone, from and to most countries around the world. If you have provided and confirmed your mobile phone number in your Find a Crew™ member account you can send SMS messages as follows:

• Your sent SMS message will have your personal (confirmed) mobile number as the sender number!
• You will receive any replies from the recipients directly to your mobile phone.
• Free members can send SMS messages to family, friends and colleagues.
• Premium members can also send SMS messages to other members.
 

Yes, they certainly can. When you enter your Skype name in your contact details, it will automatically show a Skype status icon and the Skype links which can be accessed by Premium Members.

However, you need to make sure that you have set your 'Privacy' option in your skype account to accept calls from anyone or else the call will not work. In addition, the status will only show if you selceted in your Skype options to do so.

No. Free members can send an initial contact message or a reply Yes or No to a boat or a crew member with the internal messaging system, but no contact details are exchanged unless the member you are contacting or replying Yes to is a Premium Member . A reply No will never include any contact details.

This means that you can use Find a Crew™ entirely for free - you are just restricted to make direct contact with Premium Members who contact or reply Yes to you. You can then make all arrangements directly with this crew or boat member.

It is a good idea to use the site for free first to make sure it works for you, but then the advantage of becoming a Premium Member is that you are in total control and can contact the members you want to talk to without waiting.

As a Free Member, once you have received a 'Reply Yes' you can go no further unless you where contacted by a Premium Member who was a Premium Member at the time of sending you the message.

• If a Premium Member 'Contacts' or 'Replies Yes' back to you, you will get their direct contact details automatically, even as a Free Member.
• If a Free Member 'Contacts' or 'Replies Yes' to you, you have the choice of becoming a Premium Member yourself in order to contact them.
• *Premium Members can view the contact details of either ALL the Crew or Boat Members for the duration of their Premium Membership.

If a Member became a Premium Member AFTER they CONTACTED or REPLIED YES to you, you will not have received their contact details in the message they sent you. If that Member is a Premium Member now, they have access to your direct contact details.

Free members can only contact the same member once every seven days, so you can send them another message if that is the case. Premium Members can contact as many either Crew or Boat Members as they like.

A free member can only send an internal message to another member once within 7 days and no more than 10 internal messages each day.

Premium Memberscan send unlimited messages through the system, and can of course also contact members directly with the details provided.

This way you don't waste your time and bandwidth (~download time) looking at the same messages.

For an overview of what Free and Premium Members can do, and what it will cost to be a Premium Member, please go to the Memberships and Pricing page..

You don't have to become a Premium Member. You can also use and trial Find a Crew™ without being a Premium Member, but you are restricted in exchanging contact details with Premium Members who 'Contact' or 'Reply Yes' to you.

You can become a Premium Member when YOU are ready, and understand what Find a Crew™ can do for YOU. The purpose of being a Premium Member is to be able to exchange contact details.

As a Free Member, you can notify either ANY Crew or Boat Member and express your interest to them, but your actual contact details are only exchanged with Premium Members.

As a Premium Member, your contact details are disclosed to any member you 'Contact' or 'Reply Yes' to through the messaging system, and you can also call them directly if they provided a phone number. You can exchange contact detials with as many boat or crew members as you like during the subscription period. Aside from your current Premium Membership fee there are no other charges, no placement fees and no commission fees. If you 'Reply No', no contact details are exchanged.

For an overview on the benefits of being a Premium Member, go to the Memberships and Pricing page.

You can be a Free Member forever! As long as Find a Crew™ will be hosted on the net, you will never ever have to pay to register, list your profile, search any listings or send internal messages to members - this will stay free.

As a Free Member, you can still make direct contact with members, but only with Premium Members who have contacted or replied Yes to you. Premium Members can make direct contact with any number of listed members who match their profile.

Your Free Membership never expires. If you have not signed in to your profile for 45 days your listing will automatically be removed from the search but not deleted. The next time you sign in, your profile will automatically go back on top of the list. Just remember to update your details when you sign back in again.

No. Only one party - either the boat or the crew member - needs to be a Premium Member in order to exchange contact details.

No, your Premium Membership remains with the crew or boat member account it was paid for, until it expires. You cannot transfer the Premium Membership from a boat profile to another boat or crew profile or vice versa.

Yes, from members who 'Contact' or 'Reply Yes' to a Premium Member in the email message or vise versa, but NOT on the online profile. This gives every member full control and knowledge of who ends up with their email address and reduces the risk of being targeted by spammers.

All other contact information provided by members can be seen by Premium Members on the profile.

Using the internal messaging system gives members the advantage of maintaining a 'Messages' log, so members always know who they made contact with in the past.

All messages are sent instantly, and Premium Members can edit and personalise the system email message to include more details if they wish.

Once initial contact has been made, where at least one member is a Premium Member, further contact continues outside of the Find a Crew™ message system by email or any other means.

In the case of a 'Reply No', no contact details are exchanged, even for Premium Members.

Yes. When you make a payment using our online secure payment gateway, you will recieve an invoice by email once the transaction has been confirmed. You can also choose to have your invoice in one of several languages if necessary.

When your Premium Membership expires you can renew it at a discounted rate before it expires, or within a grace period of 15 days from the time it expires. You will see a message on your 'My Profile' page under the Account Control panel to tell you how long you have to extend your Premium Membership at the discounted rate. You can click on this message or by clicking on 'Extend Premium Membership - 20% off' on your control panel. If you let it expire, your profile will revert back to a Free Member account. You can upgrade your Free Member account again anytime.

Refund policy

• If you haven't already used the service, you can of course cancel your Premium Membership at any time within 14 days after you made the payment, without specifying any reasons.
• Due to the nature of our service we do not refund if you have already viewed any member profiles after activation of your Premium Membership, or sent or received a message to or from a member.
• Our Premium Membership service is then deemed to be provided completely.

Double payments

• In the rare event of a double payment to occur, we will refund this double payment instantly.
• In case you did pay twice, we kindly ask you to let us know before the Premium Membership of the additional payment begins, so that we can refund that payment.

Pro-rated refunds

• If you cancel your registration with Find a Crew™ prior to the end of your Premium Membership period, Find a Crew™ does not provide a prorated refund.
• If for some reason, you have technical problems or are not able to sign in to your account on Find a Crew™ please check the Questions & Answers sections. If you need further help you may contact us by email or telephone. We will then try to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

Suspending or deleting the profile

• If you suspend or hide your profile, your Premium Membership will NOT be suspended because the Premium Member service can still be used in suspended or invisible status.
• If you delete your profile, no full or pro-rata refund will apply.

It would be great if it could all be taken care of with a handshake, but a little time and fine print in the beginning, can avoid a lot of cost, time and confusion if things don't go as planned.

A crew agreement and an employment contract are two different subjects, but both are legally binding. Most commercial ships require by law to have a signed crew agreement. We highly recommend contacting the respective authorities or seeking legal advice for commercial vessels.

Most private, non-commercial vessels usually do not require a contract or written agreement with crew members. However, as in nearly every case there is some sort of verbal agreement, we suggest to write it down to minimise any possible disagreements at a later point.

It is important that you fill in as much of the information on the forms as you feel comfortable with and most importantly:

• write about your requirements in the text fields
• be honest, direct and clear!
• upload relevant pictures - a picture is worth a thousand words!
• be proactive, use the internal messaging system, it's FREE!
• keep your profile up to date
• keep signing in - this keeps your profile further up in the list.
  *members that have not signed in during the last 45 days will no longer be listed in the search. Deleted or hidden profiles can no longer be viewed by any member

As every situation will be different, we can't really generalise. As Find a Crew™ is both for professional and recreational boating, Boat Members can choose to offer jobs as paid positions, or as unpaid positions, share cost and contribution situations, and will have their own requirements about what skills, experience or qualifications the crew needs, if any. The pay or wages will also vary according to each situation, but be up front in asking for what the arrangement will be.

Most professional and commercial boats will require that you have at least a basic safety certificate (the most common being the STCW95) which can be obtained from sailing schools - just remember to check that your certificate is recognised internationally. And many boat owners are willing to give you the extra training as well.

Most importantly, in this industry, personality, passion and attitude go a very long way. Crewing is hard work, so be prepared to put in long hours. But the rewards of travel, meeting new people and making good money are worth it! The best advice we can give is to be honest and ask lots of questions when you make direct contact, and to negotiate what suits you both then.

STCW: Seafarers Training, Certification & Watchkeeping code, or

STCW: Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping for Seafarers

In 1978 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held a convention to improve the standards for safety and training of professional mariners worldwide. A code was established, which was adopted by many nations on 7 July 1978, named the Seafarers Training, Certification, & Watchkeeping (STCW) Code.

Subsequent conventions were held in 1991, 1994, 1995 & 1997 to update & revise the code. The amended code (STCW 95) is named for the year that it was accepted by it's signatory countries.

The code is setting a minimum international training standards for professional mariners. The level of certification and training you are required to have is based on the capacity you serve in, and the type of vessel you work on. The training requirements include but are not limited to:

• Completion of training record books assessing one's practical skills

Completion of approved courses in:
Basic Safety Training (BST) includes four modules:

• personal survival techniques
• fire prevention and firefighting
• elementary first aid and personal safety
• social responsibilities

The STCW BST requirements are contained in Reg. VI/1 of the STCW Code. BST is required for those persons serving in a position that must be filled as part of the required crew complement or assigned a responsibility on the muster list.

• Bridge Resource Management
• Survival Craft
• Automatic RADAR Plotting Aids (ARPA)
• Global Marine Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)

As required by the 1995 amendments, all 1978 forms will expire on January 31, 2002. It is important that both companies and individual mariners comply with the new rules so they may obtain the 1995 STCW forms required for service beyond their boundary line. In addition, all mariners whose sea service began on or after August 1, 1998 must fully comply with the 1995 training requirements at this time.

Please note: 'Tonnage' refers to the unit of a ship's volume in measurement for registration, while 'Tons' (imperial) or 'Tonnes' (metric) refers to the unit of weight. They are totally different in concept.
Ships Volume: Tonnage

Weight: 1 Tons (short, US) = 0.907 Tonnes • 1 Tons (long, UK) = 1.016 Tonnes • 1 Tonnes = 1000kg

Gross Tonnage (GT) is a kind of capacity-derived index that is used rank a ship for purposes of determining manning, safety and other statutory requirements and is expressed simply as GT, which is a unitless entity, even though its derivation is tied to the cubic meter unit of volumetric capacity.

Tonnage measurements are now governed by an IMO Convention (International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 (London-Rules)), which applies to all ships built after July 1982. In accordance with the Convention, the correct term to use now is GT, which is a function of the moulded volume of all enclosed spaces of the ship.

It is calculated by using the formula: GT = K x V, where V = total volume in m³, and K = a figure from 0.22 up to 0.32, depending on the ship's size (calculated by: K = 0.2 + 0.02 x log₁₀ V ), so that, for a ship of 10,000 m³ total volume, the gross tonnage would be 0.28 x 10,000 = 2,800 GT.

GT is consequently a measure of the overall size of the ship.

Net tonnage (NT) is based on a calculation of the volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. It indicates a vessel's earning space and is a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship.

Gross Register Tonnage (GRT) represents the total internal volume of a vessel, with some exemptions for non-productive spaces such as crew quarters; 1 gross register ton is equal to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m³), which volume, if filled with water, would weigh around 2,800 kg or 2.8 tonnes. GRT is always smaller than volume measured in m³. Gross register tonnage was replaced by gross tonnage in 1994 under the Tonnage Measurement convention of 1969, but is still a widely used term in the industry.

Net Register Tonnage (NRT) is the volume of cargo the vessel can carry; ie. the Gross Register Tonnage less the volume of spaces that will not hold cargo (e.g. engine compartment, helm station, crew spaces, etc., again with differences depending on which port or country is doing the calculations). It represents the volume of the ship available for transporting freight or passengers. It was replaced by net tonnage in 1994, under the Tonnage Measurement convention of 1969.

Unconditional, honest word of mouth is the best advertising campaign any business can embark on, and we very much appreciate any member recommending the Find a Crew™ network.

But we don't pay any one, nor do we reward anyone to recommend the Find a Crew™ network. That wouldn't be much of a recommendation for anyone to be proud of, and very much useless to the person receiving it.

We wouldn't like it to have it any other way, unless a member's recommendation is sincere and from their heart. If you are satisfied with the Find a Crew™ network, we do thank you for recommending it because YOU decided to do so.

Many, but it doesn't matter what option you choose - unless you apply a reasonable effort in presentation, communication, personality and make the most of the opportunity on hand, not much might eventuate regardless what you try.

However there are many alternatives to find a crew and we recommend you explore every possible avenue to fill your needs. Find a Crew™ is not a 100% reliable option for every person on this planet, nothing is.

Depending on location, time frame or your experience, some methods work better than others, like backpackers, pubs, agents, forums, dock walking etc. There are many alternatives around, and Find a Crew™ is just one of them available. 

But whichever option you use, make sure there is some proof or trace on how you met someone in case you end up in a situation being interviewed by police or coast guard if your fellow crew were up to some mischief. Also beware when publicly displaying your CV, resume or other personal details that not only employers or boat owners have an interest in them, but spammers or criminal operators. The chance of identity theft might be less than 0.01%, but if your identity is stolen or used by someone else it will affect you 100%.

The Find a Crew™ network is the most effective online option to address these concerns and we have had crew members released from custody early because Find a Crew™ could prove their connection, while other crew members were remanded for a long time because they could not prove how they met the crew that got them in trouble.

If you are having a problem with the site, need help with anything, or have a comment or suggestion for us, please go to the Contact Us page to send us an email or give us a call.

We are an online service, but are real people with a passion to make Find a Crew™ work for you, so we always appreciate your feedback.

No, at this stage the Find a Crew™ network does not filter by the direction of one's sexual interest toward people of the opposite, same, or both sexes. However, members can write a comment in their 'Dear Shipmates' section if they find it might be of importance or relevant to the position they are trying to find or fill.

Even if you don't make a mention in your profile or during the interview process, sexuality is a topic that will have to be discussed, confronted or avoided at one stage during an extended boat journey. It is therefore important that you think about it and are clear about your views and situation and how it could affect the position you are applying for.

It is wrong to agree to a situation that is outside your comfort zone or not interested to explore, but it is also wrong to discriminate against people who might not have your ideas of lifestyle. It is not a question of good or bad morals, but a question of open, non-judgemental communication to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

If you think it would be useful to have such a criteria, please do not hesitate to email us and let us know.
Any feedback is always much appreciated and treated in confidence.