Looking for Experience

Good day all, I am a retired Canadian Army Veteran looking to gain some boating experience. My wife still works, and has a retirement plan to start in about 2-3 years. In the mean time, I am trying to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible. I've never owned a boat, and felt that a good place to start would be to volunteer to crew someone elses boat. I am therefore looking to partake in a long distance voyage with an experienced crew/couple/family.


I'm looking for a patient bunch who'd be willing to teach me what they know, on the job as it were.


I can meet anywhere in the world and do not require a salary. I'd like to stay on for a few weeks, and then move on.


I'm also willing to take any courses that may be on offer to prepare me for acting as crew, but also for my own long distance voyages with my family.



Open to any and all ideas/suggestions.



Best,



Philip

Welcome aboard

Dare to Dream!

Look up Canadian Sail / Power Squadrons. If you can find one nearby they offer many basic, advanced and elective courses that are well done.
Plus you will immediately build your network of knowledgeable nautical types.
Some folks purchasing at some distance need help for delivery.
Also Le Boat has rentals on the Rideau system that would provide a great vacation and training experience for you and as well. I would strongly suggest she also takes at least some of the basic courses to be an active part of the crew.
You might hang around some local boatyard / yacht club in the spring and offer to help owners in return for some training time.
Lastly some of the intro courses are available online but in person has many benefits.
Good luck

Welcome aboard. There are some good suggestions already. I would start by taking some classes. Don’t know what is available in Canada but try the local CG Auxiliary, or the Canadian equivalent.

Greetings eh?
Welcome aboard. What they said...

Open to any and all ideas/suggestions.

Okay I'm going to take your word on this. Sell your home, move out to BC and settle on Vancouver Island. You could come to Qualicum Beach, lots of retired military, I will give a link to my now deceased father. Many from Quebec, Ontario and Alberta retire into this area. Golf courses/person ratio is high. The house I am now living in I inherited from my parents.

By the way, the best boating in Canada is here in BC, Washington state and South East Alaska. Buy yourself a decent used Nordic Tug and you can cruise down to Victoria and park yourself in front of the Empress Hotel. You can go Salmon fishing from Comox or Campbell River, see Orcas and Grey Whales, sea otters, sea lions, and harbour seal.

When my father was posted to St. Hubert (he was logistics) we lived in St. Lambert. I was there for the best year - 1967 Montreal Expo.

Lots of military retired out here and bring your golf clubs. And you can golf in November, December, January.... etc.

Here is a link on my Dad, first half is his sport record in Cornwall Ontario, Cornwall boy, the second half is his military record:

https://cornwallsportshalloffame.com/inductees/nicholson-doug/

Find somebody advertising as a delivery captain and volunteer to him/her.

Hello All, thank you for the great suggestions.



Hello Bacchus, thank you for the suggestion. I've already taken the basic boating course from Canadian Power Squadrons and will continue to take more as they are available. Great suggestion and I will continue down that path. I've looked into LeBoat as well. It was actually a House Boat experience (not LeBoat, but a company called Houseboat Holidays) on the St Lawrence that led to all of this in the first place.



Hello Rgano, thank you for that tip. I di not know Delivery Captain was a thing, but now that I do, I will look out for ads and volunteer myself.



Thank you all for the great suggestions and warm welcome.

I love this idea. I would check locally in places you would like to cruise as well. Iknow St Pete has clubs that are on Meetup etc. looking for crews, but may not be on this forum. Good luck.