Helpful Questions and Answers The issue with free web sites, magazine classifieds and sailing trade magazine "crew exchange" sections is that you do not know or have a reference as to the skipper's abilities, personality or condition of the boat. This is fine if you are coastal sailing out for an afternoon race. Many of the opportunities found through OPO are pre-qualified since we know the delivery skippers or the boats owners. The owners may be OPO members that we have sailed with or they may be boat owners that have been using us for years and we get to know through crew feedback. And we state the fact in our notices. If we do not know the boat or skipper we are sending out an OPO e-mail for, then we tell you that we do not know them well and it will require a little more Q & A time to feel confident before booking a flight and agreeing to go. We do not pass on opportunities to members on boats and opportunities that do not sound right or are sailing during hurricane season. How many opportunities are there? We have been in business since 1993. The first few years were a struggle to get enough good offshore opportunities for our members. However our years of work of exhibiting in boat shows, placing classifies ads in the trade magazines and our web site have paid off. We offer hundreds of opportunities a year to our members. Some boats are looking for just one more crew. Others are looking for 4 or 5 crew. The busiest times of the year are the spring and fall with the change of season, in the fall with most boats departing about the same time after hurricane season, we often run out of crew. We spend half our energies and resources on looking for more opportunities for our members. We are affiliate members of the Yacht Brokers Association of America and have exhibited at their annual Conference every year for the last 7 years. I have been a delivery skipper since 1985 and have a small stable of what I call my Tier One delivery skippers that we network with to provide more opportunities. I do not have any offshore experience. What chances do I have of getting aboard? If you do not know how to sail at all, go take some lessons. We are not an entry level organization to fulfill the fantasy of sailing across the ocean. However if you have the fundamentals down and can steer a reasonable course, then any one of the opportunities with a delivery skipper would work. A good delivery skipper can deliver a boat on his own, but needs crew to relive them so they can get some sleep. An opportunity with a professional delivery skipper is also a good opportunity because A) You can be reasonable sure they have checked out the boat B) They know what they are doing. C) A bust delivery skipper does not have the luxury of waiting for the perfect weather window to depart since he most likely has another delivery lined up, so you get to see some weather that you might normally see. This is a good thing since you want to see some weather on someone else's boat with a skipper you know has seen big waves before. If you have not been offshore before, the private boat owner may be reluctant to take you since he himself may not have a lot of miles. How much do the trips cost? Almost all the trips are free. You are helping someone to deliver their boat and they are paying for the boat and onboard food. One exception is if you are joining someone for an extended cruise and joining them because they do not have friends or family that enjoys the lifestyle. In this case it is not unreasonable to pitch in for some of the expenses since the owner is not adopting you. If it is a particularly nice big boat and there is plenty of lead time, we can sometimes convince an owner to let us take more crew than normal as long as he does not have to pay the extra costs. Most shared expenses situations are no more than $10 to $20 a day. We allow a maximum of $50 a day, but you will be hard pressed to find any of these. Is the initial membership fee a one time fee or an annual fee? The initial membership fee of $199 is payable upon joining. We have annual dues that are due September 1st. We run our calendar year from September 1st to September first to coincide with the busy fall delivery season and so we do not have to worry about who joined when and when they need to pay dues. It makes accounting a lot easier. The annual dues are $125 a year. If you do not pay your dues you are still an OPO members, just in-active at the moment. You can rejoin OPO at anytime without any penalty by simply paying the annual dues. From December 1st to April 1st we run a winter boat show special to join for $100. Members joining between April 1st and September 1st pay $199, but do not owe annual dues the first year in September. What happens after I join? When you join we get your e-mail, mailing address and phone numbers. We immediately enter you into the OPO system so you will get the opportunities send right to you when they are current and with the contact information for the boat owner or skipper. You do not need to go to the web site. The first of each month you will get a several page "Notice to OPO Mariners" e-mailed to you as an attachment. This newsletter has editorial about the latest OPO happening, boats show we may be exhibiting at (We offer a free boat show ticket to members to any show that we have a booth in since that allows us to buy discount tickets that we give to our members so they can come see us and say hi,), or any articles that we may be in soon. We have had over a dozen articles over the years that feature OPO, our Swan Program and Races that we have done well in. We mail you a membership kit that has a folder to collect all your thoughts & notes about sailing offshore. There is a survey to fill out so we get to know more about you and what you are looking to do. A laminated membership card that notes your seniority. Also information on what to bring on an offshore passage and notes on how to go about making that initial call to boat owners and skippers and what you should be asking and what you should be able to answer. There are a couple of phone interview sheets to make copies of and use again and again. How do I know I am going on a safe boat with a qualified skipper or owner? The problem with free web sites, magazine classifieds and sailing trade magazine "crew exchange" sections is that you do not know or have a reference as to the skipper's abilities, personality or condition of the boat. This is fine if you are coastal sailing out for an afternoon race. Many of the opportunities found through OPO are pre-qualified since we know the delivery skippers or the boats owners. The owners may be OPO members that we have sailed with or they may be boat owners that have been using us for years and we get to know through crew feedback. And we state the fact in our notices. If we do not know the boat or skipper we are sending out an OPO e-mail for, then we tell you that we do not know them well and it will require a little more Q & A time to feel confident before booking a flight and agreeing to go. We do not pass on opportunities to members on boats and opportunities that do not sound right or are sailing during hurricane season. What about the Swan Program? The Swan Program is a separate part of OPO. One does not have to be an OPO member to go on a Swan Passage or sail in one of the Caribbean Regattas. OPO members still get all the latest news about the Swan Program so they can sign up for a leg if they wish. The Swan Program is great for people who have not been offshore yet and have trouble convincing a private boat owner that they are a good crew to take with them. After sailing 1500 miles with us, you will have a better chance of convincing the boat owner. The Swan Program is also very good for people that need to plan well in advance to get time off from work and to also feel confident that you will arrive on time so they can get to work. Plus, no one has a problem signing up to sail aboard a Swan offshore since everyone knows they are great offshore boats. The Swan Program and owning a Swan has also helped us to network with Nautor Swan, the company as well as get to know many of the boat owners. This has helped us farm more opportunities for our members. Are their many Trans-Oceanic Opportunities? Yes we occasionally get delivery skippers or boat owners looking for crew. We have a good relationship with an outfit down under that sometimes looks for crew in the Pacific. This spring we have three Swans going to the Med. Since they are in our Swan Program they do costs some money, but it is well worth it to know you are on a Swan with a professional skipper. The costs start at $2500. What's this OPORT (OPO Race Team) all about? Three years ago we bought a Swan 48 Frers design so we could offer more offshore passage opportunities to our members rather than the usual north and south trip to the Caribbean each year. Since we were in the Caribbean for the season we decided to see how many OPO members would be interested in sailing in some of the Caribbean Big Boat Regattas. What other way can the average Joe sailor get to race against the big boys in the Caribbean and not just on a charter boat with roller sails and dodgers. We bought some racing sails, added a couple of bigger winches, and dusted off our racing skills. Although our main goal is to have some fun (no yelling) and learn more about sail trim, we have managed to do pretty well with our OPO Crew (Average age per regatta is about 53). We have a 2nd at Heineken Regatta, a third in the Centennial Bermuda Race and the last American Swan Regatta in Newport RI and two fourth place finished in Antigua. This year besides the big three Caribbean Regattas we are also going to Europe for the Swan Worlds in September. OPO members are invited to sail with us. Do you have many West Coast Opportunities? Not only are there less boats on the West Coast than the East Coast, there is less destination sailing where people take long passages to and from or need there boats delivered. You have a couple of big bays where a lot of the sailing is done and a few small islands of a couple of major ports that people can weekend to. Since there are fewer boats and fewer places to go there are fewer opportunities. We have exhibited at the Oakland Boat Show and have sponsored the BA-Ba in an effort to get more West Coast opportunities, but there are not nearly as many as on the East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean. How do I become a Gold Card Member? Our Gold Card Program is explained elsewhere in the web site. Every OPO member should strive to get the sea miles and experience to someday soon qualify for the Gold Card Membership Status so you will get additional opportunities to sail aboard a Swan for free. What if I want to get paid? We are not a job placement service but we have helped a lot of people get sea time towards a Captains license and building a resume to get working offshore in anew career. Just like you first pay to go to School, and then work internship for free before getting a paid job. It is a similar path to working on the water. People who have not sailed a lot would first pay to get a good one or two offshore passages opportunities under their sea belts, then they would qualify to sail for free with private boat owners and our delivery skippers so they can learn the ropes and visit as many ports as possible, Once you have been to a new port once it is not new anymore and a lot easier to navigate the next time. Also the line that always helps get the delivery job is "Yes, I have been on a delivery to that port before." After enough time you will network with other skippers and we will bet to know you so that we may feel comfortable passing jobs on to you. We have three OPO members who have followed this path and are now getting paid delivering boats they have gotten on their own and who we pass on deliveries to. I am planning to buy a boat in the next couple of years. What should I be doing? Our best advice is to get as many sea miles as on as many different boats as you can. It is great to see first hand what works and what does not work offshore. Learn what you are looking for and make sure you like offshore sailing. It is a lot different than coastal sailing. You also want to see how different skippers and owners run their boats and adopt the things you like about them and discard what you do not like. This way you will develop your own style of running the show. It takes a lot of varied skills to pull a fun and safe voyage together. I only have two weeks off a year, plus a few long weekends. How can I benefit from OPO Membership? Let's face it. Some people do not have a lot of vacation time or time they can take away from their family, especially when they are starting out. If you do have only a short time off each year. Plan to make a long trip south in the fall in early Nov. Or in the spring in April or May. If you live on the East Coast you may also be able to take advantage of the many more 2 to 4 day passage opportunities that members that live farther away can not take advantage of. But if you do not have a lot of time off and time restrictions then you should not join OPO unless you like getting the e-mails. I like to say you never know when the boss is going to fire you or the spouse throws you out of the house. At least being a member of OPO gives you options. I am student (recent graduate) and do not have any money. What can I do? We adopt one or two newly graduated souls each year that are looking to make a passage before they embark on a new career. If you fall in this category we may be able to help in the fall or spring when there are more short time notice opportunities which most OPO members can not jump on, but you may be able to be flexible enough to take advantage of. This scholarship Program has led to several young members staying active even after they start that new job. For more information please call us today at 1-800-472-7724 1-800-4-PASSAGe Home | Membership | Message Board | About OPO | Upcoming Rallies | Contact Us