If you've ever considering deepwater sailing but were not sure how to jump start your sailing career, our Swan Program is for you.
Our Swan Program was specifically designed to introduce people to the world of offshore sailing by providing hands-on crew experience under the watchful eye of an professional skipper on a proven boat. During your tenure onboard, you’ll learn to keep watch, make log entries, navigate, use the radio, steer the boat and perform tasks that are essential to safe offshore sailing. The Swan Program offers a fixed price for everything you’ll need aboard—you just pay for your travel to and from the boat. The Swan Program sails south from New England to Bermuda and the Caribbean in the fall, and north from Bermuda and the Caribbean to New England in the spring. Summer trips are also available.
After your first Swan Program experience, you’ll have the skills to sail on other boats. Please view the video below to learn more.
Dear Sailors,
We like to speak with potential Swan Crew before they sign up for any of the following passages. Please let me know if you have any questions before placing a deposit online or by mailing a check.
A deposit is required for any option.
I am in or near the office most of December and January at 631-423-4988. E-mail works very well at hank@sailopo.com
Once we have agreed you are ready to join us, you can make a deposit online at www.sailopo.com/store or pay by check made out to Offshore Passage Opportunities and mailed to OPO, PO Box 2600, Halesite NY 11743.
Best Regards,
Hank Schmitt
OPO
We are happy to share our Spring schedule with you. OPO members received this schedule on December 1 which is why a couple of the passages are already filled. We do not know the dates for the summer and fall yet, but will soon after the New Year.
In years past, we had as many as ten Swans sailing between Newport and the Caribbean twice a year. We are no longer organizing our annual NARC Rally after 24 years, but have three Swans still sailing north this May from St. Maarten to Newport RI. If you are interested in taking the next step to become a seasoned offshore sailor, the classic passage from Caribbean to Newport in the spring will help you achieve your goal. We have a Swan 48, Swan 65 and Swan 68 grandfathered into our Swan Program. If you would like to know if you qualify and want to sign aboard, please e-mail me at hank@sailopo.com or call us at 631-423-4988.
May 1 to May 17 We have or A team back together form the Annual passage back from St. Maarten to Newport. Murray Jacob will skipper the Swan 68 Aphrodite. Johnathan Ishmael will skipper the Swan 65 Aurora and Hank Schmitt will skipper the Swan 48 Piper Lance.
Murray Jacob or Tania Aebi will be skippering the next three legs to complete the Atlantic Circuit for Murry and the Swan 68 Aphrodite. We plan to have the dates and prices sent in place by the January 1 Notice to OPO mariners. Murray is offshore now in this year's ARC Rally so I do not want to try and get the exact dates down until he is back in Newport for a few days later this month before going to Australia for the winter. If you are interested in signing up for any of the following three offshore passages, please let me know and I will pencil you in. You DO NOT have to place a deposit down now. I will let you know when we have firm dates and then you can decide if they work for you.
