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Find a sailing crew or find a sailing boat  at Ocean Crew Link. We connect boat owners looking for sailing crew, and crew looking for boats.

Search our   sailing crew opportunities   to connect with hundreds boat owners who want a sailing crew for all types of ocean sailing.

Search our   sailing crew list   to connect with thousands of potential crew – all interested in ocean sailing.

Just Ocean Crew and Ocean Voyages

Unlike other sites, Ocean Crew Link specializes in opportunities for ocean sailing crew, so if you are planning to cross the Atlantic or island-hop in the Pacific and need a sailing crew,   register   now and connect with sailors from around the world.

Ocean Crew Link   is World Cruising Club’s preferred sailing crew match service and has a special focus on voyaging rallies like the   ARC   and   World ARC . Boat owners and charter companies use Ocean Crew Link to find crew for rallies and independent cruising. Each month there are around 150 opportunities to sail as crew available on the site.

Our weekly email will update you on sailing crew opportunities added in the last 7 days.

There is a subscription fee of $5 per month recurring. The subscription may be cancelled at any point.

Register now – you must be aged 18 years or more, and will need to include information about sailing skills to make matching easier. Ocean sailing is about people and personalities, so start a conversation and see where it takes you!   Happy Sailing!

Meet crew...

Bernd guertler.

• Gender: male
• Ocean/Coastal Miles: 100/800
• Years Sailing: 10+
• Nationality: Germany

Franca Facchin

• Gender: female
• Ocean/Coastal Miles: 1000/1000
• Years Sailing: 1 to 3
• Nationality: Italy
• Ocean/Coastal Miles: 4500/100
• Years Sailing: 4 to 9
• Nationality: Spain

Find boats...

• When: July 01, 2024 - August 15, 2024
• Where: Finland to Båtskärsnäs of Sweden
• With: Mariner36, 11m, Sail, Monohull
• Voyage Cost: daily contribution from crew
• Posted by: Bertil Hansson, January 31, 2024
• When: May 07, 2024 - June 07, 2024
• Where: Antigua & Barbuda to Lagos of Portugal
• With: Swan 51, 15.5448m, Sail, Monohull
• Voyage Cost: voyage cost
• Posted by: Sebastian Gylling, February 21, 2023
• When: July 02, 2024 - July 14, 2024
• Where: Greece to Sounis of Greece
• With: Beneteau First 40 , 12m, Sail, Monohull
• Posted by: Susan Glenny, February 03, 2024

Register to view any of the above sailors and opportunities!

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Crewseekers International Yacht Crew Agency

http://crewseekersinternational.com

Offshore Passage Opportunities is the #1 Crew Networking Service in North America. OPO has helped thousands of sailors meet and make successful passages since 1993.

Our mission is to seek, gather and create quality offshore passage opportunities for our members..

Offshore Passage Opportunities offers three services all focused around matching experienced crew with qualified skippers -- and helping those who seek more sailing experience to safely acquire it.

Experienced Crew Seeking Quality Passage Opportunities

Your membership connects you with trusted owners and skippers looking for experienced crew. You sail for free since you're helping to move a boat. Some voyages require sea miles with solo, night watch capabilities while others simply need bodies to stand watch.

• To Newport RI on a Bristol 477
• To Bermuda on a Bristol 35.5
• To New York City on a Catalina 315
• To San Diego, CA on a 39 Leopard
• To Huntington NY on a Amel 53

If you're interested or qualified for some of the posted opportunities, then that is a good indication you should join now.

Sailors Seeking Additional Offshore Experience

Our Swan Program was designed to help knowledgeable sailors gain the blue water, offshore miles required to crew on any boat.

You pay to crew for a very experienced skipper on a proven boat who will push your comfort zone. You'll learn:

• Offshore Sailing Strategy
• Route Planning
• Important Safety Tips
• How to Stand Watch
• How Systems Work
• What it Takes to Crew

After one or two Swan voyages, you'll be ready to crew on virtually any offshore passage.

Skippers Seeking Experienced Offshore Crew

We help boat owners and delivery skippers find qualified, experienced crew. Some skippers look for crew in advance while others need crew on short notice. Once you " Request Crew " you'll know within 24 to 48 hours if we can help. Some skippers accept friendly, less experienced crew who are able and willing.

This service is free to boat owners and delivery skippers. All you need to do is:

• Complete our " Request Crew "
• Answer any OPO questions
• Thoughtfully vet crew inquiries
• Select your crew
• Have a great trip

We welcome inquiries from owners and skippers we know--and those we have yet to meet.

Delivery skippers and private boat owners quickly realize their friends and family have jobs and cannot always sail with them. So they call us looking for crew. We collect their information and pass it on to our members to help them get aboard. Since you are helping to deliver a boat, you get to go sailing for free. Many are repeat skippers or members so we pre-qualify a majority of the opportunities for you.

We're providing a unique opportunity to sail across the Atlantic on either a catamaran or a monohull this spring. OPO has been offering quality professionally captained offshore passage opportunities for 25 years. This May we have five boats and twenty-eight crew departing May 1, 2024.

Option 1: Bali Catamaran Sint Maarten to Barcelona Spain

• Two-Oceans will depart with our Swan Fleet May 1, 2024 and make a stop in Bermuda. They will then sail to the Azores and finish in Barcelona by May 28.
• Twin bunks are $4,000 each with the master cabin for a couple of two is priced at $7,500. Pricing includes everything except travel and meals/drinks ashore.
• View more at http://twooceanscatamaran.com or see additional information providing an overview and pricing details .

If you are thinking about buying a catamaran, here is a great option to see how they sail offshore.

Option 2: Sail on a Swan 68 to Palma de Mallorca

• We have two berths to sail with Murray Jacob from April 29 to June 7. The price is $5,000 each for an entire month of sailing on a Swan 68.
• If you're seeking offshore experience, this is the ideal opportunity to log some great sea miles. Then, you can join free OPO trips as crew given you'll have the experience many captains require.

If interested, please contact [email protected] .

2024 Caribbean Sailing Events: Join Us

Heineken regatta: february 26 to march 4, 2024.

Our 19th Heineken Regatta Monday, February 26, to Monday, March 4: One week in the sun. One day of practice and four race days. This is the cruising division using white sails. We do not fly a spinnaker. But we do have fun. You can stay aboard the boat (a requirement of the "Island Time" division is to have some crew living aboard) or you can stay ashore in very nice shoreside accommodations with a pool. Up to three members can bring a non-sailing spouse. The crew staying aboard come up to the pool most days for diner and a swim. There is a discounted price for staying aboard and a premium price for staying ashore depending on if you wish the master suite or just a bed. A non-sailing spouse is welcome to join us and stay ashore and enjoy the regatta with us. My wife will be staying ashore and will have a car some days to tour the island. The price includes ground transportation to get between the boat and the villa. We all chip in $200 to start for drinks and meals in the house and on the boat. We take turns cooking in the house and have maid service three times. We often have money left over for the final meal Sunday night after the awards in the Heineken Race Village. Over the years we have perfected a format that works well for all and is priced very well considering you are sailing on a Swan 48 for 5 days and staying in a very nice private villa with a pool overlooking St. Barts. Three of the six bedroom have a private bath while two rooms share bathrooms in a private two-bedroom apartment with kitchen with one bedroom that can sleep three crew. We will all eat in the big dining room up in the main house.

Ocean Pearl (6-bedroom villa): February 26, to March 4 2024

Price to stay on the boat (2 crew in private cabin) $2,250 each (includes car to get to villa to join us for meals and a swim). Stay in the ailla. Shared Bath $2,750 (2 rooms). Private Bath (2 rooms) $3,000 One Master Suite $3,500. Twin Beds in suite $2,500 (2 beds). Rooms with private baths accommodations with king or queen beds and master room can include a spouse for only an extra $500 for the week (plus $200 per person for food). So up to three spouses can join us.

Dominica, PAYS Dominica Yachting Festival: March 20 to April 3, 2024

2nd Annual PAYS Dominica Yachting Festival Arrive SXM (Sint Maarten) March 20 and fly home from SXM Tuesday afternoon, April 2, or Wednesday, April 3. We sail to Dominica Friday, March 22, and will be in Dominica Saturday, March 23, until we leave Sunday, March 31, or the morning of Monday, April 1. Come join us for two weeks sailing from St. Maarten to Dominica where we will spend a full nine days participating in the PAYS Dominica Yachting Festival. Two crew stay aboard the boat with me (Private Cabin) and three or four crew stay ashore at Mango Cottages for our 9 day stay in Dominica. There is a different price for staying ashore since you pay for your accommodations ashore directly to Eddison and Sylvia. We have been stayjng with them for the past eight years during the week. Google "Mango Cottages Dominica" to see more. Cathy has stayed twice and they are comfortable with full baths and internet. We also rent a car to get to and from the house which the crew staying in the house chip in for even though I make the reservations locally for the car. There is a fun race midweek to Mero and back on Thursday, but most of the time we will be in Portsmouth Dominica touring the island and taking part in the organized events of the week. Price for two crew who will stay aboard with me $2,500 per person Price to sail down with us and stay ashore $2,000 plus paying for accommodations. Studio is $92 per night and sharing the house with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths is half of $147 per night. There is a 10% discount since we stay longer than a week and we are repeat guests. There is an option to have a spouse join and stay in the bouse. They can fly down on a direct flight from Miami on American Airlines. I can tell you more if you are interested. 2nd Annual PAYS Dominica Yachting Festival We only have 5 berths for OPO members to sail aboard Avocation . Three of the 5 stay ashore for the 2nd Annual PAYS Dominica Yachting Festival March 23 to March 31. Others are invited to visit by air and stay ashore nearby. If you are fortunate enough to have a boat or friends with a boat in the Caribbean make sure they know about visiting Dominica and in particular joining us for the event this winter. I am writing and article for the Caribbean Compass (which is a free monthly newspaper type publication found all over the Caribbean and online). I will include the article in the January 1st "Notice to OPO Mariners" since it will also be in print by then. New this year is the expansion of the PAYS Model with 10 new moorings in Mero. Mero is a small beach community south of Portsmouth. On Thursday, March 28, of the Festival there will be a race to Mero followed by a party on the beach that afternoon and evening. The next day we sail back to Portsmouth and Toucari Bay for the Street Party Friday night. On Saturday the government usually sponsors a dinner at the Cabrits Fort. PAYS finishes with a Sunday BBQ in the Pavilion Sunday, March 31.

Swan Program: A First Experience with Offshore Sailing

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.

2024 Swan Program

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 [email protected]

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

2024 Swan Offshore Program Schedule

In 2024, we have distinct options!

• Two-Week Option
• Three-Week Option

Two-Week Option on Swan 48 Avocation or Swan 65 Aurora

St. Maarten to Newport RI - Fly into SXM on Monday, April 29, and travel home from Newport RI Wednesday, May 15. Sail aboard the Swan 48 Avocation or Swan 65 Aurora on this 1,500-mile passage with a two or three day stop in Bermuda. Crew arrives in time to settled aboard and spend two nights and a full day in SXM before we depart Wednesday. The odd midweek dates are to depart before the ARC Europe fleet does, so we arrive in Bermuda and depart Bermuda before they do. They also depart from IGY Marina in St. Maarten. This way we do not have to compete with them for attention in Bermuda. The passage gets split into two legs with the Bermuda layover. You get to apply what you learned on the first leg right away on this more challenging 2nd leg where you will cross the Gulf Stream into cooler waters. This is a great way to reinforce what you learned the first leg and improve on it. If you wish to join the crew of Avocation or Aurora, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss your joining us for the trip. The cost for the passage is $4,500 which includes everything except your travel to and from the boat. It includes all onboard food, fuel, dockage, head tax and even towels and linen. It does not include travel to and from the boat and any meals and drinks ashore. Once we have agreed that you will be okay to join us we ask for a $2,000 deposit now and the balance is due 45 days before the passage . You can pay a deposit online at www.sailopo.com/store or by mailing a check. We prefer checks since it saves us credit card fees. Please make check out to Offshore Passage Opportunities and mail to OPO, PO Box 2600, Halesite NY 11743.

Three-Week Option on Swan 68 Aphrodite with Murray Jacob

Final details by January, 2024. Fly into SXM on Monday, April 29, and fly home from Spain (we are still working on final details but think the boat will go back to Palma Mallorca). Sail with Murray Jacob sailing the Swan 68 Aphrodite from St. Maarten to Mallorca, Spain departing about the same time as the other two Swans. First stop may also include Bermuda weather dependent. A stop in Horta in the Azores is another usual stop before going through the Straights of Gibraltar and ending the passage in Spain. If you wish to join Murray, please send me an e-mail and we can make sure you are ready for the Trans-Atlantic Crossing. The cost for the passage is $5,500 which includes everything except your travel to and from the boat. It includes all onboard food, fuel, dockage, head tax and even towels and linen. It does not include travel to and from the boat and any meals and drinks ashore. Once we have agreed that you will be okay to join us we ask for a $2,000 deposit now and the balance is due 45 days before the passage . You can pay a deposit online at www.sailopo.com/store or by mailing a check. We prefer checks since it saves us credit card fees. Please make check out to Offshore Passage Opportunities and mail to OPO, PO Box 2600, Halesite NY 11743.

2023 was the 24th and Last NARC Rally

For a recap from participant Charlie Doane who is the only NAR Rally boat that ended in Antigua rather than St. Maarten you can go to his blog at https://wavetrain.net/

It was another interesting year as it was the second passing of the torch on to the Salty Dawg Sailing Association. There were ten boats in the NARC Rally this year and fifteen boats in the Salty Dawg Rally contingent departing with the NARC out of Newport, RI. As you can read in Charlie's blog, five boats, including one NARC Rally boat, left one day early for Bermuda. All the other NARC boats left on time Saturday October 28. The bulk of the Salty Dawg Fleet delayed several days and did not stop in Bermuda. The debate about making Bermuda highly recommended stopover to break up the 1,500 miles passage rather than a bail-out option continues. Bypassing less expensive provisioning options and superior repair marine services in SXM is a disservice to education first timers to the Caribbean.

We will continue to promote sailing south in a Rally. The Salty Dawg Rally is the only option for next season. We are happy to help them with our contact in Newport or in Bermuda or in St. Maarten if they wish. No reason to not put 25 years' experience sailing the route to good use. I am happy to help answer any question for anyone who is planning to sail south with a stop in Bermuda and with contact in SXM.

Sincerely, Hank Schmitt OPO

Tips from the Pros: Watch Hank in Action

Hank Schmitt is profiled in the several episodes of a new series entitled " Tips from the Pros ." Regardless how long you have been sailing, you will learn something new by watching Hank share some of his techniques based upon decades of sailing.

Please contact Hank with any comments and feedback!

Hank Schmitt provides an overview of Offshore Passage Opportunities to the Blue Water Sailing Club , complete with Q & A.

The discussion shares how you can learn to sail offshore, how OPO has helped countless sailors gain blue water experience, and the benefits of crewing on a boat delivery. Importantly, Hank also discusses the Swan Program, the annual NARC Rally (North American Rally to Caribbean) and other rallies. Enjoy!

Swan Program

More testimonials, sail with us.

Oyster Crew

Find the ultimate crew for your Oyster or become crew on the world's finest sailing yachts

The effortless way to find the perfect Oyster crew.

Finding the ideal crew for your oyster isn’t always easy. that’s why more and more owners come to us for help..

We’ve built a reputation on assurance and quality, with the expertise and network of sourcing superior candidates and providing rewarding experiences for owners and crews. Many of our team have worked as Oyster Crew themselves. Through personal experience, we know to listen carefully to both your requirements and the crew’s and use our knowledge to find the best match.

Find out more

How can we help

Creating rewarding experiences, keeping everyone happy.

Finding the right match is crucial for our owners, our crews and our reputation, so we will only put the top selection of suitable candidates forward. We listen carefully to what you and the crews are looking for and use our experience to create the perfect match which means we’re more likely to get it right first time.

Constant communication 

Our crews are a big part of the Oyster family too and we talk to them on a regular basis wherever they are in the world. So, we know what is going on and can help to find a replacement crew when it is your crew's time to move on in their yachting careers.

A seamless process 

We do the legwork for you by filtering candidate applications and then sending you the most suited, who have been interviewed, referenced and qualification-checked. We've developed a reliable and consistent approach to supplying the right individuals for your crewed sailing experience.

All services

We are perfectly placed to help facilitate any of the following services for owners at any time:.

• Free, expert advice on hiring crew
• We listen carefully to owners' requirements to find a good match
• Access to a targeted Crew database
• We conduct face to face crew interviews
• We conduct thorough reference and qualification checks
• We can also conduct police checks for peace of mind
• We produce a bi-annual Oyster Crew Salary Survey
• We provide a crew warranty on all our crewed sailing holidays

Speak to our crew team to discuss our latest sailing crew jobs and opportunities.

Charlie Durham

Charlie first met Oyster in 2002 as crew on an adventurous world-cruising Oyster 66. After 30,000+ cruising miles in some remote parts of the world including Cape Horn and Antarctica followed by several years of crewing on Med-Caribbean charter sailing yachts, she has a rounded insight into the luxury yachting and crewing industry. Charlie joined the Oyster Palma team in 2014 and has worked in a variety of departments firstly assisting in Brokerage and running the Palma Regatta, then moving to set up the Oyster Crew service in 2017. She is now dedicated to helping Oyster Owners and potential crew candidates in their search for crew or employment on Oyster yachts.

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© 2024 OYSTER YACHTS

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Experience exhilarating sailing, luxury and style on an oyster charter. personal, exclusive and uniquely oyster.

Join Oyster Brokerage at the Palma International Boat Show, 25-28 April 2024. Book your tour today

Oyster world rally.

Winner of European Yacht of the Year 2023. She sets a new 50 foot bluewater benchmark, offering a stunning combination of sailing performance, comfort, safety and luxurious living space.

Heralding a new generation of Oysters, this 60 foot bluewater cruiser is a sailing yacht for all oceans. Practical and well-provisioned for long distance sailing or cruising in coastal waters.

The much-anticipated Oyster 595 is well-proportioned and extremely versatile. Offering exciting, customised build options with no compromise, she is capable of great things.

A versatile sub-70 foot sailboat offering the perfect balance of size and practicality. She can be sailed shorthanded effortlessly or take a full crew and up to eight friends and family.

This long range 75 foot cruising yacht is designed for very big adventures. A joy to sail yourself, she also boasts dedicated crew quarters.

Availability

Showing most recent listings first

Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and back to Greece

Boat type: Vindo 50 MS

Location: skiathos

BVI Spring Regatta

Boat type: Elan 450

Location: St Maarten

Around Italy sailing

Boat type: 440 beneteau

Location: Rimini

Hostess Santorini

Boat type: Ocean Star 51.2

Location: Santorini

Sailing Across the Pacific (Panama - Australia)

Boat type: Sailboat

Location: Panama, Colón

Sailing in the Caribbean

Boat type: Spirit 56

Location: Dominica

Sailing Thailand

Boat type: 44' Catamaran

Location: Langkawi Malaysia

Skipper - Hull UK to Scheveningen,Netherlands - Dutch Dash!

Boat type: TBA

Location: Hull UK

Day Skipper & Yachtmaster theory courses - 20% off

Online RYA theory courses with a great discount courtesy of Crewseekers.

Stay up-to-date with sailing opportunities

All of our sailing opportunities are posted on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us there and you’ll never miss an opportunity.

Connecting boat owners with crew - worldwide

Crew for a Pacific crossing

Seeking summer charter captain!

A great loop in the Med

Mexico to Isles Gambier, Marquesas and Points Beyond

Acores to Ireland

Beyond horizon - Round the world in a clean way

Chefs / Cooks needed for Celebrity Sailing Week Flotilla

Sail & Explore the Gulf of Bothnia

Help us bring our sailboat from the Caribbean to New York City

• Dec 10, 2023

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

• Nov 13, 2023

Passages from the Med to the Caribbean 2024/25

• Nov 9, 2023

Need volunteer crew Nov 18 to mid December St Lucia to Florida

• Oct 29, 2023

Looking for friendly competent crew

• Oct 23, 2023

Experienced Crew Grenada to Galveston, TX USA

Raja Muda Selagor Regatta- Skipper looking for crew

• Oct 8, 2023

Madeira to Mainland Portugal

Vanuatu to New Zealand

• Sep 5, 2023

Sailing from The Netherlands to North West France

Panama to Tahiti and beyond Sail the pacific Islands

• Sep 4, 2023

RolexMiddleSeaRace'23

• Aug 5, 2023

Skipper wanted

North Eagan sea sail

• May 31, 2023

Mallorca - Bizerte and back

• May 17, 2023

Polynésie -- Tahiti

• May 3, 2023

Plymouth to La Coruña

• Apr 30, 2023

Barcelona-Costa Dorada- Balearics- Sardinia Cruise June

Delivery crew (first mate )

• Apr 13, 2023

Tahiti to Fiji - Are you ready?

• Mar 27, 2023

Atlantic crossing starting in May

Adriatic sailing

• Mar 23, 2023

Captain and Chef - Crewed Yacht Charter Team

Jukebox is looking for crew!

• Mar 9, 2023

Day Boat Captain/Driver/Butler Required - San Tropez

Panama to New Zealand 2023

• Feb 4, 2023

Tahiti to Fiji

• Feb 2, 2023

Crew wanted Mediterranean

• Jan 2, 2023

South Sea - Fakarava to Gambier to Australs to Tahiti

• Dec 28, 2022

Miami to Belize

Fastnet-Slownet 2023

• Dec 20, 2022

Crew Member Tampa Florida

Sailing from Greece to the Netherlands

• Dec 7, 2022

Atlantic Crossing

Heading south UK to Canaries

• Nov 27, 2022

Sailing with Phantasia _ Great Barrier Reef

• Jul 6, 2022

1 way cruise

Sailing from Lefkas, Greece -> Amsterdam, NL

• Jun 29, 2022

Catamaran Bali 5.4 delivery

• May 26, 2022

Med race season

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Yacht Crew Job Board

With Bluewater's expertise in crew training and yacht crew recruitment, finding your ideal yacht crew vacancy is simple. We offer yacht management services to a variety of exclusive superyachts. Our team excels in sourcing top-notch yacht crew positions, spanning from 25-meter private yachts in the Bahamas to 50-metre charter yachts in the Mediterranean to luxurious 100+ metre superyachts navigating the globe extensively.

130 yacht crew jobs available now.

Yacht Crew Training

Alongside sourcing the latest yacht crew jobs worldwide, Bluewater offers a range of specialised yacht crew training courses. Whether you're new to the superyacht industry seeking entry-level qualifications, an experienced deckhand or engineer aiming to advance your career, or a dedicated crew member looking to enhance your resume with certifications like HELM (Human Element Leadership and Management), Yachtmaster, or OOW (Officer of the Watch), explore our comprehensive yacht crew training options.

Working on a Luxury Yacht

Working as a crew member on a superyacht is undeniably one of the most rewarding yet demanding professions, calling for hard work, dedication, and professional training. The opportunities within the yachting industry are vast, and at Bluewater, we are committed to helping every crew member discover their ideal yacht crew position. Our recruitment division focuses on finding the perfect yacht for crew members and provides unparalleled professional support. Our recruitment experts guide crew members through every step of their yachting career journey, ensuring they receive the best possible assistance.

Manage Your Yacht Career

Whether you're seeking a yacht crew position as a deckhand, engineer, onboard masseuse, stewardess, chef, chief stewardess, purser, first officer, or captain, take control of your yacht career. Create a profile and join one of the world's largest yachting communities for free.

130 JOBS FOUND

• Qualifications: ENG1, STCW, Driver’s license, Seaman’s Discharge Book
• Experience: Experience with long seasons and also land based
• Salary: 4000 EUR
• Qualifications: STCW, ENG1
• Experience: Must be culinary trained if green
• Salary: $5,500 USD
• Experience: 2+seasons
• Salary: €3000
• Qualifications: OOW Unlimited or CO 3000GT
• Experience: 2+years
• Salary: DOE
• Qualifications: STCW, ENG1, Food & Hygiene Level 2
• Experience: 2+ years
• Salary: 6-8000€ DOE
• End of steptember
• Experience: 1 year+
• Salary: €3500+ DOE
• Experience: 3 Full Seasons +
• Salary: 3200 EUR
• Qualifications: STCW, ENG1, Yachtmaster Offshore, PBL2, PWC
• Experience: 1 year minimum
• Experience: 3 seasons’ charter experience
• Salary: 3250-3750 euros
• Experience: 3 years
• Salary: 7-8000 euros

• Find  Crew
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Opportunities 1 to 15 listed

Delivery Bahamas to Guadeloupe

• Wanted: Novice Crew
• Location: Bahamas, The
• Destination: Guadeloupe
• Checked in: 18 minutes ago

Captain/skipper

Frederic66 : Hi, I'm looking for a crew ,novice or competent, to deliver a Bali 45 from Marsh Harbour to Guadeloupe. The airplane ticket is refund ,the crew share the provisioning cost. We will arrived about 10 days later. Diesel is paid by the captain. We're leaving o...

Join the delivery of a 60 ft wooden Ketch from 1937

• Wanted: Friendship
• Location: General (Europe)
• Destination: General (Europe)
• Checked in: 26 minutes ago

ClaireO : Would you like to take part in the delivery of an old wooden sailing boat from UK to the Med in May 2024?

Enjoy the Mediterranean on a 60 ft, 1937 wooden Ketch

ClaireO : You want to experience unforgettable holidays in the Mediterranean on a classic sailing Yacht? Join us! Available from June to September. Can accommodate 6 to 8 passengers.

Tenerife to Mallorca - two legs from 20.04 til 11.05.24

• Wanted: Mile building
• Vessel: 52ft Sun Odyssey 519
• Location: Spain
• Destination: Spain
• Checked in: 42 minutes ago

ARc'chie : Hi I organise trip from Tenerife to Mallorca splitted for two legs. 1. 20-30.04.24 - Tenerife - La Palma - Madeira - Algarve 2. 01-11.05.24 - Algarve - Cadiz - Gibraltar - Malaga - Cartagena - Ibiza - Mallorca Potential crew member can choose from one of t...

Summer 2024 North Atlantic Azores / UK / Iceland / Norway / UK

• Vessel: 17m Baltic 55
• Checked in: 1 hour ago

stephane G : North Atlantic - Summer 2024 - long distance sailing trips REF - CB55728 NO PERMANENT NOR PAID POSITIONS We will sail in the North Atlantic for Mile building and Yacht Master qualifying passages, as well as some more cruising and relaxed legs, in one to...

Spain Northern coast short Sailing training trips

• Wanted: Competent Crew
• Destination: Local sailing

stephane G : Short sailing training trips on a very well equipped Nautor Swan 38'. REF - CB56005 NO PERMANENT NOR PAID POSITIONS Training includes but is not limited to : Sail management and trimming, sail changes at sea. Steering in any weather conditions. Dead r...

Grenada To Cartagena

• Vessel: 14m Beneteau Oceanis 473
• Location: General (Caribbean)
• Destination: General (Caribbean)

Zorva : We are the captain and a crew member and we are looking for one more crew member to accompany us to Cartagena, we will stop at some of the ABCs and maybe a few days in Los Roques

Sailing trip Sweden- Norway-Shettland-Back to sweden

• Vessel: 15m Bavaria
• Location: Sweden

Mareld : Have You been dreaming of sailing in the high seas, around the clock and sometimes under tough conditions? This is for You. This trip is a mix of coastal sailing and two-to-three-day crossings of the seas. We work as a team onboard, all crew does all kinds o...

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Sailing Together : Ahoy, intrepid sailors! Get ready for an extraordinary expedition to the breathtaking Arctic wilderness of Greenland! We invite you to join us on an epic sailing adventure as we navigate the icy waters, majestic fjords, and awe-inspiring landscapes of this ...

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• Location: Portugal
• Checked in: 2 hours ago

Skipper Dudi : Departure mid April 50ft Beneteau on her way to the Med for some long cruising. As the journey to Central Med is quite long, it will be divided into several legs where some crew could change. Durint two of the legs (Porto to Barcelona, and Barcelona to G...

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Paul 2021 : Based in Martinique for the summer months. Able to reach all the islands in the Eastern Caribbean but crucially will have a safe harbour in the South in case of storms.

Caribbean Cruising April 2024

Paul 2021 : I am looking for long term sailing friends to sail with me for the next few month or years. My plan for 2024 is to sail and explore the NE Caribbean. I’m not going to be sailing nonstop, sail to an island and get to know it. We can try a few days/week...

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PabloSp : Looking for two crew members to join us for a 12-day sailing trip from Rimini to Olbia on a Bavaria 33, starting around April 10th. Our route includes possible stops at Vieste, Leuca, Stromboli, and Ischia for necessary provisioning and to wait out any severe ...

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Better Sailing

Sailing Crew Roles and Names

The skipper is responsible for the safety of the yacht and the crew’s welfare. However, sailing a boat successfully requires teamwork from the skipper and the crew. This will ensure that all maneuvers—such as leaving a mooring, hoisting sails, changing tacks, reefing, or entering a marina—can be completed with maximum enjoyment and minimum stress.

Boat Captain/Skipper

It may come as a shock, but the skipper is not necessarily the helm. This crew member must ensure that the boat is ready for sailing. He or she needs to make sure that all members of the crew are accounted for. They also need to make sure that food and fuel are sufficient, and sails are ready for hoisting. The skipper is in charge of keeping communications open onboard and help other crew members if needed. Also, they are usually responsible for talking the whole crew through maneuvers as they are about to happen and making sure that all crew members are ready.

What Makes A Good Skipper?

• Responsibility : The skipper is responsible for all aspects of the running of the yacht, its safety, and the crew’s wellbeing.
• Skills : He or she should be comfortable with sailing and navigation skills, inspire confidence in their crew, and be a good communicator.
• Delegation : A good skipper should keep on top of all his or her duties and give the crew tasks that are appropriate to their experience.
• Patience : He or she should be patient with inexperienced crew members and be able to run the yacht with a light touch while retaining respect and authority. 
• Briefing : It is the skipper’s role to plan the passage in detail before setting sail. 
• Involvement : A good skipper will also encourage the crew to get involved in passage planning and navigation and will always listen to their opinions.

Tactician 

The tactician’s role is to get the boat around the racecourse as fast as possible. For that, he needs to take into account the wind, tide, and other competitors, as well as the crew’s ability. They also need to make sure that the boat has the correct course. In short, the tactician is the brains of the sailboat. The tactician must communicate with the helm and skipper to run through maneuvers.

The Helm (Driver)

The Helm is often mistakenly perceived as the skipper. This crew role is to steer the boat where the tactician says and to keep sailing as fast as possible. The helm is also helping with other tasks, but they must focus on the job at hand as much as possible. The helm and the tactician must be in close communication with each other.

Head Sail Trimmers

This crew role is for two members, one who will cut release the sail when going through the tack while the other pulls in the full sail. The crew member releasing can then assist with tailing the sail or trimming it – which is a good example of teamwork. Also, the trimmer should keep adjusting the sail, depending on the point of sail, and should be very focused on that task. Also, the trimmers are in charge of trimming the spinnaker sail and guy when going downwind. Main communication is kept between each other, boat captain and tactician. Pre-start these guys will have a lot to do!

This crew member is in control of all sail hoists and drops depending on the wind. The bowman spends most of their time on the foredeck (the deck at the forward part of the sailboat), preparing for spinnaker hoists, gibes, and drops. 

This crew member is a combination of both the bowman and mastman. They are in control of all of the running rigging which comes into the cockpit. This is a vital role and always in the middle of the action. Pitmans must keep communication is between bowman, mast man, and skipper—the eyes and ears for the foredeck crew.

This position is reserved for the stronger members of the crew. A mastman’s foremost task is to assist with the speedy hoisting of the sails during maneuvers. The mast man and bowman go hand in hand and help each other on hoists and drops. The main communication is with the bowman, pitman, and skipper.

No sailing team is complete without its ballast crew members that help to balance the boat in order to reach its top possible speeds and maneuverability. These members of the crew are called ‘ballast’ and are key when racing for the mark. Ballast crew members have the best seat in the house.

What Makes a Good Crew Member?

• Key qualities : All crew members require a positive attitude, sense of humor, and the ability to get along with others in the confined space aboard a cruiser. 
• Willingness to Learn : Good crew members are willing to learn and to take an active role in all aspects of running the yacht.
• Attentive : Diligent crew listen to the instructions carefully and ask questions if they do not understand anything.
• Working As a Team : All members of the crew must remember that they are part of a team. A happy gathering in the cockpit at the end of the passage is an indicator that each member of the crew has done their job.

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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‘Below Deck’ Sails Into a New Era

With a different captain at the helm and new production elements, the reality show about charter yachts is switching up its style.

By Shivani Gonzalez

Starting a new season of “ Below Deck ” can be similar to returning to summer camp as a kid — you know it’s going to be fun and that you’ll be in the same environment, but some of the people will be different and you’re not quite sure what the vibes will be.

This time around, in particular, feels that way because for the first time in the show’s 11-season run, Captain Lee Rosbach is no longer at the helm. It’s a pivotal moment for a franchise that has become one of the most popular entities in the sprawling universe of reality TV since premiering on Bravo in 2013 . The show’s appeal was built on endless romances between various crew members (“boatmances,” as they came to be known), horrible charter guests and some sort of passive-aggressive fight about how many shackles of the anchor chain should be in the water. And there was always Rosbach presiding over the drama as he trudged around the boat, reeling off one liners like “I’m madder than a pissed-on chicken” and “we screwed the pooch so many times we should have a litter of puppies running around.”

At the center of the show now is Kerry Titheradge (the stern yet goofy captain of “Below Deck Adventure” fame), who is managing the Motor Yacht Saint David with the cheeky chief stew Fraser Olender by his side.

With that change in captain, the energy on the boat — both onscreen and off — is different, according to Olender.

“Lee has a no B.S. attitude, which I love with him,” Olender said in an interview. “With Kerry, he taught me a lot and sort of forced to me confront issues directly with my team, work them out, as opposed to making executive decisions too soon.”

This shift in management style changes the central conflict — whereas the drama once focused on the captain swiftly kicking out any unpleasant crew member (as we might have seen with Rosbach), the drama now focuses on the whole crew trying to get along (since Titheradge gives people those second chances).

Additionally, Olender noted that the captain’s relationship with the crew can also affect the drama on board.

“Captains absolutely do get involved, whether they know it or not,” Olender said, adding that for the crew, everything is about “trying to impress your captain.”

This phenomenon plays out early in the new season when the lead deckhand, Ben Willoughby, called out a fellow crew member over the radios about not wearing a life vest — something he easily could have done in private. The drama that followed became an interpersonal conflict between the two of them, both with the ultimate goal of impressing Titheradge. (Of course, the two deckhands had kissed on the previous crew night out, which is more in line with the “Below Deck” drama viewers are used to.)

For “Below Deck” showrunners, the changeovers in the cast allowed them to rethink what the show would look like.

From the season premiere, it was immediately apparent that Rosbach’s absence wasn’t the only change this season: The filming is sleeker, the daily, multicourse meals prepared by the chef are given their own glamour shots and the cameras sometimes cut to the perspectives of yachties running around on deck and through the galley.

“Our showrunner, Lauren Simms, is an avid consumer of all different kinds of media,” Noah Samton, a senior vice president of unscripted current production for NBCUniversal, said in an interview. “She pitches us different ideas on how to stylistically evoke different feelings and change the mood a little bit of ‘Below Deck’ without removing what really works.”

Moving through the rest of the season, and potentially through seasons to come, Olender is aiming to bring a cutthroat management style while also bringing affection for his stews, all with his signature British humor.

On Bravo’s side, there are changes in the works for the other “Below Deck” spinoffs — including “Sailing Yacht,” “Mediterranean” and “Down Under” — which collectively, have 26 seasons. Specifically, Samton said that “Down Under” is currently filming and that even though fans should be ready to see new things, the show will stay true to its original concept.

“These are real yachties doing a real job so you have to stay within those confines because the audience isn’t going to want anything that is too produced or fake,” Samton said. “So we have to find ways to reinvent while staying true to the original concept of the show.”

And as Olender said: “I’m sure that every year if I were to work with this franchise again, that I’ll be thrown a collection of total chaotic and disastrous stews — that’s what makes it watchable.”

An earlier version of this article misquoted Fraser Olender, the chief stew of “Below Deck.” He said, “I also feel like Kerry this season. ... Lee has a no B.S. attitude, which I love with him,” not “I feel like Kerry this season, as opposed to Lee, has a no B.S. attitude, which I love with him.”

How we handle corrections

Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections. More about Shivani Gonzalez

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Boat intercom system tested: Crew-Talk Plus

• Toby Heppell
• February 17, 2023

A boat intercom system has a place on a racing yacht but how useful is it for cruisers? Toby Heppell tests the Crew-Talk Plus to find out

It would be easy to look at a boat intercom system and lump it into the ‘not essential but useful if you have the money’ category. But the benefits for cruisers seem fairly obvious: clear and effective communication over a distance, negating the need for helm and crew to shout at each other, over noise or due to anger.

Boat intercom systems have increasingly become a feature in the racing world, where clear, concise communication is an essential part of making it round the race course at the front of the fleet. But thus far they have not featured that much in the cruising world.

As many know, in this day and age, boats are getting larger and faster, two features which make communicating far more difficult. And with increased size and speed, so too comes reduced manoeuvrability, making that communication ever more important.  So could the Crew-Talk Plus be a key tool in keeping everyone in the picture and harbour manoeuvres harmonious? We thought we’d put a unit through its paces to see if this could be an asset to the cruising sailor or something better left to the racing set.

Crew-Talk Plus wireless boat intercom

Reasons to buy: Clear concise communication tool which stands up to the marine environment | Easy to set up |  Can be expanded with additional units Reasons to avoid:  Not ‘essential’ sailing kit | The fit feels lose

Buy the Crew-Talk Plus intercom from ebay 

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

I admit I was initially sceptical about using a boat intercom system– right up until I tried actually using one onboard, at which point I became much more sold on the concept.

Clear, concise communication with your crew in moderate tones serves to remind us, not only of how often we need to raise our voice when onboard, but how inefficient shouting from the tiller is, how unclear those instructions can be and how much stress it adds to sailing.

Boat intercom system:  the Crew-Talk Plus starter kit costs £373

It’s surprising how much calmer most situations are when you can talk in a normal, measured tone.

Crew-Talk Plus comes in at £375 for a starter kit and consists of two receivers and two headsets. Each receiver and headset combination comes in its own semi-hard case, with charging cable, lifejacket clip, and armband for the receiver.

The headset plugs into the receiver via a headphone jack on the bottom of the unit.

Out of the box both receivers need to be paired to one another, with one unit designated the master. Each unit has two channel options on it, with the Crew-Talk Plus takes the shouting out of onboard communication, whatever the weather master unit paired via its Channel A to the secondary unit’s Channel B.

Should you wish to purchase further units (£175 each) these can then be paired via the secondary unit’s Channel A and the tertiary unit’s Channel B.

Up to four units can be paired in this fashion.

The fit of the headset never feels entirely solid

Straight out of the box, pairing took us a matter of a few minutes and even on a very blustery day the all-round audio performance was very impressive indeed – notably allowing both to speak and receive at the same time, which prevents audio cutting in and out, which can be a problem on some other models.

One major issue I had with the set was the headset’s fit. The headphone section sits at the opening of your ear canal and a rubber piece loops around the back of your ear. This rubber piece felt far too soft and there is almost no adjustment. I constantly felt that there was a chance the headset could fall off and often found myself readjusting it.

I used the whole thing on several occasions never quite shaking the feeling it might come free – that said, it has only fallen out of my ear once, but was caught by the connecting cable.

A genuinely useful tool on board, particularly on larger yachts.

Buy it now from Crew-Talk on ebay

Other boat intercom systems on the market

Sena expand.

The Sena features an over the ear headset

The Sena Expand is a water- resistant Bluetooth headset.

Like CrewTalk it can link up to four units.

The key differences are that the Sena sits over both ears and is bigger, but without a separate control unit.

The Sena also offers a slightly lower water-resistance rating – though neither can be immersed.

Buy it now from Amazon

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Largest cocaine shipment of the year seized in Colombian Caribbean after high-speed boat chase

By Stephen Smith

Updated on: March 27, 2024 / 7:27 AM EDT / CBS News

Authorities have announced the largest cocaine shipment  seizure of the year in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia after military ships and planes chased down a speedboat holding almost four tons of the drug.

In a joint operation between the Colombian Navy, the Colombian Air Force and the Joint Interagency Task Force of the United States Southern Command, authorities seized the cocaine — said to be worth more than $113 million — from the vessel near San Andrés Isla,  according to  the Colombian Navy. The navy released dramatic aerial video of the chase, during which it said the crew of the suspicious vessel "began evasive actions, throwing packages into the water."

After a chase that spanned several miles, the boat — which was covering its cargo in a blue tarp — was finally intercepted, the officials said. Three Colombians, one Honduran and one Venezuelan who had been on board the speedboat were detained, and subsequent testing confirmed that the boat had been carrying 3,355 kilograms of cocaine weighing, or about 3.7 tons of the drug.

🚨 En una operación junto a la @FuerzaAereaCol y JIATFS de EEUU 🇺🇲 logramos incautar más de 3.3 toneladas de clorhidrato de cocaína que eran transportadas en una embarcación tipo Go fast en #SanAndrés Isla. 🚨 https://t.co/sOjRPdHVAF ⬅️ #ContundenciaOperacional pic.twitter.com/UoSdcSDdMH — Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) March 26, 2024

Navy video showed officers offloading and arranging hundreds of packages of the seized cocaine, which officials said amounted to more than eight million doses that would "not reach the streets of different countries, thus avoiding the impact on public health."

The drugs, boat and five suspects were turned over to the Attorney General's Office, the navy said.

The Colombia-U.S. operation in the Caribbean Sea came just days after officials announced that a British warship and an American patrol aircraft had  chased down a speedboat as its crew tried to flee and dump another cargo of drugs into the water near the U.S. Virgin Islands.  About three tons of cocaine and other drugs were seized, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense said.

Drug busts off the shores of Colombia are also common.

Just last month, authorities on a search-and-rescue mission for two missing fishermen off Colombia's Pacific coast instead found a semi-submersible vessel  loaded with more than four tons of cocaine, officials said. The so-called  "narco sub"  was intercepted during a joint operation by the Colombian and Ecuadorian navies and the Colombian Air Force, the Colombian Navy said.

Colombia  produces  about 60% of the cocaine found in the world. 

Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.

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What to know about the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

Girl rescued after 16 hours under mud amid deadly storms in Brazil

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

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Baltimore bridge collapse: at least six missing as Biden laments ‘terrible accident’

Mayor says rescue efforts continuing after cargo vessel hit Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending vehicles into the water

A frantic search-and-rescue effort continued on Tuesday hours after a major bridge in Baltimore , Maryland, snapped and collapsed when a container ship collided with it in the early morning, sending a number of vehicles into the water.

Baltimore fire department officials said at least six construction workers were still missing, after reports that a 948ft Singapore-flagged container ship leaving port on its way to Sri Lanka had crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Jeffrey Pritzker, a senior executive at Brawner Builders, the employer of the construction workers, said Tuesday afternoon that they were presumed dead, given the water’s depth and the length of time since the crash. Pritzker said the crew had been working in the middle of the bridge when it came apart. No bodies have been recovered. “This was so completely unforeseen,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers. But we never foresaw that the bridge would collapse.”

A report from the Baltimore Banner earlier said the were construction workers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico who are in their 30s and 40s, with spouses and children.

Officials added that up to 20 people and several vehicles had fallen into the river and declared it a “mass casualty event”.

A video posted on X appeared to show the vessel striking one of the bridge’s central supports, causing much of the 2.6km bridge to give way as a number of vehicles fell into the Patapsco River below.

Joe Biden addressed the bridge collapse in a public briefing about midday, saying that all indications were that it was a “terrible accident” rather than an “intentional act”.

The president also said he was thinking of those who remained unaccounted for amid the search and rescue efforts around the bridge, a key traffic artery whose destruction is also expected to cause months of travel disruption in a city with more than 575,000 residents.

“We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you as long as it takes,” said Biden, adding that he intended to travel to Baltimore as soon as possible. “You’re Maryland tough. You’re Baltimore strong.”

Officials said the ship issued a mayday as it went off course and seemed to lose power, which Baltimore officials said allowed them to prevent more vehicles from coming on to the bridge. The ship then appeared to catch fire as part of the bridge collapsed over it, sending plumes of thick, black smoke into the air.

Two people have been rescued, with one of them “severely” injured and in critical condition, officials said in a pre-dawn press conference. There were reports that there were workers on the bridge engaged in basic road maintenance when the collision occurred.

The temperature in the river was about 47F (8C) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began. “All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland transportation authority posted on X. “I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike. Active scene,” it later added.

Calls to 911 had come in at about 1.30am, reporting a vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore that had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse, said Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore fire department. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.

“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said. He added that it was too early to know how many people were affected but described the collapse as a “developing mass casualty event”.

Cartwright said it appeared that there were “some cargo or retainers” that appeared to be dangling from the bridge, creating unsafe and unstable conditions that were complicating the rescue operation. “This is a dire emergency,” he said.

Matthew West, a petty officer first class for the coastguard in Baltimore, told the New York Times that the coastguard received a report of an impact at 1.27am ET. West said the Dali, a 948ft (290-metre) Singapore-flagged cargo ship, had hit the bridge, which is part of Interstate 695.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed that the vessel was registered in Singapore and said the agency was coordinating with the US Coast Guard and the ship’s management company to help. It also said it would investigate the incident itself.

There were 22 crew onboard at the time of the incident, Singapore said.

The shipping company Maersk said that it chartered the container ship in Baltimore, with the operator named as Synergy Marine Group. Maersk confirmed that there were 22 crew, and said they were all Indian. None of them were Maersk crew or personnel.

It added that there were 4,679 containers on board, roughly half of its 10,000 capacity.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” the company said in a statement.

The Dali had left Baltimore at 1am and was heading for the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, according to the maritime data platform MarineTraffic. Synergy Marine Group, the manager of the Dali, confirmed that the ship had collided with one of the pillars of the bridge. It said all crew members, including the two pilots, had been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.

“Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the Dali has now mobilised its qualified individual incident response service,” it said.

The same vessel was also involved in a collision in 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium, according to Vessel Finder and the maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog.

Its bow reportedly scraped the side of the quay while it was leaving port, significantly damaging several meters of the hull, and it was reportedly detained by authorities afterward.

According to Vessel Finder , the weather was fine at the time and the incident was blamed on the ship’s master and pilot on board. There were reportedly no injuries.

The Baltimore mayor, Brandon M Scott, called Tuesday’s collision an “unthinkable tragedy” at a press conference held as dawn broke on Baltimore. “Never would you imagine” seeing the bridge collapse, he added. “It looked like something out of an action movie.”

Asked how long it would take to rebuild the bridge, he said: “The discussion right now should be about the people, the lives, the souls … there are people in the water that we have to get out and that’s the only thing we should be talking about.”

He and the county executive, Johnny Olszewski Jr, said emergency personnel were at the scene and rescue efforts were under way.

Officials added that there was “absolutely no indication that there was any terrorism or that this was done on purpose”.

The Maryland governor, Wes Moore, said in a statement that he had declared a state of emergency.

He said the ship had lost power around the time when the cargo ship hit the Key Bridge, and the crew issued a “mayday” request. Moore said that officials were able to slow the flow of traffic, preventing more vehicles from falling into the water.

“These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” Moore said, adding that Baltimore was working with an interagency government team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration.

Moore added the bridge was “fully up to code” before Tuesday’s accident and that rebuilding the bridge would be a long-term effort.

In a statement, the White House said it was “closely monitoring” the events. “The US Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue for those who remain unaccounted for as a result of the bridge collapse,” it said. “Senior White House officials are in touch with the governor and mayor to offer any federal assistance they need. There is no indication of any nefarious intent.”

It added that “our hearts go out” to the victims and families of what it called a “horrific incident”.

Built in 1977, the bridge spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the US’s east coast. It is named for the author of the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.

Gloria Oladipo , Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

• Baltimore bridge collapse
• Water transport

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