Find a Crew

Find a Crew is an international online marine crew and boat network that offers a database to match boat members with crew.[1] Find a Crew encompasses professional, commercial and recreational boating providing a platform for members to search for, and communicate with, people travelling, working on or exploring the oceans of the world.

Find a Crew
Type of site
Private
Available inEnglish, Italian
FoundedDecember 1, 2004 (2004-12-01)
Area servedInternational
OwnerNAUTYCAL Pty Ltd
Founder(s)Raffael Gretener
Key peopleRaffael Gretener (CEO)
Knud Nexo (CTO)
URLwww.findacrew.net
RegistrationSite can be browsed without registering; to sign in registration is required as either a boat or a crew member.
LaunchedDecember 2004
Current statusOnline

Main features

Find a Crew has a network of members seeking to find a crew or become a crew member in over 200 countries. Website visitors can view member information, but must become registered members to exchange contact information.[1] People that work as crew members may do so as volunteers or companions, where light duties are exchanged for room and board. Other non-sailing positions are involved in food service, teachers or nannies, language interpreters, scientists on research vessels, or water sports instructors.[2] Professional crew members include deckhands, engineers, and skippers. In some cases, nonprofessionals sign on as paying passengers.[3][4] Crew members do not need to be experienced.

Membership and site

Registration is free of charge, as is searching through matching profiles and showing an initial expression of interest by sending a wave to another member. Members can search for and be matched against other members using many parameters such as gender, age, location, position type, experience at sea and many more.

Members can upload photos to their profile, and personalise it with text sections to provide more information about themselves, what they are offering and what they are expecting. Free members can also reply to any initial contacts they receive with a yes, no or maybe wave. Once mutual interest is established, a subscription fee to become a Premium member is required for further communication. Other services such as a Personal Identity Verification process and increased messaging capabilities are also available to Premium members. Once contact information is exchanged, arrangements such as the duration, location, terms and expectations of the work or travel exchange on board are generally worked out in advance.

History

Find a Crew was launched in December, 2004 to match individuals who wanted to work on boats with boats needing crew.[5] In 2009, Nautycal Pty Ltd was founded as the parent company of Find a Crew and other marine based websites. It is based in Mooloolaba, Queensland. The directors of Nautycal Pty Ltd are Raffael Gretener as the CEO and Knud Nexo as the Chief Technology Officer.[6]
In 2007, Find a Crew became a registered trademark due to being able to demonstrate that the phrase was not used as a searchable phrase prior to December 2004. It has since become a frequently used search phrase by people looking for crew or crew jobs.

References
  1. Coldwell, Will (19 November 2013). "Crew a ship and see the world for free (or almost)". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  2. McKenzie, Sheena (28 August 2013). "How to sail around the world for free: Five ways to live the dream". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  3. Eagles, Jim (13 July 2006). "Stand by to weigh anchor (Search: Findacrew)". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  4. Chaar, Nadia-Maria (20 July 2006). "Segelportal Findacrew: Per Doppelklick zum großen Törn". Spiegel Online (in German). Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  5. "Entrepreneurs: Are They Born, Made or Raised in a Lab". Momentum. The University of Queensland Business School. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  6. "About". NAUTYCAL. Retrieved 4 December 2014.

Further reading
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