Your Sailing CV: More Than Just a Piece of Paper

If you've ever tried to charter a bareboat or apply for a delivery crew position, you've probably been asked for your "sailing CV" or "sailing resume." But here's the thing: your sailing CV isn't just a gatekeeping document for insurance companies and charter outfits. It's become something much more interesting – a way to showcase your sailing journey, connect with other sailors, and celebrate how far you've come.

So, What Exactly Is a Sailing CV (or Sailing Resume)?

Think of it as LinkedIn for sailors, but with more salt water and fewer corporate buzzwords. A sailing CV (also called a sailing resume or boating resume) documents your experience on the water: the boats you've sailed, the miles you've logged, your qualifications, and the passages you've completed. It's proof that you know your way around a boat and can be trusted with someone else's pride and joy.

In the past, this meant scribbling passages in a paper logbook and hoping you could decipher your handwriting years later. Now? Digital logbooks make it dead simple to track everything automatically.

Traditionally, sailing CVs have been used by:

• Charter companies – They need to know you can safely handle their 40-footer in the Greek islands
• Insurance companies – They're assessing risk and determining if you need additional crew for offshore passages
• Skippers looking for crew – They want to know if you'll be an asset or a liability when things get bumpy
• Professional yacht crew recruiters – They're vetting candidates for paid positions on superyachts and delivery vessels

And yes, having a solid sailing CV absolutely opens doors. Charter companies won't hand over the keys without one, and insurance companies might insist on additional qualified crew if your CV doesn't meet their standards.

But Here's Where It Gets Interesting...

Over the past few years, sailing CVs have evolved into something more personal and social. Modern sailors aren't just keeping CVs locked away in a drawer for the occasional charter application. They're building living records of their sailing lives – documenting their progression from nervous first-timer to confident skipper, from coastal day sailor to offshore passage maker.

Telling Your Story

Your sailing CV is your sailing story. It's the tale of that first terrifying night watch, the passage where everything went wrong (and you fixed it), the qualification you worked so hard for, and the miles that add up year after year. Some sailors share these stories to inspire others: "I went from knowing nothing about sailing to bareboat chartering in Greece in just one year." Others share them simply because they're proud of what they've achieved.

And why shouldn't you be proud? Every passage logged, every nautical mile sailed, every new skill learned – these are real achievements. Whether you're building towards your Day Skipper, completing your first offshore passage, or racking up thousands of miles, your sailing CV captures that progression.

Sharing Achievements (Without the Humble Brag)

Modern digital logbooks and sailing CV platforms have made it easier than ever to track and share your sailing adventures. These tools let you:

• Automatically log your routes and miles with GPS tracking
• Showcase your voyages on social media
• Build cumulative stats – total miles sailed, places visited, time at sea
• Share trip highlights with friends and family who might not be sailors (but love following your adventures)
• Compare stats with friends and sailing club members on leaderboards
• Get inspired by other sailors' journeys

Some platforms (including Crew the Boat) let you upload GPS tracks from your chartplotter – no manual data entry required. Just export your GPS track and your passage gets logged automatically, complete with route map and distance calculations. Learn more about logging your sails.

The brilliant part? You can choose your level of sharing. Keep it private for your own records, share it with a small group of sailing mates, or broadcast it to the world. It's your choice.

Finding Your Crew (and Your Boat)

Perhaps the most practical evolution of sailing CVs is their role in connecting sailors. Crew-finding platforms like Find a Crew, Crewseekers, and others have made it standard practice to create a sailing profile that shows your experience, qualifications, and availability. These aren't just dry lists of credentials – they're personal profiles where you can share what kind of sailing you're after, what you bring to the table, and what makes you tick as a crew member.

Skippers making crew decisions don't just look at your RYA qualifications or your sea miles (though those matter). They're trying to picture whether they'd enjoy sailing with you, whether you'll fit the vibe onboard, and whether you'll be reliable when it's 0300 and you're three hours into your watch.

How This Connects to What We Do

At Crew the Boat, we've built our platform around this idea that your sailing profile is more than just a transaction – it's your sailing identity. When you create your profile with us, you're not just filling in boxes on a form. You're building a record of:

• Your sailing experience – the roles you've held, the boats you've sailed, the miles you've logged
• Your qualifications – from Competent Crew through to Yachtmaster and beyond
• Your sailing journey – where you've sailed, what you're working towards, the kind of opportunities you're after
• Your personality – because sailing is about people as much as it's about boats

Whether you're a boat owner looking for crew to join you on weekend races, or you're a sailor building experience towards your next qualification, your profile on Crew the Boat works like your sailing CV – showcasing what you bring to the table and helping you connect with the right people.

And as you progress in your sailing journey – whether that's completing passages, earning new qualifications, or simply racking up more time on the water – your profile grows with you. It becomes a living record of your achievements, accessible whenever you need to show someone what you're capable of.

How to Write a Sailing CV (Resume): Where to Start

If you haven't got a sailing CV yet (or yours consists of a scribbled note from that charter company in 2019), here's what you should include:

The Essentials

• Your qualifications – RYA, ASA, MCA certificates, STCW if you're going professional
• Your experience – boat types and sizes, your role (skipper, crew, first mate), approximate miles or days at sea
• Recent activity – charter companies care more about what you've done lately than that round-the-world voyage in 1985
• Special experience – night sailing, offshore passages, specific waters (tidal, Mediterranean, Caribbean, etc.)
• Contact details – seems obvious, but you'd be surprised

The Personality Bits

• A short introduction about yourself – who you are, what you're after, why you love sailing
• Your sailing goals – what you're working towards
• What you bring to a crew – whether that's decades of experience, infectious enthusiasm, or excellent galley skills
• References from other sailors you've sailed with (if available)

Keeping Your Sailing CV Current (The Easy Way)

Here's the thing about sailing CVs: they're only useful if they're current. That amazing sailing CV from 2010 isn't going to cut it if you haven't touched a tiller since. Modern digital logbook systems make this easier – they automatically log your passages, update your cumulative miles, and keep your stats current without you having to manually update spreadsheets.

Whether you use a digital logbook app, a platform like Crew the Boat, or a good old-fashioned paper logbook (transcribed to digital when needed), the key is to log your sailing as you go. Don't wait until you need your CV for a charter application – by then, you'll have forgotten half your passages and underestimated your experience.

The modern approach: After each sail, upload your GPS track to your digital logbook. It automatically calculates distance, plots your route on a map, and adds the passage to your CV. Takes about 30 seconds. When you need to show your experience, everything's already there – up to date and professional-looking.

The Bottom Line: Your Sailing Story Matters

Your sailing CV started as a practical necessity – proof that you could handle a boat without sinking it. But it's become so much more than that. It's your sailing story, your achievement tracker, your connection point with other sailors, and your ticket to new adventures on the water.

Whether you're chasing professional yacht crew positions, building towards your next qualification, looking for cost-share crew opportunities, or simply wanting to document your sailing journey, having a well-maintained Sailing CV is one of the smartest things you can do as a sailor.

Think about it: every passage you've completed, every mile you've logged, every qualification you've earned – they all tell the story of who you are as a sailor. That's worth documenting. That's worth sharing.

So dust off those old logbooks, remember those passages you never wrote down, and start building your sailing CV. Your future sailing self (and that charter company in the Greek islands) will thank you.