How to make a career in yacht racing

It is very difficult to go pro.  Its all about being the right person at the right time.

Learn a trade ie. be that person who people want to have on the boat when some thing breaks and needs URGENT fixing. To go pro its not enough to be only a good sailor, u gotta bringh that 4th dimension allong with you that makes people want to sail with you.  For alot of people its just being that really good guy/gal that people enjoy being around and sailing with. Its worth considering the 2 following ideas.

• learn about engines, u'll never be as knowledgable as a mechanic but u would be surprised how simple the most common problems are to fix if u know where to look.
• learn about wiring ie. the display units.  and be able to identify the reason... say the boat speed/wind speed is on the blip.(da problem is not always at the top of the rig)

glenn

i have read her book too and the bit where it talks about her changing the broken center board over in the southern ocean amazed me. when i actually was on kingfisher i could'nt believe the size of the board, most grown men would stuggle with one. She is one strong woman!!!!

I'm an admirer, I've read her book and she's quite something - but she must be hell to live with.

WELL SAID dr clifford shes hardly the best looking girl esp with her hair cut short

Originally posted by Flint I would like to no how to make a career in yacht racing.? what should you do.?

Well a glib answer would be "be an attractive woman". They clearly are finding it easier at present to gain sponsorship than men. That is because both male and female consumers are more likely to identify with a woman than a man and the marketing people who control sponsorship budgets understand this.

But more seriously..... 

One traditional route has been as a sailmaker. Racing yachts which spend a fortune on new sails often like to have a sailmaker's representative onboard to help the trimmers.

Alternatively, many of the sailor retained by AC campaigns established their reputations in Olympic dinghy classes. But the number of people actually paid to race is tiny. There are a lot more who make some kind of living while moving between regattas by looking after race boats, managing the maintenance required and organising the crew and logistical requirements for the rich but busy owners. The people who do that are invariably the kind of people who good at making contacts and building networks.