No Boat? No Worries

Herb Mccormick

Veteran offshore sailor Hank Schmitt has turned his pleasure into business with this Swan 48, Avocation, and his business, Offshore Passage Opportunities.

Another good source are rallies, where owners can pick up crew for long-distance legs and then continue on, say, as a couple. Five years ago, Schmitt purchased a Swan 48, Avocation, that he also brought into the fold; the boat goes back and forth to the Caribbean each year, and OPO members can sign on for the deliveries (though these aren't free trips) or join the boat as a racing crew at events like the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and Antigua Sailing Week. This June, Tania Aebi will be skippering the boat in a rally to Bermuda and back, for which berths are available. Schmitt may also add another Swan or two to OPO's fleet on a fractional ownership basis.

The downturn in the economy, thus far, hasn't really affected his business. "Boats are still out there and moving," he said. "People don't want to put their dreams on hold. And a lot of our members are planning to buy their own boats three, four, or five years down the line, but they want to get experience now."

They'll probably never become as experienced as Schmitt-- he reckons he's sailed 10,000 miles a year, or 110 days, every year for the last 15-- but not many of us will. One wonders, does he ever get tired of it?

"Nope," he said. "Your first trip is the best one, and mine was long ago, but I get to relive that with all the new sailors I meet."

And if he does feel even a little jaded, he tries to remember his wife's wise words: "Those people all want to be you, Hank. They want to get paid to go sailing!"

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