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So you want a taste of offshore sailing? But there's a small problem: You don't own a boat. Actually, had you ponied up a mere $199 to join Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO), an organization founded by veteran voyager Hank Schmitt that pairs hopeful, eager sailors with skippers looking for the same, it wouldn't be a worry at all.
    
Here are some examples of the types of trips we're talking about, taken directly from the message board on OPO's website (www.sailopo.com) for the month of November. There's a two-month gig from Spain to the U.S. East Coast aboard a Shannon 47 via the Canary Islands, the Cape Verdes, and Puerto Rico. Or you might choose one of three passages to the British Virgin Islands from, respectively, Newport, Rhode Island (Swan 46); Bermuda (Swan 56); or Annapolis, Maryland (on a 48-foot catamaran, with an invitation to enjoy a Christmas cruise of the Virgins if you'd like). Or maybe you'd prefer St. Maarten; get yourself to Bermuda and you have a choice of vessels to take you to the island, either a Beneteau 43 or an Outbound 44.
    
But here's my favorite. How about, next summer, a circumnavigation of Newfoundland aboard a 40-foot monohull, starting from Virginia? Sounds like fun, eh?
    
And the most amazing thing of all? Apart from the membership fee (remember, we're talking less than two-hundred bucks), and your own airfare and incidentals, the majority of these fantastic voyages are scot-free. As in, zippo. Nothing. Nada.

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	Cruiser Comments 19 Comments Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Cruising World stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms and Conditions. Click here to read the Privacy policy I have known Hank and OPO for several years now. I officially joined a couple of years ago. For... 2009-01-06, 5:04 PM Hank and OPO has given me the opportunity to sail on 3 passages between my base in Rhode Island and... 2009-01-06, 6:06 PM I have gone on two offshore trips with Hank as an OPO member. We have shared many adventures... 2009-01-06, 8:13 PM Hank and OPO are a great asset to the sailing community providng free crew to captains and also the... 2009-01-07, 5:05 AM As a charter member of OPO and a yacht delivery captain I have used OPO for crew for over ten years... 2009-01-07, 3:21 PM I joined OPO in 2005. I was able to be on a Swan for racing in the BVI. I have been on deliveries,... 2009-01-07, 3:26 PM I have been a member of OPO for 5 years. When the weather gets cold in Annapolis you can't beat a... 2009-01-08, 2:08 PM OPO is everything Hank promises and more! Through OPO, I've sailed on OPO's Swan in the BVI and... 2009-01-09, 11:46 AM Captain Hank as i call him is like a greatgrandfather in a 40ish body. Sailing with Capt. Hank on a... 2009-01-12, 9:19 PM OPO is a great service. I recently joined OPO and was considering a passage from the Chesapeake to... 2009-01-22, 11:22 AM View all comments Post a comment Not a member? Sign up here Already a member? Log in below Username:  Password: