In this space, we often speak as though our reader already owns a boat with which they can exercise maintenance or navigation skills. However, the editors realize that, when getting started, we have all been lucky to have found opportunities aboard other people’s boats. In fact, the term “OPB”—for other people’s boats—is a lighthearted reference among experienced sailors to the concept of enjoying sailing without shouldering the cost of it. For many people, the seeds of the rewarding experience of ownership are planted when one is invited to sail in somebody else’s boat.
A little kindling in the form of an open invitation goes even further for some, and might eventually spark great and long-lasting professional maritime careers. There are many admirable people we can think of who share that common past: they answered the call for volunteers or emphatically said yes when they were extended a hearty welcome from an experienced salt. We’ve highlighted a few of them in the following pages.
Here are ideas for how you, at any age and in any location, can get aboard to sail, get your hands dirty maintaining, or garner skills for building before you ever think of digging into your wallet to own a boat. The best boats for a beginner, truly, are Other People’s Boats.