Working abroad

[Karlvb]

Good day to you all.

If someone could please answer my questions I will be eternally gratefull.

I'm a 27yr old male Saffa on a South African passport.

After deciding to exit the rat-race a few years back i eventually was introduced to sailing which led to the thought of working on sailing yachts of the big kind. well, i found academies in RSA who promised a magnificent lifestyle, it all sounded to good to be true, and they weren't even Nigerians!

So I asked the questions about working abroad with the Saffa passport and was assured it was no problem, as long as a boat had a red flag with a union jack in it and i was on board i would be ok. just sign here and pay.

i have learnt the hard way. the waiting for deliveries. the negotiating with captains who don't want to pay for anything...time and money.

i have found that is not the case. getting onto the bleeding boat that pays you i am finding to be very hard. i truely got suckered by a sales person.

i have crewed on deliveries twice now and have logged a mass of sea miles and got a RYA certificate which i found very easy to get. once i paid of course.

I have had a great time at sea. So much that I am not giving up.

so I am now in the Uk on a visitor visa thinking of flying into Majorca, or anywhere on the Med, next week but i know nothing about visas requirments and am battling to find any info on the subject, battling to meet the right people who actually know something, i am only able to pull up stories of the wonderful lifestyle of the deckhand etc. the carrot dangles.

i have walked docks in turkey but was told at the wrong time of year.

So, could anyone please enlighten me on some good practises of the use of a south african passport.

All i want to do is walk docks and find that job. I know i deserve it.

Anything of value that would help me find the job i would sincerely appreciate.

thank you

karl.

[Swagman]

Hi Karl,

Suspect if you're looking for legal work in Balearics you'll need a Spanish visa but also know most crew picking up jobs on global yachts don't have such.

I guess you've tried all the normal routes to a professional spot and can only suggest if you were to google all Palma Marinas and send each a card to pop onto thier notice boards - you might strike lucky.

Also you might try all the charter companies - at one stage last year I do know one crowd lost a lot of staff to another paying higher rates - so opportunites do exist to make a living.

Summer before last when in Palma we met many with sailing experience looking for jobs - and have to say most were finding it tough.

Good luck

JOHN