YOUR FIRST VOYAGE STARTS HERE
Formal cadet, RYA Coastal Skipper going professional, career changer, offshore worker making the switch — it doesn't matter what route you took. If you're looking for your first professional sea berth, Crew Connect is built for you.
Free forever for all seafarers. No agency fees. No CV required to start.
The Catch-22 Every First-Tripper Knows
"You need sea time to get sea time." We built Crew Connect to break that cycle — whatever your background.
You send a CV into a void. Agencies call experienced crew first. You never hear back.
Your profile is searchable from day one. Recruiters can filter specifically for First Voyage and Newly Qualified crew.
Zero commercial sea time means zero consideration — even if you have 1,000 nm offshore on your log.
All your sea time counts: deliveries, RYA passages, offshore sailing, volunteer work on tall ships. Every nm logged.
Your RYA cert, military background, or shore career counts for nothing on a traditional agency form.
Skills & XP tab logs it all: Divemaster, First Aid, chef training, military service, shore jobs. All visible to recruiters.
Nothing proves your theory knowledge. No sea time, no proof you know the rules of the road.
Knowledge Checks prove your theory before you step aboard. Export a report and attach it to every application.
From Sign-Up to First Voyage Ready — 5 Steps
The First Voyage Ready badge unlocks when you hit all criteria. Here's how.
Name, rank, photo, contact. Set your career stage to Cadet, Newly Qualified, or First Tripper.
Ask a captain, instructor, or skipper — even a sailing club coach counts. This unlocks first.
Sea time, RYA certs, STCW, shore jobs, skills. 1 week on a delivery passage counts. So does your divemaster cert.
Answer MAIB and STCW scenarios. Build your readiness %. Export a report to share with recruiters.
Toggle Available. Your First Voyage Ready badge appears. Recruiters searching for entry-level crew find you directly.
⚓ First Voyage Ready
When you complete the checklist below, this badge appears on your profile card. Recruiters can filter their search to show First Voyage Ready crew only — so you surface at the top, not buried under hundreds of experienced applicants.
The badge applies to all first-voyage career stages — formal cadet, newly qualified, or first tripper. Same criteria, same badge, same visibility to recruiters.
Knowledge Checks — Your Secret Weapon
When you have little commercial sea time, knowledge is what separates you. Knowledge Checks let you prove it to recruiters before the interview — and tell you exactly where to focus your study.
- MAIB report scenarios — real case studies
- ISM & SMS, STCW, COLREGS, MLC, BRM
- Readiness % shown live on your profile
- Weakest topic highlighted — know where to study
- Export a one-page Knowledge Report as PDF
- Attach your report directly to job applications
Every Route In Is Welcome
There's no single path into professional seafaring. Crew Connect is built for all of them.
Warsash, NSCUK, STC, or any MCA-approved cadet programme. Your training records and sea service logs directly into your profile.
Dayskipper to Yachtmaster Ocean — your RYA certs and offshore miles count. Set your stage to Newly Qualified or First Tripper and you're visible to charter and expedition employers immediately.
Chef, diver, military, hospitality — your shore skills are your edge. The Skills & XP tab surfaces them to recruiters who specifically want crew with your background.
Oil & gas, wind farm vessels, surveying — making the move to merchant or leisure? Your offshore certs and sea hours carry over and are logged as commercial experience.
No cert yet but learning? Create a profile now. Log your training, set a future availability date, and be ready to apply the moment you pass. The queue starts here.
Starting as a rating, deckhand, or steward? The First Voyage Ready badge and NQ filter help entry-level crew get seen by smaller operators, superyachts, and sail training vessels.
From deck cadet stipends to RYA skipper day rates — know your worth before you negotiate.
Your maritime career starts today.
Free forever for seafarers. No agency. No commission. No waiting for a callback that never comes. Whatever your route in, your profile is searchable from the moment you go live.
Create Your Free Profile Now