Crewing and Sailing

After speaking with Frank Deggman (professor of sailing at Cal State Monterey Bay), I have determined that in order to find passage aboard a sailing ship I really need to start learning about sailing, in general, since I have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about it. I also need to go down to ports, docks, and marinas to talk to people in person. Develop relationships with the people that deal with sailing first had. The likely-hood of me being able to travel on a boat when I have no experience an no connections is very slim. Even if I did find a boat that was willing to take me, it might not be the best idea considering they are probably taking me simply because they are very desperate. Traversing a large body of open sea with a desperate skipper is probably not the best idea; especially if I know nothing about the crew.

Right now I think I will take a 3 pronged approach to tackle this problem:
1. Learn as much as I can about sailing via online resources
2. Find classes that can teach me a base of knowledge to work off of with regards to sailing
3. Try to find people who are willing to teach me about sailing
a. Contact known individuals who know about sailing
b. Travel to the ports, docks and marinas in order to find knowledgeable individuals and develop working relationships with them.

Unfortunately, this may take time. I always have my backup plan to fall back on; I can rent a room aboard a cargo ship for fairly cheap. Certainly not as fun, and I would not be learning anything, whereas this sailing thing fulfills 3 of the TREK goals: People, Culture, Knowledge.