Building your crew
Invite crew, request to join open sails, and meet a boat's crew and skipper requirements.
Most sails need more than one person. Zeil helps you assemble a crew that meets the boat's requirements before you head out.
Two ways to crew up
Invite people you know
As the person organizing a sail, invite specific members by name to crew with you.
Join an open sail
Browse sails looking for crew and request to join one.
Inviting crew
When you organize a sail, search the member directory and invite people to join. Each person you invite gets a spot they can accept or decline.
Requesting to join
If a sail has open spots, you can request to join. The organizer confirms your request, and you're on the crew.
Crew states
Each person on a crew list is in one of these states:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Invited | The organizer asked them to join; awaiting their response. |
| Requested | They asked to join; awaiting the organizer's confirmation. |
| Confirmed | They're on the crew. |
| Declined | They turned down the invite. |
| Removed | They were taken off the crew. |
Only confirmed crew count toward the boat's requirements.
Meeting the boat's requirements
Every boat has crew rules set by the club:
- A minimum and maximum crew size.
- A required number of qualified skippers aboard.
A sail can only be confirmed when:
- Confirmed crew is at least the boat's minimum and no more than its maximum, and
- Enough confirmed crew are eligible skippers for that boat.
Dropping below the minimum
If confirmed crew falls below the boat's minimum — say someone drops out — the sail reverts to a draft until you fill the spot again. Keep an eye on your crew list as the date approaches.
Who can skipper
Skippering a boat may require an endorsement and a minimum certification level. Inviting someone as skipper doesn't override those rules — they must be eligible for that boat. See Certifications & skipper status to understand eligibility, and the skipper requirement on each boat.