Alexis Matelin, male, 32
Ref 44023
| Nationality: | France |
| Currently based in: | Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, Spain |
| Looking for: | Worldwide opportunities |
| Experience: | 0 ocean miles / 143 coastal miles |
| Aspiring sailor looking to be part of the ARC 2020 - Atlantic Rally for Cruisers as a crew member. RYA Competent crew certified since October 2020. Here is my story: My name is Alexis. In another life, I used to be a programmer in Montreal. I decided to leave the comfort of the city to go cycling solo around the world, looking for adventures and very eager to discover new cultures and ways of life. 4 years, 5 continents, 44 countries and 52000km later, I can say that I almost achieved that goal. However the covid crisis interrupted this wonderful journey and led me to fly back from Bolivia to Europe. Thus, I moved to the Canaries Islands looking for new challenges. My interest in sailing started when I was on the road reading books by Bernard Moitessier and Mike Horn. Whilst on the bike, my favorite places have always been deserts - specifically in Oman, the Western Sahara and the Andes. I feel that the ocean represents the next natural frontier that I ought to discover, and I plan on completing a world circumnavigation on my own sailing boat in the future. But first things first. Before this happens, I know that I need to stay humble and gain a lot of experience. This means learning to respect the sea as well as the teachings of seasoned sailors with whom I am very eager to work with. I enrolled with "Canary Sail" in October 2020 with this initial question in mind: do I actually enjoy life at sea? Am I suited for such an endeavour? After a week at sea and having earned the RYA Competent Crew qualification, I can now say that the answer is a confident YES. I intend to continue this training all the way to Yatchmaster. However since I arrived here I got wind of the ARC rally. As I consider my life as a story taking unexpected turns every day, crossing the Atlantic working alongside a crew is a chapter that I am now set on writing. To make this happen, I know that I will have to work hard which I am looking forward to. This week of training with "Canary Sail" showed me that I loved being part of a team of dedicated people sharing the same passion for life at sea and working in unison. What I bring to the table can be summed up as: a natural tendency to learn very quickly and eagerly, a reserved but respectful and light hearted temper, resilience which has been tested time and time again during the past few years. I am still at the very beginning of my progression as a crew member. I will make mistakes and need some guidance at first. But I do believe that I can quickly become a valuable and trusted member of your crew. Last but not least, cooking skills! I always loved cooking since I was a child and I am very happy to say that my recipie book grew quite a bit since I have been exposed to many different styles of cuisines in the countries that I visited. Whatever your tastes or diet, no doubt that I will be able to adapt accordingly. Words are one thing, but there is nothing like a face to face to judge a character. I will stay in Las Palmas until the beggining of the ARC so please don't hesitate to let me know if you would like to have a chat around drinks. In any case, you will probably see me sooner than later as I plan on bribing skippers for a position as a crew with delicious cakes during the weeks to come. | |
| Smoking: | non-smoker |
| Relationship status: | single |
| Dietary requirements: | No restriction |
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| Number of years sailing: | less than 1 |
| Sea miles sailed: | Ocean: 0 / Coastal: 143 |
| Nights at sea: | 0 |
| I have experience as: | Crew |
| Sailing Skills | Experienced I have done this many times and am confident to help others less experienced. I am happy doing this day |
Competent I am competent doing this in daylight, or if there is someone more experienced with me |
Basic I have only done this a few times, but I am willing to learn |
None I have not done this before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steer a compass course |  | |||
| Keep lookout/watch-keeping | | |||
| Trimming sails – mainsail and foresail/jib | | |||
| Reefing | | |||
| Working the foredeck – setting sails including spinnakers and cruising chutes | | |||
| Navigating with GPS and paper charts at sea | | |||
| Anchoring and handling anchors | | |||
| Cooking at sea | | |||
| Using dinghies with outboard motors | | |||
| Heaving-to and other heavy weather tactics | |
