Fleet Support and Maintenance for Sailing School and club

Fleet Support and Maintenance for Sailing School and club

Fleet Readiness, Maintenance, and Support for a Sailing Club Fleet

Welcome and thank you for your interest in Island Sailing!

This posting is for our Dock Crew — the team responsible for the daily readiness, care, and mechanical health of our fleet. We're looking for someone who already knows their way around a sailboat: someone who sails, who's comfortable on the water, and who takes pride in keeping a boat running right.

This is also a member-facing role. You'll be one of the first people our members and guests see when they walk onto the docks or into the front office, and how you greet and treat people matters as much as the work itself. We're looking for someone who genuinely likes people and wants to be of service to them — not someone who'd rather avoid the interaction.

This is not a role for learning to sail. It's a role for someone who already can — and wants to put that experience, and a genuine love of working with people, to work.

About Us

Our Mission: Promoting personal freedom through positive self empowerment for our community by providing easy affordable access to the world of sailing.

At Island Sailing our crew culture is of prime importance to us. Though we are one of the largest sailing operations in the Northwest, we are indeed a small, dynamic, and growing crew. Developing, fostering, and maintaining a positive and supportive environment for everyone involved is a core focus for us. Our values matter and we are looking for great people who are aligned so be sure to check out what we are committed to at Island Sailing!

How This Works

You'll receive a confirmation email from us letting you know we've received your application. We will review it right away and let you know the next steps quickly.

Things We Ask of You

1. Tell us about your sailing background — how long you've sailed, what kinds of boats, and what you're genuinely comfortable handling on the water.

2. Tell us about any experience you have with marine systems — diesel engines, electrical, plumbing, or rigging — even if it wasn't in a professional setting. This is the single biggest factor in where you'll start on our pay scale.

3. Tell us about your experience working with the public. This role puts you in front of members and guests all day, every day — we want to know you enjoy that part of the job, not just tolerate it.

What You'll Do

Your responsibilities will center on the daily care, readiness, and mechanical health of our fleet, along with hands-on, face-to-face support for our members and instructors. This position carries real ownership over the condition of the boats — not just their cleanliness — and real responsibility for how members experience their time at the club.

• Greet members and guests warmly as they arrive at the docks or the front office — every interaction is part of the job, not an interruption to it.
• Open the fleet each morning: review the day's boat reservations, prioritize check-ins (class boats first), and get boats ready for members and instructors.
• Monitor and manage the boat reservation system throughout the day, coordinating check-ins, check-outs, and boat availability with Member Services.
• Perform routine diesel engine checks — oil, coolant, belts, fuel filters — and flag or address issues before they become haul-out problems.
• Handle basic electrical and plumbing troubleshooting on the fleet, and inspect and adjust standing and running rigging as needed.
• Keep the fleet clean below and above decks - and well-maintained: cockpit and deck cleaning, waterline and bottom scrubbing, pressure washing, and detailing on a regular rotation.
• Assist members with departures and landings, and help them refine their stowage and boat-handling technique.
• Care for the docks and facility daily, and button up the fleet and facility properly at close.
• Track engine hours and maintenance needs, and help build out our preventive maintenance tracking as the fleet grows.

What You'll Need to Get the Job Done

To Be Considered

• You already sail — comfortably and confidently — on small to mid-range keelboats. You're not looking to learn; you're looking to use what you know.
• You genuinely enjoy working with the public and take the initiative to greet and engage members and guests. This is a service-oriented, member-facing role — not a behind-the-scenes-only maintenance job.
• Reliable and punctual. Able to work weekends, arrive ready to work by 0900, and stay through close at 1800, including the walk to the far end of the fleet.
• Task and goal oriented, able to work unsupervised, and professional while working in a busy, dynamic social environment.
• Physically able to lift up to 60 lbs, climb on and off boats, and work outdoors in varying conditions.
• Strong attention to detail, well organized, and a problem-solver who takes ownership rather than waiting to be told.
  
• You want to be part of a crew of "learn it alls" not - "know it alls"...

What Moves You to the Front of the Line

• Hands-on experience with marine diesel engines — maintenance, troubleshooting, or repair.
• Experience with boat systems: electrical, plumbing, or standing and running rigging.
• ASA certification, a USCG license, or equivalent formal sailing credentials.
• Prior experience working in a marina, boatyard, or fleet operation.
• 
  

Compensation

Pay for this position is commensurate with experience. Because we're looking for someone who already sails and understands boat systems, we're prepared to pay accordingly for the right background — particularly hands-on experience with marine diesel engines, electrical, plumbing, and rigging.

Candidates who bring proven systems experience will start at the top of our range. Candidates with strong sailing experience but limited systems background will start lower on the scale, with room to grow into it as that experience develops.

Starting range: $[XX.XX]–$[XX.XX]/hour, depending on experience.

What You'll Love About Us

• We believe that culture matters! We focus on and work diligently to ensure a continuing process of creating, fostering, improving, and maintaining the best possible company culture — and what you bring to the table will be part of helping us make that happen!
• At Island Sailing we promote and share a passion for community, sailing, adventure, travel, and simply just being on the water. We are always looking for individuals who value self-responsibility, a healthy work-life balance, and share the desire to excel at what they do.
• We always seek to set people up for success. You will be immersed in the world of sailing, and based upon your contribution to Island Sailing you can create tremendous future opportunities for yourself.

We Are An Equal Opportunity Employer

Because our crewmembers are trusted to handle sensitive information, we require that all candidates who receive and accept employment offers complete a background check as part of the hiring process.