Sailing helps you discover new horizons, new adventures, and new destinations. Sailing is an invitation to travel! Come on board!
An avid lifelong sailor, Philippe Perut is the founder of a sailing and boating community called Coboaters, a crew finder network that connects skippers in need of crew and sailors seeking boats for everything from daysails to ocean crossings. He’s also the enthusiastic new owner of Narragansett Sailing School, on a mission to introduce as many people as possible to the joys of sailing.
“I grew up in France, in a region called Vendee,” says Phil, who lives in Warwick, Rhode Island. “You may have heard about the around the world sailing race called Vendee Globe, which starts from Les Sables d’Olonne, Vendee, France every four years. The latest edition started November 10. I started sailing in Les Sables when I was 12 years old with my middle school, and then joined the local sailing club where I learned to sail windsurfers, dinghies like 420s, and Hobie Cats.”
“One of the best memories from that time is the first time I sailed an Optimist. It was a revelation, and I knew I would sail my entire life. My parents helped me the best they could, on a very low budget, and allowed me to join the local sailing club. They supported me and gave me the opportunity to become a sailing instructor when I was a student. Another great memory is when I was able to buy my first windsurfer with my first summer job income.”
“I’ve sailed and owned multiple dinghies and windsurfers for a very long time,” says Phil. “My first sailing mentor was my first skipper when I raced in Pornichet, France in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. He was a fantastic and experienced captain, and we sailed frostbite races for three seasons in a row on a 28-foot Beneteau. I learned a lot from him, including having fun on board, confidence, sailing without modern navigation aids, and flying a spinnaker even when the weather is cold and windy. I crew on big boats as well, and other mentors include captains I’ve sailed with in the U.S. and offshore, including local races and sailors in Rhode Island.”
Recalling memorable passages, Phil says, “One of the best is an English Channel crossing between Plymouth, UK and Saint-Malo, France for a race in the early ‘90s with a lot of fog, no wind, and no GPS. I was the only French guy in an English crew. We never reached Saint-Malo and stopped in the Channel Island of Guernesey because of lack of wind. It was fun, but also a great experience to sail in the fog and to approach an island at night without compass and paper charts only. Another unforgettable crossing is a passage from Newport to Antigua with a 74-year-old skipper and an 80-year-old crew on a nice 53-foot custom boat. I was the youngest on board at 50. Great time, great fun.”
“I decided to buy my own boat in Rhode Island because I could live near the marina and be on the boat at any time. My first ‘big’ boat was a Jeanneau 35, and I’ve owned her since 2015. So, I jumped from a Laser to a 35-foot cruising vessel. It was scary at first, believe me!”
“I like reading, and I love Bernard Moitessier books like The Long Way as well as Joshua Slocum’s books. On those pages I learned how being on the ocean is so fulfilling for a human being, and how respectful of the environment you need to be. Moitessier and Slocum taught me to be humble and to respect others with their descriptions and the way they share their feelings on board.”
Phil created Coboaters to connect sailors and boaters. “I always wanted to help people with sailing because I like sharing this passion, the same way other people helped me when I was young,” he explains. “I did not have a boat when I moved to the U.S., so it was not easy for me to sail and meet fellow boat owners. Then, when I bought the Jeanneau 35, I needed crew to sail and race more and become better. Coboaters was inspired by my own experiences.”
“Coboaters is in fact a new way of matching sailors using modern technology,” Phil explains. “It works like a social network to connect boat owners looking for and crew looking for boats. Some boat owners do not sail because they do not have crew, and other people don’t sail because they don’t have boats. My goal is to help them meet and sail together. I was inspired by this desire to create a community of like-minded people who like sharing passions and experiences on the water.”
“Coboaters is a community of sailors. We connect boat owners with crew for local sailing, days or weekends, racing and also for longer offshore passages and deliveries. It is open to everyone, experts and beginners. To get involved you can create a free profile online at Coboaters.com, and start browsing thousands of sailing resumes and boats. When you are ready, you can publish a notice to describe when and where you want to go or need a crew and you can start meeting fellow sailors and plan your next adventure or a simple and easy sailing day with friends and neighbors.
According to Phil, a growing number of sailors is enjoying more time on the water through Coboaters connections. “I remember meeting with Heidi from Connecticut two years ago. She had only a few days of sailing, and joined one of our crews for an afternoon. She loved it and started to be active on the network. She got in touch with sailors in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, as well as racers in Rhode Island and Connecticut. She’s sailed and traveled a lot thanks to Coboaters network.”
“Other success stories include experienced sailors who have found crew for their deliveries or when they do not want to singlehand their boats. One Canadian skipper sailed the entire East Coast and on to Cuba with a young couple who was doing a long journey around the world with their bicycles. Many sailors without boats have gained experience with others and bought their own boats when they became confident.”
Coboaters also hosts informational and social events. As this issue went to press, a webinar with Jared Young, Senior Meteorologist at Weather Routing, Inc. (WRI), discussed the basics of what drives our weather around the globe and how to safely interpret the many weather resources available.
“Coboaters is a growing network,” says Phil. “We’re organizing gatherings during the winter and the Coboaters Rendezvous in the spring, like we did last year when we met in Jamestown for a June weekend. To get involved or to follow us, connect on Facebook of Instagram, and subscribe to the Coboaters newsletter.”
Phil recently acquired Narragansett Sailing School from longtime owner Mary Goff. “Narragansett Sailing & Boating School is an addition to Coboaters,” he explains. “The school, with locations at Cove Have Marina in Barrington and Greenwich Bay Marina in Warwick, offers American Sailing Association classes and certifications, and also boat maintenance, navigation, diesel engine, and electronics courses. We will develop the same idea of sharing passions and knowledge while trying to get as many people on board. We will offer more and more classes like how to maintain your dinghy outboard motor.”
“I enjoy everything from an afternoon sail on Narragansett Bay to Monday night racing and longer passages,” Phil enthuses. “I love having friends and family on board, especially when it’s their first time because they discover something new, and most of the time they’re amazed by sailing and the beauty of the sea. The comradery when you’re on board with different people from different backgrounds is one of the best things about sailing. Sailing helps you discover new horizons, new adventures, and new destinations. Sailing is an invitation to travel! Come on board!” ■
