about crew and crewing

[Manannan]

May be some of you have had crew or at some point were looking for crew. What is your experience in this matter. is gender a criteria ? Experience ? Attitude ? Have you been crew too ? Have you used those crew searching nets ? As boat owners do you consider crewing on boat is a cheap and care free way of travelling ? Have you ever felt your crew took advantage of that ? Have you ever had to tell your crew to step down ?
Happy   :) or unhappy  >:( experiences, please share them.

[Sonnie]

I just had two 21 year old girls from Norway join me down in the Bahamas. We had planned for them to stay for two months. They spent the days lounging around in their Bikinis, hardly ever cooked, and didn't clean unless I asked them to. They were not sailors, and I think that was the problem. People who don't sail think it is all fun and relaxation. They don't understand that even though you're in paradise, you gotta work to keep it going!

Anyways, it was great for the first few days, then it just got tiring. I met a guy and persueded him to take them on his big Ketch. So like little bikini-clad trojan horses they jumped aboard. I hope he has better luck with them than I did.

The moral of the story for me- I'll never take on crew who don't sail, or at least they must have done a lot of "roughing it" type of travel. And, I would only do a trial first. say a few days, then IF everything is working, extend it.

Cheers.

[Bill NH]

Attitude is what its all about.  Ability and experience are helpful, but I'd pick someone who's enthusiastic and willing to learn over a lazy but experienced person any day. 

I've been on both sides of this one.  My girlfriend, now wife, and I spent two years boat-hopping around the South Pacific 20 years ago, and we saw lots of situations that worked and lots that didn't.  As two experienced sailors who knew how to work, we never had trouble finding boats, and many boats ended up offering us jobs if we'd stay.  As a professional schooner captain, when I had space available on a deadhead trip (without passengers) to the Caribbean or back I would often be looking for a few volunteer crew, and would always choose attitude over experience.

[Manannan]

I started this post because I have been crewing too, professionally sometimes and i thought It would be interesting to share experiences. Having owned boats, I can understand both side of the equation here. Most single men rather have young female crew... well, understandable. ;D , but they could be asking for trouble....When I asked why they rather have female crew, they say because male crew  often bring ego problems. Does that mean females do not have any ego ? or do they think they can ''control'' a woman better. Or do they think they can have a little fun..I agree with Bill, it is not so a matter of experience than the enthusiast and willing to learn. A ''know it all'' can be a disaster on board, male or female. But 2 young 21 years old girls, no matter what were trouble since the beginning, Norwegian or not !! Cute to look at probably, but yes, after 2 days, can be tiring even to look at them... :o There is the matter too of short passage or long passage. Someone can behave totally differently after 3 days at sea when he or she seemed OK for the first two days.
It should not be too hard to see if a person is willing to learn or not and those enthusiastic amateurs should have a chance to sail, so one day they too can buy their first boat. So go ahead, I want to hear more stories...

[dawnconn]

Hello,
I plan to buy a 25-27" cruiser/pocket cruiser in August or September 2009 either in Florida or Texas or somewhere in between (not California). I expect it to be fully sailable and outfitted. I live in Toronto at the moment and time between buying and sailing will be (hopefully) about a week. I think I have enough money to go cruising for a year or more (depending on my investments).
I am looking for someone M/F with common sense and no ties to the umbilical cord to contribute 50/50 to the expenses, tasks and adventures of sailing - hmmmm - wherever! I don't want a lover nor a wannabe.
All my experience is with singlehanded sailing, and as much as I like it, I also like discussing things and having a laugh and a drink at the end of the day. ( I sailed from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale)
I think it would take a special kind of person to do this with me - someone with intelligence, integrity and the kind of nature that is easy-going and stable at the same time.
I'm not a vegetarian, but could be. I like to eat well, but don't dwell on it.
I'm very liberal-minded, so strong military types and I would probably not do well - but you never know!
I still smoke cigarettes - though not below.
This would be the type of trip that would change a life - yours, mine, someonelse's

Could I first get an email from you?
dawnconnelly@dzyn.info

Hope this sparks someone's interest. I want to sail away.

I should have been more clear... I will be buying the boat, I am only looking for crew who will contribute to the expenses at sea

[AdriftAtSea]

Hi Dawn—

Welcome to Sailfar.   I would highly recommend you edit your e-mail address to the form: dawnconnelly {at} dzyn {dot} info or something similar, so the spam bots don't pick it up as easily.

I'd also recommend you be a bit cautious in your venture, and would point out that being on a 25-27' pocket cruiser with a person requires a fairly high level of intimacy, since there really isn't any where to go.  I'd highly recommend that you only do this with someone after you've gotten to know them fairly well, especially since you are looking to be a co-owner of a boat with them. 

I'd also recommend you look at James Baldwin's Boat List, which is an excellent  starting point and has quite few boats that would be suitable for your plans.

Good luck and fair winds.

Dan

[CharlieJ]

Welcome aboard Dawn. Good luck on both the boat search and crew search. We have some friends who will be leaving on a cruise shortly after we do, who are in the exact situation you describe. The boat owner and a widowed friend of his and his wife. The wife will be flying into various cruising ports to join, but detests sailing offshore.

Dan- I got the impression SHE was buying the boat, not looking for a co-owner but just searching for a crew.

[AdriftAtSea]

I guess that depends on whether you interpret her "contribute to the expenses 50/50" as including the boat or not. :)

[thistlecap]

I did vessel deliveries for about 10 years, and since I enjoy teaching, almost all of my crew were on the lower end of the experience scale, but who were working to get their licenses, so they had motivation.  I only got burned a few times, but when I did, I got well burned.  The problem in delivery work is you jump aboard and go, so if you have an incompatibility problem, it doesn't surface until you are 300 miles offshore.  My advice is get a resume, several references, and check them all out. Be suspicious of the resumes until you can verify them.  Then, never, ever, start off on a passage until you've had time to spend a couple weeks daysailing or sailing coastal.  Require them to put enough money on deposit with you that you can afford to fly them home if you have to put them off the boat.  If its your boat, remember that you are responsible for their behavior, can lose your boat if they carry drugs aboard, and you are responsible for them if they have to be put ashore.  If they don't have money, you can end up paying for their lodging and transportation out of your pocket.  Question not their sailing experience, but what they did on board.  To many, sailing experience includes sitting in the cockpit with a bottle of sun lotion and a book.

[Frank]

I got poking around on that James Baldwin link mentioned a few posts back.I never really looked at the Bristol 24 before. While it's not a 'world voyager' , it is a pretty boat with a full keel,near standing headroom and only draws 3ft 6in.  What a great Keys to Bahamas boat. Relatively cheap too.  http://bristol24.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=23465267