Crew Wanted: Crew Safety

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No way would I do number 4 Ann.. else I'd be turned over on every trip.
I am a lot more stable now I've my small pension coming in for the last few months.. but at the time of my Oz trip, deliveries were my only income.. if I'd left the boat in the Pacific when the owners showed their true colours I'da been stuffed.
Getting the boat to Oz was what turned things round.. folk that 'knew' me through this site finding me a lawyer.. and being given a job that paid my flight back home to Portugal and change to keep going till the next one..
Sometimes folk have no option buy to stay on..

Yes, Boatie, you are completely right.

But as a volunteer crew, if you are knowledgeable, and many aren't, it's a huge warning.

If the skipper's really good at nursing a "sick" vessel, that's one thing, but how's a novice crew to evaluate that? Some skippers, like some owners, deceive the prospects.

Ann

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

IMO, that decision, i.e. to go or not, should be up to the potential crew themselves, assuming they're rational adults. But at least such outing will save them $$ and aggravation of travelling only to turn around after a closer inspection of the vessel in question.

I agree that it is ultimately a personal decision, but if the entire crew (two experienced) agree the boat was grossly misrepresented then IMHO they should publish the vessel details to help others avoid this situation...much like ratings/reviews of vendors on ecommerce sites.

This is different than Boatie doing deliveries. That's a professional paid gig and dealing with sometimes misrepresented boats is just part of it. But often inexperienced volunteer crew do not go in with those expectations or the skills to deal with it.

[CaptTL]

I'm glad I found this thread. It really got me to thinking.


I'm supposed to do a delivery from Florida down through the Caribbean and ultimately to Panama on a boat that is a mess. To the owner's credit, he is spending a lot of money to get it ready, but I question whether it will be enough, and I have this "bad feeling." Maybe I'll do what the OP should have done. We'll see.