captains wage

[trimi]

hello,
Does anyone now how much it can cost to hire a captain to bring a sailing trimaran, 35, cruiser, diesel, from florida FL to bluefields nicaragua ? thanks

[pesarsten]

That depends entirely on the Captain. I have heard rates of $350.00 per day plus expenses plus rates for crew, down to $150.00 per day,

I have a friend who is a delivery captain, you might want to speak with him yourself. Send me a PM with your phone # and I will ask Randy to call you to discuss.

Paul

[Roy M]

Will the captain be the only paid crew? By that I mean, how many other experienced multihull sailors will be going along for the ride? Any skipper considering this delivery is going to need to know certain info that helps determine what level of challenge this might be: age and condition of the vessel and its gear, intended delivery date (hurricanes aren't fun), certain info about the owner and legal status of the vessel. There will always be some adventurers with adequate skills to effectively pilot a boat from here to there. Finding ones who have the credentials may affect your insurance, but they are going to cost more. If you have no insurance needs, then that makes another statement which may affect who responds and how much they want for their services. This could be a simple vacation or the stuff that makes novels and screenplays.

[pesarsten]

All good and valid points. Crew size would be decided by the captain, I would not presume to answer as I would not be qualified. Randy may not be interested in taking on the job, he is currently enroute from Tampa to long Island on a delivery.

I will simply ask him to call you if you would like.

[Jammer Six]

I'd hire a licensed captain. There's another thread running here right now about a guy who hired an unlicensed captain who hit another boat, and then refused to take financial responsibility.

I bet the license will increase his rate, but it would be worth it to me.

[Roy M]

trimi, you may get more responses if you can provide more info. The more folks on the payroll, the costlier. If you need only a skipper to guide you, costs will be less. A good skipper is one that has familiarity with the waters you will be sailing, who comes with recommendations as to his honesty, judgement and personality, and can effectively teach you about handling the vessel, in all of its management requirements such as repairs, maintenance, navigation and safety. I charge $500 a day for my work on the West Coast, but I suspect you will find less costly services on the East Coast. You may need a second officer if your own skills are still developing, in case the skipper is disabled or unable to perform during the course of the passage. Usually, all costs are borne by the owner, including insurances, rentals of safety gear (EPIRB, Sat phone, liferaft, etc.), transportation to and from the boat for all paid crew, and contingencies (emergency haulouts in strange ports to repair stuff).