Taking on Crew: What's Your Experience

[bangkaboat]

Interesting topic.
As the time toward heading from Vancouver to the Philippines, via South Pacific, grows ever closer, I've received several offers of crew for various legs. Some are from friends with and without experience, acquaintances without, & strangers, both, with & without. Originally, when planning a more direct route, I had always envisioned going alone. When reading comments by others on solo sailing, and in consideration of the permanent arm tendon/muscle damage I've sustained, my feelings on bringing others has softened. The thought of someone without any knowledge/experience concerns me, as the workload would be increased for the first several days, rather than decreased. Add the unknown degree of sea-sickness that the other(s) will probably suffer from & I feel tired just thinking about it. Still, just an extra pair of eyes, so I can sleep for a few hours straight, seems very attractive.

I did read the blog about the nightmare crew member, but the author seemed to have good luck with others. As I told one of the people who contacted me, we'd have to talk a lot & spend a week or two on the boat, not only so they could learn a few things and become familiar with the boat, but also so that I could make the final decision. I suppose that it'd be worth trying if you could spend some time with the person, prior to heading off, as long as they understood that your last minute decision might be "no".

Mike

[osirissail]

Scheduled crew - ones that you have arranged and settled all the implications and financial requirements of "repatriation" to their home country are probably fine. But picking up "hitch-hiker" type in one port for transport to another port is a minefield of legal and financial hazards. Recently in the Caribbean there have been numerous cases of the "young" hitch-hiker begging a ride to another country and the captain/owner of the vessel being trapped/delayed because the hitch-hiker crew went off and never officially cleared-off the vessel because they do not have the financial resources to satisfy the entry requirements of the new port/country.