Couples Co-Captains?

[perchance]

Technically speaking the captain is the guy who gets to stand in front of the fan when the crap hits it no matter whose fault it is.

[feelsgood]

Hi Sally and I both do everything onboard there are no PINK or BLUE jobs. The way it works on our boat which we live aboard full time is this.
I am the most experienced (55years sailing and hold a masters commercial ticket) Sally has been sailing 19 years and holds no rya or commercial certificates. I have taught Sally to do ALL jobs on the boat even the engine ( 65 hp thornycroft ) When Sally is on watch she is the first officer and in as much has the responsability of the watch and all its decisions but overall I am the captain and have the last word in any decision. I have several times had to rest for long periods on a trip as I have had heart surgery and get tired. At these times Sally has been in charge totaly and has made several very lon trips in total command and I have NEVER worried about our saftey or that of the boat. I could go on and on and bore you but I will finnish with this> When we brought the boat back from Spain to France via the atlantic coast Sally was in chatge all the time. Please have a look at our blog especialy the trip from sadera anchorage to Vivero Sally was in charge, it says it all.
theguerns.blogspot.com

[jimking100]

I'll stir this up. It is impossible to put this to an experimental test but I would bet my paycheck (don't get one) that when any crew is out on the water and the manure really hits the ventilation, one of the persons on the boat is going to take charge. That is the Captain.
I am not talking about sharing labor/responsibilities/decision making...that can be done by "co-deciders". I'm talking about who will ultimately take charge and I guarantee someone will.

[feelsgood]

on a well run boat it will always fall to the erson with the most experience if not the rest of the crew are putting themselves in danger

[Bash]

...to be archaic. Might work for the navy, or for those with naval training, but it certainly doesn't work for the modern cruising couple.

[feelsgood]

As an ex Royal Marine RSM we used to teach " take stock of all around you and use it to your best advantage" Think about this and the answer will come to yu

[Whispering Star]

My husband & I are very new to sailing. We will be purchasing our first boat in short order. We have been married for 23yrs have raised 2 boys, built a house from scratch. Lived in a 40' travel trail for 8 years while doing all the above. If you desire this to work you will find a way. But I do know that confindence in your mate, must be #1 on the list. As with all new things the details must be worked out and adjustments must be made, but with effort, understanding, and respect all things may be concord.

[Ocean Girl]

The cruising couple gives new dynamics to the captain and crew tradition. Since I am not married I have a limited undrstanding, of course that doesn't stop me from commenting

"But I do know that confindence in your mate, must be #1 on the list."
Good one Whispering Star- there would be a lot more happy husbands.

I do not think co captains in the true sense is good. Someone must have the final say and not always after a lengthy discussion. This must be worked out before leaving port.

My two cents
Erika

[captain58sailin]

I would like to clarify a couple of things. #1 commercial shipping has been around long before any Navies even existed. Traders always arrive before civilization, they are the explorers of new worlds, not the Navy. #2 The captain is always the captain no matter whom is on watch. You can delegate your authority, but the responsibility rests with the captain. And as archaic as some might think this is, it is still the law of the sea, and no matter where you land, the port officials want to see the master of the vessel If something goes wrong out at sea, if the captain survives; the captain will be the one explaining the decisions made and the captain will answer for the bad ones. Usually someone else pays for the mistakes of the captain, and that is an uncomfortable place for some. If you are the one on watch then it is incumbent on you to make good decisions, including when it is time to call out the captain. If I am sailing as the mate then I defer to the captain always, I also do my best to provide good information, and in the right time and place; offer advice if I think it is needed. If something occurs on watch that I believe is in the captain's purview, I will call the captain out, not because, I can't handle the situation, because it is the captain's responsibility and it should come to the captain's attention; if the captain then tells me to go ahead and deal with it, then I do. A ship is not a democracy, it is a benevolent dictatorship. When I am single handing, then I am the captain, engineer, cook, and the deck hand, I take on all those jobs with a sense of pride and accomplishment, in doing any of those tasks well. When I am with my Wife, and we are working together, we each have our own areas of responsibility, the command however rests with me, during operations, ie docking etc... I am listening very carefully to her input and want to hear what she has to say, she is invaluable to our cruising/fishing effort. There is no second class anything, I have the utmost respect for my Wife's experience and skills as She does mine. We save the discussions for after the boat is tied up and safe, at that time we analyze what went right and what we could do different next time to improve our performance. I am fond of the Japanese philosophy of "fix the problem, not the blame." It is not about subservience, no captain can run a vessel alone (except for single handers), and a good crew can make the captain look like a real champ, or a chump. Take pride in your skills and hone your craft, and you can fill any role aboard the vessel.

[Ocean Girl]

Amen Captain

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

. . . I have a limited undrstanding, of course that doesn't stop me from commenting . . .

No wonder you fit in here so well, OG, and so quickly, too!

TaoJones

[Cheechako]

Just make whoever is on watch the captain. If one defaults to the other often in times of stress, then he/she becomes the admiral....

[Ocean Girl]

Hey Toa,
I'm up to three stars and only been called to the matt twice by the mod squad. I do my best to be good, but somethings just must be said.

Cheers,
Erika

"Nothing is worse than a boat with out a captain, even a bad one."
-me, or er maybe I heard it somewhere, it sounds so good I have doubts
I'm the originator

This one I didn't write:

Question: "Why are we Masters of our Fate, the captains of our souls? Because we have the power to control our thoughts, our attitudes. That is why many people live in the withering negative world. That is why many people live in the Positive Faith world. And you don't have to be a poet or a philosopher to know which is best." Alfred A. Montapert

[David M]

Lets put it another way. Would you want to be on an airplane where the pilot and the other pilot had to hold a committee meeting and then take a vote in order to make a decision? Would you want the flight attendants vote to be the tie breaker?

Would you want them both to be on the stick and the rudder pedals when landing the plane?

Yes, Democracy is a good thing but not in all situations. Instantaneous and decisive decisions cannot be made by a Democracy.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

commercial shipping has been around long before any Navies even existed. Traders always arrive before civilization, they are the explorers of new worlds, not the Navy.

If you consider commercial shipping to have started when early humans hopped on tree trunks and used their hands to paddle across rivers, then you would be correct in your statement. However, once you realize that the true beginnings of international shipping started with armed ships sailing under the flags of kings and emperors, then you will also realize how wrong you are. The modern world was shaped by the exploration and empire-building of the European monarchies, during the Age of Discovery. I don't know how you could see these exploring fleets as being anything other than Navies. Even before them, Chinese men-of-war charted vast expanses of the Pacific and Vikings landed in Greenland and North America - the first ships were filled with warriors, not farmers; the settlers followed. Early traders and early navies were one and the same.