Anyone getting crew to contribute to costs?

[flaming]

I normally agree with everything you say Flaming but having been through the whole coding and yacht operation the MCA is quite clear. I've copied the link below for details in the first para.

Cost sharing for a voyage is not a problem but cost sharing for fixed costs such as berthing, insurance, routine maintenance, sails etc is not permitted as defined by the MCA. It is a slightly tricky one, what happens if the crew buy the owner a new sail? but the MCA has tried to be clear that it is only direct expenses of any given voyage that can be shared.

https://assets.publishing.service.g.../268868/mgn489-amendment-pleasure-vessels.pdf

Interesting!

So if contributions on fixed costs are undertaken, then all the people that contribute need to have a stake in the boat?

 

[Neil_Y]

Yes it would seem so, it was a bit more vague when I coded my boat but since then a few people seemed to think that they could offer berths as long as there was no over all yearly profit, but the MCA then clarified what they consider commercial.

I doubt the MCA would ever get into prosecutions for club racing with mates, but worth knowing the rules.

 

[roblpm]

Yes it would seem so, it was a bit more vague when I coded my boat but since then a few people seemed to think that they could offer berths as long as there was no over all yearly profit, but the MCA then clarified what they consider commercial.

I doubt the MCA would ever get into prosecutions for club racing with mates, but worth knowing the rules.

Not that I am going to do it anyway but I thought the MCA rules didn't apply to racing anyway? So if there were fixed contributions this wouldn't matter? And never take those people cruising!

 

[jac]

I have taken a group of friends on the RTI a couple of times and split costs. Some of that included boat specific costs directly related to entry ( e.g. sail numbers on all sails, entry fees, mooring for the event ) which were split between us all. Others ( e.g. replacing a non DSC radio with a DSC one) were down to me as it had an enduring value.

 

[maby]

I'm sure that it all comes down to how the contribution is described and how it is requested. There is a very small gap between asking for contributions which are, effectively mandatory, and running a commercial operation which would require all the cost and complications of coding and public liability insurance etc. etc.

If you say to your crew "I want you each to pay me £25 in exchange for sailing on this boat for the weekend" then you are putting it on a commercial basis and you could find yourself in a lot of trouble if anyone is injured or killed and it transpires that the boat was not up to commercial standards or you were not insured. If, on the other hand, you were to say to them "This weekend's sailing is going to cost me £100, all contributions will be very welcome" then you can claim that there was no commercial relationship involved.

 

[MissFitz]

I've tried very hard to offer contributions in cash & kind to all the boats I've raced on recently but none of the skippers will take anything more than a beer. Some even insist on paying for that. I don't know exactly why this is but I suspect it's a combination of not wanting to put off crew members who can't afford to contribute & wanting to keep full control over the boat. And they can afford it & they're a generous bunch.

 

[flaming]

I've tried very hard to offer contributions in cash & kind to all the boats I've raced on recently but none of the skippers will take anything more than a beer. Some even insist on paying for that. I don't know exactly why this is but I suspect it's a combination of not wanting to put off crew members who can't afford to contribute & wanting to keep full control over the boat. And they can afford it & they're a generous bunch.

In a lot of cases it's because when they were young and broke someone else paid for their sailing, so now they can afford to they're paying it on to the next generation.

 

[roblpm]

In a lot of cases it's because when they were young and broke someone else paid for their sailing, so now they can afford to they're paying it on to the next generation.

Which doesn't bode well for the future! I think a lot of the racing skippers locally are on hefty final salary pensions. I am one of the youngest skippers at 49 and selling up.

Shared sports boats (707s) are on the up here though.

Obviously there will always be rich people who want to race. However i suspect the next pool down is going to shrink over time.

 

[flaming]

Which doesn't bode well for the future! I think a lot of the racing skippers locally are on hefty final salary pensions. I am one of the youngest skippers at 49 and selling up.

Shared sports boats (707s) are on the up here though.

Obviously there will always be rich people who want to race. However i suspect the next pool down is going to shrink over time.

Possibly, or possibly the basis that the boats are run will change.

 

[roblpm]

Possibly, or possibly the basis that the boats are run will change.

Yes maybe the number of boats won't change but the size/expense will. Which will be great.