Crew, or guest?

oldbilbo

oldbilbo

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Do you consider all who come on board to be 'crew', with responsibilities towards the conduct of the boat, or are some 'guests', who can expect to be looked after and kept safe by others?

Do you draw a line? Where and how ?
 
Sometimes guests if it is a friend who has asked what sailing is like but with no real wish to do much morethan say they went out on a yacht, and occasionally guests until they can prove they can move about the boat, winch in or out etc etc without injuring or killing themselves or anyone else.
 
When stationery everyone is a guest.

When moving everyone is crew. Some just get more complicated things to do, but on our boat everyone contributes to the process or doesnt get invited back.
 
Always guest, I'd say. This came up a while ago in a thread about expecting contributions to mooring fees, food etc. I suppose it would be different if we had a boat that we couldn't manage by ourselves, but I've always viewed sailing as something that my wife or I basically do singlehanded (one or the other of us is generally occupied looking after the children) and anyone additional has come as our guest. They're not expected to take part in the sailing, though they're welcome to if they wish, and they're not expected to contribute to costs. After all, if we'd invited them to stay with us at home we wouldn't expect them to do the hoovering, or drive the car to Tesco and do the weekly shop!

Cheers
Patrick
 
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YachtAllegro said:
Always guest, I'd say. This came up a while ago in a thread about expecting contributions to mooring fees, food etc. I suppose it would be different if we had a boat that we couldn't manage by ourselves, but I've always viewed sailing as something that my wife or I basically do singlehanded (one or the other of us is generally occupied looking after the children) and anyone additional has come as our guest. They're not expected to take part in the sailing, though they're welcome to if they wish, and they're not expected to contribute to costs. After all, if we'd invited them to stay with us at home we wouldn't expect them to do the hoovering, or drive the car to Tesco and do the weekly shop!

Cheers
Patrick
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+1 Exactly the same.
 
photodog said:
Baggage is a more appropriate term i think...
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Or "Self-Loading Cargo" to borrow the aeronautical phrase!

Actually, I'd say "it depends". We have sailed several times with an accomplished sailor; Yachtmaster and so on, and there is no doubt he is crew! In fact, he probably works harder than we do. But if we took relatives or other non-sailing people aboard, I wouldn't expect them to do anything except stay out of the way, or perhaps do simple tasks under clear instructions.
 
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AntarcticPilot said:
Or "Self-Loading Cargo" to borrow the aeronautical phrase!
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I was gonna say that, but by the time you hoick them up and over the stanchions, manouver them into the cockpit, Tangle them up in the lifejacket, pass on the secret of the toilet, and place a liquid beverage in their mitts.... The self loading bit no longer seems apropo...
 
We've had "guests" but prefer crew.
You can tell as soon as someone steps aboard.
If there's a clunk,clunk then keep them away from any ropes, moving equipment etc. they'll continually be in the way too and you'll wish they had been left ashore.
If it's a light tread, they may be useful.
 
Our visitors vary wildly in age and experience. I'm more than happy to let some crew the boat and give the autohelm a rest, there are a few I actually enjoy having on board and learn from, they're better sailors than me.

OTOH, the occasional self invited non-boaty guest, just here for the sun and free holiday, is told which side to puke over and to "keep out of the f****** way, just sit there and don't move". Hopefully, they won't come again.
 
Ballast? Baggage? Keep out of the f****** way?

I can't help wondering why some posters here invite/allow guests aboard at all. Surely it isn't compulsory?

We invite people to come sailing because we enjoy their company and think they might enjoy the experience. I have one regular guest who is a good sailor and a superb crew, some who know a bit and like to do a bit and one or two who just come for the ride. They are all equally welcome and I try to make sure they all comfortable, well fed and watered and having a good time. They are certainly not expected to pay for anything.

Sharing the pleasure is an important part of the pleasure. I don't think I would enjoy sailing with people who who weren't welcome and whose presence was a burden. So I don't.
 
Litotes said:
Ballast? Baggage? Keep out of the f****** way?

I can't help wondering why some posters here invite/allow guests aboard at all. Surely it isn't compulsory?

We invite people to come sailing because we enjoy their company and think they might enjoy the experience. I have one regular guest who is a good sailor and a superb crew, some who know a bit and like to do a bit and one or two who just come for the ride. They are all equally welcome and I try to make sure they all comfortable, well fed and watered and having a good time. They are certainly not expected to pay for anything.

Sharing the pleasure is an important part of the pleasure. I don't think I would enjoy sailing with people who who weren't welcome and whose presence was a burden. So I don't.
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Agree absolutely, main requirement of those invited to spend time aboard Jigsaw is that people are good company. I can cope with folk who know nothing about sailing much easier than I can with those who are great sailors, but with whom I don't get on. If I were racing it might well be different.
 
Guests.
Apart from racing, particularly the RTIR, when everyone was expected to do what they were told. You have to be able to work as a crew if you are going to use a big kite in close quarters with other boats. You either do it properly seriously or proper casually.
 
Litotes said:
Ballast? Baggage? Keep out of the f****** way?

I can't help wondering why some posters here invite/allow guests aboard at all. Surely it isn't compulsory?

We invite people to come sailing because we enjoy their company and think they might enjoy the experience. I have one regular guest who is a good sailor and a superb crew, some who know a bit and like to do a bit and one or two who just come for the ride. They are all equally welcome and I try to make sure they all comfortable, well fed and watered and having a good time. They are certainly not expected to pay for anything.

Sharing the pleasure is an important part of the pleasure. I don't think I would enjoy sailing with people who who weren't welcome and whose presence was a burden. So I don't.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. People whose company we do not enjoy, whatever their experience or skills may be, will not be invited aboard.
We go sailing in order to have a good time. We try to make sure that whoever comes along also has a good time. If they're good sailors, they get to run the boat and I'm happy to just keep an eye open. If they have limited or no experience, I'm equally happy to let them enjoy the ride and pick up whatever they want to learn.
 
Thinking about some of the responses, I wonder what the legal position is? If you are not running a charter boat, I have a strong suspicion that a court would see everyone on your boat as 'crew'. I don't see how they would make a distinction between those who some might classify as 'useless crew who are encouraged to sit still and not get in the way' and 'crew who are useful and productive people on board.'

We sometimes have family on board and whilst we enjoy their company they are useless as crew. Not sure if there was an accident whether the distinction would be made in any subsequent action.

We might play with words and talk about guests and crew - but I wonder whether the reality is that in a pleasure craft that is privately owned, they are all 'crew'.

PS I also have no idea why anyone would want to invite people on board who they know they don't get on with.
 
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