Trust your skipper?

[Salty]

I've a friend just agreed to do the ARC on a boat he doesn't know with a crew he's never met. He's spent a long time on the phone to the owner and reckons he's got a good idea of whether he trusts him for the trip. I'd rather see the whites of the skipper's eyes before I signed up for anything though.

It must work the other way round too, I'm not sure I'd be happy to take on crew for a trip like that if I'd not met them before they'd got on the boat.

Anyone had experiences of 'blind date' crewing where the reality hasn't quite lived up to the expectation?



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[circumnavigation]

As you say its a both sides thing. Last January I was looking for crew, also for the ARC2003, plenty made contact with me, and references were obtained. I came to the UK to meet the ones I was interested in and, likewise they were able to meet with me. This attitude pays dividends all round, especially when they are keen to have a trial sail with you.


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[ParaHandy]

Re: Trust the crew?

i've sailed with some rum b*ggers ... fall asleep as soon as they get onboard ...

i sailed with a skipper whose wife knitted the crew sweaters with an embroidered pussy cat on the front - the boat's name was sootica after a cat in a tv series in late 60's. they were ghastly and the material felt like horsehair and you itched constantly. the skipper's wife was never allowed onboard (as was no other female as quid pro quo by the wife) but she would watch the boat sailing in and if the crew weren't wearing the sweaters the skipper got a biffing ....


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[Peppermint]

Re: It\'s just a job.

You can get used to stepping onto a boat you've never seen loaded with strangers. It's called being a freelance charter skipper.

You become a fast study at both which bits of string to pull and where they've hidden the equipment and you can spot a nutter, party animal, liar or steady hand (remember they might be the same person) at ten boat lengths.

The secret with the boat is experience of many different types, not relying on electronics too much (or you'll spend the whole trip reading manuals) and just failsafe thinking.

The secret with the crew is that there isn't a secret. Some times your heart sinks as they skip down the marina in their high heels/ biking leathers, dufflecoats lugging their rucksacks, suitcases and boxes and you go on to have a great trip. You've got to have a system to employ them all regardless of there tallents, curb some and encourage others. Some will challenge, annoy or delight you but if you can get them home while they're all still on speaking terms you've done a good job.

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[aod]

Re: It\'s just a job.

Very well put!

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