Volunteer Crew Wanted

[cloudnine]

We would like to invite a couple of reasonably experienced crew along for a Yachtmaster Prep Week and Exam in order to forge a team that will operate like clockwork for the exam! All you would have to provide is a cost share of provisioning, sleeping bag and wet gear for the week.

Two of us are planning an “Own Boat” Monday to Friday Prep followed immediately by the exam on the Saturday & Sunday.

Almost fixed dates are Monday Nov 29th - Friday Dec 3rd with exam on Dec 4th & 5th. The boat is a Najad 390 berthed at C & N in Gosport.

Send pm or phone 07836 293379 or 01323 444020 (office hours)


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[StellaGirl]

See PM

<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[iangrant]

Mmmmmm - If you think I've enough experience then I can do Thursday night and through the weekend. I take it you are with the red bouy phew, avoidance hooligan

Ian

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[ozzyb]

Have sent you PM

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[rhinorhino]

"Work like clockwork" - This raises a question I have often wondered about, which is, just how good a crew are you allowed?
Could you for example simply have a helm and crew who responded to orders like "moor along side that pontoon"?
Do any examiners know the answer?

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[cloudnine]

Possibly the use of the phrase "work like clockwork" was misleading. The thinking was the crew would have the benefit of the weeks prep and would have an idea of what to expect during the exam.
Purists would say that a good skipper will get any crew "working like clockwork" and that should be true. Our normal crewing buddies are not available. Is the exam environment a sensible place to find out how good or bad strangers are.
It is an interesting question and, yes, what is the examiner's point of view??

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[tcm]

yeah, three of us on a ym boat were indeed working a bit too much like clockwork, i thought. But it was deemed no problem.

There again, if you do have a total dipstick on board, it could be an advantage provided that s/he also went in for the exam. The examiner would then have the easy task of identifying the know-nowt, and pass the others who would be (relatively) brillliant.

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[john_morris_uk]

If only it worked like that!!

My usual brief to a boat that has obviously been out and practicing it so ask the crew to act as though they are competent but to allow the candidate to run the boat. Its not helpful to the examiner when the crew continually prompts the skipper. ("I've turned the nav lights on for you", "Would you like the anchor ball set now?")

You can soon set tasks that either deprive the candidate of crew (which I admit that I've done that in the past) as in 'Right now can you do that manoevre with only one crew, or how would you berth here single handed?' Please note that I have only done this a few times when the candidate seems to be relying (hiding behind?) too much on the power of his/her crew.

Its usually a lot more straightforward - like the candidate who blamed the crew for not picking up the mooring quickly enough when trying to pick it up down wind and down tide...

I remember being told when I was being examined as an examiner - you don't have to set trick questions - the candidates are usually quite capable of mucking it up by themselves... Regarding crew, I believe that you can soon work out if someone knows what they are doing. You can also insist that they brief the crew before and evolution - even if they've done it before and know what to do.

Good luck with your exam. I hope it goes well - and if its any consolationyou won't get me as an examiner as I don't often examine in the Solent these days, and I will be on a ship heading for Cape Town when you do your exam.

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[cloudnine]

Thanks for that and the best wishes. Appreciated.

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