Worst crew ever

[jimi]

My nephew & his mate (both 17) wanted to go sailing so I took them over to St Vaast at Easter .. leaving Haslar at 0200 it was 1500 before they emerged from their pits just as I was shaping up for the final approach.
Following day in St Vaast decided way to get 'em up was to cook 'em breakfast did this at 1000 they ate it and went back to their pits re-emerging at 1600.
Left St Vaast following day at 0700 .. no sign until 1800 with St Catherine's in sight.
I started looking at a sheet & they promptly disappeared. Left Haslar next morning at 0800 and berthed back home at 1130 having sailed all the way in a F5... still asleep .. I left 'em on the boat, called my sister and told her where she could find them. Give me my girls anyday (14,12 & 8)!

Anybody beat this?

 

[tomg]

I thought mine were unique!

Almost a similar story, but to Cherbourg, with my 16year-old and his mate emerging when I called them to jump down on those narrow, wobbly pontoons. Virtually the same story on the way back - they came out to see the needles. Later I heard them telling another friend about the really great time they had and how they enjoy sailing.

 

[Guest]

Late teenage boys are both feral, nocturnal and pathological liars. I know this as I used to be one. That's why teenage girls, who still resemble (albeit moody) humans, can't stand them....

 

[steve_cronin]

That\'s fairly characteristic.

One of ours came leaping up into the saloon one day last week, proclaimed that he was going ashore to re-stock on Sprite but came to a sudden halt in the cockpit when he found the quay gone. We had sailed four hours earlier and were no longer tied up at Ithaca but well on our way to Levkas.

Steve Cronin

 

[RupertW]

Re: I thought mine were unique!

Its all a question of viewpoint, I think.

When I was 13 I was taken on a cruise to South Brittany. I had a whale of a time, looking at this unbelievable sight of nothing but sea all around and the boat sitting in the middle, watching how waves look at night and how grown-ups weren't that great at getting past lighthouses, and discovering the real pleasure of reading books on the foredeck while the autohelm did the rest. It sold me on sailing for life.

My aunt and uncle didn't invite me again because I wasn't interested in watching the land go by, put on the autohelm whenever they asked me to have a go at steering, and got so seasick on the first night that I insisted on sitting up in the cockpit with a sleeping bag each night and went to bed at dawn.

Hmmm....perhaps I can see how I seemed at the time.

 

[billmacfarlane]

The 2 of them sound fairly typical of the breed that is teenage boy. We took my wife's neice , aged 16 , with us once to France. In St Vaast my 2 girls were crab fishing one morning around 11 o'clock , a time fairly alien time to a teenager. The forehatch in the forward cabin where she was sleeping was open enough to drop a crab through it. Exit one screaming teenager. Trouble is she then went and slept in the aft cabin.

 

[HaraldS]

Chances are that they really enjoyed it and are hooked on sailing for lifetime.

I remember similar scenarious, and now both of my sons and their friends who had been along take every opportunity to come. I thought it will be just my wife and me setting off into the sunset, and now it looks they all want to come for the big trip.

And I must admit that I find them a very pleasant crew now.

Last year my younger son brought along his friend, both 16. I thought that he seemed like a nice guy, but that he'd never be a real sailor. Wrong again, turned out extremely dependable on all tasks he got and then lacking TV and all that, they got into doing facywork and excellent splicing of hard to do double braided spectra. All the stuff I had on my list and more.

It does take some time, and your trip might have been to short to show.

Don't give up.

 

[CliveG]

Best crew ever

Last weekend I took my son (16) and 6 of his friends, 4 boys, 2 girls, for a weekend charter form Woolverston on the Orwell..

We hoped to sail up the coast to Lowestoft. They wanted to do some night hours.
We found it to be a bit to windy and some where not feeling well so we turned back and spent the weekend sailing in the local area.

I treated them as mature adults and let it be known that they were expected to behave as such.
I was not disappointed.
We all had a marvellous time. They all did there share of the chores and I only did the minimum of the fun bits (Helming etc.).
Now they all want to go again soon.

I think that there parents may have something to say on that!

To sum up not all older teenagers are lazy and unhelpful.
Treat them with respect and let them know what is expected and you may be surprised.

 

[steve_cronin]

Mind you they are also the BEST CREW EVER...

Having stood watch all night last April on the delivery trip leg across the Straits of Ottranto on a filthy night blowing 26knots gusting to 35 with the clouds at mast top beating towards a dark unlit Albanian coast. They were both wringing wet and the leaking Rutgerson hatches of the new Bavaria (now swopped for Gebos) giving lillte comfort below.

Steve Cronin

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Re: Mind you they are also the BEST CREW EVER...

Hi Steve
Good to see you back on the forum .I here the managment co, moved you to the Ionion for this season .Do you have an option to say no ,or does kiruculis have the last word? Tell me is it true what Kiriculis people said, that you got lost on the delivery trip, for 5-7 days or was there some other agender ?1ve been told that you were very unhappy with your new boat when you took delivery. would you still recenmend this way of funding buying a Bav.? I`me still interested in buying a big Bav myself just don`t know if this the right way. Cheers Bob T

Bob T

 

[philmarks]

Re: Best crew ever

I agree. Mine are just a bit too young (14 & 15) to stay at home, so they come with us and they have to stand their watches as does eevryone else. Last Friday (5th) though I took pity on them and did the sh**ty F6-7 graveyard watch in to the Needles on my own (OK, my other half did half a watch also). Treat them as adults, make them hot toast and soup when it's 2am, and they'll shine. They don't realise that they're having their characters built! I also keep a watertight barrel full of assortec Chocs. Good for all crew morale..........

 

[salamicollie]

Re: Best crew ever

Pre Teenagers aren't much better for getting up - my son is 12 and has just spent a two and half day trip down the River weaver, Manchester Ship canal, Mersey and across to Anglesey reading/sleeping in the quarter berth - mind you it was bloody cold and he did pop up on request to help in the locks and steer through the swing bridges on the Weaver (stopping all the traffic on the A49 is fun!)

 

[kingfisher]

Not every teenager

Sea-scout tidal waters training
19 youths, mixed, 15-21 yrs

Profile of the week
wake up at 0630
avg temp: 6°C
wind: 4-7 bft

Most of them capable of taking a yacht across the channel. There's still hope.
All of them enjoyed every minute of it.

It costs me a few weeks of my life: five days for the traing course, and 15 days of my life from watching them berth the Obi-Wan under sail. No scratches this year, but they did manage to ground the boat twice.

But I gain a crew database of 19 young dogs, ready to sail anywhere, anytime.



Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[penfold]

No scratches this year, but they did manage to ground the boat twice.

Twice?! Once is a coincidence, twice is enemy action. Are they running a book on who can get the most sweary words past your lips?

 

[Sans Bateau]

I was in my early 20's and had already been to another party earlier in the evening with some friends, drinking for a 20year old was much as it is now, a sport! I hitched onto this rather lovely girl, well she looked lovely at the time and eventually she was talked into err, joining me upstairs. Not helped by the drink the event was a real disaster though, and in the morning, sober, she turned out to be real moose.

That was my worst screw!

Oh sorry I thought you said worst screw!

 

[FistralG]

I was in my early 20's and had already been to another party earlier in the evening with some friends, drinking for a 20year old was much as it is now, a sport! I hitched onto this rather lovely girl, well she looked lovely at the time and eventually she was talked into err, joining me upstairs. Not helped by the drink the event was a real disaster though, and in the morning, sober, she turned out to be real moose.

That was my worst screw!

Oh sorry I thought you said worst screw!

 

[MissIsle]

The 2 of them sound fairly typical of the breed that is teenage boy. We took my wife's neice , aged 16 , with us once to France. In St Vaast my 2 girls were crab fishing one morning around 11 o'clock , a time fairly alien time to a teenager. The forehatch in the forward cabin where she was sleeping was open enough to drop a crab through it. Exit one screaming teenager. Trouble is she then went and slept in the aft cabin.

Oh I do like the crab idea. . . . . . . . . .can't get my daughter out of bed in a morning, & she has a little brother who will be more than happy to oblige. . . . . . . . . . THANKYOU SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nostrodamus]

I think we are sailing withour two boys (17 and 15yrs). The 17yr old wants to know how everything works and is enjoying learning. The 15 yr old went to bed about six months ago and I am not sure but I think he is still there.

 

[bobgarrett]

Definitely not worst crew but interesting story with my son.
We took him on cruise to France just after his university finals so he was pretty knackered. One morning we had to leave Carteret with the tide very early and into some rough weather, we proceeded out towards Jersey banging into wave after wave with him in the forecabin. I was worried he'd emerge pretty quickly or suffer multiple broken bones. Instead, after a couple hours he showed up still looking pretty tired, peered outside and said "oh, we've left then"!

 

[Woodlouse]

Had one a while back. Left port, he retired feeling very sick and hungover. He then sleeps. We go to a different port, drive the boat into the travel hoist, get lifted out of the water and sat on the hard. Said crew then wakes up and with the words 'christ the boat's still. It's hardly moving at all' he goes and uses the head.