Disqualifying crew based on medical

[David_Old_Jersey]

I think a fair enough question - for me the concern would be centred around how much I actually relied upon them onboard. and whether if the boat rolled suddenly I would get flattened by a couple of hundred pounds of blubber.

Personally if someone is happy with the risks involved on getting on my boat where I am unlikely to be much use medically - then it don't bother me, even if means getting rid of a body.

With regard to the Hepititis and HIV, neither are notifiable diseases over here (i.e. neither are Typhus or Ebola!) - and on the basis that I am unlikely to accidently swap body fluids with someone, then neither is a great concern. However I can appreciate that for those who do tend to find themselves "accidently" sitting on erections from time to time, then I can understand the concern.......

[foolishsailor]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

it don't bother me, even if means getting rid of a body.

Ahhh, the best benefit of sailing....easy excuses...

"I swear officer, I was sleeping and when I came up for my watch no one was there, I spent days looking for them"

Habeus corpus and all that....as I keep reminding my wife.

[captain58sailin]

While you verbalize, she is planning.

[jram]

Sadly, Integrity needs to be listed too!

Had a crewmember (boatowner, vouched for by a good friend on crew) declare he was on no meds prior to trip. Arrived and repeated same declaration before departure.

Shortly after departure (transat), he appeared with scoplamine (sp?) patch. Over the following days behaviour changed, became more and more self centred and withdrawn. Seriously considered diverting to put ashore. Spoiled an otherwise perfect trip for the rest of us besides the extra watches as he was not fit for watch.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

I simply threw some potential disqualifiers out for discussion. I didn't mean to imply that I personally considered them to be so.

HIV being contagious would depend on your definition of contagious. Eliminating crew because of it would depend on your personal comfort level. Certainly HIV would be contagious if you were having sex or perhaps if bleeding? Everyone wouldn't consider that to be contagious but some may not be comfortable having an HIV person aboard. I personally would not eliminate someone because of an HIV diagnosis.

I've seen people who were so obese they could barely walk. They waddled. Some captains may consider that to be a safety issue...some not so much.

An obese person has better life expectancy if they fall overboard. Less prone to hypothermia. Just saying.

[goboatingnow]

Attempting to pre-qualify these things is a waste of time. If a person has a condition that isn't immediately obvious and it might effect them ( or your view of it) , in my experience, they will not tell you any way ( HIV is on of those things IMHO)

You just have to live and let live, most crew issues are mental , i.e. their personality anyway

Dave

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by foolishsailor

Habeus corpus and all that....as I keep reminding my wife.

I think you are making much the same mistake as John Haigh (1940's English Acid bath Murders - 6 I think)....thought that with no bodies he would get off scott free - but no body just makes it harder to convict.

In practice still a useful MO - just don't mistake that approach for a get out of jail free card .

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Attempting to pre-qualify these things is a waste of time. If a person has a condition that isn't immediately obvious and it might effect them ( or your view of it) , in my experience, they will not tell you any way ( HIV is on of those things IMHO)

You just have to live and let live, most crew issues are mental , i.e. their personality anyway

Dave

Whether someone may or may not divulge a medical condition is not a valid reason to not explore which conditions are acceptable.

Part of the reason for my asking is that I want to know how people will perceive (accept) my health issues when I begin looking for crew positions... so while it may be a waste of your time, it has not been a waste of mine.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I think you are making much the same mistake as John Haigh (1940's English Acid bath Murders - 6 I think)....thought that with no bodies he would get off scott free - but no body just makes it harder to convict.

In practice still a useful MO - just don't mistake that approach for a get out of jail free card .

Unfortunately, having discussed the possibility of throwing a body overboard in a public forum, pretty much eliminates that MO from the "options" list, or pretty much assures a guilty verdict should one choose to move forward with the plan. Option number two?

[goboatingnow]

I believe, that unless you feel your ( or anyones ) health issues can seriously interfere with a successful voyage , then its really not much of a concern

I simply say, if you have a medical condition needing continuous medication, then ensure you have an adequate supply, if you have a notifiable disease in any country the boat is then the skipper needs to know.

Thats about it really , the rest is conjecture until you are faced with the reality and all you can do is judge based on the specific situation that pertains.

Dave

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

Option number two?

PM me

[webejammin]

Differnt states in the USA have different laws about perscription drugs like the west coast. Would folks be welcome aboard if they had a perscription for medical pot for neck pain ? Persionaly as captian of my boat I wouldn't care if they kept it to themselfs and didn't shair with other crew. The only problem with verly fat folks is if they can't fit thru to the aft stateroom door ways, at 16 inches wide they can't come crusing overnight.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by webejammin

Differnt states in the USA have different laws about perscription drugs like the west coast. Would folks be welcome aboard if they had a perscription for medical pot for neck pain ? Persionaly as captian of my boat I wouldn't care if they kept it to themselfs and didn't shair with other crew. The only problem with verly fat folks is if they can't fit thru to the aft stateroom door ways, at 16 inches wide they can't come crusing overnight.

I no longer use any mind altering substances but don't have anything against them. Except on my boat. One of my greatest fears is having a guest bring drugs on my boat and getting caught. That could be the end of my boat, my lifesavings, my dreams, and possibly my freedom.

A few of my friends will never receive an invitation for that reason. I just can't risk it. Medically prescribed pot or not.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

I have had just plain old seasickness cause enough problems that I would not let the individual sail with me again. If someone becomes highly agitated because of the seasickness, they can become a real threat to the vessel's safety. I have sailed with both type I and type II diabetics and know what to look for when there is a sufficient imbalance to cause problems. (1) type I diabetic would act like he was drunk when his blood sugar level became too low. After the first couple of times it occurred I could spot the precursors and was able to avoid it by instructing him to eat something and rest for a bit. One should always be careful of blood borne pathogens and carry the equipment to prevent exposure. I would definitely want to know if someone was HIV positive or Hep A,B,C positive in order to protect myself should an emergency arise involving broken skin or bleeding. I would not exclude those individuals from my crew because of that, just prepare for it. In my book, mentally unstable people are far more risky than health related problems. Most people actually improve with a long sea voyage, fresh air, greatly reduced stress, usually good food all contribute to a healthier body. Bad joints can be problematic, you just have to learn to operate within design parameters.

Being prepared with blood barriers is a good idea anyway because a lot of people who have Hep C don't even know it. It just makes sense.

As for joint problems or other physical limitations (such as mine), I select for myself what I can and cannot do. I don't race, and I don't sail as crew on boats with tiny catwalks and few hand holds. I know what boats I'm safe on and what boats are going to be more of a problem. I think I might be safer than some people in rough waters because I'm acutely aware of the need to keep center of gravity low, hold on, etc.

If someone has badly arthritic hands, for instance, it's going to limit what they can do. Then it's just a matter of whether other people are willing to, say, do all the winching. I think such people would be smart to make sure they have excellent skills elsewhere, say navigation.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

Whether someone may or may not divulge a medical condition is not a valid reason to not explore which conditions are acceptable.

Part of the reason for my asking is that I want to know how people will perceive (accept) my health issues when I begin looking for crew positions... so while it may be a waste of your time, it has not been a waste of mine.

Well, here's what I think. If it's going to be a significant issue, disclose it. For instance, if you have rheumatoid arthritis and that makes winching, for instance, unwise for you, disclose it. As I said, you might consider making sure that you have other strengths that help make up for any limitations. A lot of people today struggle some to find lat and long on a chart. If you are a really good navigator, you will be valuable on a trip.

Another area where a perso with some other limitation could become valuable would be if you learned a lot about weather. It's one thing to listen to the weather channel on the radio and find out that the big storm you see is a big storm. It's another to look at the weather charts online and be able to predict the liklihood of big storms, and then look at the chart and be able to suggest safe havens for the boat.

The skipper can probably do the second, but the first -- lots of people don't know much about it.