Crew Available: Couple looking for opportunity to travel to Caribbean

[jsu]

Hi,

My name is Jukka (37, Finland) & my girlfriend name is Anna (23, Poland). We're professional divers (Instructor/Dive master) who are looking for an opportunity to travel to Caribbean via Atlantic. We've just finished our contract at Gran Canaria and are heading to work at Dominican Republic.
We have a limited experience of sailing, but we're hard workers and fast learners.Water as an element is our life = we do get along very well . We've been living at different continents of the world, I'm ex-officer from the army, so we're used to different conditions and cultures at the globe.

Please don't hesitate to contact us, we're really to reply for any questions or we'll happily deliver more information as well.

Best regards, Jukka+Anna

[barnakiel]

Hey Jukka and Anka,

Since it is you looking for a ride then you will probably have to pay for it. Many skippers ask between 500 and 700 Eur per person (ex. food/drink cost). Given the time the trip takes and the effort entailed, you may be better off looking for a flight. It is often a 30 days or so under way to get there from here.

Most of the crossing boats are already gone but if you walk the marinas (e.g. the Puerto Deportivo, Las Palmas) you may find someone who will take passengers. If you are in LP, you can look at the boards (one at the root of the international docks, one at Pepino's, one in the laundry room) and see if any skipper needs a crew. If so, you may be lucky to get a ride by just paying your food and drink and a minor part of boat costs (fuel/marinas) or even not that much - if you have sound offshore sailing skills.


Cheers,
b.

[jsu]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Hey Jukka and Anka,

Since it is you looking for a ride then you will probably have to pay for it. Many skippers ask between 500 and 700 Eur per person (ex. food/drink cost). Given the time the trip takes and the effort entailed, you may be better off looking for a flight. It is often a 30 days or so under way to get there from here.

Most of the crossing boats are already gone but if you walk the marinas (e.g. the Puerto Deportivo, Las Palmas) you may find someone who will take passengers. If you are in LP, you can look at the boards (one at the root of the international docks, one at Pepino's, one in the laundry room) and see if any skipper needs a crew. If so, you may be lucky to get a ride by just paying your food and drink and a minor part of boat costs (fuel/marinas) or even not that much - if you have sound offshore sailing skills.


Cheers,
b.

Thanks for all the info. I will stop by at LP marina. We're not in a hurry, so we do have plenty of time for traveling, it doesn't matter, if it would take longer time. Flight would be faster, but I rather would have the experience of sailing. An other option is, "cargo" boats, which do have some cabins and once in a while you might have a opportunity to travel with them, but then I would need to talk with the captains etc to make it possible.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by jsu

Thanks for all the info. I will stop by at LP marina. We're not in a hurry, so we do have plenty of time for traveling, it doesn't matter, if it would take longer time. Flight would be faster, but I rather would have the experience of sailing. An other option is, "cargo" boats, which do have some cabins and once in a while you might have a opportunity to travel with them, but then I would need to talk with the captains etc to make it possible.

I am not sure this is arranged by talking to captains. In most areas, you will not be allowed to get anywhere near the ship in the first place. You may have to talk to and agent of the shipping company first. Such voyages last 40 days+ (from the continent) and cost in the range of EUR 90 per head per day. Travel conditions are decent to very good. There is usually no (well, within limits) luggage limit. You may have to travel to the continent first to get on such a ship (Canary Islands are not a proper post for West Indies bound shipping).

End of January there will be a charter sailing boat leaving for West Indies from here, via Cabo Verde. I think they are going towards St. Lucia / Martinique. I talked to her skipper last week. They are departing end of January, the whole trip is expected to last roughly 45 days.

Cheers,
b.

[jsu]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I am not sure this is arranged by talking to captains. In most areas, you will not be allowed to get anywhere near the ship in the first place.
End of January there will be a charter sailing boat leaving for West Indies from here, via Cabo Verde.

Cheers,
b.

Yep, u're right about the harbor and captain part as well. It should be done different wise. It's pretty expensive or more expensive than I thought it woud be, if it would be around ∼ 90 € per day..
Charter boat would be more or less more expensive, but that's just my guess, even though the timing would fit really well for on our plans.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by jsu

Yep, u're right about the harbor and captain part as well. It should be done different wise. It's pretty expensive or more expensive than I thought it woud be, if it would be around ∼ 90 € per day..
Charter boat would be more or less more expensive, but that's just my guess, even though the timing would fit really well for on our plans.

A) The EUR 90 per person per head for freighter travel I gathered from a quick google search. Perhaps you will find cheaper options if you make a more thorough search or when you contact agents directly. I think price like this sounds pretty fair - remember you are getting: a room with a view / quality food / the romantic sea travel for it. And you save loads on seasickness pills, unless you are very prone (in which a case you should never go by sea in the first place).

B) An option is a cheap flight, say from Paris to Martinique (which you do not want, as you like the idea of a sea voyage). I was booking a flight like this for a friend some time ago. It came at EUR 500 ex fees. You save 40+ days of your life and plenty of cash.

C) I think a charter boat asks upwards of EUR 1000 per person (ex food, etc.).

D) Walk the docks, you might hitch a cheap/free ride.

E) Buy a small boat in Canary Islands and sail it to the West Indies. Sell the boat there or use it as a liveaboard (which is often less expensive than living in a backapckers' hostel there).

Life is full of options one can envision. It is actually even fuller of options one can not envision.

Cheers,
b.

[atoll]

didn't somebody do the trip recently on a windsurfer?

[barnakiel]

Twasn't all that recently. There was that French lady once. Then she crossed the other two ponds too.

Now there are two French guys crossing in their homebuilt 5.5m (17') cat.

One more good reason to admire the French. Whether Vendee or a surfing board, they "just do it".

b.

[Pete7]

Whilst the comment about limited sailing experience is little worrying the idea of buying a cheap small yacht and going for it sounds good and gives you a place to live when you arrive in the Carrib.

Pete

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Now there are two French guys crossing in their homebuilt 5.5m (17') cat. One more good reason to admire the French. Whether Vendee or a surfing board, they "just do it". b.

True, but it nearly cost them there lives:

Cats Across the Atlantic


When the two sailed into the marina, it turned out that they needed a lot more help than food alone could provide. They had to be carried to a small restaurant, the Royal, where a doctor was summoned to apply first aid to their wounds while they stuffed themselves with their first full meal since the beginning of their journey. Pradel's feet, which had seldom been atop the wings and were always submerged in salt water, were just tattered flesh. The skin was torn away over most of their surface.

Laurent had deep wounds and scars over his butt and thighs as well as craters on his feet a millimetre deep. Both men's hands were covered with wounds that had crusted and would not heal. Each cut, which never had a chance to dry and heal properly, was infected. Their circulation suffered the effects of blockage due to sitting and crouching in one position for hours on end and their hips and knees were paralyzed. Every movement brought tears to their eyes, but the worst wasn't over. They were almost in a state of shock. With their eyes glazed and the circulation problems preventing any feeling in their lower extremities, the pain was not nearly a horrible state, I remember that never as bad as it would become. Later in the evening of their first day on land, Pradel was wheeled to a restaurant to have dinner with friends while Laurent slept in his hotel room. Pradel's meal consisted of two large steaks, a plate of vegetables, noodles and six large pieces of cake. Then he too retired for the evening.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Pete7

True, but it nearly cost them there lives.

Doh. Adventure is when things HAPPEN. We all have safer alternatives, for nearly anything we undertake with our lives.

The guys crossing this year are (or so it seems) twins. They can be over 50 (each) which will make them the oldest (two-headed) French monster to cross an ocean when they make it.

They are sailing a small cat but not the beach type: it is a proper thing with accommodation in hulls.

Should anybody know about a website or a blog where I could follow their progress and adventure, pls share.

Cheers,
b.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Pete7

True, but it nearly cost them there lives:

Cats Across the Atlantic


When the two sailed into the marina, it turned out that they needed a lot more help than food alone could provide. They had to be carried to a small restaurant, the Royal, where a doctor was summoned to apply first aid to their wounds while they stuffed themselves with their first full meal since the beginning of their journey. Pradel's feet, which had seldom been atop the wings and were always submerged in salt water, were just tattered flesh. The skin was torn away over most of their surface.

Laurent had deep wounds and scars over his butt and thighs as well as craters on his feet a millimetre deep. Both men's hands were covered with wounds that had crusted and would not heal. Each cut, which never had a chance to dry and heal properly, was infected. Their circulation suffered the effects of blockage due to sitting and crouching in one position for hours on end and their hips and knees were paralyzed. Every movement brought tears to their eyes, but the worst wasn't over. They were almost in a state of shock. With their eyes glazed and the circulation problems preventing any feeling in their lower extremities, the pain was not nearly a horrible state, I remember that never as bad as it would become. Later in the evening of their first day on land, Pradel was wheeled to a restaurant to have dinner with friends while Laurent slept in his hotel room. Pradel's meal consisted of two large steaks, a plate of vegetables, noodles and six large pieces of cake. Then he too retired for the evening.

obviously didn't have the fully comp insurance..............