Crew Wanted: Delivery Skipper - St. Maarten to Ibiza

[Palarran]

I am looking for an experienced delivery skipper to assist me with sailing Palarran from St. Maarten to Ibiza. Palarran is a 2001 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises Catamaran. She is in excellent shape with all required equipment. Crew will be myself and one other ABS (Able Body Seaman).

Skipper must be qualified based on my insurance companies’ requirements (and mine). Multiple blue water ocean passages on similar sized boat are preferred. Verifiable references are required.

The schedule is as follows:

April 24th, Fly to St. Maarten
April 27th, Leave for the Azores
May 18th, Arrive in Sao Miguel.
May 20th to the 24th, Leave Azores for Gibraltar
June 1st or 2nd, Arrive Gibraltar
June 5th, Arrive Ibiza
June 8th, Arrive Palma, Mallorca.

I am paying $100 per day for the skipper from date of arrival in St. Maarten until arrival in Ibiza. All food on the boat will be supplied. I am also planning on supplying air line tickets home. The air fare will depend on how much the tickets cost.


Please do not respond directly to this post. E-mail your sailing resume and any questions to david at belaire dot com. I will update this thread when the position is filled.

[edsailing]

An experienced skipper for $100 per day - can't see you getting too many replies........

But good luck to you if you do!

[atoll]

would be happy to do it for that price if the owners were not onboard....lol

[Palarran]

It didn't take luck. I posted the position of findacrew.net. So far I have received 80 responses. That is EIGHTY in 6 days. Not to be rude to you guys but apparently you don't have much of a pulse on the delivery business.

I have had three qualified skippers offer to do the delivery for no charge if I paid travel expenses and provisions. Another 10 are willing to do it for less then $100 / day. Maybe 20 of the 80 where not any more qualified then me. Quite honestly, I am amazed at how many guys want to sail. After going through so many posts and so many offers, it is really funny to think back about the jokers on this site bitching about pay and owners on board. It's probably why their sitting around typing on a computer instead of working.

Atoll, I realize your joking.

[rebel heart]

I'd investigate those references a bit further. I work for a charter company that has FP's and just had a long talk the other day with our owner (a very accomplished skipper) on doing transatlantics with FP's. Most insurance companies won't cover the boat if the captain doesn't have documented transatlantic work and even more so specifically on multihulls.

You have to ask yourself about the reality of someone with that experience who can manage a crew willing to take a month out of their life for barely three grand.

Good luck either way; that's mentally a long haul.

[ak5609]

Hi there. Sorry, I am not a skipper. I just read this thread and - personally - I was surprised about some responses, which I don't understand. What's the problem sailing a great boat plus get a hundred bucks for fun, and maybe meet great people?

I would do it for free, just to be on the water, if ...

I'm in the process to buy a cat and when I can offer free sailing in the future I will do it.

Damn, it's just money we're talking about.

Alex

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by ak5609

Hi there. Sorry, I am not a skipper. I just read this thread and - personally - I was surprised about some responses, which I don't understand. What's the problem sailing a great boat plus get a hundred bucks for fun, and maybe meet great people?

I would do it for free, just to be on the water, if ...

I'm in the process to buy a cat and when I can offer free sailing in the future I will do it.

Damn, it's just money we're talking about.

Alex

Alex;

It's not going out for a few days on the water with your friends. You're crossing the Atlantic ocean which has claimed lives and vessels and will continue to do so for as long as people navigate those waters. As a delivery skipper you're singularly responsible for the vessel and the lives of everyone onboard. You're not hired to go sailing and do your best, you're quite literally putting your life on the line with a boat that you've had maybe a day or two to check out in advance and a schedule that nine times out of ten is already decided before you get hired.

Less philosophically and more brass tacks, the insurance company for your boat will (most likely) only cover the vessel if the delivery captain has done previous transatlantic crossings as a captain and can prove as such via solid documentation and records (copies of passport stamps, zarpes, crew manifests stamped from immigration listing them as captain, etc).

It's a half a million dollars worth of boat not to mentions the lives onboard. Honestly I don't understand why someone would spend 500K on a boat but try to get a bargain basement captain for a difficult crossing by spending 3K instead of 9K.

Beyond that, do you have a life where you could just vanish for a month with the dates listed? Can you leave your job, leave your family, and abandon anything you needed to do during that time?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Palarran

It didn't take luck. I posted the position of findacrew.net. So far I have received 80 responses. That is EIGHTY in 6 days. Not to be rude to you guys but apparently you don't have much of a pulse on the delivery business.

I have had three qualified skippers offer to do the delivery for no charge if I paid travel expenses and provisions. Another 10 are willing to do it for less then $100 / day. Maybe 20 of the 80 where not any more qualified then me. Quite honestly, I am amazed at how many guys want to sail. After going through so many posts and so many offers, it is really funny to think back about the jokers on this site bitching about pay and owners on board. It's probably why their sitting around typing on a computer instead of working.

Atoll, I realize your joking.

sorry couldnt resist!!!

as is the case a lot on the forum people don't read the full post where you specifically stated to reply via email,
hence the lack of posts to the thread!!!

[shorebird]

The person posting this thread is well aware of the single most important aspect of the delivery... insurance. The insurance company will have final say on who can skipper the boat, but the rate will almost certainly be dependent on the qualifications of the delivery captain. A full time professional with papers and extensive experience will result in lower premiums and lower deductable, while a moderately experienced skipper who is a carpenter by day will result in premiums and deductibles much much higher, if insurance can be obtained at all. Some insurance brokers could also be forced to turn to much less reliable insurers who have a reputation for finding non-payment "loopholes" in the event of damage, loss, or liability.
Now, I would be as surprised as much as the next guy if a professional skipper with papers and experience will take the $100 per day, although there has been much interest. A suitable skipper might be found, with right premiums and deductable to make it work, but again, make sure the insurance company uses an underwriter with a solid reputation for payment.
Just sayin'

[ak5609]

Makes sense, too.

[Palarran]

I wonder if the guys who are advising me about insurance have ever actually shopped it, negociated it, and bought it. Does your boats policy cost $10k per year? I purchase a half million dollars of insurance per year and have for over 20 years. Please, if I need an unqualified opinion, I'll ask you for it. If I need a qualified one, I'll call my agent.

I'll still state this simple FACT. QUALIFIED DELIVERY CAPTAINS ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGE QUANTITIES FOR $100/DAY.

[Palarran]

Shorebird, do you really think I would let my insurance company make the final decision on my skipper? Really?

And, is Lloyds reputable?

[shorebird]

OK, lets back up just a bit... I started by saying the person who started the thread was WELL AWARE of the insurance, and by stating your insurance company has final say, only means that they have final say on whether they will insure the skipper.
Clearly, you aren't going anywhere uninsured, so I guess its a matter of how I worded it. You made it clear in your first post, that both you and your insurance company had certain requirements, and I don't think I said anything contradictory.
I did note your request not to answer the thread directly, but, assumed, as apparently others did, you meant an answer to your specific request for a sailing resume, and I joined the discussion, directing some basic marine insurance pitfalls at the readers of the thread, not at you.

[Palarran]

No problem Shorebird. I apologize for the tone of the post.

Insurance is just a piece of the puzzle. It's one that is far down my list right now.

[boatman61]

There's shore based delivery companies/skippers who'll turn their nose up at $100/day + expense's...
Then there's live aboard cruisers who'll take the job for that price.. and a few are well capable of insurance approval...
I guess Palarran's looking to hire experience... not designer wear...
Its a nice fun run... though I'd prefer Faial to Sao Miguel...