Crew Available: September 2010 - Anywhere (Eastern US Coast Preferred)

[nick55555]

The Nitty Gritty:
Age: 27
Sex: Male
Name: Nick
Timeframe: Ready to crew in early September and earlier if need be and I am given notice. Willing to crew for as long as you need me (should have no real obligations by this time).


Sailing Experience:

- Started sailing in Styrofoam bathtubs with Sunfish sails around age 10. I am now 27 and now my experience includes having sailed on Hobie Cats, Nacra’s, MC/C/E/A-scows, and a few larger cruisers on Lake Superior and the St. Croix River. Sailing was both competitive and not.
- Pinnacles were crewing on an A-scow last summer and participating in a weekend regatta on a Hobie Tiger in the South Pacific in 2007.
- This summer I will be getting a bunch of helm time of MC & E Scows (both competitive and recreational).
- Spent several summers working at a local sailboat shop.


Non-sailing specific experience:

- Spent 7 months in SE Asia studying and working (see: www.brogrenenterprises.com)
- Eagle Scout and have done the prerequisite camping and roughing-it that being a Scout entails. This also entails a certain level of proficiency in knots.
- Pretty handy around the house; currently juuuuust finishing the remodel of a duplex and it looks really nice! Took a long time but learned a TON while doing it… not sure how much applies to the boating world, but I’m sure there is plenty of overlap.
- Degreed Mechanical Engineer (I swear I am not the stereotypical poindexter and do not own a pocket protector).
- I suppose it applies to cruising sailing that I have a good understanding of the internal combustion engine and have taken a few apart and put them back together… they even WORK afterwards! Not much experience with diesel, but the principle is similar enough with a few exceptions. Anyway, I would feel comfortable diagnosing and fixing most engine issues with the requisite tools and parts.
- I REALLY enjoy cooking. I don’t mean to over emphasize this, but when I start getting fired up about possibilities for one-pan meals I must enjoy it. Cooking is one of those things that I can really focus on and it keeps me very engaged.
- Worked at a few [Cub-Scout] camps as an instructor/counselor and am pretty good with kids especially after I get to know them a bit.
- In the last year or so I have been getting in to rock climbing and yoga (not necessarily related).
- PADI certified diver & good swimmer
- LOVE reading but just can’t make enough time to do it seriously what with the current rat race I am stuck in (work at Minco [International Sales Engineer], go home and work on the house… looking forward to being done with this project!).


Etcetera:

I like just about every kind of music with very few exceptions (ie: pop country… don’t get me wrong; REAL country like Cash & Buffet certainly flies). Anything else I will listen to (I am jammin’ to some reggae/island music at the moment as I find it calmly motivating), but for some reason pop country just doesn’t sit well with me. I play some guitar, but wouldn’t plan on bringing one due to space concerns (unless you have a large vessel).

I don’t get upset about little stuff (what’s the point?!) which probably lends itself to my relatively easy-going personality. My tendency is to be up front if I feel some friction or if something does bother me; better to get it out of the way than to let it fester. I also have a pretty good sense of humor but it sometimes it may take me a little while to get acquainted before I get comfortable… it all depends on the person/people I am with and so far sailors have proven to be a damn easy bunch to get along with.

I have had a room mate, we have lived in close quarters, I know what it means to be considerate of other people and their space and appreciate the same consideration even with the realization that space onboard does not necessarily allow for much privacy.

When I was in college I was teetering on Academic Probation for a few semesters so per my mother’s suggestion I went to one of the counselors who ‘diagnosed’ me with ADHD (does anyone NOT have this these days?). Ok, I said and took the pills while I was in college and it probably got me through (along with the vision of some day acquiring a cruising sailboat… seriously). Once I was done with formal schooling I realized that taking those pills helped me to focus on something that I didn’t really enjoy (because I have NO problem focusing on sailing, reading for pleasure, cooking, etc. etc.)… it struck me: ‘Why would I want to force myself to do something that I don’t really enjoy’!?!?! Hence the reason that I am breaking out of the cube farm to do what I love; travel, sail, read, cook, and enjoy this life!

Unfortunately by my last semester of school (in Hong Kong at HKUST) when I realized that I didn’t ever want to sit in a cubicle (which is what I imagine the vast majority of engineers do) I wasn’t about to switch majors and get myself in to even more debt… so here I sit in my cubicle reading everything I can about cruising and sailing and getting really excited for this summer of sailing around on the lakes of Minnesota and writing this crew ad that I hope you are still reading and enjoy enough to consider me as a worthy candidate aboard your vessel!

Let’s see… I do enjoy the occasional drink or two when the time is right, not an alcoholic (or in denial) by any means. Don’t smoke. I keep myself pretty fit with my lifestyle which is currently active and supplemented with a good diet. The times that I spent a few days out on Superior on cruising boats I was never sea-sick and I rarely get ill (maybe one or two colds a year, nothing serious).

Several people that I have worked with and for have told me what a good work ethic I have. This is something that I have grown to find is very appreciated by others. I usually take it for granted but maybe it was the way I was raised; if there is something that needs to be done I’ll do it, if there is nothing to be done I will relax.

As stated I am currently in Minnesota (Minneapolis) for the near future but have a plan to be obligation free by 1-September-2010. At this time I plan to hop on my motorcycle (1978 KZ650) and head to the east coast to possibly visit a few friends and then cruise south stopping at every marina and boat yard along the way looking for a boat to hop on board (unless of course someone responds to this short novel prior to 1-Sept). The idea being a sail down to the Bahamas / West Indies for the winter months. Sources say that November 30 is the official end of hurricane season so this should allow plenty of time to work my way around in search of opportunities.

My worst case scenario involves either 1) getting a job at a boat yard for a while gaining experience in boat maintenance until an opportunity comes by OR, 2) buy a pocket cruiser around Florida and cruise the coast and potentially to the Bahamas OR, 3) keep motorcycling down through Mexico and Latin America. No real destination… just a journey. The ideal situation would be if you were somewhere on the East Coast of the United States or already in the Gulf somewhere. I would entertain the idea of flying pretty much anywhere in the world or motorcycling to the West Coast depending on your plans.

While I have not done any extended ocean cruising I have read a fair amount on the subject (books, magazines, internet) and do understand that it is not all sitting in the sun sipping Piña Coladas; there is a fair amount of work, danger and skill involved. I fully accept this as part of the experience and believe that I hold a realistic view of what is required and can be expected on a cruising vessel; little-water showers, close quarters, repairs, simple foods, etc etc.

In sum I am very personable and considerate, I have a few good friends and tend to make new friends and get acquainted pretty quickly. I’m clean and pretty organized, have many skills that will add value to your sailing vessel, and am ready, willing and able to set sail in September 2010 (or sooner if need be). Heck, if you want some references I could round some up no problem. Oh, I can also get by in German and am learning a bit of Spanish.

If you’d like to see a picture of me please visit www.brogrenenterprises.com as there are a bunch scattered throughout the site as well as a good accounting of my experience in SE Asia. Any questions, comments, concerns of if you would like to get my phone number for a chat please shoot me an email at nicholas.brogren AT gmail.