wanted: captain and maybe 1 crew. May, Florida

[ronniesimpson]

welcome,

my name is Ronnie, and i live in san antonio, texas. this is a bit premature, but i guess i need to start making contacts now. i put my house up for sale december 23, and it should go under contract tomorrow, so i should be moving back home to atlanta, ga, or with family in vermont by march 1. i plan on buying a tayana 37, or something of that nature. anyways, my plan is to depart south florida by may 1, if not possibly earlier. im trying to avoid the bad weather, and if i plan and take my time and wait until after hurricane season, this dream will never happen. my brother is in the air force in hawaii, and is getting out fairly soon, and im trying to be in hawaii to pick him up as soon as possible. i am looking to sail the boat from south florida through panama, to marquesas and up to hawaii. i am very new to saililng, and would consider myself almost completely inexperienced. i need someone to captain the boat. after the sale of my house, i have money for a boat and some upgrades, but i dont have a ton in the bank. i can not afford to pay someone to captain this boat. im sure i could pay for your airfare, and most of your living expenses, but im trying to do this as cheaply as possible. also, we will be filming the whole thing in HD and mailing tapes back to my brother, who is going to be launching a website, and editing in final cut pro, as we are trying to film a documentary, and obtain funding for a future project. he has technical and marketing degrees, so hes going to put those to use i realize this is very premature, and as of right now this is just a dream until 30 days from tomorrow when (if everything goes right) my house will close, and i will have enough to move aboard and undergo this trip. are there any delivery captains or other very experienced sailors who would be willing to pilot this boat, along with me (22 years old) and probably 2 friends, 26 and 34?? im sure that you will get frustrated at times, working with new sailors, but i think we would work as a unit quickly and efficiently. i am former marine infantry and do not foresee any proboems in learning to work the boat. i usually pick things up very quickly. my friends have varying levels of experience, but we're all very novice. i need someone with a lot of blue water experience who would be comfortable doing some shakedown runs and then taking off in an unfamiliar boat. hopefully someone who can teach all of us on the boat so that we can soon sail it ourselves. also, i may be possibly looking for another crew, but i would not be able to pay any expenses towards getting you there or home. is anyone interested in this? please, let me know. im trying to find people early, so that i dont find myself with two weeks to go, and no prospects for captain/ crew.

thanks!

[Boracay]

"my name is Ronnie, and i live in san antonio, texas."

Welcome to the Cruisers Forum Ronnie.

"this is a bit premature, but i guess i need to start making contacts now."

It all takes a long time. Good to start early.

" i put my house up for sale december 23, and it should go under contract tomorrow, so i should be moving back home to atlanta, ga, or with family in vermont by march 1."

"i plan on buying a tayana 37, or something of that nature. anyways, my plan is to depart south florida by may 1, if not possibly earlier."

Some serious research is in order. I strongly suggest finding a good surveyor who understands your needs before you start looking. Some brokers might "see you comming".

Now this is starting to go real fast. It took me three years to find my boat.

" im trying to avoid the bad weather, and if i plan and take my time and wait until after hurricane season, this dream will never happen. "

Why not? Whats the rush?

"my brother is in the air force in hawaii, and is getting out fairly soon, and im trying to be in hawaii to pick him up as soon as possible."

Moving even faster?

"i am looking to sail the boat from south florida through panama, to marquesas and up to hawaii."

Quite ambitious.

" i am very new to saililng, and would consider myself almost completely inexperienced."

Make that very ambitious.

"i need someone to captain the boat. after the sale of my house, i have money for a boat and some upgrades, but i dont have a ton in the bank. i can not afford to pay someone to captain this boat. im sure i could pay for your airfare, and most of your living expenses, but im trying to do this as cheaply as possible. also, we will be filming the whole thing in HD and mailing tapes back to my brother, who is going to be launching a website, and editing in final cut pro, as we are trying to film a documentary, and obtain funding for a future project."

So you want someone to do lots of work for nothing?

" he has technical and marketing degrees, so hes going to put those to use i realize this is very premature, and as of right now this is just a dream until 30 days from tomorrow when (if everything goes right) my house will close, and i will have enough to move aboard and undergo this trip. are there any delivery captains or other very experienced sailors who would be willing to pilot this boat, along with me (22 years old) and probably 2 friends, 26 and 34?? im sure that you will get frustrated at times, working with new sailors, but i think we would work as a unit quickly and efficiently."

Even more work for nothing.

" i am former marine infantry and do not foresee any proboems in learning to work the boat. i usually pick things up very quickly. my friends have varying levels of experience, but we're all very novice. i need someone with a lot of blue water experience who would be comfortable doing some shakedown runs and then taking off in an unfamiliar boat. hopefully someone who can teach all of us on the boat so that we can soon sail it ourselves. also, i may be possibly looking for another crew, but i would not be able to pay any expenses towards getting you there or home. is anyone interested in this? please, let me know. im trying to find people early, so that i dont find myself with two weeks to go, and no prospects for captain/ crew."

Unless I have this cruising thing totally wrong this is not the military. My plans are to take things real easy for a long time, and keep going if I can. There are some on this Forum who might think that I am rushing things.

Many of the discussions on this Forum have been about what you are planning. I'd suggest using search to find them.

I'd also suggest that you take a year to charter a few boats, maybe get a few lessons, do some in depth research and to think carefully about what you want really want.

[Ex-Calif]

Welcome aboard Ronnie and congratulations on having a plan, a dream and having the gumption to get going on it.

I have a little different take than Boaracay.

Maybe there is an experienced sailor out there, who is currently landlocked, who wants to get back on the water and would love to undertake this adventure with you. You certainly post like a level headed person and in different circumstances I could see myself taking a shot at it with you.

I'd say the hardest thing to find would be the honest, hardworking and experienced sailor that would like to do this basically for room and board. Not a completely bad deal.

Find him first and he may help you find the right boat - he certainly would have an interest in getting a good one. Then he could help you figure out how to put this together.

The next barrier is that you indicate a couple of times that you may be on a limited budget. You should try to get a good idea of what this will really cost all up and see if it's going to work.

There was a link posted here a while back about a couple who basically did what you are trying to do. That is they got a captain to come on the boat. The first guy they hooked up with was a dud. The second guy seemed reasonably competent. The boat couple though seemed like spoiled jerks and their blog describes them skipping out on some sail work or something they had done.

I don't have the link anymore but the point is what you are proposing is not unheard of.

Good Luck!

[CSY Man]

Got a Tayana 37 got sale next dorr. Price reduced from $85K to $50K.
Needs some work before passage making, but good start.

[ronniesimpson]

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
"Welcome to the Cruisers Forum Ronnie."

thank you.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
"this is a bit premature, but i guess i need to start making contacts now."

It all takes a long time. Good to start early.

yes, im trying to start as early as possible.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"

Some serious research is in order. I strongly suggest finding a good surveyor who understands your needs before you start looking. Some brokers might "see you comming".

thats good advice. i think i will contact a surveyor. my family just sold our 50 some-odd foot sea ray motor yacht that was kept in marco island. im going to check with my mom and see if she knows of any trusted brokers/ surveyors. i currently work in the motorcycle business, so i definitey "see people coming". thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
Now this is starting to go real fast. It took me three years to find my boat.

i have no problem being decisive and pulling hte trigger on a boat. i bought the 2nd house that i looked at, when i was home shopping. i tend to jump into things and usually still make them work.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
" im trying to avoid the bad weather, and if i plan and take my time and wait until after hurricane season, this dream will never happen. "

Why not? Whats the rush?

the rush is that im 22 and single. before i get in trouble again. (motorcycle tickets, some serious.) hurt again (been hurt many times throughout the past couple of years racing motocross and off road at a high level), get a girl pregnant ( im 22 and single, so thats a distinct possibility), i need to get out and start this, or else i just dont see it happening for me.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
"my brother is in the air force in hawaii, and is getting out fairly soon, and im trying to be in hawaii to pick him up as soon as possible."

Moving even faster?

not so much. i have over 18 months to get from florida to hawaii, i just dont wish to take that long.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
"i am looking to sail the boat from south florida through panama, to marquesas and up to hawaii."

Quite ambitious.

i usually am ambitious. i ran a full marathon when i was 15. i completed a half-ironman when i was 17. i was part of the 10% minority that didnt wash out in any of my recon training in the marines. i took a 22 hour semster at school while working full time. i tend to set ambitious goals and achieve them. hopefully, with some luck, i wil be successful in this latest venture.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
" i am very new to saililng, and would consider myself almost completely inexperienced."

Make that very ambitious.

is ambition a bad thing now?

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
"i need someone to captain the boat. after the sale of my house, i have money for a boat and some upgrades, but i dont have a ton in the bank. i can not afford to pay someone to captain this boat. im sure i could pay for your airfare, and most of your living expenses, but im trying to do this as cheaply as possible. also, we will be filming the whole thing in HD and mailing tapes back to my brother, who is going to be launching a website, and editing in final cut pro, as we are trying to film a documentary, and obtain funding for a future project."

So you want someone to do lots of work for nothing?

im sure there are some people that wouldnt consier sailing from florida to hawaii "nothing." in fact, there are many people sailing around the world for no apparent reason. in fact, theres even a big website and forum about it.....

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
" he has technical and marketing degrees, so hes going to put those to use i realize this is very premature, and as of right now this is just a dream until 30 days from tomorrow when (if everything goes right) my house will close, and i will have enough to move aboard and undergo this trip. are there any delivery captains or other very experienced sailors who would be willing to pilot this boat, along with me (22 years old) and probably 2 friends, 26 and 34?? im sure that you will get frustrated at times, working with new sailors, but i think we would work as a unit quickly and efficiently."

Even more work for nothing.

again, i dont really consider this voyage to be "for nothing." we will agree to disagree.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
" i am former marine infantry and do not foresee any proboems in learning to work the boat. i usually pick things up very quickly. my friends have varying levels of experience, but we're all very novice. i need someone with a lot of blue water experience who would be comfortable doing some shakedown runs and then taking off in an unfamiliar boat. hopefully someone who can teach all of us on the boat so that we can soon sail it ourselves. also, i may be possibly looking for another crew, but i would not be able to pay any expenses towards getting you there or home. is anyone interested in this? please, let me know. im trying to find people early, so that i dont find myself with two weeks to go, and no prospects for captain/ crew."

Unless I have this cruising thing totally wrong this is not the military. My plans are to take things real easy for a long time, and keep going if I can. There are some on this Forum who might think that I am rushing things.

i am well aware that cruising a sailboat is not the military. i never said it was. but successfully leading a 4 man fire team in a recon unit through 16 documented engagements in iraq at the age of 19 is, in my opinion, a valid character reference to my ability to promote small unit cohesion, stay calm in hectic situations, overcome obstacles and identify and solve problems that may occur.

Originally Posted by Boracay

"
Many of the discussions on this Forum have been about what you are planning. I'd suggest using search to find them.

I'd also suggest that you take a year to charter a few boats, maybe get a few lessons, do some in depth research and to think carefully about what you want really want.

the only discussion i really promoted in this topic was that of finding crew for my planned tip on my planned boat. i dont think a search is very applicable in this situation.

thanks to everyone for their positive, helpful and insightful replies. please keep all posts not related directly to crewing on my boat to PM's.

[bmiller]

First thanks for your service. My son is in the thick of it right now.

In a mere two posts you've shown as much or more character than most.

Hold on to your dream. Not a thing wrong with ambition. I wish you luck.

[Morgan Paul]

Hey Ronnie I like your "Gung Ho" attitude I wish I had it in my youth instead of pissing my youthful years away. A sailboat will slow you down in a good way.

Good luck man and thanks for serving my country.

Paul

[Pblais]

Ambition and hard work are requirements that is for sure and you clearly have that part ready to go. I can't see how anyone would have more than that. You seem to have the money and the boa almost worked out too.

In some respects you have to assume the duties of a captain even if you hire a qualified person(s) help on this trip. It means you have to be responsible and have duties to the the rest of the crew to see this through. I think you need to get going as soon as possible to complete all the planning this is going to take. Dreams are over at this point. It's about planning and doing not imagining. You have to start learning a lot and all the details of this trip. Someone else can help you but you have to plan it and oversee it and be responsible to see a list of things is completed before you leave:

Acquire the boat and obtain insurance, documentation papers, taxes, and registrations

Make any repairs required.

Add additional equipment.

Add spares and supplies.

Purchase and store food for the trip.

Conduct sea trials and exercises to certify for yourself the boat is sound and ready.

Train crew to be efficient in sailing operations.

Plan routes based on prevailing weather and current conditions.

Learn navigation skills.

Train crew is various duties that you won't be able to learn fully yourself in such a short period of time.

These are things you must do. You will need help but as the captain you have to assume the responsibilities and show the crew how well things will be and that they can do this trip along with you because it has been very well planned. How things feel now are all ideal and and great. The work ahead is to make them happen on the water with success. Saying you will has passed. Doing it has started. The calendar may not be working for you.

[ronniesimpson]

Paul Blais, that is exactly what im trying to do! thats really good advice, thank you. unfortunately, im still locked here in texas until february 20, when my house is supposed to close. im selling off motorcycles, furniture, "stuff", etc until then. after that i plan on going straight to (probably) ft. lauderdale after droppping off some personal affects in georgia. i plan on having 2 months to add solar and wind generators, probably a watermaker and radar if not so equipped, etc. i have a friend who is an electrician here, and quite a good one, so im going to fly him to the boat and have him help me out for a week or so with electronics and wiring. i should be having one of my diesel mechanic friends come out and overhaul the motor if necessary. also, hes going on the boat with us. i will be doing several shake down runs, probably sailing or even motor sailing as much as possible to gain more experience in that particular boat, and more experience in general. im working on getting my passport. i might try ft. lauderdale to key west, or maybe bahamas as a shake down run. thanks for the positive comments!!

[ughmo2000]

Best of luck Ronnie!

[CaptMark]

Hi Ronnie, I'm a Deliver Capt and Surveyor, I've made your trip many times in 30-45' sail and power boats. you will need some experience for the trip. It's NOT hard but can get harry out there in a few spots. I live in FL and I am moving to St. Thomas in March taking my 30' Hunter, I live aboard my 30' Hunter. I'll still be making my deliveries. if you need some answers or help with the boat. I'm close by and glad to help

[ronniesimpson]

cool, thanks for the reply. i was going to leave from florida, but my house still isnt sold, and im getting kind of rushed, so im going to be leaving from the west coast now, instead of florida. im flying out to san diego on wednesday to go on a sea trial of a boat im really interested in. if its what i think i want, and everything checks out, im gonna get it. like i said, its in san diego. instead of going to hawaii via florida, im now planning on leaving for hawaii from san diego in july-ish.

[HAwkcharter]

Semper Fi ronnie! Welcome to the forum.

I wish we had the time and space to explain; all of the dumb things I have done sailing, since I got out of the USMC. If I did, you'd still be reading it in july when you are hoping to "kick off" for Hawaii.
It is a lot better to hear you are planning to get some ocean practice days under your belt, before you leave. Yes, you'll make mistakes. You may even find some hardships.

In reading the previous posts, you may take some as negative or even a bit tainted.

BUT,
You are familiar with the "spirit" of comraderie that exists in the Marine corps. A similar spirit exists in sailing men. I would wager to say, ANY ONE of the people posting to your questions would absolutely rush to assist you, if you were troubled on the waters of the big pond.
Just as a fellow marine might assist other marines without question, and offer cautionary advice, so in their own way is the intent of the forum members here.

Sailing on the waters is a lot more complex than it may first appear, but you will learn that for yourself, in good time. While I have no doubt as to your ability to adapt and conquer, none want to see casualties. End of explaination.

My brother hired a "Captain" to assist him transporting his newly purchased 50 footer south from NJ to Fl. a few February's ago. They nearly sank transversing Oregon Inlet, quit there and he went south to Hatteras Inlet. I joined up with them at the dock. When I asked to see the Captains papers......he didn't have any. Moral of this story, "trust but verify."

Good Luck Marine!

pm me anytime.

[GordMay]

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[CaptMark]

Thanks GordMay, I am on that list with Boat US. glad you mentioned it to the readers here.

Capt Mark Smith