Crew Available: Young Couple Looking to Cost-Share Through the Caribbean

[erehmann]

We are looking to cost share a 2-3 week sailing trip through the Caribbean. While we have no sailing experience at this time we are quick learners and physically able. We are looking to sail sometime in the fall of 2012 but are very flexible about a departure date. We are looking for like-minded people who want to explore the islands and learn about the people and cultures therein as it will be our first time there.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions (we've never posted on this kind of thing before ;o) or if this is in the wrong section!

Thanks for reading!

[welshdiver]

Hi we are heading to Florida at end of Feb for 3 months & hoping to get a catamaran in that time & will head to the Caribbean for a few months & for as long as our funds last, are you looking to hire a boat or do you intend to get one ? We will also be looking for people who wish to share costs & have no time scale or where they end up in many ways as we will keep heading south out of the Hurricane season around may / june.
send me a PM if you wish to know more

[svBeBe]

erehmann,

My wife and I did about the same thing in the 80's. My suggestion is to find someone you know or be sure that you get to know them before you meet at the charter boat.

We were friends with a couple that had just enough sailing experience to be "approved" by the Moorings in Tortola...and BTW, it was not much. My wife and I took sailing lessons before we departed to the BVI for the charter. The offer I made the couple was that I would pay for everything if they would teach us what we needed to know to handle the sailboat ourselves.

Long story short: We chartered numerous times, many with the same couple. We shared costs on all future charters. We bought a new yacht in the Moorings fleet, sold it after 5 years and financially favorably. We bought our current Amel 53' and a year later I retired...we are currently 3/4ths of the way around the world having visited 47 countries on the way.

If you cannot find a friend for your first charter like we did, you might consider finding another couple like yourselves, then all take lessons. Moorings will provide a check-out skipper for a day to make sure that you can handle it, and you will be off on your adventure. I think the best place to do this for your first time is to charter out of Tortola in the BVI because most of the sailing is in fairly protected areas between islands and the islands are mostly less than 5 miles apart...very easy and lots of fun with predictable winds from the E to SE at around 15kts...perfect.

Hope this helps

Bill
Currently in Cyprus

[erehmann]

SvBeBe:
Thank you for your message...Sounds like you had great luck with your sailing adventures! (I'm terribly jealous of the trip you are on right now...it sounds amazing!) Thank you for your advice...we have run the idea past a few friends about all chartering a boat but so far no takers...so we thought we'd try our luck on here. We still have a year to convince someone though ;o) Thanks Again!

welshdiver:
Sending you a PM!

[brianontheroad]

It's the the Caribbean but two friends of mine take crew on a shared expenses basis, check out Keturrah and Karaka (two different boats) Karaka is in Mexico and will be refitting and cruising the pacific this winter and Keturrah is in South Africa, both good captains, knowledgeable and used to having crew along

[erehmann]

BOTR: Thanks so much for your suggestions but we had our little hearts set on the Caribbean in some description ;o) Thanks for your reply though!!

[RicknSue]

If you are thinking about a charter split- we might be interested for next fall. 40 something married couple.
Let us know, and we can discuss further.

[Highland Fling]

You do appreciate the Fall is in the middle of the Hurricane season...............not really a good idea.

[Rakoerber]

Originally Posted by RicknSue

If you are thinking about a charter split- we might be interested for next fall. 40 something married couple.
Let us know, and we can discuss further.

Planning BVI next fall or winter probably late Nov, early Dec, or mid Jan. It will be our 3rd charter. Celebrating 30 anniv and 50 bday same time.

[erehmann]

Thanks everyone for your replies....PMs to come!