Crew Available: LOOKING TO SAIL AWAY

[amandabillotti]

Hi guys, my name is Amanda. I'm 25 and a marine scientist. I've lived in a few interesting places and traveled around a bit, so I'm used to living in small, shared spaces. I also lived and worked on an 80ft sharpie schooner with captain and crew for a season. I love all things above and below the water. I'm looking to do a transit. I want more sea time, but mostly I want to get to the warmer weather! I'm currently in the NY/NJ area but willing to leave at any moment. I have no restrictions aside from traveling to Australia for my masters program at the end of February. If you are interested in having me as part of your journey, please feel free to email me at s0847594@monmouth.edu.


Cheers,

Amanda Billotti

[CelticQuest]

Hi,
My wife and I sailed into the San Blas Islands from Curacao about 5 years ago and quickly learned why it is called the “velcro coast”. We fell in love with the Kuna indians and their beautiful islands. We are returning for the 5th time in about a month and are considering including another sailor or two. We have about 5000 miles under the keel and enjoy sharing our lifestyle and the security of having another capable adult on board if conditions demand it.


Sailing the San Blas is challenging and not typical of sailing in general. The San Blas archipelago is made up of 700 islands, reef strewn and often very shallow. Sailing is limited to daytime hours with the sun high overhead. West to east passages are almost always under power because of the trade winds and resulting eastern swells. We typically anchor for 2 or 3 days at one island then sail for a few hours to another favored anchorage. We sail with our dog and take her to a beach once or twice a day. We spend time fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, reading and listening to college level lectures on a wide variety of topics. And we typically watch a movie most nights. We shy away from political issues and discussions. We have many cruising friends and often join potlucks and group activities—like the happy hour trash burning (its got to be done.) Fresh fish, lobster, chicken and eggs are usually available in the islands along with staple foods. Anything else has to be provisioned.


The boat is a 38 ft. Leopard catamaran that is well equipped for offshore passages. Equipment includes: water maker, ICOM 802 SSB/ham enabled, EPIRB, Garmin Inreach, VHF, Raymarine instrumentation-including chart plotter, radar, depth sounder/fish finder, and AIS class B. One kilowatt of solar panels, wind generator, and high output alternators. We also have TV, stereo and BBQ, fishing and some diving equipment. We also have fairly complete first aid equipment and supplies.


If you are interested in joining us for a few weeks after reading the above, tell us something about yourself, your interests, time availability, and financial self-sufficiency. What we are looking for in a sailing companion is someone who can enjoy the lifestyle described above. Easy going, cheerful attitudes go a long way on any boat and there are always boat chores everyday and there are inconveniences if something breaks that have to be dealt with.


We reached out 2 years ago and had a deluge of interest and had to decline many people we truly would have enjoyed accompanying us.


Thank you for your interest and we truly hope you meet the opportunity of your dreams, no matter whether it is with us or others.


Dick and Suzi

[amandabillotti]

Dick & Suzi,

Thank you for responding to my post! It sounds like you guys have it figured out! I love the Island life and being able to disconnect and I'm honestly missing the stars. I was able to see the entire Milky Way every clear night in eleuthera. I love adventure so it's not about the destination as much as it is the journey for me. Meeting new people and experiencing new things along the way is always my goal. I'm a hard worker and have experience on boats and on the water in all different capacities. I've been home working in an office for almost a year and it's killing me. Luckily I was accepted to a masters program at JCU in Australia so I'll be heading there at the end of February. Aside from that I don't really have much holding me here. Where is the boat docked and what is your timeframe like?

Ps I love that you have a dog onboard! I was always excited when the captain brought his dog on the boat. The hardest part of traveling is not being able to bring my pets with me so it's comforting to have an animal there.

[CelticQuest]

Hi Amanda,
Yes, cruising is much more about the people you meet than the beautiful places you visit. We have a flight Nov 14 back to Panama, then about a week to provision then look for a good window to travel. We sail to Portobello for the night, then a day sail to Chichame, just inside the archipelago. From there we make contact with the cruising community and decide where we want to go.