Crew Wanted: Preliminary Contacts. RTW From FL Jan 2019

[DennisDW]

Greetings Friends,
Our beloved Cambria 44, Colleen, is headed off on a round the world cruise in January of 2019.

My name is Dennis Wilcoxon and I’m a happily married 60 year old optometrist. I mention this because Mrs W. will not be going, though she may visit along the way. I would like to be clear that I am not, under any conditions looking for companionship, just crew.

Colleen will be leaving St. Petersburg, Florida for the western caribbean and the Panama Canal. We’d like to transit the canal and be on our way to the Marquesas late March or early April. From there to Tahiti and the rest of French Polynesia. We’ll not linger in the South Pacific as we’d like to make a quick trip around following the World Arc 18 month schedule, more or less.

I would be pleased to receive replies from folks who might like to join for part of the trip or even the whole trip if the chemistry is right. Singles or couples, non-smokers and drug free of course. This is a non-paid offer. It’s a fun trip, like chartering in exotic places without renting a boat. The only financial requirement is to be able to get to the boat and get home as needed. Maybe chip in for a share of groceries too. All other ship’s expenses are mine.

If this sounds like fun, please send me a private message and I’ll fill in more details. The 5 months to departure will just fly by and I’d love to start talking to sailors about it soon.

Thank you,
Dennis

[Debbie Miller]

Dennis,
Sounds like a fabulous trip and I would be interested in discussing. Just finished up a platonic crewing from Antigua to Annapolis. I am an excellent cook and an easy-going sailor. How many crew are you looking for? I think it's always nice to have a couple of people. Looking forward to hearing from you and hearing more about your boat and your trip. Deborah

[DennisDW]

HI Deborah,
Thanks for the reply. I'd like to keep a crew of 4 aboard, myself included. One person and a couple would be ideal as they could fill the forward cabin. I'm sure the numbers will change through out the trip.

I'll send you a private message and then we can talk further on our personal emails.
Dennis

[RealSailing]

Mid-60s couple, retired, interested in joining for part of the trip. Please see profile and let us know more by private message.

[msraynes]

Dennis,
I am a retired educator (63 yo), US Coast Guard veteran, and have only sailed in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. My whole life I've dreamed of doing some water sailing">blue water sailing. I'm married, but wife would not accompany me. I currently reside on Hatteras Island NC and would be available in the time frame you quoted. I am definitely interested in part of the trip, if not all of it. I'm in great health and in good shape.
Mike

[DennisDW]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for your reply to my add for crew. I've been gratified to have several people interested. It will take, I'm sure several rotations of crew to get Colleen 'round the world.
Here's a prepared note for your further interest. If you'd like to talk more about it send me a private message to get my personal email.

I've wanted to sail around the world since I was 17. Finally I may be able to. I've lived aboard through college and graduate school and several years of work. Living on a boat was terminated by love and marriage but not regretfully as wife and family are the best.

I found, sailing single handed from St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres MX several times, that single handing wasn't really what I wanted. I sold the Alajuela 38 and bought the current boat Colleen, a Cambria 44, in 2012 so that I may sail with crew. It's been a grind of rebuilding and refurbishing since then to get her in offshore cruiser mode. 'Nearly there.

I expect to leave St. Petersburg at the end of January, 2019 or early February and sail to Isla Mujeres. It's off to Providencia Is. Colombia and then the Panama canal. I'd like to transit the canal in March and head for the Marquesas there after. My overall itinerary would follow the World Arc path and schedule for an 18 mos circumnavigation. It’s a pleasure sail, not an expedition trip and alterations and flexibility are more likely than not.

Our Colleen is a comfortable 46' cutter that draws 5'8" board up and 10' board down. She sails very well and is remarkably similar to a Swan 47 of the mid 80's. And autopilot is available for motoring and a Monitor wind vane for under sail. I’m a good hand at all repair and have rebuilt the boat. I know her inside and out. Sails are new. Mast has been pulled and refurbished. All rigging is new. Engine’s old, but has less than 1000 hours on it and runs like a top.
We have a refrigeration system and a separate freezer system on board. Solar and wind provide daily amp hours and we have a 30 gph water maker which runs off a portable gas generator. Accommodations consist of a double berth forward. A pullout double berth in the main salon and two single quarter berths in the aft cabin, of which the starboard is mine. There are two heads and a separate shower in the aft head. One should not suffer privations too greatly aboard.

I have sailed extensively locally and the gulf of Mexico with trips to Cuba, Mexico, Bahamas and the keys, tortugas and gulf states. My core crew is available to provide reference to my character as a skipper. I prefer non-smokers aboard. Colleen is not a “dry” boat and a cocktail at 5:00 is normal procedure however drunkenness is not. It should go without saying that no illicit drugs of any kind will be tolerated and in that vein, I reserve the right to inspect crew’s baggage at any time. Guns are also not allowed aboard. I could lose my boat in a foreign port for both of those things.

I thank you for your interest in Colleen and sailing with us. It should be a fantastic trip

Cheers,
Dennis

[robmo]

Let me see if I have this right, you're a 60 yr old optimist who is looking to do some RTW chemistry on a boat, but you don't want any companions, just crew. I hope the boat you're choosing is larger than an Optimist. I'm a chemist and I can't for the life of me find any element in the periodic table with the symbols RTW. As you may know, all the elements have only two symbols. Oh well, I wish you luck my friend, but I should mention that if you are planning a sea voyage, you should be pay greater attention to physics than chemistry.

[john61ct]

Not sure why snark is called for, best to discuss real concerns in a sincere manner.

Personally I think just saying "no sex expected" would be clearer, obviously crew should provide each other genuine companionship.

I wish the OP success in their quest.

[Steven UK]

Pm sent

[Esther-Vincent]

Dear Dennis,

Sounds like a perfect plan! We are two enthusiastic sailors who will cross the Atlantic with the ARC in November. We are looking to sail on to Colombia from the Caribbean in January. Does that fit your schedule?

Esther has been dinghy sailing and teaching all her life, and Vincent recently restarted with yachts. Esther has a yachtsman ICC and VHF certificate and is experienced coastal skipper. She was a skipper in Greece, Croatia, Sicily and sailed together with Vincent in Belgium and the Netherlands. Vincent is a diver and tidy housekeeper/cook. He has done coastal training and can be a watch keeper. We are eager to learn and to tribute our share.

We are on a one year trip around the world without flying, and hope you will be part of it! Check out our blog to get to know us a little more.

www.ophort.wordpress.com

[Philip Hoag]

I am interested. I have recent off shore sailing experience from Fort Lauderdale to Charleston, SC on a 41 ft. Passport. Experience doing watches. I am a scuba diver, 22 year EMT, fireman, good cook, resourceful, good with maintenance. Don't smoke, do no to drugs. Rarely drink; only socially. Male, 5'11', 132 LBS. No health problems.

Philip Hoag
406-223-1699

[Cubro0204]

Thank you for your consideration, I have sent you a PM with more information.

Curtis

[HFWK]

PM sent. I look forward to hearing from you.

Harold