Crew Available: Skilled Engineer/Electrician Would Like To Crew On Your Boat Across the Atlantic

[Teknishn]

Am looking to crew for a boat sailing from the Med to the States in March or April 2017. I am an American citizen that is repatriating to the US after living in Egypt for 19 years. Could take a flight back, but thought getting some blue water experience would be a more fun and alternate way to go "Home" after all these many years away.

About me. 54-years old, no medical problems, physically active. smoker (which I am continually trying to change). In the yacht repair industry so I understand yacht and boat technical systems. Retired US Navy IC-man (basically an over-educated marine electrician) proficient at electronics, electrical, piping and plumbing systems, hydraulics, welding and metal fabrication, and diesel engines.

water sailing">Blue water sailing experience? Zero. Owned a couple of sailboats back in the States years ago and sailed the Lower Chesapeake Bay for about 10 years. I understand coastal sailing and sailing theory, but also realize that Blue Water sailing is a totally different animal altogether and I would be on a learning curve. That, and I've been away from sailboats for the better part of 20-years.

Now reading all of this, there is probably absolutely no reason why anyone would hire an old guy like me to crew their boat, right? Yeah, an old guy that is still healthy and active, has an understanding of sailing systems (and will need direction on any particular boat, which is normal), proficient at techincal systems, and comes cheap!

Am looking for passage back to the States, as previously mentioned. I only ask for room and board, work me hard and teach me as well, let me cook a time or two, and pay for dinner on the odd night out in port. I pay for airfare from here to wherever the boat is located in the Med.

The responses to this post should be interesting indeed!

Kind Regards Ya'll

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Am looking to crew for a boat sailing from the Med to the States in March of April 2017. I am an American citizen that is repatriating to the US after living in Egypt for 19 years. Could take a flight back, but thought getting some blue water experience would be a more fun and alternate way to go "Home" after all these many years away.

About me. 54-years old, no medical problems, physically active. smoker (which I am continually trying to change). In the yacht repair industry so I understand yacht and boat technical systems. Retired US Navy IC-man (basically an over-educated marine electrician) proficient at electronics, electrical, piping and plumbing systems, hydraulics, welding and metal fabrication, and diesel engines.

Blue water sailing experience? Zero. Owned a couple of sailboats back in the States years ago and sailed the Lower Chesapeake Bay for about 10 years. I understand coastal sailing and sailing theory, but also realize that Blue Water sailing is a totally different animal altogether and I would be on a learning curve. That, and I've been away from sailboats for the better part of 20-years.

Now reading all of this, there is probably absolutely no reason why anyone would hire an old guy like me to crew their boat, right? Yeah, an old guy that is still healthy and active, has an understanding of sailing systems (and will need direction on any particular boat, which is normal), proficient at techincal systems, and comes cheap!

Am looking for passage back to the States, as previously mentioned. I only ask for room and board, work me hard and teach me as well, let me cook a time or two, and pay for dinner on the odd night out in port. I pay for airfare from here to wherever the boat is located in the Med.

The responses to this post should be interesting indeed!

Kind Regards Ya'll

good luck on a very informative and I think, generous offer. I hope you get your ride.

[Dockhead]

Your skill sets are a great asset on any cruising sailboat. There are always things to repair and maintain, and a mechanically apt person is rarer than a decent sailor.

The main thing which a boat owner looks for in crew for an ocean crossing is someone to share in all the different kinds of work, and especially, to take turns at standing watch. You don't need to be a great sailor to stand watch, especially in a trade winds passage. The sailing you need to know can be picked up along the way.

So in my opinion what you have to offer is very good, and I wish you luck in finding a berth.

You might want to offer to share provisioning costs -- there are various different schemes for this, but on a trip which is not a delivery, most usually all the crew offers to share all these expenses. If you are short of money, it's possible that you could offer instead to come a couple weeks before departure and do mechanical or electrical work the owners aren't capable of doing.

Different boats have different policies about smoking and drinking underway, but many boats will have a problem with the smoking. That's the only significant minus I see in your resume. Might be a great time to quit. We have been known to tolerate smoking on our boat, but I have burn holes in my teak deck as a result, so being a smoker is not considered a plus. Many other boat owners will have similar attitudes, I think.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

[Teknishn]

Dockhead,
Thanks for your post. As I stated in my original post I could just catch a flight back to the States.....so not short of money here on that account. Life would be so much more interesting doing a blue water passage than sitting in a bunch of airports.

In your post you mentioned sharing provisioning costs. Have never crewed on a blue water crossing before so am unfamiliar with the provisioning systems in place. But am agreeable to paying my fair share. No problem there.

Yeah, the smoking thing. Am working on it.

And drinking while underway? Sorry, that's a big NO unless the boat is at anchorage for the night and not going anywhere until the next day. Stuff happens on boats, we all know that, need to have a clear head to take care of the boat.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Dockhead,
Thanks for your post. As I stated in my original post I could just catch a flight back to the States.....so not short of money here on that account. Life would be so much more interesting doing a blue water passage than sitting in a bunch of airports.

In your post you mentioned sharing provisioning costs. Have never crewed on a blue water crossing before so am unfamiliar with the provisioning systems in place. But am agreeable to paying my fair share. No problem there.

Yeah, the smoking thing. Am working on it.

And drinking while underway? Sorry, that's a big NO unless the boat is at anchorage for the night and not going anywhere until the next day. Stuff happens on boats, we all know that, need to have a clear head to take care of the boat.

Concerning cost sharing -- there's no law about it, so it works however you agree with the owner. I'm just giving you examples from practice -- on deliveries, sometimes the owner or delivery captain feeds you and sometimes even pays your airfare, and rarely even pays you a fee. Depends on how bad he needs you and how valuable your skills are. You might find a berth like that based on your mechanical/electrical skills, which I say again, are extremely valuable on anything which floats. When not delivering, but cruising for fun, usually (but not always) expenses are shared, which ones exactly depends on your agreement. For something like the ARC, or participating in an ocean racing series, which are highly coveted berths, very often crew pay a significant contribution to the other expenses on top of provisioning, fuel, berthing. But as always, it's whatever you negotiate.

Concerning drinking -- different boats have different policies. My boat is absolutely dry on passage, for exactly the reason you mention, but definitely not in port. Some people drink wine with dinner on long passages like a transatn when there's little risk of bad weather. Some people drink beer 24/7. It really just depends on the style of the boat. Also, when I'm offshore for a few days and get into the rhythm of it, I start to not want to see land again at all. So saving drinking for ports is also kind of a special treat I use to motivate myself to even go back in. Helps to overcome "Moitessier Syndrome".

Concerning smoking -- my mother died young from emphysema. So I'm not going to say anything more on that subject.


Anyway, good luck. Sounds like you have a lot to offer, and hope you find a good berth on a good boat.


P.S. "Looking for a ride" sounds like being a passenger. You might have better luck with a thread title like "Skilled Engineer/Electrician Looking To Help You Sail Your Boat Across the Atlantic"

[Teknishn]

Dockhead,
Point well taken about the title of my post. Will repost under the title that you mentioned.

FYI, and I think I said this before....am retired, can catch a plane back at anytime, got no place to go in a hurry, and just want to go have another adventure.

Am going back to the States to move aboard a little pocket-cruiser on the Chesapeake Bay and to meet a daughter that I've only reconnected with recently after 28 years. That, and Egypt is not the place that it was before the 2011 revolution.....so, time to go.

An Moitessier Syndrome? Was a bit like that when I was living in Egypt's Eastern Desert for nearly a year doing archaeological work...almost hated coming back to civilization.

[Teknishn]

Dockhead,
Please delete this post as Moderator. Will be reposting under a different post heading. Thanks again for the advice.

[lookinggoodrock]

Hurricane season is not a great time to cross the Atlantic!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Dockhead,
Please delete this post as Moderator. Will be reposting under a different post heading. Thanks again for the advice.

I changed the thread title for you. No need to delete the thread, as it could be interesting to others. You can add whatever you like in a new post. Cheers.

[Teknishn]

Yeah, Hurrican Season....Didn't think about that. (See? Have been in Egypt too long....we have Sand and Dust Storm season, but no hurricanes. Need to get back to a different reality.) So will adjust my timeframe from the original post to anytime between April and September of 2017.

[Teknishn]

Hi Dockhead,
Please delete this thread as I had already started another one under the same title before you changed the name of this thread.

Thanks for the good advice! :-)