Contributions when volunteering as crew

[JPA Cate]

To me, this is not about stingy. It is about local custom. The custom where goboating now is, is similar to the custom that was in place in the San Francisco Bay area when I first began sailing. Skippers didn't want to singlehand, so they made crewing attractive by providing food and beverages. Overnight and weekend events, they provided all meals and beverages. Crewing was an ideal pastime for an impoverished newly divorced person, because you only had to get there, and for me, that meant a 1/2 hr. bike ride, to a parking lot where the bike could be secured. Sometimes the skipper would even drive me and the bike home afterwards. In those days, I also rode my bike to work in clement weather.

It is a cultural difference, as there is for supper invitations. In America, if I invite someone over for supper, I expect that they may bring a bottle of wine to share. As a cruiser if invited over for supper, I always ask what can we bring? In France, it would be an insult to the host and/or hostess to bring wine because it would imply that the hosts didn't know or care enough to provide the right wines for the courses. And even within France, I would expect there to be differences among economic groups, subcultures, as it were. Out here in Australia, among the cruisers if invited over for drinks, one brings one's own beverages and something to eat to share, unless asked not to.

Even potlucks, are different here from the States. Here everyone brings their own main dish, usually meat, doesn't have to be a type of dish supplied event, AND usually brings something else to share. No one seems to mind if there are 15 chocolate cakes because no one wanted to organize the event. Here the beach potluck is different. None of this dish to feed 6 or 8 sort of thinking.

There are local customs surrounding food and drink wherever you will ever go, and they reign supreme...unless you want to try an impose your (foreign to them) values on them.

Ann

[cdreid]

I need someone to carry the cement while i set up my nephews playhouse and someone to dig the trench for my dog's invisible fence. You can sleep in a spare bedroom but ill need "contributions"....

I could see offering to bring your own food/drinks. Anything more than that youre a paying passenger and he needs to have your breakfast prepared whenever you decide to wake up

[goboatingnow]

Good idea. I need a fence erected at home. Please supply posts

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

To me, this is not about stingy. It is about local custom. The custom where goboating now is, is similar to the custom that was in place in the San Francisco Bay area when I first began sailing. Skippers didn't want to singlehand, so they made crewing attractive by providing food and beverages. Overnight and weekend events, they provided all meals and beverages. Crewing was an ideal pastime for an impoverished newly divorced person, because you only had to get there, and for me, that meant a 1/2 hr. bike ride, to a parking lot where the bike could be secured. Sometimes the skipper would even drive me and the bike home afterwards. In those days, I also rode my bike to work in clement weather.



It is a cultural difference, as there is for supper invitations. In America, if I invite someone over for supper, I expect that they may bring a bottle of wine to share. As a cruiser if invited over for supper, I always ask what can we bring? In France, it would be an insult to the host and/or hostess to bring wine because it would imply that the hosts didn't know or care enough to provide the right wines for the courses. And even within France, I would expect there to be differences among economic groups, subcultures, as it were. Out here in Australia, among the cruisers if invited over for drinks, one brings one's own beverages and something to eat to share, unless asked not to.



Even potlucks, are different here from the States. Here everyone brings their own main dish, usually meat, doesn't have to be a type of dish supplied event, AND usually brings something else to share. No one seems to mind if there are 15 chocolate cakes because no one wanted to organize the event. Here the beach potluck is different. None of this dish to feed 6 or 8 sort of thinking.



There are local customs surrounding food and drink wherever you will ever go, and they reign supreme...unless you want to try an impose your (foreign to them) values on them.



Ann

It’s not the case as you lay it out , the context is everything

When you are invited to a meal , you are turning up to be handed a nice meal and drinks without being expected to do anything. Hence as a “ thank you” you bring a gift. This transcend all cultures. The French are happy to take a bottle of wine by the way ( we had a boat in France for years )

Crewing , you are expected to contribute to the running of the boat. You are not a “ guest “ that’s the key difference.

As a quid pro quo , it would be reasonable to provide the crew with simple snacks , water , soft drinks or a beer etc. you would not expect crew to bring “ snacks “ not withstanding some might anyway. It would be a mean mean skipper that expects a crew to work all day without providing some subsistence

Again this is not cultural. Work expects compensation , however little. Again this is trans cultural. Guests bring “ thank you “ gifts which you share out while they brush up their sun tan, “employers “ on the other have say “ thank you “ for your effort in however small away.

I’ve no time for skippers/owners who think it’s so great you got to crew on their boat , that they expect you to compensate them. Off to the tower with them.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

It’s not the case as you lay it out , the context is everything

When you are invited to a meal , you are turning up to be handed a nice meal and drinks without being expected to do anything. Hence as a “ thank you” you bring a gift. This transcend all cultures. The French are happy to take a bottle of wine by the way ( we had a boat in France for years )

Crewing , you are expected to contribute to the running of the boat. You are not a “ guest “ that’s the key difference.

As a quid pro quo , it would be reasonable to provide the crew with simple snacks , water , soft drinks or a beer etc. you would not expect crew to bring “ snacks “ not withstanding some might anyway. It would be a mean mean skipper that expects a crew to work all day without providing some subsistence

Again this is not cultural. Work expects compensation , however little. Again this is trans cultural. Guests bring “ thank you “ gifts which you share out while they brush up their sun tan, “employers “ on the other have say “ thank you “ for your effort in however small away.

I’ve no time for skippers/owners who think it’s so great you got to crew on their boat , that they expect you to compensate them. Off to the tower with them.

The thing is, the difference between crew and guest isn't a clear line. Most often for a day sail crew volunteers for the pleasure of everyone on board. They are guests as much as crew. Who brings the food usually falls to who wants to, because someone usually just wants to as their way to see that everyone enjoys themself. Often, multiple people or everyone brings something.

This is also true of racing, where they are a team. Even a big race, for example when I was in the Pacific Cup, my crew spent about $1000 total to provision as a contribution to me and insisted that I not help, and that practice was common on other boats as well. I didn't expect that, but they volunteered it, as they had done in previous years crewing on other boats.

However, on the well-funded big boats, the owner would pay for provisioning, and sometimes even have fully paid professional crew positions.

One thing to be very clear about in the US though. And the USCG document posted in post #3 was NOT clear on this. You do not contribute money, unless every person on board, including the skipper, contribute the same amount. This becomes very sticky when the skipper is chartering a boat for a day sail, and friends come along. It's fine to divide the cost of the charter equally, if the skipper is contributing an equal amount to everyone else. And it is fine for the skipper to pay the charter in full by them themself. But, if guests/crew pay the skipper anything other than an exactly even split of the actual costs, then it is now a charter boat for hire, and falls under those regulations.

With that in mind, I wonder if the original ad was really an unlicensed charter operation, trying to skirt the law by calling the payments voluntary donations.

[Sailing Hanse37]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

It’s not the case as you lay it out , the context is everything

When you are invited to a meal , you are turning up to be handed a nice meal and drinks without being expected to do anything. Hence as a “ thank you” you bring a gift. This transcend all cultures. The French are happy to take a bottle of wine by the way ( we had a boat in France for years )

Crewing , you are expected to contribute to the running of the boat. You are not a “ guest “ that’s the key difference.

As a quid pro quo , it would be reasonable to provide the crew with simple snacks , water , soft drinks or a beer etc. you would not expect crew to bring “ snacks “ not withstanding some might anyway. It would be a mean mean skipper that expects a crew to work all day without providing some subsistence

Again this is not cultural. Work expects compensation , however little. Again this is trans cultural. Guests bring “ thank you “ gifts which you share out while they brush up their sun tan, “employers “ on the other have say “ thank you “ for your effort in however small away.

I’ve no time for skippers/owners who think it’s so great you got to crew on their boat , that they expect you to compensate them. Off to the tower with them.

We have regularely guests on our boat. Very good friends come to the Canaries in january to spend a week on our boat. We do not expect compensation but cost sharing for food and drinks. Why do you find this abnormal ? We have a budget to respect. Good friends are always welcome and find it absolutely normal to share expenses. They are not working as you suggest, they are having a good time and a fine week of holiday without need to go to a hotel or rent an appartment.

[ItDepends]

I think the answer is "It Depends."

I certainly understood always that for someone putting together a competitive, and reliable race crew at the club level, having the owner supplying food was part of the deal. The higher the level of crew needed, the better the food had to be.

But I was NEVER a racer, and in my world, when my pickup crew were going out for a day sail, crew were assigned things to bring. None of my crew "expected" to be fed. It was just an organized lunch time potluck. I am sure that varies by location, and personality of the owner.

The question, "Can I bring anything?" is never, ever, out of place.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Sailing Hanse37

We have regularely guests on our boat. Very good friends come to the Canaries in january to spend a week on our boat. We do not expect compensation but cost sharing for food and drinks. Why do you find this abnormal ? We have a budget to respect. Good friends are always welcome and find it absolutely normal to share expenses. They are not working as you suggest, they are having a good time and a fine week of holiday without need to go to a hotel or rent an appartment.

These are “ guests” not crews you said it yourself. I clearly differentiated between crew and guests and you clearly did not read what I wrote.

[goboatingnow]

Again folks. , volunteer crew get fed , guests contribute. Crew work the boat under direction , guests may opt out of boat running.

Crew are typically fed whilst onboard , guests contribute in return for “ being guests “

[GBR134]

The only answer is it depends!

There are circumstances where a Skipper is seeking crew ‘cos he needs help for the days trip and is persuading ‘crew to help him’ and circumstances where a Skipper is prepared to ‘take’ additional crew who are keen for the ‘experience’ because he is trying to defray costs!

I’ve been invited on ‘trips’ because the inexperienced skipper needs my experience to help him. I don’t expect to scrounge but I don’t expect to pay. I’ve baled out skippers who couldn’t make the required passage without my experience and don’t expect to be out of pocket as well as donating my time and experience. I’ve jumped at the chance of paying my way to join a good crew to sail as crew in a regatta or make an exciting trip!

We have ‘mates’ aboard for a ‘holiday’ we pay fuel, docking and all boat costs - all food and drink is shared.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by fsuklee

Well to be clear they are not asking me to pay. I took it as if you want to kick in that would be ok. I was just trying to gauge what an appropriate amount might be. It is just a daysail so no long term commitment on either side.

If it's a day sail just bring a couple of roasted chooks for lunch...or something like that.
If they others are vegans and you are not at least you have something to eat.
Don't overthink it.

[Fore and Aft]

GoBoatingNow my teenage boy did a weekend yacht race recently and I happily purchased the crew and skipper take out lunch/dinner on the second day. The owner offered to pay but anyone who puts up with a 15-year-old for two days deserves a reward. That was the only thing we paid for the rest was all covered.
Cheers

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

GoBoatingNow my teenage boy did a weekend yacht race recently and I happily purchased the crew and skipper take out lunch/dinner on the second day. The owner offered to pay but anyone who puts up with a 15-year-old for two days deserves a reward. That was the only thing we paid for the rest was all covered.
Cheers

As I said context is everything