Crew Available: Doing the Ditch

[LTGoshen]

Hi, my name is Curtis. My wife Deb and I have been together for 25 years. We have our children almost on there own. "Ha-ha" The baby is 13. Any way, we want to begin our dream of live-aboard lifestyle. We both have spent a lot of time around lakes in Georgia with power boating. We want to learn to sail. We will go to school this spring for ASA 101 / 103 -104 .
WE were wandering if there is anybody needing a great 45 year old couple to travel with them next year. We have to take vacation time. That means we will meet you on your schedule and jump ship when our time is out.
We will work our buts off and pay our way. Split food, fuel etc. Dock anchorage fees and the like.
Just let us know your plans. And we will arrange some time to go.
Thanks again drop us a line.

[Liberty28]

You didn't explicitly state that you wanted to go up/down the ICW, although your title implies it. I would suggest you check out some of the boat clubs and marinas that are on or near the ICW for boats heading out. There is usually a mass exodus of boats going north and south depending on the season. The ICW isn't probably the best place to learn sailing since most of it is motoring, unless you go outside in which case you're technically not doing the ICW anymore. The Seven Seas Cruising Association at
SSCA Discussion Board :: View Forum - Crew Exchange
has crew positions but usually for long voyages. The problem is that most people don't advertise for crew since the ICW isn't that big of a deal. A single-handler might want some help in steering if nothing else.

Just off the top of my head, Deltaville on the Chesapeake and Oriental in North Carolina have a lot of boats "resting" and might be a good spot to check. It would be kind of fun having company on the boat when doing the ICW since it's a bit of a drag, especially the Georgia stretch (sorry).

There are a ton of boats that do the ICW each year, so you should be able to find someone who would want company. Good luck in your quest for a ride!

Cheers
Steve

[Sunspot Baby]

By "next year" do you mean the fall of 09?
How much time do you plan to take off of work?
PM me with info, we might work something out for you to ride along.

George

[LTGoshen]

You are right. I know there is not much wind and most do it by motoring. The exact reason I think it would be a good start for Deb and I.
I need to introduce the whole experience to my wife. I think a motor meek would be safer and less likely to crush her ambition she may have for the sport.
I will spend some time learning and getting my confidence up to speed this spring.
O.K I will come out with it. In the winter of 1986 we went to Peter Island BVI Virgin Islands Map - US and British Virgin Islands . Well I wanted to go sailing, the resort had a little "sunfish" 2 person sailboat. So Deb and I went. It was a disaster we turned it over had to be rescued. It was horrifying to deb. So I have to take some time with her to help her find confidence in herself and in me. I thought it would be safer and more calm in the ICW?
A way to get our feet wet with too much drama.

[waverider]

I would recommend that istead of doing the Ditch, you and your wife Charter a Sailboat in the BVI's or Bahamas with an experienced Captain and Crew. The Ditch wont give you any sailing experience so you might as well be in a power boat.

There are some great rates on Charter boats of 32 to 36 feet and depending on the Charter Company there are some very affordable Captains/Crew in the islands. The great thing about this is you will experience sailing in a large boat ( no chance of getting wet, like the sunfish). You will spend your nights having cocktails on board and days snorkeling and swimming in tropical blue/green waters.

The lifestyle of Cruising is so rewarding that you need to show her the best of it. Sitting on deck under the stars, skinny dipping at night or day...lol, local culture, aquatic life, and even the enjoyment of simply rowing the tender (dingy) ashore for a day on the beach.

Depending on your budget you should be able to Charter a boat and Captain for around $ 3000 to $ 5000.00 if you look hard enough. Good luck and welcome to the lifestyle.

Life in flipflops and bikini tops!!!

[97octane]

Originally Posted by LTGoshen

Well I wanted to go sailing, the resort had a little "sunfish" 2 person sailboat. So Deb and I went. It was a disaster we turned it over had to be rescued. It was horrifying to deb.

Ah yes... the good ol' Sunfish Knock down! Been there done that.... but if your going to go over in a boat, the SunFish is the most fun you will ever have doing it.

Good luck on finding a ride! I will be in a similiar position as you late next year. Keep us posted and let us know if you get hooked up.

[AnchorageGuy]

I strongly suggest you stay with your plan to do sailing lessons. Forget hitching a ride unless you want to derail your plans altogether. A trip with strangers that does not turn out well will drive her away forever. Do day sails with local folks in your area or visit some of the coastal towns and find Captained daycharter boats until you have the skills to charter a boat your self. First for day sails then longer term like a week or more.

[LTGoshen]

Thanks for your input.
I am not sure about the hitching a ride being a bad thing, We tend to get along with everybody we meet. We love adventure.
We don’t smoke or have any real bad habits. I grew up in ClearwaterFlorida I have spent weekends on Sailboats, Back in the day. I do own a power boat my self. I have had to offload weight to free myself off sandy bottoms in the past. Not completely green. However I will get the schooling to become competent under sail.
Again thanks again. The wisdom in appreciated

[AnchorageGuy]

Your lack of ability or skills or personalities have no affect if you wind up on the boat from hell and many times you won't find out until it is too late. Not saying it happens all the time but it does happen on a regular basis. The guy that is super friendly with cocktails in the cockpit can become Captain Blye as soon as he gets under way. So don't limit your self to one option.

[LTGoshen]

Your right.
What the hell was I thinking??

[LTGoshen]

Well did you go??

[Pblais]

So Deb and I went. It was a disaster we turned it over had to be rescued. It was horrifying to deb. So I have to take some time with her to help her find confidence in herself and in me.

No to worry! We did it three times down in the Caribbean Sea. Turtled the boat but good and the third time was a Cat. That was a bit ago but in the end we found the reason we liked it more than the reason we didn't. You do need a reason to want to go farther than you did the last time to make this all work. So you have a bad time once or twice but when you see the good part, the bad part falls away.

[sarafina]

Oh Goshen, The first time I took Himself out in a lazer for a lesson he turtled it... and was mortifyed and alarmed. We were able to right her but we had 4 aboard so there was enough weight to flip her back upright. Last weekend we took our (new to us) keel boat out alone for the first time and after her came about the first time and saw that he wasn't going to tip her over he was just thrilled with himself. A keel boat and a little sunfish or lazer is a whole different deal. Honestly, the Sunfish were MADE to be capsized... really, if you don't dump one once in a while your not trying hard enough... so don't feel bad at all.

[LTGoshen]

Thanx for the kind words. I have the Well craft 18' open bow for sale locally.
I Hope we can crew some this fall and winter on LanierLake in north Georgia.
I have the confidence that with our next boat like a 25’-27’ weekend boat on a local we will gain the experience and the courage to bare boat some on the Gulf like Destin or Ft Walton.
Again you guys are so nice thanks again.

[po6ert]

frankly the best thing in the world are references. i always ask for them. it is a real danger signal if these are not availble ask thereference about competence , verify experience claimed. frequently more is claimed than is actual. look at the boat is it clean? is full of bright work to be maintained. skippers should be sailors not gimmick and gadjet oriented. read "the voyage of the spray" not cruising world. simple is best complex is alot of work! Chappell claimed the spray was unseaworthy experience has proved him wrong. read "wanderer" by sterling hayden

To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. "I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

remember if you want a cruise ship experience take a cruise ship. voyagers are people who find the voyage to be the ultimate reason. the destination, secondary.

the hardships and obstacles are the very meat of the experience. yachtsman seek the next marina and bar

read the "seawolf ' by jack london ask yourself was the voyage worth effort

po6ert