Crew Wanted: Captain and Caretaker

[LADYHAWKE]

I am seeking a single or cple to live onboard and maintain 68ft ketch docked in Curacao. Will include sailing while I am onboard for a week or two every couple of months. The rest of the time it is just keeping the boat clean maintaining the systems and britework. (about 20 hours per week) If you are interested please contact me at hwlak@aol.com

[anjou]

OH I would if I could.

[SeeYa]

As long as you don't regret not having done it, Anjou!

[anjou]

Im already regreting not having done it. Hows wet and windy South Yorkshire this morning?

[beachgirl1952]

Hi Howard, good to see you here too ...

I'm sorry I can't be of any help (I guess?), boatsitting is more my "thing", because I still have my rented apartment ...

see you at HH next time? sorry I missed you last time ...
let me know when you're back on the island ...
greetz,

[dega]

Good day to you all.Im new to begin with ,so please understand if I seem out of place here.Iv been reading through the threads and have come across some very wise and witty comments relating to all posts.From Ireland I am 40 years younger caught in a place a kin to a rock and a roll.Im looking to get out of Ireland peroid.I have been fortunate to have been introduced to sailing recently and cannot stop thinking of it.Im looking for people taking on dependable amature crew to sail to another life .Im fit as a fiddle.Love a laugh ,drink more coffie than beer and feelin my days are as slow as a wet week.
sms...dega
thank you .

[beachgirl1952]

this AM I was at Seru Boca, talked to LadyHawk ...
she said she was lonely, just by herself ...
told her to be patient ...

she looked OK though ...

[tjp2167]

My girlfriend and I are looking to be in the caribbean this fall. I am a sailboat Captain out of Seattle, WA and my girlfriend manages and cooks at local farmers markets. If you are still looking for caretakers, please give me a call or send an e-mail.

Sincerely,

Tim Pauley
610-764-4577c
tjp2167@yahoo.com

[captainpauly]

Any luck yet ladyhawke, I know someone who may be interested.

[LADYHAWKE]

sorry to all if I have not responded but have been travelling will respond next week

[Jolly Roger]

I for one had completely given up on receiving any reply to your free forum posting, and have moved on. So I have no compunction in telling you what I think of your “caretaking” position.
Firstly, I don’t care how busy you have been, to take so long to reply is downright rude, and shows a carelessness which will get you the boat bum you deserve.
You clearly don’t care about the privacy of respondents, having given everyone each others address. Consequently this reply is going out to all the others, and it will be interesting to see how many “serious” people agree with me. Have you never heard of BCC?
From my experience, your offer smacks of the type of person who begrudges having to have anyone on board, unpaid or otherwise. You are obviously disgruntled with your previous “experiences,” yet you don’t even bother to tell us what kind of boat you have.
A 68 foot ketch takes more than 20 hours work to upkeep, So if you are only prepared to pay small wages for small work, you will finish up with a small person, doing a small job.
A dare say many will be happy to trade living in paradise for 20 hours a week, but it sounds like you expect them to become a recluse for the remaining 148 unpaid hours?
You might find your professional caretaker, by first exhibiting a little professionalism yourself.

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

......From my experience, your offer smacks of the type of person who begrudges having to have anyone on board, unpaid or otherwise. You are obviously disgruntled with your previous “experiences,” yet you don’t even bother to tell us what kind of boat you have.
A 68 foot ketch takes more than 20 hours work to upkeep, So if you are only prepared to pay small wages for small work, you will finish up with a small person, doing a small job.
A dare say many will be happy to trade living in paradise for 20 hours a week, but it sounds like you expect them to become a recluse for the remaining 148 unpaid hours?

A bit of a non-sequitur here, methinks. On the one hand you say you are not told what sort of boat it is then in the next para you say that a 68 foot ketch will take more than 20 hrs a week to maintain (which I agree!)

I personally wouldnt call the Seru Boca area "paradise". Once you've done the yacht club and the couple of restaurants down there, there aint a helluvalot left. You'd really need a car if you wanted to explore the "paradisical" parts of Curacao.

[Jolly Roger]

I think my response is very relevant to the issue.
A sixty eight foot ketch could be anything from an old wooden gaff whaler to a modern GRP sailboat equipped with automatic everything, yet Ladyhawke waits six weeks to respond to applicants for his ‘caretaker’ and still gives no further information. I have met many owners of large boats who secretly resent having to have someone look after it, so they pay the lowest, then grumble that the crew were not “professional,” whereas it is the owner who lacks professional employment skills. It is my guess we have one of these here.
I skippered a seventy seven foot Alden some years back, and it took a darn sight more than twenty hours just to keep the equipment running. So what is the caretaker to do when the owner arrives and finds something not quite right, because the poor fellow ran out of time doing what he was—or was not, paid for? There also seems to be some doubt about that as well.
The other issue I took exception to was his long delayed and then communal reply, which gives everyone who presumably responded, everyone else’s e-mail addresses. Some might not bother about this, but when applying for any job it is normal to keep applications confidential, not blasted it all over the internet. I have since received an apology, privately, so I guess we can forget that computer slip up.
It will be interesting to hear the sequel to this story from whoever gets the job—how it turns out, and how long it lasts.

[LADYHAWKE]

After reading the replies from Jolly Roger I could not help but respond on this forum. I sent Jolly Roger a private apolgy for putting the emails out there. I made a mistake and thought I was sending them only to each person. I am sorry it happened but come on now every one makes mistakes and again I am sorry it was mine. As to my timing to replies that is my business. It is only the owner who has to determine the time frame. The job applicant can then decide if it fits his or her schedule and if they want the job. The only investment the applicant has made is a posting or a email. If that seems like a lot no wonder 20 hours seems like a very short time to get anything done!!! Ladyhawk is a beautiful classic custom fiberglass sailing boat. She was built in the mid 80s and I did a total refit on her 6 yrs ago. Since then we have put on new masts and all new running rigging. Last year we put in a new cummins diesel, new trans and then had her generator rebuilt. The engine has less then 50 hours on her and the genny about 10. I have just arrived in Curacao to check her out as I do every couple of months. She has been washed and cleaned while I was gone and the AC and refridge systems were just serviced. The toe rail could use a cple of coats of Varnish (its been 6 months) other then that she looks as beautiful as ever and everything works. Maintaining a yacht in a marina does not entail as much work as a boat at anchor. Batteries need to be checked once a month. The engine and generator need to be run once a week. Windless and winches checked periodically etc etc etc. 20 hours should be fine unless something breaks or stops working. At that time what to do can be determined by communication.

Now for the last time I have nothing against good crew. I have had them and still remain friends with a couple of them.I have always paid a fair wage and given praise when earned. The problem does none the less exist that the Caribbean does currupt. Too much booze and too many women. When crew behave in the proper manner there are no problems but when they start to believe the boat they live and work on is just a playhouse for them and their friends there are problems.When one keeps a boat in a marina and uses it as I do only every couple of months for a week or two it is hard to justify a full time captian and that cost. That is why I advertised for a part time caretaker. It is the perfect time frame for someone that wants to work part time in the yachting community as well as part time on board and have a place to live. No one is ever forced to work somewhere they do not want to. All this crap about low pay and over work is a joke. No one takes a job with out knowing the details and facts of course the owner takes the chance that the person seeking the job is what they say they are. To sum it up the person I hire will have a good job at a fair wage for as long as it is good for them and for me.

[Pelagic]

Thank you Ladyhawke for a reasonable reply to a poster who’s nose is obviously out of alignment.

Good luck on finding the right caretaker with a positive attitude