Crew Available: Filmmaker leaving Hollywood to sail

[tmeeks]

Hi,

I'm a filmmaker (http://www.torreymeeks.com) who's basically tired of the rat race.

I've been wanting to solo-circumnavigate the world since I was 16-years-old (now 30), and studied Boat Building at a technical college in the NorthWest my final year of high school.

I served in the Army as a medic and have medical skills that I can put to use in emergencies.

I solo sailed a small 25-foot sailboat in the Puget Sound quite a bit in my teens, and understand all the basics of how various sails and sailing strategies work. I'm a bit rusty, and I need to learn how to navigate, which is why I would like to find an experienced captain to crew under.

When I was 23 I helped deliver a 37-foot boat (forget the kind) from Cape Cod to Kittery, Maine. It was an incredible trip and my first blue water trip, we went through some heavy seas, and it reaffirmed my lifelong dream to go sailing around the world one day.

Anyway, I'm at a time in my life when I want to do this. I would like to bring some small cameras and film my experience in more relaxed moments, if the captain and other crew are okay with it.

I can meet up with boats in any coastal area in North America, and do not care where it's going.

I work hard, have a good attitude, read and write a lot, know how to repair both wood and fiberglass boats, and know how to coexist well in tight conditions with other (Army helped with that).

Looking for a bit of a sea vagabond's life right now.

[delmarrey]

tmeeks,
Welcome aboard. I'm sure you'll find lots of good info and help here. And good luck on your new adventure.

[rebel heart]

For whatever it's worth, the real sea vagabonds I know (that you're probably trying to get in touch with) aren't really on the Internet. They're sitting on anchor out at local points surfing during the days and fixing crap in the evenings. My two cents would be to get yourself into a foreign country's cruising grounds. From there getting on a boat, provided you know someone to make some introductions with, should be relatively easy.

You could probably just grab a handheld VHF and hop on one of the local morning radio nets and find a spot that way.

Regardless, good luck. Make sure your passport is current!

[cruiser_wannabe]

I suggest joining a crew for the ARC (Atlantic cruising rally). I am sure you could uncover some good stories.

[tmeeks]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

tmeeks,
Welcome aboard. I'm sure you'll find lots of good info and help here. And good luck on your new adventure.

Thanks

[tmeeks]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

For whatever it's worth, the real sea vagabonds I know (that you're probably trying to get in touch with) aren't really on the Internet. They're sitting on anchor out at local points surfing during the days and fixing crap in the evenings. My two cents would be to get yourself into a foreign country's cruising grounds. From there getting on a boat, provided you know someone to make some introductions with, should be relatively easy.

You could probably just grab a handheld VHF and hop on one of the local morning radio nets and find a spot that way.

Regardless, good luck. Make sure your passport is current!

Awesome, thank you for this advise. I was thinking about renting a liveaboard in Marina Del Rey, if I sat down on the water there for a month with a VHF do you think I'd be able to find something, or is LA no good for this sort of thing?

[tmeeks]

Originally Posted by cruiser_wannabe

I suggest joining a crew for the ARC (Atlantic cruising rally). I am sure you could uncover some good stories.

Cool thanks I'll look into this.

[gettinthere]

Talk to Torre at The Sailing Channel. He may be able to connect you to someone interested in helping create a doc.
Be aware, there is VERY little money in any of this unless you get hooked up with a cable network, which is almost impossible as they have totally gone NIH.
Interested in shooting a Cuba sailing doc? I can connect you there...

[tmeeks]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

Talk to Torre at The Sailing Channel. He may be able to connect you to someone interested in helping create a doc.
Be aware, there is VERY little money in any of this unless you get hooked up with a cable network, which is almost impossible as they have totally gone NIH.
Interested in shooting a Cuba sailing doc? I can connect you there...

Nice, thanks for the heads up about money. I'm leaving most concerns of Western civilization behind, and don't care about money as long as I have enough to take care of my basic needs. I have a decent cushion of savings, so as long as I can crew for berth and board, I think I can go for quite awhile.

A Cuba sailing doc sounds really intriguing. Please feel free to email me the details at torrey.meeks@gmail.com.

This is more a journey of personal discovery for me than an opportunity to make a film, so if the project isn't what I'm looking for right now it has nothing to do with the merits of the project.

Thanks!