Crew Wanted: Panama (East Coast) Sailing North Mid to late Dec/early Jan

[frazerhalliday]

Hi,

I'm in the final process of purchasing a 50" Gulfstar CSY and will be moving it North soon after taking over the vessel initially up to Jamaica.

I'm looking for some pleasant crew to help with what will be a tough 5-7 day sail north.

I will pay all the boat expenses and fuel but crew will be paying a share of the food and drink and their expenses.

I’d prefer for the crew to join for a few days before the voyage and am happy for them to stay on for a bit at the other end and even longer if we get on.

I’m 30, (English/South African) and easy going, looking for a fun crew to do the crossing and if we get on to stay on and do some exploring of the island/islands of the Caribbean. It will be a dry boat for the crossing but a few beers either side will be the order of the day.

I’m Yacht master offshore but this is my first boat so please let me know of your experience/background as that will help me put together the crew. I plan on leaving end middle to late December/early Jan in a weather window and will not be rushed so not ideal if you are on a schedule.

Crew must be clean and tidy and boat friendly… proof of funds for onward travel and travel documentation will be required.

I’m due to arrive in Panama w/c 10th December and will be in the Shelter Bay area.

Get in touch for more details…

Kind regards,
Frazer

[atoll]

try posting as well on
Yacht crew agency, yacht crew vacancy, sailing crew from Crewseekers

[Bambolera]

The north winds (aka Christmas Winds) during that time period will make the trip difficult to say the least. You may want to postpone the trip a few months. April would be best.

[frazerhalliday]

Yea, agrea it won't be an easy passage hence why I said it would be tough and we're not on a schedule. Will wait for a weather window and cruise panama and surrounds until we get a gap. The boat is currently out of the water and is being surveyed on Sat 24th. I will keep the thread up to date with progress so people know what's going on and can check on progress.

[Bambolera]

I live in Panama. If you have the time, you might want to leave from Aruba, by way of Santa Marta, Colombia. You will improve your angle to the wind and put yourself in a favorable current. You would also pass through the beautiful San Blas islands along the way.

[frazerhalliday]

Sounds like a plan...!

[Evelyn]

Hello Fazer,

Yes, we are interested. I have sailed the Great Lakes for 25 years. I have minimal salt water experience ( 1 week in the Florida Keys ). Our current vessel is an Endeavour 37 ketch which we spent the last 3 years restoring. We wish to get more ocean experience before we take our boat south in June 2013. We are both retired and can be flexible with scheduling.

John and Evelyn
email piffletoo@aol.com

[dldaley]

Hey! Was very excited to see your post- my name is Logan, I am currently traveling around the west coast of South America but have been looking for an opportunity to sail back as close as I can get to the United States so that I don't have to fly as far home. Have been yearning for the chance to get further educated in sailing and travel a great distance like you are doing now. I am a very very hard worker, have been doin manual labor all my life, and am a very eager and patient learner. If you have room for me I would be very excited and willing to travel north to meet you where you are docked. Look forward to hearing from you! - Logan

[frazerhalliday]

Just to keep you up to speed, the survey has been pushed back to Wednesday due to some poor weather. I'll update again as soon as I het any more detail. Thanks to all theat have responded so far, I think I've contacted everyone but if not I will get round to it as soon as the survey info gets back to me and i can confirm the trip is on.

[mixedbyalex]

Hello Frazer,
thank you for posting this amazing opportunity.

I am 47 year old freelance photographer with a very flexible schedule. I have been sailing all of my life just about anything with a stick. With that said, I would consider my level of experience: Medium. In the past five years I purchased three used sailboats which I restored, upgraded, and enjoyed to eventually sell for profit. I am not afraid of the ocean and do not get sea sick. I have my Bareboat Cruising Standard ASA 104 certification and foulies.

Sincerely,

Alex

[BarryM19]

Frazer - Congratulations on your purchase. My name is Barry (I am Canadian - check out my short post on crew available "stranded in Florida" if you get a chance to get an idea of my current situation). Briefly, came down to help with a friends purchase of a catamaran we we're planning on completing a possible circumnavigation with. Unfortunately things didn't go well with his survey (unforseen structural damage scuttled the deal) so i'm left holidaying in florida seeking another sailing adventure. I have a solid mechanical background - GM mechanical trades/engineering which i would hope could be useful in initial voyage. I am easygoing, like reading, exploring. young 53 can fit with younger crowd but not immature.
Hope your survey went better than my friends. Hope to hear from you. Oh, I also agree with the post recommending sailing towards Aruba to pick up more favorable conditions. We had planned on seeing the San Blas Islands too.Of course no smoking, no drugs, occasional pint of ale would be ok. Hope to hear from you.

Barry Medwid

[frazerhalliday]

Hey everyone, here is the latest.

Survey came back clean so due to fly out and complete the 15th December after a handover. Work have requested me to support them from Panama for the duration or December and as such I'll need to be close to a Decent WIFI for the remainder of December. This may change the plans to head North straight away, so now I guess it's more about people joining for the trip who are less worried about the destination. Any longer passages won't be until the new year...

Bit busy now formalising things here in the UK and will as ever keep the thread updated for those still interested to follow.