Atlantic Crossing.

[casual]

I,am at an impass,as to my thinking.I,am preparing for an Atlantic crossing come spring 2013.Originally three of us were going all well know friend's.
Unfortunately one died,a tragic occurance,the other has a medical condition that has progressed to the point I,do not feel comfortable having him along,I,am 66 in good general health with a few ortopedic related conditions.
Now do I,seek a different crew my concern is the compatability factor and
,the health of the person,how does one assure them self that the person selected is in good health mentally and phisically,not to be offensive is asking for a doctors bill of health going over board? Option two Solo,I have crossed to the Bahamas Solo a couple of times and went on one 8 day solo voyage,I,am aware what a 2nd set of hands can do.
I,am not trying to prove anything just scratch an itch.From the post on the Forum,I,know many of you are experienced Ocean Voyagers,perhaps you have faced a simuliar sitituation,especially concerning new crew,I,would appreciate your input.
Thanks so much.

[sv Shearwater]

Can't help regarding crew, but we just crossed the Atlantic eastbound this summer and it was fantastic. To encourage you to scratch your itch we made 4 videos documenting our crossing. www.svshearwater.com

Actually, I do have a thought regarding crew. I would think with more than 6 months to go that you could find crew and have the time to get to know each other well enough to determine if there are health or compatibility issues. Take a jaunt over to the Bahamas for a week this winter and see how it goes. You have a big advantage over the solo guy in the Azores with a sign that said "need crew, leaving this week". How do you suppose that turned out?

[casual]

Originally Posted by sv Shearwater

Can't help regarding crew, but we just crossed the Atlantic eastbound this summer and it was fantastic. To encourage you to scratch your itch we made 4 videos documenting our crossing. www.svshearwater.com

Actually, I do have a thought regarding crew. I would think with more than 6 months to go that you could find crew and have the time to get to know each other well enough to determine if there are health or compatibility issues. Take a jaunt over to the Bahamas for a week this winter and see how it goes. You have a big advantage over the solo guy in the Azores with a sign that said "need crew, leaving this week". How do you suppose that turned out?

Great Shot's on your site,Thanks a bunch,By the way can I,borrow your mate strictly for Foredeck Work,LOL.Thanks

[Dockhead]

A crossing like that alone is about 10x tougher than doing it with a couple of other sailors. You are always on watch. It's a great test of endurance which some people like, but would certainly not be for me, although I am younger than you are and perfectly healthy.

But you should have no problem finding crew -- you'll probably get to choose from a list of people wanting to have such an adventure. You've got plenty of time. Just put up a notice in the Crew Wanted section here (and don't post your email address in the clear!!).

You'll have time to meet and interview people. If you take the leading candidates sailing for a weekend, you should be able to tell whether you are compatible or not. I have found lots of crewmembers on the Internet, and knock on wood never a single bad experience so far.

[sv Shearwater]

Originally Posted by casual

Great Shot's on your site,Thanks a bunch,By the way can I,borrow your mate strictly for Foredeck Work,LOL.Thanks

Well, two funny stories about that...

First, my wife and I met because she is so good at foredeck. I had just bought a 30' race boat and I wanted to do a double-handed race that was strictly for one male, one female (Jack & Jill). Naturally, I asked my now wife if she was interested because frankly I had no idea how to work the front of the boat. All I knew how to do was steer. We've been together ever since.

When we bought this new boat we decided she would do more steering and I would do more foredeck. Trouble is, I'm terrible at it. We ended up with the spinnaker in the water trying rip the rig out of the boat, twice, while I was up front. We HAD to go back to her on the foredeck before I killed us both.

[Capetinho]

Originally Posted by casual

I,am at an impass,as to my thinking.I,am preparing for an Atlantic crossing come spring 2013.Originally three of us were going all well know friend's.
Unfortunately one died,a tragic occurance,the other has a medical condition that has progressed to the point I,do not feel comfortable having him along,I,am 66 in good general health with a few ortopedic related conditions.
Now do I,seek a different crew my concern is the compatability factor and
,the health of the person,how does one assure them self that the person selected is in good health mentally and phisically,not to be offensive is asking for a doctors bill of health going over board? Option two Solo,I have crossed to the Bahamas Solo a couple of times and went on one 8 day solo voyage,I,am aware what a 2nd set of hands can do.
I,am not trying to prove anything just scratch an itch.From the post on the Forum,I,know many of you are experienced Ocean Voyagers,perhaps you have faced a simuliar sitituation,especially concerning new crew,I,would appreciate your input.
Thanks so much.

I'd have to politely decline to provide a doctor's certificate, if only because any physician who would certify my mental health wouldn't be trustworthy anyway!

Would be interested in discussing this with you. Will be in south Florida in about six weeks if you'd like to meet up.

[casual]

Originally Posted by Capetinho

I'd have to politely decline to provide a doctor's certificate, if only because any physician who would certify my mental health wouldn't be trustworthy anyway!

Would be interested in discussing this with you. Will be in south Florida in about six weeks if you'd like to meet up.

Give a shout,when u arrive tckiaataoldotcom

[GaryMayo]

Go with someone that has done that trip before. Several times. Crew? An old salt for experience and a younger person that is not afraid of work and listens to instructions. Pretty gal that can cook would spice things up nicely. That leaves you in the middle to pick up the slack and have a good time.

Go alone? To prove what? Mount Everest is littered with the bones of people with nothing to prove, and the great oceans of the world are no strangers to lost souls. There is prudent and there are bucket lists. If this is a bucket list, make it your last thing to do.

[casual]

Originally Posted by casual

Give a shout,when u arrive tckiaataoldotcom

I,would have the same problem.

[S/V Alchemy]

I like the idea of three as it means you have the minimum plus one.

I also like the idea of a Skipper who knows the boat; a veteran in reasonable health/strength who knows the sea and has done the passage; and a younger person for vigour/strength (say, 40 or younger) who is looking to jump from lake/coastal sailing to oceanic passagemaking.

That to me is a good combo. Staggered watches of three to four hours give enough sleep to ensure stuff like cooking, stowage and repairs get done and that napping at the helm is far less likely.

Solo? Just buy a red sports car, it's safer if you want to make a horrible warning of yourself. There's no compelling reason to do it, especially on well-travelled sea lanes.

Needless to say, while a Cabo Rico is a good choice, I would opt for both vane and AP and spares to spare. Both may break, more than once, in a three-week passage. Hand-steering is for harbours and approaches and bits of the chart that aren't entirely blue.

[Auspicious]

I think you would miss out on some of the real beauty of a passage if you go alone. You won't be rested enough to appreciate the experience.

My first Atlantic crossing no one on Board and crossed an ocean before although a couple of us had some hops under our belts (Newport - Bermuda, FL - MX, Annapolis - NY).

Crossing the Atlantic is like going for a day sail and forgetting to go home at the end of the day. *grin* <- this is a joke.

For crew I have had quite good luck with Offshore Passages Opportunities ( Offshore Passage Opportunities: Halesite, New York ).

[xdeeman]

Casual - I promise I am not trying to be the grammar Nazi, but your posts are really hard to understand with all the commas - drop the commas and add some periods when you finish a thought and the messages will be much easier for us readers to understand.

I wish you the best of luck finding some healthy crew to join you. I would discourage you from going solo.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by casual

...how does one assure them self that the person selected is in good health mentally and phisically,not to be offensive is asking for a doctors bill of health going over board?..

1. You are the captain of the vessel and are ultimately responsible for safety of the vessel and crew. It is your responsibility to do what you need to do, in your best judgement, to assure that safety.

2. I think requiring a medical evaluation for a long crossing is not unreasonable, especially given that the potential crew member's health is somewhat suspect, and that this can be requested diplomatically. If they don't like it -- refer them to Point 1 above.

I have been in the position of having to remove good friends as potential crew. They were not happy about it, but they understood. I did my best to handle it diplomatically and we are still friends.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

I have been in the position of having to remove good friends as potential crew. They were not happy about it, but they understood. I did my best to handle it diplomatically and we are still friends.

You are fortunate. I lost two good friends due to issues during a passage.

On the other hand I have made some tremendous friends - five or six - during passage with crew found on sailing fora and crewing services.

I guess I'm ahead, but I still regret losing my friends.

[Rocketman]

Casual,
I don't think that you will have a problem finding a crew, but finding the right crew may be more challanging.

First off you need to determine what makes the perfect crew for you. For some it maybe experiance, youth, age, personality, others it might me health. Only you know what you are looking for so when you post your "Crew wanted" Post be very specific on what you are looking for.

For me, I would want personalitys to be the first obstical, then experience, then physical ability. Do you want a female or even all female crew. How about a husband wife combo. I would hate to spend a month or more on a boat with someone that had all the experince in the world but I could not stand to be around.

Also, why do you want to do the trip? Is this a bucket list thing? What do you plan to do once you have completed the trip? Sail back? and in what time frame?

Before I would go on a day sail with someone they would have to answer all of these questions before ever seeing or intervueing anyone.