Crew Available: Best island/marina in the Canary Islands to find a boat for Atlantic crossing

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by Adamant

If you succeed, then write the truth about your trip here on the forum. The truth.

As opposed to everything else here on the forum? You are really expecting sailors to not spin a yarn? Killjoy...

[chubby]

curious..


what is a normal/customary fee to charge....ummm.. hitchhikers/paying crew on a crossing?

[JMRmarinero]

Greetings - been there done that - so I'll share my experience - this time of year in '97 - already had lifelong experience sailing but never an ocean crossing sailing - (high seas (Bering Sea & Gulf of Alaska) experience tho' as AK fisherman some seasons and later as on board observer/biologist).


I agree that Las Palmas- Gran Canaria offers the highest probability of success - I got there I believe around mid Oct and was there 3 weeks - stayed in a cheap pension near the center and ate mostly at a nearby workers bar - my plan was - as is of many - to find a berth on a boat doing the ARC - when I arrived and started walking the docks there was hardly anyone else doing same- boats for the ARC were just starting to arrive plus boats leaving the Med - about a week later then quite a few new faces showed up doing same - among them a good number of females - who - surprise surprise I would see a couple days later installing themselves on board a boat that had earlier told me they were full haha - and yes they will get on board faster than a guy will.. well a number of folks had said they were under the impression that that year most were more organized crew wise than earlier years - you may have luck if some tell ya that if last minute someone doesnt show up yo could get a spot - I did turn down an offer from a couple of young guys who didnt convince of me experience nor did the condition of the boat - so dont be to quick to say yes - you may regret it if the others on board and or the boat becomes a nightmare - also found some folks - prefer to take someone with little or no experience so they could train you there way rather than risk discussions or challenges to their authority from someone with lots of experience - anyway - turned out I had no luck at all getting on an ARC boat - but didnt give up - the day after the ARC boats left - found a note on the bulletin board near the entrance from a french man looking for crew and share in food expenses - you bet I grabbed that note and found the boat - retired french engineer that had built the boat himself in warehouse in Paris - 36' shoal draft swing keel sloop - purposefully overbuilt hull - thick - well put together - and head had done the crossing a number of times and heading to Martinique- he had a german gal onboard he picked up in Portugal to help him get to the Canaries and needed a third hand for the crossing - we chatted - I looked at the boat - the vibe was right so next day checked out of the pension , got aboard - we went food shopping -he purposely didnt plan on using refrigeration - so Spain is great with the cured cheeses and meats - it was a great learning experience provisioning etc - eggs last longer than you think especially if coated with oil - potatoes and cabbage last a whille sure near trips end it was a lot of canned tune and rice or pasta - fished lots and by trips end didnt want to see/eat another Dorado/Mahi mahi for a year haha - and we left that afternoon for the next island over to spend the night and head offshore the next day - 21 days and 2700 nm later arrived in Fort du France - in general good trip - had some becalmed days in the ITCZ - make sure you got good reading material - also we discovered that at about 500 iles offshore the German gal was starting to freak out being so far from land - also a few days out and getting into the Trades there are some huge following seas for a stretch - which really freaked her out and we had to work on getting her no to look back in that case - and to just focus on steering straight down the face of the waves - her nervousness kept her from sleeping which was a concern as we needed her well rested for her watches while we slept - we did a rotation of an hour each during the day due to the tropical sun - and 2 hours at night - we were both pretty sick of her by the time we arrived and he ordered her grab her stuff to accompany him to clear customs and get off the boat - I stayed on two more days and got my flight to USVI to spend Xmas at my moms house - hope some of that you might find useful - good luck!

[Tiki21]

JMRMarinero, thank you for sharing your experience!

I will try to find a boat/captain that need an extra crew before I leave. It doesn't have to be across the Atlantic, but it's convenient to fly to Canaries from northern Europe.

I have sister in Virginia, a brother in New York City and my girlfriend is spending the holidays in NW Florida, so getting off the boat once in the Caibbean is no problem.

/Kp

[Adamant]

There is some man wants to go from Lanzarote, Canaries vía Cabo Verde to Brasil. Nice trip. If you interest let me know.

[Tiki21]

Thanks Adamant (and everybody else for their input)!

Luckily I found a boat and capten through Crewbay. I’ll cross with ARC in the racing division. Capten and boat seem very professional.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Tiki21

Thanks Adamant (and everybody else for their input)!

Luckily I found a boat and capten through Crewbay. I’ll cross with ARC in the racing division. Capten and boat seem very professional.

Take lots of pictures...to go with the story...which you will post here...we'll all be waiting!!!!

[Tiki21]

Days are filled with preparations....

[Breeze Dreamer]

How was your voyage? Could you let me know as might do it this year if I get an opportunity with a good skip.

[Breeze Dreamer]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Tiki21, you didn't mention anything about yourself, and your profile is blank. It goes without saying that if you have sailing and bluewater experience, or skills like diesel mechanic or electrical/electronics, then you would be more likely to be wanted as part of a crew. At the very least you should be fit, healthy, and clean.

Catching a ride on a sailboat is not like hitchhiking in a car. You aren't just along for the ride...you are part of it. You are asking someone to feed you, give you a berth, and be responsible for your life. What do you offer in return?

And the flip side is that there are boats you do NOT want to go on. Either because they are not safe/properly equipped, or because the skipper/crew are going to make your life hell. Remember, you will be confined in a small space, in lousy conditions for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the vessel. By "lousy" I mean the boat will be rolling 24/7 for days on end. This makes everything difficult...even getting a drink of water, or sleeping can become impossible. Add to that being wet, hungry, and seasick and it can become a nightmare. You can't just leave. Once you begin, you are on for the duration.

I signed on a crew to cross from Spain to Antigua. No sooner had the cruise begun that I found out that half the crew were novice sailors who spoke little/no english and were chain smokers (I don't smoke). The entire crew were drunks...we carried more booze than fresh water. It was a 4000 mile booze cruise and I was the designated driver. The boat was filled with new electronics and equipment (like radar) that the skipper/owner did not even know how to turn on. My handheld garmin etrex and paper charts I had purchased got us across, while the $10,000 worth of chartplotter/AIS/instruments were useless...first because nothing had been configured or calibrated, and later because the batteries ran flat from trying to keep the beer cold. I would post some pictures of the trip, but my camera was stolen just before we arrived in Antigua.

Just sayin...careful what you wish for...

Well done dude. Got to love the Garmin Etrax!