Crew Wanted: Checklist For Voluntary Crew

[HVYJimmy]

yes I agree Captain Koch , Do it for the crew , do it for the Destination ,do it for the Boat. harmony on a boat is very important .all crew working together for the same thing , the destination , safe arrival .

cheers

jimmy

[goboatingnow]

If any voluntary crew started " checking " my boat or second guessing me, they'd find pontoon planking under the soles of their feet fast enough.

If you'd can't determine the boat and it's crew within the first 10 minutes of just being onboard you can ( a) get off, and spend forever " getting off " boats. Or ( b) shrug your shoulders and put your back into it and get on with it. You'll soon build enough experience to do that 10 minutes survey.

Stop over thinking it.

Dave


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[Pelagic]

Never had a problem with crew assessing my capabilities as their captain. Or asking questions about the boat's readiness.

I prefer enquiring minds to dumb obedience...

[captainalbert]

Of corse having a couple days meeting before departuring into something that can bee your worst nightmare. Also having a coupe of beers or drinkts together to see the potential, checking up the history ( how you do that).
Anyway,, good sailing friends.
captainalbert

[GermanCook]

Normally a professional reknown Crew Agency (not to be mistaken for one of those free Internet "Crew boards") is safe to accept a job. (and to find crew members for owners, albeit slightly more expensive)
Without and on the "free" job market It is always a gamble to decide if one takes a job or not. I recommend lots of skype interview including small talk with the owner. Ask innocent questions about his prior problems with other crew, which will give you valuable hints on HIS personality.
As strange as it sound, but if you have any doubt, try to apply the same interview techniques as an employer in order to find a bit out about the Owner. (google it!)
But even then one can be heavily disappointed, as owners can turn out completely different when met personally.
If one finds himself thousands of miles away from home then, this can be pretty difficult.
I have lately applied as deckie/engineer/cook and was accepted only to find out that the owner was a sort of "philosophizing dreamer" with total unrealistic expectations.
He expected to apply Socratic methods on each and every single situation (sic!) in order to achieve the "perfect" solution.
As nice as it sounds and maybe even works in shore based life, at Sea this can be extremely dangerous.
The result of that "philosophical approach" was that his yacht was sitting 8 months in a shed without the minor modification could have been made in somewhat a week. The (very capable) yard workers did not mind, they got paid by day and were always willing (and smiling) spending 7 hours a day explaining to the owner what they did or were planning to do.
Having then read through the older logs written by past crew (which were a lot and always changing!) I made up my mind and left. The man was simply dangerous to himself and his crew.

Having written that, it is very unlikely to find "weirdos" among Yachtowners, most of the time they are wealthy and successful people and this requires a rather sane mind. They may be eccentric in the common sense, but personally I find that rather refreshing.

[HVYJimmy]

Having written that, it is very unlikely to find "weirdos" among Yacht owners, most of the time they are wealthy and successful people and this requires a rather sane mind. They may be eccentric in the common sense, but personally I find that rather refreshing.



Too late to suck up now Shipcookie

weirdos = poor strange people

eccentric = rich strange people

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by HVYJimmy

Having written that, it is very unlikely to find "weirdos" among Yacht owners, most of the time they are wealthy and successful people and this requires a rather sane mind.

You know different owners than I do.

Every owner I know is deeply, basically, fundamentally flawed and toys-in-the-attic weird.

The only faintly redeeming quality I've been able to find among them is that some of them have drop dead, train wreck, oh-my-god-stop-the-CAR! beautiful wives, and some of them have more than one such wife.

[GermanCook]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

You know different owners than I do.

Every owner I know is deeply, basically, fundamentally flawed and toys-in-the-attic weird.

The only faintly redeeming quality I've been able to find among them is that some of them have drop dead, train wreck, oh-my-god-stop-the-CAR! beautiful wives, and some of them have more than one such wife.

Lol, you may be correct in a certain way, but as long as they stay out of the navigation and operation of the vessel I can live with that very well. Difficult are the ones which want to be active and do the Captain...based upon some weeks of courses they may have had in a private institution they think they are 'Yachtmasters".

The second part is true, although not every woman introduced to us as "wife" is the actual one.

[Miss Calypte]

Originally Posted by PVD101

Agree!!!!

Agree. Great personality test.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Hi Boatman! In addition, anyone applying for ANY USCG license MUST have a TWIC ID card; including the "6-pack captain license".

Mauritz
Going to behave now!

Your information regarding a 6 pack is not entirely correct.

According to the regulations:

(d) Citizenship. No officer endorsement may be issued to any person who is not a citizen of the United States with the exception of operators of uninspected passenger vessels that are not documented under the laws of the United States.

The exception would be an accepted reason not to obtain a TWIC.

[GermanCook]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Hi Boatman! Transportation Worker Identification Credential; TWIC. To get one, you must be a US citizen, submit to a FBI/Homeland Security background check, show your current passport, driver's license and social security card. You will also be fingerprinted and photographed. A fee of about $150 USD is to be paid, during your processing; the TWIC ID card is good for 5 years. If your background is squeaky clean, you can get your TWIC within 10 business days. You must show up in person, to pick it up and to have it activated; it contains a bar code, a magnetic stripe, an embedded chip and your digitized picture. During your pick-up of the card, expect more fingerprints to confirm the original ones taken.
Now, having said that, wouldn't you really want your crew members to carry their TWIC cards and their current passports? I do! After all, your neck and licenses are on the line! (pilot license, weapons license, pharmacy license, among others.)

Mauritz
An ounce of caution...

Wow, what has happened to the "good ol' land of the free"... controls, checks, registrations, fingerprints and and and. Its more like Russia now (and Russia becomes more liberal every year, strange world)
But back to the point - usually, in addition to my prior post about professional crew agencies, almost every Nation(please google for updated list) already has above checks with the aquisition of a passport (and/or b1/b1 or c1 visa), so a TWIC card (which is only for US guys anyhow) is a bit of an "overkill".
Except one insist in having a sole US crew. (Which would be pity, isn't cruising also about meeting other peoples and cultures?)

So in my humble opinion a person who is holding a valid passport and having travelled recently is already "checked"-- "security" wise.
Criminals and psychos still would get through any control, also the TWIC one.

Better do the old "personal check" or simply look/check references. The more, the better.

Hint and Tip : People with Commercial Merchant Marine tickets are safe as well, they have to undergo bi-annual Psychological test, medical test, security clearances and much more.

Try to get a valid Seamans Discharge Book and you'll see what I mean, it is not easy at all.

[Svanen]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

If you'd can't determine the boat and it's crew within the first 10 minutes of just being onboard you can ( a) get off, and spend forever " getting off " boats. Or ( b) shrug your shoulders and put your back into it and get on with it. You'll soon build enough experience to do that 10 minutes survey.

Stop over thinking it.

Google "Cheeki Rafiki".

[GermanCook]

Originally Posted by Svanen

Google "Cheeki Rafiki".

yes, that tragedy could also have been prevented by sticking and practising "basic safety at sea survival techniques".
This shows one more time, that often yachties are too lenient in training and retraining.
One should always prepare for the "what if when" event.
What exactly happened will be forever unknown, but most likely, as survivors of similar events testified, is that the crew has correctly followed the liferaft procedures, but then faced difficulties to board the raft.
(something which needs to be practised, and does in standard STCW95 BST or further PSCRB courses)
Without practise and "know how", one can try and try to board the raft, but it is not that easy. At least ONE person aboard should be able to do that (and have the training) and then assist the others to get in the survival craft.
It is maybe easy in to do so the swimming pool, but at rough seas, being exhausted and under panic or shock the task becomes almost impossible for the untrained individual.
I've seen that in the course, that 30 % (of young and fit people) were not able to board the life raft on the first attempt. The Trainer then let them retry and retry until they were able to get on without help. Some failed completely and ultimately failed the course !

So one should look out for crew which is capable and trained and has at least STCW95 training. Preferably the STCW95 PSCRB ='Proficiency in survival craft and rescue boat" (and oneself of course also !)
And then, at least up to the point of "inflation" practise the "abandon ship" procedures regularly when under way.
Getting aboard a liferaft can be practised by training with the inflatable tender. It is not a perfect simulation, but a lot of practise helps. If one has only a rigid tender, buy a 10$ bathing toy boat, which is a pretty good equivalent for that exercise.

Please always stay safe guys !

[boatman61]

Hi Boatman! Transportation Worker Identification Credential; TWIC. To get one, you must be a US citizen, submit to a FBI/Homeland Security background check, show your current passport, driver's license and social security card. You will also be fingerprinted and photographed

So.. its like applying for a ESTA and then landing at Miami.. bar the SS card...

[Svanen]

Originally Posted by GermanCook

yes, that tragedy could also have been prevented by sticking and practising "basic safety at sea survival techniques"….
What exactly happened will be forever unknown, but most likely, as survivors of similar events testified, is that the crew has correctly followed the liferaft procedures, but then faced difficulties to board the raft (something which needs to be practised, and does in standard STCW95 BST or further PSCRB courses). Without practise and "know how", one can try and try to board the raft, but it is not that easy. At least ONE person aboard should be able to do that (and have the training) and then assist the others to get in the survival craft….
So one should look out for crew which is capable and trained and has at least STCW95 training. Preferably the STCW95 PSCRB ='Proficiency in survival craft and rescue boat" (and oneself of course also!)

Not sure that the above is relevant to the Cheeki Rafiki.

While the details of exactly what happened are sketchy, the USN reported that the keel was missing and that the life raft remained in its stowed position. Those facts seem to suggest that an instantaneous capsize likely occurred, catching the crew by surprise and giving them no opportunity to launch the life raft, let alone board it.