Crew Available: Looking for offshore experience Fl to VA or farther north.

[birdsey]

I have owned and sailed many large sailboats but my experience is limited to Bays, Lakes, and one offshore trip from NC to FL that I found on this site.

I am currently wintering on my 1985 Beneteau Idylle 13.5 (43') in Charlotte Harbor FL. I want to begin traveling from here to NC and back seasonally each year with my sights set on Carribean cruising in the future.

I want to get more experience offshore before I start going on my own boat! I have completed ASA courses 101, 102, and 103 and have several hundred hours logged between the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Norman (NC), Terra Ciea Bay (FL), Pamlico Sound, and Charlotte harbor. I am handy, can think calmly in emergency situations, and know how to "pull my own load" after being in the military for 20 years!

I am especially looking for opportunities in late Feb or March of this year. I am flexible especially during that time frame.

If you think I would be able to help you out or be a good fit on your crew please send me a direct email (as I tend to miss emails from this site). My email is my first and last name at either hotmail OR MSN. garthbirdsey AT msn DOT com.

I am willing to join a paid crew (without pay) or sail with an experienced Captain or owner and can provide my own transportation.

I am NOT interested in assisting unprepared or inexperienced people! (If I was interested in THAT I would just cast off and go NOW! LOL)

I look forward to hearing from you!!

Thanks, in advance

Garth Birdsey

[breezin101]

Hi Garth,

We are in a similar situation in terms of experience and blue water goals.

I have many years of experience cruising up and down the Chesapeake Bay and have much training including:
US Power Squadrons: Seamanship, Advanced Piloting and Weather
ASA: 103/104/105/201/203/204 and 107 in process
USCG 50-ton Masters license

... but I have very limited blue water experience. I have read lots (current favorite is Captain Fatty!) so I have plenty of book knowledge and have had many different "learning experiences" while cruising the bay on my Pearson 30 and current Caliber 35LRC.

My significant other and I are planning to take at least a 1-year sabbatical beginning this summer and head north from the Chesapeake then south to the Bahamas in the fall.

I saw a listing for ASA 106/108 9-day training cruise from Jacksonville to Rock Hall MD in late May. Cost is $2500. Boat is full. I saw another school offering ASA 108 for $4400 and 106 for $2200. yikes! The $2500 cost seemed very reasonable to me as it includes all provisions and it would have a focused learning agenda as well as a couple of new stamps for the log book.

ASA 108 does require 107 (celestial), but that is available self-paced. I'm taking it now and it is great to tie navigation together with the celestial piece.

I have been searching for another ASA school that offers the 106/108 at the $2500 price point but so far no luck. The 106/108 approach may make sense for you too and another possibility if you are interested is to find an ASA 206/208 qualified instructor who can schedule the course. Maybe we could find another similarly situated person to make up a full crew of students.

Maybe it's b/c demand for 106/108 is low but there seems to be a limited availability of 206/208 qualified ASA instructors.

I see definite advantages in getting blue water experience on a 106/108 type cruise in comparison to being onboard as crew. In that situation, the master of the boat is just doing a favor to share real time info/training and there is no real agenda (at least not by the ASA course standards).

Jim

[birdsey]

Are you looking for crew? If so let me know when and where you are going please.