Crew Wanted: OPPORTUNITY: Amel from Martinique to Annapolis MD

[Auspicious]

I have a very special delivery crew opportunity.

I'm taking an 2004 Amel Super Maramu from French Martinique to the Chesapeake Bay just south of Annapolis. This is a lovely boat that just passed purchase survey with flying colors. Join a well-regarded delivery skipper on a well found boat. Whether you are looking for sea time or a learning experience or just love passagemaking this is the opportunity for you. Martinique to Little Creek VA for C&I and on to Annapolis. Crew can fly home from Norfolk (ORF) or any of the Baltimore/DC/NOVA airports.

The boat is fully outfit with a full suite of sails (mizzen staysail!) and below all the comforts of home. You'll be well fed!

Crew must be able to stand a solo watch. Skills can be taught - judgment cannot. There may be room for one newbie (we called them "cadets" when I was one).

See 2004 Amel Super Maramu 2000 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Skipper (me) resume available on request.

Details are still being worked out. Departure second week of July and the passage should be about 12 days. Crew get to and from the boat on their own; all on-board costs are covered.

Interested crew should email their current sailing resume and schedule constraints to dave@auspiciousworks.com .

[robmo]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

I have a very special delivery crew opportunity.

I'm taking an 2004 Amel Super Maramu from French Martinique to the Chesapeake Bay just south of Annapolis. This is a lovely boat that just passed purchase survey with flying colors. Join a well-regarded delivery skipper on a well found boat. Whether you are looking for sea time or a learning experience or just love passagemaking this is the opportunity for you. Martinique to Little Creek VA for C&I and on to Annapolis. Crew can fly home from Norfolk (ORF) or any of the Baltimore/DC/NOVA airports.

The boat is fully outfit with a full suite of sails (mizzen staysail!) and below all the comforts of home. You'll be well fed!

Crew must be able to stand a solo watch. Skills can be taught - judgment cannot. There may be room for one newbie (we called them "cadets" when I was one).

See 2004 Amel Super Maramu 2000 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Skipper (me) resume available on request.

Details are still being worked out. Departure second week of July and the passage should be about 12 days. Crew get to and from the boat on their own; all on-board costs are covered.

Interested crew should email their current sailing resume and schedule constraints to dave@auspiciousworks.com .

Hello Skipper,

Your delivery trip sounds interesting, can you provide me with a few details about the boat and yourself. I'm familiar with the Amel brand of boats, and as I understand it, this is a 53 foot ketch. Do you have all the necessary safety equipment? and is the boat equipped with radar and AIS? I take it that this will be a straight shot to the Chessie then up to Annapolis. Do you have the necessary paper charts? How many crew and what is your plan for watches? Will you stagger the watches or stick to a standard routine? Do you have a weather service to help you keep track of the systems as they emerge from Cape Verde? The tropics a re quiet right now, but that probably won't last. Also, could you give me some details about your experience. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Scott

[Auspicious]

Scott asks good questions.

Originally Posted by robmo

can you provide me with a few details about the boat and yourself. I'm familiar with the Amel brand of boats, and as I understand it, this is a 53 foot ketch.

The complete listing for the boat is at the Yachtworld link I provided. After the first listing of equipment is a more detailed one.

I am a naval architect and marine engineer (Webb '82) with a career in the design office, the yards, and at sea mostly on military and commercial shipping. I have been sailing since college and doing deliveries since 2001. I provide a copy of my sailing resume to crew candidates. I think posting that here is a bit much for the CF community rules.

Originally Posted by robmo

Do you have all the necessary safety equipment?

Yes. You may note there is no EPIRB on the list. The owner is purchasing and registering one that will go down with us.

Originally Posted by robmo

and is the boat equipped with radar and AIS?

Yes. There is an AIS transponder on board and I have a receiver in my backup kit.

Originally Posted by robmo

I take it that this will be a straight shot to the Chessie then up to Annapolis.

Yes. C&I in Little Creek.

Originally Posted by robmo

Do you have the necessary paper charts?

No. Updated electronic charts on the boat, on my nav laptop, on my phone, and usually crew have some also (I don't count on those). I know that people have quite strong opinions on this issue. For me when commercial airliners went paper free that changed the game. Note also that commercial ECDIS now fulfill all carriage requirements.

I don't carry my sextant either. I have one and know how to use it and have the bruises on my left inner elbow to prove it.

Those who feel strongly about paper need not sail with me. I do carry Steve Dodge's Inlet Guide - useful for the big picture when choosing a bailout within reach of the US East Coast.

In the event of a catastrophe that takes out all electronics it is rather difficult to miss a continent. *grin*

Originally Posted by robmo

How many crew

Three crew and me, with the possibility of adding a newbie. I look at providing experience to new people as an investment in the future and as a way of paying forward the opportunities I have been given.

Originally Posted by robmo

what is your plan for watches? Will you stagger the watches or stick to a standard routine?

I set 4-on/8-off (12-4, 4-8, 8-12). No dogging. I find consistency most important. Disrupting sleep schedules continuously is hard on people. I've tried many variants over the years and have returned to what has worked for military and commercial shipping for years.

Originally Posted by robmo

Do you have a weather service to help you keep track of the systems as they emerge from Cape Verde?

I am a weather service. I use weather fax inputs with supplementary analysis from NOAA HF Voice. Of course I look at Internet resources before departure but weather fax synoptics are great. On this route by the time you switch from New Orleans to Boston you are only a few days from destination. The whole trip is just 12 days, all going well.

I have worked with Lee Chesneau, Chris Parker, and Frank Bohlen teaching marine meteorology (my role is getting the weather information onto the boat) and am pleased to call Herb Hilgenberg my friend.

[keith4001r]

Cap, what is the destination in Annapolis? Would you consider a 60 year old newbie?

[Auspicious]

Martinique is a very cool place, and the Amel is a great boat. I still have never gotten so much interest so quickly. Thanks to all. I'll be getting back to those who have expressed interest as quick as I can catch up.

[SV Bacchus]

2nd in line Cadet request sent via PM.

[msette]

I am interested in participating in the passage. I commercial fished in SE Alaska for several years as part of a two-man crew. I own an Amel Maramu, that is now in St. Lucia. However, I have a single sailing season (four months of continuous sailing) I brought the boat from the US Virgin islands down to St. Lucia. The boat is on the hard at Rodney Bay. I am very serious about expanding my skills as a sailor and making longer passages.

Thank you very much
Michael Settevendemie

[RTB]

This could be a good experience for someone with the money and time to burn to get some experience. Personally, I'd be interested just to sail that Amel for awhile, but don't have the "free" time.

So, you just looking for a free "delivery crew"? Deliveries aren't necessarily a lot of fun. Especially, when only the captain is getting paid.

How many crew do you put on the boat, considering at least half will be seasick most of the trip?

Best wishes finding your crew,
Ralph

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by RTB

This could be a good experience for someone with the money and time to burn to get some experience. Personally, I'd be interested just to sail that Amel for awhile, but don't have the "free" time.

Hi Ralph.

Experience is just one of the reasons people want to crew on deliveries. Crew may have a lot of experience in-shore or coastally but want to make a first passage with some coaching and guidance. Others just want sea-time for a license or other certification. Some people are geographically limited, or have a family that doesn't or can't support a boat. Part of my job is to make sure they get what they want from the experience.

Originally Posted by RTB

So, you just looking for a free "delivery crew"? Deliveries aren't necessarily a lot of fun. Especially, when only the captain is getting paid.

One of the reasons I sail with four is to keep trips from being a forced march. My crews almost universally have a good time. Many have become friends and sail with me again.

One of my jobs as skipper is to make sure that crew get what they want from the experience AND have a good time. I've had crew who wanted to learn about one subject or many, or to apply what they learned elsewhere. Some want to dip their toe into passagemaking before taking their own boat and loved ones on a passage, or even before they buy a boat. I write and speak on a lot of topics so we sometimes even have PowerPoint sessions in the salon. *grin*

I've even had crew whose interest was planning provisioning and meal prep on board.

I do know that some people focus on the fact that I am paid and crew are not. That is a reality of a lot of deliveries in the middle of the market, where I am. I work very hard to make the experience worthwhile for crew.

One crew member wrote me after getting home that sailing with me was like graduate school for cruising. I can't begin to express how proud I am of that. I'm proud of the two crew who are respected delivery skippers in their own right. I'm proud of the crew now working their way around the world. I'm even proud of the crew who decided to stick with chartering rather than spend a lot of money to buy boats and go cruising; they got the experience to make a better educated decision.

You'll get more structure in a sailing school (I just looked up one that charges $4200 for an ocean training cruise, plus books, travel, and lodging at each end). On the other hand we'll spend time on my deliveries talking about the things you want to talk about. That is like grad school isn't it? Flexible, original work vice structured foundational material.

Originally Posted by RTB

How many crew do you put on the boat, considering at least half will be seasick most of the trip?

My experience with crew has been much better than that. I have had some seasickness but not more than one serious case on a trip.

My base staffing is three crew plus me. On smaller boats and shorter runs that drops to three total. On bigger boats I make room for less-experienced crew on bridge watches (watchstanders are 12-4, 4-8, 8-12 - newbies stand 2-6, 6-10, 10-2) so they get more exposure to more people AND my time. Big Swans are great for big crews as there is a ton of room to sleep without hot-bunking. Owners of course have to sign up for this approach since they're feeding the extra mouths.

Originally Posted by RTB

Best wishes finding your crew

We're set and then some. The turn-out for this trip has been huge. I could easily have staffed four boats with a full crew AND newbies.

sail fast and eat well, dave