Occupation Circumnavigator - What is the reality

[Jimbo485]

And, sad as it is to say this, it may be better to bypass the US and its islands as well....

[captainKJ]

We did not want you to stop here anyways. Enough sail-boaters here already.

[Jimbo485]

Haha! No worries, cap KJ, the rest of the world and its lawyers are fast trying to catch up to the level of the US litigation. We love the people from the US but your legal system leaves us perplexed. My old man would have US citizens onboard and never had a problem. Only had to throw off 1 person in 16 years and was never even threatened with litigation. It is a fine line and the skipper has to keep it all together and not rely on pieces of paper from insurance companies and lawyers.
YMMV!

[captainKJ]

Dont try being nice to me now, too late,,,

I have reported your dislike of the US to the appropriate people. Expect a call from Jerry Springer.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

of course all that works until someone decides to sue you,


dave

Come one guys, we are all smart and intelligent people on here. There is a multitude of ways to insulate oneself and the boat from an effective lawsuit.

Hint: The first question is, WHO do you sue, and the second is, are there any ASSETS?Separate the WHO from the ASSETS and the threat of a law suit diminishes by a quantum amount. It is a good idea to force WHERE the jurisdiction a potential law suit has affect to be considered.

And yes, I understand boats can be seized. Banks or perhaps a captive finance company with legitimate liens have precedence over any other potential liabilities.

Needless to say, you can not do this after the fact... that is fraud. Do it well before as a way of organizing your business affairs, and although not 100% creditor proof, it goes a long way towards making it not viable for a potential sue happy individual used to a litigious environment from proceeding with enthusiasm. Choose your jurisdictions carefully.

[atoll]

wether people are unpaid crew or paying guests on your yacht i would think the liability to the skipper is the same if there is an accident due to negligence on his part.
though i will have to discuss this with my nigerian holding company lawyer........

[avb3]

Originally Posted by atoll

wether people are unpaid crew or paying guests on your yacht i would think the liability to the skipper is the same if there is an accident due to negligence on his part.
though i will have to discuss this with my nigerian holding company lawyer........

Agreed, skipper needs to be particularly concerned. Does he have assets? I would hope if he is trying to circumvent paid guests laws, that he was smart enough to arrange his affairs appropriately.

The next question is, is all the jumping through hoops really worth it? After all, how much money are we really talking about?

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by avb3

The next question is, is all the jumping through hoops really worth it? After all, how much money are we really talking about?

I was offered to "crew" on a 40 something yacht going from Caribbean to Bermuda. I was told it would be about ten days and the "shared expenses" would be $1200.00. I passed.

If you could get a few more people onboard I'd say that just "sharing expenses" is plenty lucrative.

[deckofficer]

For me, I'm a loner my nature, so picking up and dropping off paying guests won't work for me. I am considering an extra 600 watts of solar panels and a small commercial ice maker, to sell 10 lb bags of clear ice cubes to fellow low buck cruisers in the anchorages that don't have refrigeration.