Educating and influencing the yacht owner?

I couldn't agree more. I know that I sometimes get tunnel vision and have to step back and re-evaluate. When my boss bought this boat three years ago I thought he was mad when he expressed interest in bringing guests on passages and deliveries. We talked it through and worked it out- he has now done several thousand miles of blue water cruising with us. When we are on passage, the boss and his guests know that weather dictates both the schedule AND the level of service we are able to provide. In addition, the interior crew stays on their normal schedule for when we have guests aboard. In order to maintain a safe watch schedule, we recruit the boss and his guests as secondary watch-standers during overnight hours. They love it and have a great time helping to "navigate" that boat!

I don't disagree and have done the same. But owners and especially guest that are competent to cross the Atlantic by sail are few and far between I would think. And when the crap starts hitting the blades on a trip like that the competency of every person on board could be the difference between whether the voyage ends in tears of joy or sorrow.

So I would be very leery of any guest as crew on that kind of voyage. And I’d like to know their true qualifications well in advance of the trip.

Hi,

Regardless of the pieces of paper with someones name on, experience counts for sailing blue water and the more the better if short handed or in heavy weather sailing conditions when all may be needed to drop a damaged and flapping sail or work up the mast.

That is the kind of "qualification" I was speaking about.

This is your big chance to be Charlie Barr and your Owner can be Mr Wilson Marshall.....An epic crossing tale and one that would be fun to reenact, including the locking the Owner below bit!

Nicely done Chris.
Glad you had a good sail, safe, and timely.
How did the boss do on the trip?

Pretty basic... but free and easy to access! If the direct link is a violation of forum rules... delete the post..

See Tropical Weather : Weather Underground and look at the lower right... you can select any year/month and it will show the historical tracks... probably a bit late for the OP's needs, but still a good reference for future use....

Chris, welcome to Holland. You sure chose the worst period to be here weatherwise. At least you'll get to see "Sinterklaas" (a Christian saint which brings presents to the kids, about three weeks before Santa Claus does).

Good luck with your refit!

Bruno

Remind us again what kind of boat you sailed across?

Certainly wasn't looking for granular details, names or private matters. Just an idea of what kind / size boat you crossed the pond with. 32' J Boat or an 85' Oyster. Or something in the middle!

That's a very nice boat, Chris! I don't often envy the job of a yacht captain, but now I'm not so sure...

PS - the boat in my avatar comes from the same builder.

Bruno

Glad you made it safe and the trip was uneventful, and you and your boss enjoyed the crossing.
Hope you didn't take offense to the "dad and cute blond" comment. The way you said it had no indication of experience level, just that they were your dad and a girl who was cute. Of course they could have had decades of experience or none- but if someone had decades of experience the choice of descriptive words are not usually "cute blond". Bracewell's "cute blond" may also have decades of experience but if the reference to her is "cute blond" then the listener will more than likely come to the conclusion that she is on the boat because she looks good, not that she is a competent mariner.

Hey, as a cute blond I resent that. Oh heck I guess it's ok if a lady wants me there just for that. I'll suffer through. Darned sexism.

Too funny!

That explains a lot of your posts.