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From: Phil Sherwood (no email)
Date: Tue Feb 19 2008 - 14:08:01 EST
It's also true for Costa Rica, I believe, that the skipper is
responsible for crew members leaving the country. Maybe it's
universally true; I don't know. I've only had the potential for a
problem arise in the context of CR. I was considering taking on a
completely broke crew member from the Dominican Republic when heading
from Ecuador to Costa Rica, then it was pointed out that Costa Rica
probably was going to make me guarantee his passage out of CR at some
point (via plane ticket or bond), or might not even admit him in the
first place.
Like you, I don't pay a daily or per-trip wage for crew, and except
for my sons I don't pay crew transportation costs. I do agree to
provision the boat (no alcohol or personal items) and invite crew to
pretty much snag whatever they like off the supermarket shelves when
we do a final top-up provisioning right before departure.
Good idea to say up front that crew members are also responsible for
their own visa/immigration/documentation costs. So far my crew
members have stepped up to that of their own accord, so I hadn't ever
given it much thought. And that's likely because with only two
exceptions my crew members have been friends or family, in other
words, known quantities with very high compatibility factors.
How to evaluate? Tough question; the process is rather analogous to
hiring in the business world, in my experience. Decide on the key
criteria you want crew members to have, use your very best
interviewing skills, all the ones you were so good at back when you
were manager or VP or whatever of this-or-that, and make your best call.
Of the two crew I've brought on whom I didn't know beforehand, one
was terrific and have recommended him to other skippers who contacted
me to check references. (He's since gone on to any number of paid
crew positions that have taken him all over the world.) The other,
briefly put, didn't work out; I would have put him off the boat at
our first port of call had he not signed off first, ostensibly to
rush home because of a family medical emergency. So I'm batting
.500, great for baseball but not so hot for either business or
getting a sailboat across an enormous stretch of water.
For me, the key criterion is compatibility, primarily with me but
also with whomever else happens to be on board. That basically means
pretty laid back, not terribly high strung. Some familiarity with
living in close quarters and living without all the luxuries of
land-based life is important -- backpacking/trekking experience, for
example, could work as well as time spent on a sailboat. That could
allow you to pick up some indicators about self-sufficiency,
willingness to deal with the grittier and less pleasant tasks that
come along with any adventure, etc. Willingness to learn, especially
if not an experienced sailor, humility (especially if an experienced
sailor), and flexibility are other desirable attributes, I think.
Sailing experience could be anywhere from second to fifth or so on
the list, I think. If someone is really great to be around,
attentive, a hard worker, easy going, and interested in learning what
makes a sailboat go, no problem, I can teach him/her/them enough of
the basics that they'll be fine for most of the time. The rest of the
time they just have to use common sense and know how to wake me up.
All well and good this, but the dilemma remains: what if I can't find
a friend or family member in time to make a given passage in a given
season, and haven't done a short cruise or passage or two with other
candidates, to see how we all get along and work together? The short
answer is that I modify my itinerary/schedule (i.e., delay going to
the South Pacific or go through the Canal and into the Caribbean
instead). If I'm looking at a relatively short passage, such as from
Central America to Ecuador, I would look to buddy boat with someone
willing to have a singlehander buddy boat with them. I'm not sure
why, but I'm not really interested in singlehanding for long passages
("long" = more than a week, say).
I look forward to hearing what others do and think on this subject. Cheers,
Phil
s/v Cynosure
Balboa, Rep. of Panama
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