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Welcome to our 'Tips for a Happy Trip' page. Our aim is to give you a brief introduction to the world of yacht crewing. The assumption here is that you are going to make a shared expenses delivery trip or cruise, although may of the tips also apply to yacht racing and shorter sailing trips. We would like to hear any tips or comments on crewing that you have, use our forum, or -email the us at cs@dbx.co.uk
Get to know each other first.
It's only common sense to try and get to know the other person first -especially on a longer trip. If at all possible meet up,
ideally with other members of the crew, you may be on the same small yacht for weeks on end. If you can't meet up then at least
talk to the other person by telephone, it will give you some idea of what they are like.
Meet safely
More common sense, if you go to meet someone then do so in a public place for the first time; motor way services,
pubs, cafes, station buffets. Tell someone where you are going and when you should be back. Take someone with you, it's
not a date, and if it's someone that knows about sailing all the better.
Sail together first
Paper qualifications and talk are all very well -but remember that the old navy saying -
'the two most useless things on a boat are a lawn mower and an admiral' -and at least you could use the lawn mower to anchor
the dinghy!
Get the money sorted out before you go.
Money has to cause more trouble than anything else, so sort out exactly who pays for what before you go. The ads in Sailing Now
have a field to help you get started. On a shared expenses trip start a kitty -but you may need to make some rules (such as
leaving booze out of it) to make the kitty work.
If you are not happy then don't go.
The momentum has got you, you may have flown thousands of miles, but just remember that you don't have to step on board or
cast those lines off.
Think about others.
A yacht is a small place to be cooped up with other people for days and weeks on end, and people may well be tired, or worried.
So try to think about others on board as well as yourself, if you like music then take a walkman, if you're cooking then make
sure everyone likes what you cook or offer an alternative, don't get too anal about the kitty. Just remember that you are
not the most important person on the boat, unless you are the skipper -in which case it is gracious not to show it.
What should I take
Short answer, as little as possible. There is not a lot of room on a boat to put your gear, and what there is is oddly shaped.
So take as few clothes as you can get away with, which will depend on the climate where you're going, and pack them in a
soft bag that can be squashed or folded away, not a suitcase or a framed rucsack. If you need any medication then take it with
you, you may not be able to get it where you are going, and make sure that you have more than enough as the trip may take longer
than you think and you won't neccessarily arrive where you hope. Don't forget your seasickness remedy.
What do I need to know about sailing?
Nothing or everything, it all depends on what the skipper is looking for. Some skippers deliberately want novices as they
will do things the skippers' way, without arguing. You can learn to steer, after a fashion, and keep a lookout in just a day
or two. Other skippers will want highly experienced crew who can take some of the load off their shoulders and be relied upon
to look after the boat without any supervision. This even applies to racing, although without any experience you may be
relegated to 'rail meat'.
What equipment do I need?
You may need nothing, but if you're in colder waters you will need a pair of wellies and some waterproof trousers;
if it's a long trip, or you are going to sail regularly then you will want a reasonable set of oilskins. On any trip
you may be happier if you provide your own lifejacket, harness and safety-line -that way you know that they fit, how they
work and you ought to be able to get in and out of them quickly, but the skipper should have enough to go round. N.B be
aware that an airline might not like the gas cylinders used with automatic lifejackets -check before you go.
Be prepared to muck in.
Unless you are paying for a holiday, then you should be prepared to do more than just sail the boat. You may have to help with
shopping, cook, clean, do some mending and repairs or even scrub the bottom of the boat and anti-foul it. That said you're not
a slave -and if you're scrubbing and anti-fouling it ought to be beers all around afterwards. You are on holiday, so it is
not unreasonable to expect time to see the sites, but the skipper may have some sort of deadline (or be paying in an
expensive marina) so don't expect too much and try and sort out the details before hand.
Make sure the boat is up to the trip
You have at least a moral duty of care to your crew, depending on the financial arrangements and where you are sailing, you
may have a legal one. So check everything over and renew anything that looks dodgy. Service the engine.
Make sure you have enough safety equipment.
Harnesses, lifelines and lifejackets for everyone (although some may bring their own). Harnesses need harness points and
you may want to consider jacklines. Lifebelts, liferaft (if appropriate), EPIRB. A first Aid kit is a must, as are fire
extinguishers and a fire blanket. Think about some means of getting the crew
back on board if they fall over, I can tell you from experience that it's not as easy as you think. You may be able to get
your boat inspected for free, the RNLI in the UK do this with the SeaSafe scheme. Make sure you have enough flares and that they are
up to date. Finally, remember that all the safety kit in the world is no use unless people know how to use it, so have a
proper briefing and label where things are stored, it may be you that falls over or gets brained by the boom.
What can I expect crew to do?
As well as generally crewing the boat, I think that it is reasonable to expect them to help with the chores. So shopping,
washing (up), cleaning and general light maintenence are all fair game. Beyond that people may be happy to help out with
things like servicing the engine -but it would be as well to oil the mechanic as well as the machine. You should also allow
them plenty of time off for sightseeing -it's probably partly why they came.
Keep moving.
Try to leave when you say you will, people come for the sailing and may not have
the time or the money to wait for long, so be
realistic about departure dates. If things look like slipping then tell the crew, they may prefer to help out rather than
sit in dock for the week it takes you or the boatyard to do the job.