I might be available to crew on a long distance voyage (several months duration) beginning the Spring of ''05. Depends on a few things, but I believe in planning early - so here''s a "feeler" notice. If after reading the following you think you might be interested in connecting with me, please reply to this post. I can provide a sailing resume and a professional resume (which might interest you) and of course, personal references.
A bit about me - I''m male, early 30''s, in TOP physical condition (put me to the test), a non-smoker, friendly, can cook like mamma Leone'', and know how to balance being the life of the party, and being one of the party-goers. This is not to say however, that I am "all party." I have been skipper/owner of my own sailboat for 6 yrs, and I do not, WILL NOT, drink when I am responsible for mine or your vessel. I take being at sea VERY seriously, even "in the channel." I have experience with coastal navigation, come with my own portable electronics (VHF and
GPS) as well as assorted other paraphanalia. I am self-sufficient, dependable, and more capable than the "average bear" aboard most sailing vessels.
What I am not "yet" (yet being the operative word) is experienced with Diesel engines (although I AM a degreed engineer, familiar with heavy equipment, and can get through a lot with a good manual). NOW, BEFORE YOU ROLL YOUR EYES... I REALIZE that I cannot read a manual upside down, in your bilge, in a 12'' following sea while it is blowing a gale... BUT, I WILL DIE trying to siphon the water out of the intake and get a new
fuel filter installed. (I know a little bit.) I am NOT an electrical expert, "yet" HOWEVER, I know how to hook two 12V batteries in series to create a 24V curcuit, and in parallel to provide more amps at 12V. (I know a little bit.) I know how to trace a wire, and I bet I can get deeper into the small crawl spaces on your boat than most guys equal my strength and skill. Assuming you see where I''m going with this... I may not be a qualified "marine engineer", but I am strong, confident, and can think on my feet (or off them as need be!) ie... I''m NOT a Homer Simpson.
When I talk about my technical skills - an analogy I like to use is with cooking shows - most assume you know HOW to separate an egg, they just tell you "make a merangue" to top the dish. (See, I really DO know how to cook, AND I can spell merangue!)
Another point of interest I’m sure, is that I only very rarely have ever gotten motion sickness. In fact, I can say the ONLY (2) times in recent history (10+ yrs) have been when other factors came into play (seriously nervous cigarette smokers in sharing the cockpit while we waited out a storm on the hook in one case, and diesel fumes in a down-wind swell in another.) In both cases - I did what needed to be done (purged) and got back to the "business at hand."
My thoughts here though are just to give you a "taste" of who I am, that I am capable, and that I do have a sense of humour. Hopefully I''ve done that. I really am a good natured guy... so do ask for those references please – I wouldn’t invite anyone aboard my boat until at least a few people agreed they were worth vouchin’ for!
Couple more things… Why am I doing this, you might ask? I''ve always thought about it. I''m personally unattached and have no financial obligations. I don''t even have a dog "yet." (there''s that yet again.) I might not get this chance again. WHO in their RIGHT mind, would pass this up?
There''s 2 sides to every coin, right? Here are a couple of up-front "cautions" - 1) I am considering going solo as an "almost" plan A, ie crewing for someone else might just be plan B - to fall back on if I feel I can''t pull off a solo journey for some reason. But my thoughts are (some) people plan early so I wanted to get the discussion started sooner than later. And 2) I don''t have a dog “YET” is a “serious YET”... I want one pretty badly, so if that''s a problem (and I certainly understand if it is) but you''re interested - let me know sooner than later - you might twist my arm into making your vessel plan A, in which case I’ll wait on the pooch. If I don’t hear from anyone though come Feb – March, and I''m still on this path, then Plan A will be strong in the making and I''ll be a dog owner for sure!
Well, there you have it - my “shot in the dark.” LONG post, I know. But if you got this far, and you''re still reading, you must''ve been at least a little interested in what I was saying! So thanks for reading, and happy sailing.
(If a crew placement doesn''t work out - keep in touch, I''d love to see some of you on the water next year.)
Regards!
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