Looking for individual or couple....

[Valiente]

At 61 feet, if you don't get along, you'll certainly have several doors between you. I suspect it would be possible not to see somebody all day on such a boat. That's very close to the size on deck of Stormvogel, the lovely '60s yacht from the movie "Dead Calm".

[therapy23]

Originally Posted by svrenovatio

Just experience and desire.

Desire maybe but not enough experience.

Dang!

[eryka]

I'm going to pass this on to a liveaboard couple we know currently in the Chesapeake. Late 30s-early 40s, easy to get along with and at least some bluewater experience, he more than she, they crewed on the Carib 1500 last year don't know their plans for late 08 but I know they are hoping to crew a circumnavigation 'someday'.

[svrenovatio]

Hopefully no "Dead Calm" experiences in our future. I did love the movie & boat. Should I have a "Panic Room" built in??? ;-) That would be for me in case I mistakenly yell at my wife.. It would have to be more secure then your average cockpit on a commercial plane currently. I know she could take that down quickly.

Thanks Eryka, love to here from them.

[donwsailn]

SV,

I think your idea of cruising with another couple is a sound one. On the longer passages, you can split up the watches with each couple "on" for 12 hours as a couple. This also means that you can sleep together as a couple which is not possible with traditional watch schedules or less than four people on board. Since there are two people on watch at the same time, it should not usually be necessary to wake anyone for sail changes etc.

Another thing that a lot of people do not think about is that with two couples cruising together one couple can stay with the boat for anchor watch/security while the other couple tours for a few days, and then you can switch. That way you don't have to leave the boat unattended.

For the above reasons, my wife and I have been talking for some time about taking another couple aboard our boat. We currently own an Irwin 38, and want to step up to something in the 48'-60' range to allow sufficient room for both couples.

As others have pointed out, finding the right couple--so that the dynamics of the relationship work--is all important.

Good luck with your plan,

Don W.

[Valiente]

That's a good idea. Boats with two entirely separate sleeping areas are not always ideal for the voyaging passagemaker, however, at least in the sub-50 foot range. I'm think of the difficultly of keeping an aft cabin, a V-berth and at least two sea berths available along with decent stowage and provisioning and tankage for four adults.

I would suggest the following. Keep one "owner's cabin" and two sea/pilot berths (which are typical outboard of the settees in the main saloon). Offer to swap the more cozy owner's cabin with the "crew couple" on an amenable schedule. It's a simple gesture (and on passage, the people in the berths might get a better sleep!), but one that is courteous and easily accommodated.

Because our passagemaker is devoted to self-sufficiency, we have two saloon sea berths and a double bed in the aft cabin. But it would be easily possible to add a pipe berth in the workshop forward, or to clear out the gear from the two very protected and cave-like pilot berths in the pilothouse, plus my wife has concluded putting the dinette table on a piston or otherwise lowering strut could make the entire settee area the equivalent of a king-sized, if we could stow the bedding needed (maybe an inflatable camp bed?).

Necessity is the mother of invention here (hammocks, maybe? Why not?), and my point is that getting a monster boat just to enable extra crew may be putting the rudder off the bow, if you follow.