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I am looking for crews to join Charisma by the end of March 2015 for a trip from Mindanao, Philippines to Fiji via Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Kiribati. Arrival in Fiji would be sometimes in January 2016. Passages will last anywhere between 3 and 8 days. In between there will be plenty of time for relaxing, swimming, diving and exploring ashore. I have attached a 4 pages document to this post that introduce the boat, myself, what is expected from crew, cost sharing details and the planned itinerary. To be sure this is not a commercial venture, I am looking at food and drinks cost sharing, details are clearly stated on the attached document. Since I probably missed a few points, feel free to ask for details and reference from past crews. A photo album can also be found in my profile.
Fair Winds,
Francis

 

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Actually the typhoon season is not mixed up at all. With the help of weather forecast, latitude discipline and an understanding of tropical storm that will be just fine.

 

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Thanks your input, local knowledge is invaluable and always appreciated.
As far as the northern hemisphere is concerned we just happen to have a tropical depression building up at the time of writing. It formed up at about 9 deg N, 142 deg E. We also had a cat 5 just before Christmas.
So the conventional assumption that the north western pacific is typhoon free from december to march can be just thrown out of the window. Where does that leave us? Do not sail in that area ever? A lot of people do so it must be a way.
To start with when did a typhoon occur East of 150 deg East? It might have happened in the past but too seldom to be recorded in Sailing Directions.I'll be East of that point well before the typhoon season start in earnest. Nowadays we have Internet, Navtex and HF radio, all of them providing weather forecast. If one is unlucky enough to sail through the area where the tropical depression forms up, a little understanding of the wind pattern will allow to steer a course away from the storm path. My northern most latitude is 9 deg North for a short while, the escape route is a short run toward the equator.
In the southern hemisphere, I might just get to the northern Fiji island early in december, there are enough cyclone holes in the area to provide good shelter for the next few months.
I do believe in calculated risks not in foolish plan but again thanks for your input.
Fair winds.

 

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I am now fully crewed up till end of August 2015, there will then be one berth available from Pohnpei, Micronesia to Fiji or part of the way. All details are in initial post. Drop me a line if interested.
Fair winds,
Francis

 

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I don't understand the cost sharing aspect? You need crew to get your boat to places, yet you expect them to pay? I can sort of understand the sharing of provisions, but 25 euros a day to pay to work for you? Seems a bit reversed to me. Not like this is a bunch of friends sharing expenses and mooring fees and what not that you list as expenses that are shared are surely yours to bear alone. I just don't get it. But you seem to have found people willing to pay.

You might have misread the post; 25 E per day is the cost sharing for food and drinks and other consumable that expand with additional people. Beside I do NOT need crew as I sail my ketch by myself most of the time, scuba dive solo and maintain her.
Having said that I enjoy the company of like minded people that can learn some sailing skills from me and are eager to sail and dive out of the beaten path in a beautiful, well maintained yacht. They would not have other means to access some of the more remote islands and certainly not for a paltry 25 E. Yes there is no shortage of applicants but quite obviously not on this site and I do not ask crews to help with a refit.
Fair winds,