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Expectation of Crew's Own Equipment

4671 Views 57 Replies 17 Participants Last post by outbound, May 8, 2014

The Names Dolores

Discussion Starter · May 5, 2014

I am crewing from the Bahamas to the Chesapeake. This is my first offshore experience.

I am bringing my own foul weather gear, PFD w/ harness, and warm clothes that dry fast. Is there any other offshore equipment that is generally supplied by the crew themselves? For example, I don't have a tether, but know the boat owner does. Is that the type of thing where I should have my own?

Thanks!

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SVAuspicious

· #22 · May 6, 2014

No headlamps. I don't care what bloody color they are when you look at me you shine the light in my eyes and I can't see properly for way too long. You blow my night vision one time on my boat or on my delivery and I confiscate your headlamp for the duration. Awful things on watch.

I recommend being responsible for your own safety. I've supplied tethers for crew from time to time and *I* know they are good and have never been loaded but how do you?

Communication is key - who is bringing what? We don't need six handheld VHF radios or eight GPS handhelds. Bring your entertainment along but coordinate charging.

Keep a small footprint. Keep your gear in your bag (which should keep it dry) and have a watch bag that fits in your duffle so you don't leave your book or iPod in the way of the next watch. Water bottle. Communicate about food needs/desires/allergies.

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SVAuspicious

· #33 · May 7, 2014

rockDAWG said:
I remember Capt Tom T at Maryland School of Sailing prohibits anyone bringing LED lights on board. I also carry a back up mini MagLite flashlight I can use if the Captain says no to my LED light.

rockDAWG said:
That was a few years ago, when LED flash light was just emerging. Tom said they were too bright and kill his nite vision.

It's still hard to find dimmable lights. A few layers of translucent film over the lens helps.

rockDAWG said:
It is a valid point that too bright a light source will kill the nite vision. But I think the concern is blown out of proportion. My nite vision will come back less than 5 min. It is unlikely that within that 5 min, a tanker is going to run over you. It is not ideal, but it is not fatal.

My understanding from a good bit of research is that full night vision takes quite a long time to return, particularly as we get older. That aligns with my experience.

There are lots of reasons I get called on deck at night. The "hit rate" of crew turning to look at me as I come up the companionway and hitting me in the face with light is pretty high.

I'd love to have a mini-MagLite LED conversion with a dimmer.

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SVAuspicious

· #44 · May 7, 2014

hellosailor said:
Every Maglite comes with a dimmer. Always has, always will.

If you just put your fingers in front of the light, and let it out a bit in the crack between two fingers, voila, you've got a dimmer.

LOL. I thought about describing that and decided against it. *grin*

hellosailor said:
These are things that anyone with experience working at night are just supposed to learn along the way, like remembering the first time they got told "If you shine that light in my eyes one more time, I'm going to shove it up your *** and pull it out your throat".

And I thought my comment on the subject was marginally tactful. *grin*

FarCry said:
I also used my headlamp's red lense when rummaging around in the galley so as not to light up the entire interior just to grab a granola bar.

So why are you rummaging? Don't you keep a snack bag at the companionway? Don't you have something for yourself in your watch bag before you head up?

I've had crew express appreciation time and again for the way I keep the snack bag stocked. Little do they know I just want to keep them out of my galley so they don't mess up my menu plan. *grin*

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SVAuspicious

· #47 · May 7, 2014 (Edited)

FarCry said:
So to get back on track with the OP asking about what to bring and what should be supplied. Do you think crew should not bring a headlamp? Are they banned from your vessel?

I try to communicate effectively with crew. One of my big issues is being blinded by head lamps. I expect my crew to be adults and act responsibly until demonstrated otherwise. So I explain my issue and the rationale for it. If you nuke me with a headlamp it goes in the nav station until we make landfall. Not banned per se.

I have head lamps of my own. There are applications--like working head down on the engine systems--when they make sense. Normal on-watch functions don't merit a head lamp as the risk of effecting the night vision of others is too high.

With respect to rummaging in the galley, it makes the sea cooks job much more difficult if something s/he was counting on as an ingredient is gone. Keeping snacks segregated completely solves that problem.

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SVAuspicious

· #53 · May 7, 2014

hellosailor said:
Auspicious-
"marginally tactful"
Compared to some of the, ah, eloquence I have heard? Trust me, that WAS the PG-13 version. (G)

I thought you were perfectly clear. I might have been unnecessarily gentle. *grin*

FarCry said:
Which menu item that you prepare has a granola bar in it as an ingredient?:laugher Couldn't resist!

What I found which led to the snack bag concept was that people rummaging through the fridge 1. ate things planned for meals, 2. broke things (I got tired of cleaning yogurt and eggs out of the bottom of the reefer), and 3. made such a shambles of storage that meal prep took twice as long as it should. The snack bag completely solves that problem. On longer passages it also lets me meter the snacks so we don't run out halfway through. Many people eat because they are bored, not because they're hungry.

A key is to keep the snack foods (like granola bars) out of the galley. That solves the problem of someone looking for a granola bar and wiping out the carrots and celery. There are oranges and apples in the snack bag, but apples for roast pork loin or kielbasa and sauerkraut are in the galley.

C'mon now. What's wrong with making snacks easy to find and separating the ingredients for meals?

Some people eat out of the freezer or cans on passage. That changes the dynamic.

Chicken Piccata for dinner, same as I make on delivery.

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SVAuspicious

· #57 · May 8, 2014

opc11 said:
go to a camping supplies store. they make plastic containers designed to hold eggs. work great.

Most of them don't stay closed if rummaged about. *grin* Lock-n-Lock makes a good one that stays closed under most circumstances; you can find them on-line. My point is that lots of people digging around in a boat fridge leads to a mess, thus the value of a snack bag.

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