Epic bump, epic thread.

Be safe and have fun!

+1

That most likely makes sense if the weather is settled & our auto pilot continues to work. Would allow a decent recovery.

Since my only crew is my wife most likely I will have the watch all daylight hours & most of any weather over 25 knots at night lol. Somehow I'll do it I have lots of caffeine pills.

Most couples crossing try to extend their watches after the first few days up to 6 hours, wife & I so far have been using 3 hour watches at night which kind of guarantees both of us are exhausted the next day.

Anyway today I'm getting the canvas lady to sew snap on covers for my side & stern cockpit enclosures so we can block the sun easily. Another boat buck.

We'll also be making a Sams Club run to add to the beer/wine supply...only a 70 peso cab ride and we fill his trunk every time. Its a pain in the ass to muscle it all in carts to the boat but should pay dividends once in Polynesia.

We'll most likely rent a car our last week to make several Costco runs...its quite far away, to fill our freezer with ribeyes,ribs,etc. Also they are the only source of butter (Tillimuck) down here that doesn't taste rancid .

I doubt we'll imbibe much during our sail, normal for us is maybe a beer after our watch if the weather is settled. We'll see haha.

So...I'm out of beer. If only someone had mentioned to buy more haha. Marquesas is pretty cool I could live here. Internet not so much. Off to Daniels Bay in a few minutes. Crazy trip...22 days but ITCZ went from 9 to 2 degrees North...ask me about lightening. Everyone needs to do this...locals very friendly..big guy said they had to stop eating white people...too much cholesterol.

I will update a trip report to here but will take a bit...

I've been wondering about you. Glad to hear you made it. I made the mistake of taking Daniel a big package of home made beef jerky as a gift.

Glad to see you checking in, Eder. Looking forward to reading your report, especially the details regarding all the fish you caught. Hopefully you made it to Fatu Hiva as well.

Hey Eder and others, appreciate you guys helping to fill my sailing daydreams with posts of the action!

I had a couple questions. So my goal is to spend a month a year or so on a boat, eventually crossing an ocean - helping the crew with both expenses and nightwatches/maintenence/cooking.

I was wondering how most crews that you run into are comprised? Is it a lot of husband/wife teams or similar? You mentioned half of the current squad of boats that were leaving mexico with ya were 2 person teams, is that common in your sailing experience?

As a follow up why do you reckon so many people do long crossings with only 2 people - as you mentioned it seems exhausting and you don't have as much time to enjoy each others company. Seems like someone like me could be a valuable asset, even if the crew doesn't financially need any support, seems like they'd be happy to have someone to do watches and help out.

I've looked into sites like crewbay that look for people like me, willing to help out in exchange for being able to hop on board for a month or more. I haven't yet gone to port cities or marinas posting flyers which I hear is another option.

Any input on the best way for me to get on a boat for a month or 2? I don't mind spending money, but not about to drop $1,000/week for some chartered sailboat, prefer things more equal and friendly. Also don't mind holing up in whatever city for a month or so waiting for an opportunity.

All the best, appreciated!

Hi boliver

There's a lot of people that are actively trying to crew on sailboats heading different directions. The problem is that a small percentage of these crew wanna be's are dysfunctional.

During our Pacific crossing a friend of ours that single handed to Mexico picked up 2 crew for the puddle jump. About 1000 miles SW his steering hydraulics packed it in requiring hand steering the rest of the way. Both crew were on the SSB trying to get other boats to come pick them up and leaving my bud to hand steer 2 weeks single handed.
It was so bad we avoided getting close to his boat as we were worried the crew would jump overboard to force us to pick them up. As it was the boat made landfall in Nuka Hiva.
Another friend picked up one female crew for the crossing in La Cruz. After only a week at sea she packed her gear and insisted aliens were coming to pick her up. My bud ended up pretty much single handing the rest of the way while here crew hallucinated. Upon landfall at Hiva Oa she wanted to sue him for various reasons, but he did buy her a ticket to Tahiti to just get rid of her.
She posted an experienced crew needs ride posting the following day to jump some other unsuspecting boat.
Yesterday we found out she used his Visa to book airbnb's in Tahiti...he had to cancel card...good luck getting a replacement down here.
So ya...you may be great crew to have but in my case I'll pass...so much downside on long passages.

I think what Eder meant to say was that a large percentage of these crew wanna be's are dysfunctional. As are a large percentage of the boat owners. It's like going on a first date with someone that you hope will share your specific kink and being stuck with them for a month in a jail cell.

We took on volunteer crew one time, enroute to Tahiti. She was nice enough but had to find a new ride after the captain's wife caught her showering in the nude w/ the captain on the aft deck while the children were playing on the foredeck.

We were sailing thru the Tuamotus one night when our electronics were knocked out by a string of thunderstorms and squalls. I was at the helm and my brother had dug out the paper charts and we were working together, soaked to the bone on a moonless night, to ensure we didn't run aground while we shot the pass thru a couple of nearby islands. Our new crew was fast asleep below.

I knew she wouldn't fit in when she slid open the companionway, tapped me on the leg to get my attention, and said "could you please slow the boat down, I'm having a hard time sleeping". She was our first and only volunteer crew.




On the other hand it's easy to get yourself into trouble crewing for people who have no business taking a boat to sea. These stories are endless, such as the women adrift in the Pacific last year who were afraid they were going to be eaten by sharks.

I've been paid to crew on numerous boats with owners that supposedly had lots of experience but didn't know a sheet from a halyard. I've been hired to help owners move boats that were "professionally outfitted and blue water ready" that couldn't make it out of the harbor. I've also sailed with captains that didn't know the difference between a static and dynamic line until we had to return to harbor after the main dropped.

Caveat emptor, and you're signing on for a big commitment. That said it can be an amazing opportunity when you find that person w/ your specific kink - meaning things go well and you get along with them living in a jail cell that pitches and rolls 24hr per day.



ETA:

I also remember a young couple who signed on to crew on a boat in the Indian ocean who were kicked off the boat after a passage with fairly rough weather. The captain's main gripe involved the daily polishing of the stainless steel rigging while at sea. The volunteer crew was to spend x amount of hours per day polishing the stainless LOL. The captain lost his **** when one of the crew accidentally knocked over a bottle of polish.

The problem wasn't the spilled polish, the captain explained, since accidents happen. It was the fact that they had simply washed away the polish as opposed to getting something to scoop up and pour the polish back into the bottle. He couldn't tolerate that type of waste.

I used that threat with my brother for years afterward.

Well, she couldn't take a shower with her clothes on. That would be dumb.

ended up finding a really cool couple to take me along to cruise indonesia with them for a month or so. Really stoked and good vibes thus far, only 24 hours in and we start passage across java sea tomorrow. Route is Siangyang - Kumai river - along kalimantan to derawan islands - then over to sulawesi to lembeh islands. Not the longest trip ever but should be a good time regardless. Appreciate the inspiration, stories, and insight provided through this thread and excited to be back on a boat again after 5 years

Post pics next month or it didn't happen.

haha, in kumai now, so have internet for a bit. Passage was 5 days total from outside of Jakarta, couldn't come into port during the night so waited just outside until things got clear. Sailing is interesting - I've only done it once before for 2 weeks, but just a quickie to the galapagos from Ecuador. I had a slight inclination of wanting to own my own boat someday, but everytime I sail I realize how damn hard it is and how much comprehensive knowledge it takes to be a captain. Much respect to you guys on that front.

The boat is a 40ft Eastman cat, built like a tank with everything to get the job done safely, but not overly luxurious. Cats are really nice, I have so much extra space and an entire side of the boat that's all mine. We're 3 people doing 3 hour watches which gets grueling after awhile, but I'm sure that's nothing compared to the people with only 2 crew. Not too many interesting photos thus far, but tomorrow we're going to see orangutans and some weird nosed probiscus monkeys. Can post occasionally in here if there's any interest.

Me and the couple who own the boat get along great, a girl from australia who grew up in Indonesia so speaks perfect bahasa (local language) and a guy from a farm in canada that can fix anything. They're both surprisingly patient with me not knowing how to tie the correct knots, secure the anchor, struggle pulling up and down the sails - but I do feel that I am making myself extremely useful and a nice asset for them to have on board. Too early to make a call yet, but looks like I have the option of staying on for a couple more months if I want, and we'd head over to Papa new guinea where the captain and his lady have a work contract starting in January. We'll see what happens. I can imagine myself being sick and tired of life at sea after another month of this unless we get 1 more crew on board to give me more than 6 hours max of downtime in the watch schedule.

Crewbay.com though, been great for me thus far but need to use your brain. I wouldn't be so worried from a creep/safety perspective of physical harm, but as mentioned above more just very stubborn captains who wouldn't be a good time, or inexperienced ones who are learning as they go along and getting into unsafe situations due to that. I asked for references and followed up, stalked them on social media, and did the customary due diligence that others might overlook. Be smart, don't go hopping in random boats with anyone that'll take you.






I'll have to take better pics somewhere, internet is horrid now and de captain asked and shall receive. Climbing up the mast to navigate a tight shallow passage in a few days so might get some share-worthy shots then.

we don't have a drone so its kinda rare to get any good pics of the boat. but enjoying life quite a bit now that we're just hanging out at islands, going diving everyday instead of 5 day passages nonstop for the last month.

Was gonna just come for a month but doing another as I wanted all the island paradise goodies. Spent the last few days at Derawan Island, and just across in Maratua now. Words or pics don't really describe it well enough. Both the landscapes and the various kinds of nature here are just amazing, from jellyfish lakes to orangutan's and monkeys that are native to only this island, to pristine beaches, turtles greeting us everytime we hop in the water, and some of the best diving in the world. Plus we still have hammerheads, whale sharks, a blue hole, cenotes, giant schools of barracuda, and who knows what else on the underwater itinerary in the next week alone.

Anyways here's a better pic of the boat:



This was a few days before I joined, sadly. Krakatoa volcano going off. Been lots of seismic activity over here lately, thousands dead from earthquakes not too far from here. If any interest in recent pics, here's his photodump: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chphotographic/

Looking forward to having to time to do more than skim your photos. The underwater moped is great!

Very cool. Glad you're having a good time. Thx for the pics.

So, are these your pictures boliver or someone elses? I really want to know about the short video with the tiger lunging at the camera.

yea everything with the CHphotography watermark on it are from the captain. Him and his wife have crazy nice cameras and are all about this life, diving twice a day anytime they can here and they've never entered the water without their photo equipment, which is huge. I usually snorkel above most of the places we've been thus far are like 5 meters depth, but they still want to take macro shots of everything so strapping on a tank is easier. Anyways, his site is http://www.chphotographic.com, and I linked his flickr account above that is kinda his interim spot for his picks of the day.

The tiger shot he told me the story - some rich guy I believe in Sulawesi bought a bunch of land and was a dickhead about it, kicking local families out of their homes to make room for him and such. There ended up being tigers on the land as well, and he lets them roam free I believe. The one in the video was injured and he was nursing it back to health to release it again. So dude was def more of an animal person than a people person! They've had some sick dives the last couple days in Maratua which makes me slightly bummed I didn't join, but some were super heavy current dives for advanced divers only - which according to my license I am... but not trying to get in over my head. Even the captain popped his ear a bit today because you have to descend to whatever 10m depth instantly to not get swept away. Oh he uploaded some already, these are pretty huge barracuda in a school of maybe thousands. Can see the human in the corner - fish are just about as big as us!

Damm, I would never want to be in the water with barracuda. They are a somewhat stupid fish that just goes on instinct and bites whatever is shiny or catches their attention. They have wicked teeth too.

Unreal. Thanks captains!

this thread is incredible. I really appreciate all the people who have contributed their sailing stories.

It does happen with barracuda, but is nothing people are overly worried about. Personally I'm still a baby and have a very healthy fear of ocean critters, but pretty much nothing in the ocean intentionally attacks humans. humboldt squid and dolphins are some of the only things known to just be violent randomly and kill for fun. Other stuff makes mistakes but shouldn't be as much of a worry, they are dangerous but not aggressive. Tiger sharks I don't know too much about, but every other shark just gets a bad rep, people are feeding or provoking them usually. Accidentally touching coral, jellyfish, some octopus is much more of a threat. Most of what you hear otherwise is folklore or anecdotal evidence. And of course just currents, riptides, and waves kill more people than all ocean animals combined.

Stepped off the boat yesterday for good. Was a nice 6 week adventure. Had some sailor desires to satisfy via tinder and fast food tomorrow headed back 'home'. Next goal is to cross an ocean! Might post a recap of the trip, but I mostly just follow this guys youtube channel to fulfill my sailing dreams if people at home want to live vicariously: https://www.youtube.com/user/briantrautman

Was a great time with a mix of both tough days at sea just making passage, and then idyllic island chilling seeing some amazing places

Appreciate all the inspiration from this thread over the years helping me to finally pull the trigger!

Question for any of the more experienced guys - I now have about 2,000 miles logged, is it a worthwhile endeavor to take a class or two and get some type of formal certification for basic sailing skills?

Bull sharks have just got a bad rep? lol

Me too. I find it a good mix of the benefits of sailing / downsides of sailing and seeing parts of the world in a different light. It’s one of the few YouTube series I watch regularly.

Intentional has nothing to do with it. Like I said, they strike anything shiny on instinct.

How close have you been to a shark? I've been 6 inches away from ones I've caught. Even a little 4 footer has a bite radius that could ruin your day, and the teeth are unbelievably sharp. All they have to do is flail their tail or a fin that sweeps your skin, and there's a good chance you'll be cut. Once your blood is in the water, it's on.