Competent crew for Atlantic crossing
Competent crew (about 4000nm and 6 months of boat-life under my belt) currently looking for a new crewing opportunity on a boat from Bermuda across the Atlantic towards Europe, available immediately:
Sailing experience:
• Ii double-handed a 40ft catamaran from Puerto Rico to Florida (about 1100nm) together with the captain
• I volunteered on the delivery of a traditional tall ship from Saint Martin to Panama (about 1255nm)
• I just crewed on a 43ft steel monohull from Martinique to Bermuda (about 1200nm) with a sailing instructor
..so I have a decent amount of experience with multi-day offshore passages, solo day- and nightwatches, maneuvers, setting and dropping the various sails, sail trimming, reefing, hand steering (both wheel and tiller), basic knots, boat maintenance, line handling, basic VHF radio communication (got some practice in the ICW in Florida), anchoring, mooring (always caught the ball on the first try so far) and docking
• i recently also crewed as a linehandler on a Panama Canal transit and worked as a cook on a 39ft catamaran that does 5-day tours for backpackers between Panama and Colombia (so I know I can cook and do the dishes for 15 people in a tiny hot galley while underway)
• i also sailed several weeks on various monohulls in Turkey, Greece and Panama and spent 3 weeks on a monohull at anchor (broken engine) in Guadeloupe
• 9 days of solo-boatsitting the 40ft catamaran in an anchorage in the Bahamas
• i can safely drive the dinghy
• altogether about 4000nm and 6 months of „boatlife“ on 11 different boats since September 2023
• very enthusiastic about learning how to sail (so any opportunities where the captain enjoys teaching are the best fit for me)
• very motivated to help with any tasks around the boat, from boat-maintenance and -repairs, to provisioning to cooking and cleaning
• survived the 40ft catamaran getting full on hit by a tornado in a mooring field in Florida (luckily only minor injuries and minimal damage to the boat)
Personal attributes:
• 41-year old cultural anthropologist, experiential/outdoor learning facilitator and social worker from Vienna, Austria
• well travelled and educated, many stories to tell
• i don’t get seasick and i’m a good swimmer
• not arrogant or entitled, responsible and reliable, good team-worker
• fluent English and German, fluent but currently rusty Indonesian, intermediate Spanish and basic/passive knowledge of French
• good communication skills, highly self-aware and self-reflective
• introverted extrovert (i can be very social, and usually connect to people easily, but i get sensory overload from constant noise and need quiet downtime to recharge my social batteries - so a crowded party-boat wouldn't be a good fit for me)
• pro-active and often trying to over-deliver on what is expected of me
• i get very invested in the boats i’m sailing on, and i’m very dedicated to taking good care of them
• physically strong and fit, and don’t mind getting my hands dirty (i grew up on a farm)
• I enjoy things like servicing winches, climbing the mast or scraping the hull ;)
• “whatever it takes“-attitude when it comes to sailing
• adventurous (i’ll volunteer to jump into the water in the middle of the night to check on the anchor with a flashlight, and things like that..)
• i stay cool under pressure (e.g. when we had to take down a sail and it’s rigging in the middle of the night in 30 knots headwinds and very choppy waves because the wind was unfurling it.. or when the tornado ripped us off of our mooring and the boat almost smashed into a bridge..)
• decent cooking skills, no allergies or food-restrictions, but a preference for healthy and unprocessed foods, leaning towards a pescetarian diet (but also eat meat every once in a while)
• i don’t smoke (and prefer a smoke-free environment) and i’m not a heavy drinker (i’m happy with an occasional beer or a glass of wine or cocktail here and there)
• i prefer to be part of a crew where there is no place for sexism, alcoholism, mocking, crossing boundaries and power-tripping; I value consent and respectful communication
• references from other captains available on request
After crewing on various boats in the Caribbean since December 2023, i’m currently trying to make my way back to Europe across the Atlantic. I already made it to Bermuda and am now looking for the next boat towards the Azores (or further)!
The best fit for me would be a volunteer-crewing-position on a boat where i’m actually needed and where i’ll be put to work in exchange for food and a cabin, and where the captain enjoys teaching me everything about sailing.. ⛵️
I will of course consider positions on a shared-costs-basis if it’s a great fit with the people on board and/or the schedule/itinerary, too! ?
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