# Need Crew



## Cavemansailor (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm still looking for crew for my sailboat. I ended up spending most the summer docked at the Corpus Christi Marina by myself. I met lots of other sailors (mostly older and retired, however), crewed in yacht races on 24 and 54 footers and spent the rest of my time sailing and netting mullet for income (on my last trip out I made $140 in 4 hours and am heading back out tomorrow for a week!).

Anyway, gettin pretty lonely, and I also REALLY need crew--to share the tasks of watchkeeping (vital in the Gulf with all the shipping traffic) steering, and most importantly, camaraderie.

I hauled the boat out last week to do a little work, but should have it back in Corpus in two weeks or so, where it would be awesome to sail in the Wednesday yacht races.

I plan to sail across the Atlantic as soon as hurricane season ends, with stops in Florida, the Caribbean, Azores, Morocco, Spain, Italy, and wherever else the wind takes me. The boat is small (about the size of those used in the Mini Transat) but much more seaworthy--small, self bailing cockpit, super thick solid hull, heavy-duty mast, foam flotation, self righting, and has lots of additional reinforcements that I have made. I have 2 jibs, a genoa and main and am going to make my own storm jib and trysail as soon as I get my hands on some dacron cloth. I have a solar-powered computer and GPS, and if that goes out (which it has before) I have a sextant and am pretty darned good with it. 

I'll stock up on high-calorie canned and dried foods and water (contributions by crew appreciated but not necessary), plus, whenever we are close to shore, I can keep us well-fed with my cast net and crab traps.


----------



## Bl3wbyyou (Sep 8, 2013)

Hah id be game to jump aboard when ya make it to florida.I'd love to hit the ocean i've done it all beside sailing and i think that'd be the shit.I'm a pretty dang good mechanic so if ya need someone to turn wrenches and fix things then ill join ya.I've got food stamps that i could throw in id love to check out the rest of the globe via sailing.I think that'd be breath taking!

Been stranded and almost swept out to the gulf of mexico once at pine island that damn place has a fast ass current and our backup 3hp motor wasn't doing shit with the current moving so fast out the pass.We spent 3 days stranded with no water or food since i left the cooler in the car lol.I have a fear of getting in any boat with a mercury outboard lol.

I have solar power as well for charging phones and whatever usb devices ya need charged.

Lmk hit me up man.I'd love to do this.

Later
Chris

Drop me a text at my textfree number or PM me.


----------



## Tude (Sep 8, 2013)

Wow - looks like you have some interest here! Sounds lovely - and you need to update us on your progress and your travels!!


----------



## ByronMc (Sep 8, 2013)

can I take my bicycle ?


----------



## James Huxley (Sep 9, 2013)

That sounds like it'd be all different kinds of life-affirming. Fuck all if I don't know a thing about sailing. Best of luck, brother.


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 9, 2013)

Thanks for all the rapid replies! I'll try to answer all the questions: I would want to have at least 1 crew member for each leg of the journey, but the boat has bunks for 3, and 3 total (including myself) would give us plenty of time to kick back and enjoy the ride. If you can disassemble a bike, yes, bring one along! Experience is definitely not required. The control systems are simple and you can "learn the ropes" of this boat in a day. Navigation, sail trim for maximum speed and balance and storm tactics are what require experience, and I'll take care of those as the crew learns along the way. 

I should hit Florida sometime in late October or early November (Depending on the weather), where I'll keep an eye on weather forecasts and try to pick a good window to cross the Atlantic, which should take about a month and a half to 2 months.


----------



## Ayurveda78 (Sep 9, 2013)

Would definitely be interested in something like this heading out of coeur d Alene this morning s by se. Will get back to you when got an extra min. Keep in touch with updates on your movement hopefully we can meet up somewhere


----------



## ByronMc (Sep 9, 2013)

awesome,am going to send my app,for passport !


----------



## Bl3wbyyou (Sep 9, 2013)

Im curious about the legalitys surrounding taking a trip like this.I have no passport so i am going to assume i couldn't get off the boat and step foot on land.Well i could but it'd be only a matter of time before i get asked to see my passport which i don't have anyway lol.

Either way id be more then interested to meet ya wherever ya dock in florida at.I'm gonna guess you are gonna stop off at the keys which i haven't been to in ages.Would be a one hell of an adventure.

Ya got my attention fully but i wanna know about the passport crap and what i can and can't do if i don't have one.I have no legal problems its just i find it kinda dumb to buy one just a slip of paper that is gonna tempt to keep me from sitting foot on another country is BS lol.


----------



## strobelight (Sep 9, 2013)

I would definitely go along with you and anyone else who joins your crew. I don't know much about boats or sailing but if someone showed me what to do and taught me then i could do it. I have always wanted to sail, no matter where it is, so I have the heart for it. I'm not sure how much I could contribute to food and water but I could at least feed myself with canned food and beef jerky, so I wouldn't cut into anyone else's supply. I'm pretty good at fishing, and I do it often, so that's a way i could get food.

I'm pretty interested in doing this, so if you haven't fully found anyone to go along with you throw me a message or something. I don't have any obligations where I am at right now (western, NY) so I could leave at any time.


----------



## Matt Derrick (Sep 11, 2013)

damn, i'm loving all this interest in sailing that's been coming out lately.

if you happen to swing by key west, i have some friends there you should hang out with!


----------



## xylon (Sep 11, 2013)

Hello. I would like to know id you still got room on your boat? I have been living and working on a 154 ft 4 masted schooner for the past month here in bar harbor, Maine. I'm looking to branch out and get to new places. But I know a decent amount of sailing and wan to keep doing it . Anyway. Let me know if your still on the lookout for crew


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 11, 2013)

Yesterday cut my foot wide open when my full weight landed on an oyster while casting for mullet (as in bits of connective tissue and fat hanging out), so I gotta wait a week before I can go out again. BUT, the good news is I've got a week to finish repairs to the boat and put together a crew!

Key West:
Just let me know if you'll be there around the end of October and I'll plan on stopping by!

Passports: 

I am very flexible as to destinations. Although I have a passport, If the crew does not, we could just stick to the ocean and only enter ports where passports are not required (Puerto Rico, etc.) Hell, if I had enough fresh water, I'ld be content to spend the rest of my life drifting in the Sargasso Sea! If I sell enough fish in the coming weeks, maybe I can get a desalinator so I have to go into port rarely if at all. 

Frankly, a big part of my decision to go to sea was to be free of bureaucrats, fences and churches. I've travelled from Alaska to the Amazon (landwise) and always had to keep an eye over my shoulder when harvesting natural resources without a "license" in the "wrong" season, occasionally sleeping in drainage tunnels because its illegal to sleep in the open, hiding vital cooking fires because there were "burn bans," and on and on. The sea can be brutal, but it is also indifferent--its not out to get you on a personal vendetta because you've never paid a penny of your taxes, don't follow every artificial rule in a vast encyclopedia of bureaucratic insanity or disobey an ambiguous prohibition from a 3,000 year old book of superstition!

Sorry bout the rant--but I hate artificial rules! I'ld rather face the ferocity of a hurricane with its fixed, logical rules of wind, current, gravity, buoyancy, etc. than wither away slowly in a prison, mental hospital or worse yet, in the prison of the mind, being repressed by ever changing mental viruses. In fact, the time I felt most alive was when hit by a sudden squall with full sail up--50 mph wind, hanging on to the bow pulpit and pulling the jib down as the boat heeled 90 degrees, being pelted by rain driving sideways that felt like hail, lightning striking all around and static electricity sizzling off the mast. 

Room:

The boat is 19 feet long, 7 feet wide, with plenty of sitting headroom in the cabin, 2 quarter berths and v-berth for two. The cockpit is very small (which I consider a safety feature, since it can't hold too much water). I've sailed with 6 people aboard on a day trip, but that was too many. Only 2 average sized people can sit in the cockpit due to heeling and tiller maneuverability. I think three is best both for chores and comfort. There is LOTS of room in the cabin for a boat of this size, but it gets pretty hot in there during the day, so generally the folks I've had aboard have preferred to sit or lay on the deck during the hottest parts of the day. 

Well, keep in touch everyone, and although I can't take you all aboard at once, I would love to have the opportunity to sail with you all during some point in the journey!


----------



## strobelight (Sep 11, 2013)

I don't have a passport, but I wouldn't want to stop anyone from seeing a beautiful country that they've never seen before. I don't really believe that a few pieces of paper should make a difference whether someone can go to a different part of the earth or not. If I was in a different country without a passport, I would just try to blend in and act like the local people do. That would be the easiest way to see a new country without "the proper paperwork".


----------



## outskirts (Sep 11, 2013)

Sailing to the Azores, Morocco and Spain? Nice! If didn't have other plans for this winter I'd be down to cross the Atlantic with you. I don't have any sailing experience but I am a quick learner. I just got my passport in order last year so I have plenty of time, maybe on your next trip.
Well, to you and your future crew... enjoy the freedom of the sea.


----------



## clockwise5000 (Sep 11, 2013)

I'd love to tag along and learn about sailing! I'm especially interested in seeing Morocco and Spain, and would like to travel around there. I applied for my passport a week ago with the intention of going into central America, but would love to take this opportunity to experience and learn something new!


----------



## Matt Derrick (Sep 12, 2013)

Cavemansailor said:


> Yesterday cut my foot wide open when my full weight landed on an oyster while casting for mullet (as in bits of connective tissue and fat hanging out), so I gotta wait a week before I can go out again. BUT, the good news is I've got a week to finish repairs to the boat and put together a crew!
> 
> Key West:
> Just let me know if you'll be there around the end of October and I'll plan on stopping by!
> ...



i don't have hardly any sailing experience, but isn't 19 feet a bit small for ocean travel? i mean, i was getting tossed around pretty bad in a 26 ft in a light storm in key west, i would be hesitant to do it on anything under 30 ft.


----------



## travelin (Sep 12, 2013)

gosh, and here I was thinking 35 was a little small just for Galveston day cruises and occasional key west/carribean runs!


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 12, 2013)

19 feet is a mansion compared to some boats that have sailed much farther. Many of the larger more expensive fiberglass boats have thin hulls compared to their size. Plus, the little boats can be propelled by oars or solar-powered electric trolling motors when there is no wind and literally pushed off by hand if they run aground. 

Sven Yrvind rounded Cape Horn in a 20 ft sailboat he built in his mom's basement and now is trying to round all 3 Capes in a TEN FOOT boat even though he is getting pretty old! yrvind.com

Shane Acton sailed around the entire planet in his 18 foot sailboat SHRIMPY for EIGHT YEARS. He left without any sailing experience (but had experience in the Navy) and a couple of pounds in his pocket. His book is a great read for any would-be boat punks--he pulled all sorts of crazy scams and stunts to fund his voyage along the way (his biggest challenge seemed to finding enough cigarettes!)

Kenichi Horie sailed from Japan to San Francisco in a 19 footer WITH NO PASSPORT. 

In fact, there is an entire culture in sailing around these boats-- microcruising--http://www.microcruising.com/

Tania Abei (a street punk forced-to-be sailor by her maniac artist father) circumnavigated the globe singlehand at age 18 in a 26 footer.

I am docked and sail out of Corpus Christi, which if you look at a map of wind speed and wave height, you will see it has the highest average sustained winds and steepest waves anywhere on the Gulf Coast. Almost every day, the wind builds to 20 knots with short period breaking seas of 4 to 6 feet. Its like sailing in pounding surf. 

The moral of all this, big boats may be faster, but are not necessarily safer. In spite of all the talk about "nearly free" boats over 30 feet, I've never seen one in Texas for less than about $1,500, and ones that needed some very expensive and serious repairs at that.

Plus, its only me. I've never met any other boat or any other kind of punks/wanderers in Texas and have no friends. The little boat is a lot easier to single-hand, even though it is not set up with lines to the cockpit to do so. (I lash the tiller and dash madly up to the bow to do whatever I need to do).


----------



## ByronMc (Sep 12, 2013)

Cavemansailor said:


> 19 feet is a mansion compared to some boats that have sailed much farther. Many of the larger more expensive fiberglass boats have thin hulls compared to their size. Plus, the little boats can be propelled by oars or solar-powered electric trolling motors when there is no wind and literally pushed off by hand if they run aground.
> 
> Sven Yrvind rounded Cape Horn in a 20 ft sailboat he built in his mom's basement and now is trying to round all 3 Capes in a TEN FOOT boat even though he is getting pretty old! yrvind.com
> 
> ...


I thought for a second,19' was too small,but having read about your hull,knew you feel good about your boat !........I really want to go with you,but am not sure,I can meet your deadline,at the moment ! I'm getting my teeth worked on,at MCV,thru a program !And need money to get the work done & don't have money for my passport now. But,with a huge yard sale,can move forward !


----------



## Matt Derrick (Sep 12, 2013)

Cavemansailor said:


> 19 feet is a mansion compared to some boats that have sailed much farther. Many of the larger more expensive fiberglass boats have thin hulls compared to their size. Plus, the little boats can be propelled by oars or solar-powered electric trolling motors when there is no wind and literally pushed off by hand if they run aground.
> 
> Sven Yrvind rounded Cape Horn in a 20 ft sailboat he built in his mom's basement and now is trying to round all 3 Capes in a TEN FOOT boat even though he is getting pretty old! yrvind.com
> 
> ...



Yeah, I've seen/heard/read about those people, but in my personal opinion they were all insane  

As for the speed, i don't think a 30 ft boat would be any faster than a 19, but i could be wrong. 

Seriously though, I don't know much, but having two people in a 26ft 1976 Grampian on the water in key west was a bit uncomfortable after a while, and sailing my friends 40 ft concrete boat to the dry tortugas were were bouncing around like crazy on a calm day. I just can't see taking the 26 across the ocean (although it had been done and the grampians have been sailed all over the world, I don't know if it would be very fun). 

But don't let me tell you what to do, do it and get back to us and let's us know what it was like! Especially for two months! Damn! 

Are you going to take pictures? Dunno if there's much to see in the middle of the ocean, but maybe before leaving and upon arrival.


----------



## travelin (Sep 12, 2013)

good post!

I saw the little boat from japan at san Francisco. the story is fascinating. he told no one what he was going to do.

you go have as much fun as you want with whatever size boat you want.

when I mentioned I thought it a bit small , that's small for ME.


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 13, 2013)

The longer a boat is, the faster it can go under sail--it can't pass its own bow wave unless it has a flat hull that can lift and plane over the water. The formula for hull speed is 1.34 * the square root of the length at waterline.

30 footer = 7.3 knots
19 footer = 5.8 knots

This means that you could travel in 24 hours:

30 footer = 175 nm
19 footer = 139 nm

Those 36 nautical miles make a huge difference if you are racing, trying to make port or anchorage before dark, or trying to outrun a storm (so big boats can be safer in some respects, I concede) 

(note that these numbers are slightly high due to the fact that length at waterline is generally less than length of hull overall)

Giant maxi yachts and trimarans can actually sail faster than the wind on certain points of sail and can attain speeds of 20 to 40 knots! 

Yes, we small boat and single-hand sailors are widely considered "insane" and probably are by the definition of domesticated mass society!

Sven was locked in a maximum security prison and diagnosed as a psychopath
Shane called himself "the black sheep of the family"
Bernard was on a quest to "save his soul"

Its not adrenaline we seek, but something much more profound--to heal tortured minds by shutting off self-consciousness, to realize our own insignificance before the immense power of the ocean, to face death and yet survive, to drift in a calm when sapphire sky and mirror sea blend into one--to enter an ecstatic trance and experience the world in the moment as an animal does. 

At least that's what I've felt. Its the best therapy I have found so far.


----------



## Ekstasis (Sep 13, 2013)

Do you have any other great sailing stories to suggest?


----------



## Ekstasis (Sep 13, 2013)

Oops. I was lazy and asked that before looking beyond the kindle app. A search gets you a free PDF of Shrimpy and other related reads from bluemoment.com


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 13, 2013)

Here are my favorite true sailing stories and films (most films can be downloaded via torrent)

Documentaries:
With Jean-du-Sud Around The World (greatest sailing documentary ever made)
Hold Fast
Deep Water
Kon Tiki
Alone Across The Pacific

Books:
*Maiden Voyage
*My Old Man and The Sea
*A Voyage for Madmen
*The Long Way
*Fatal Storm
*Adrift
*Shrimpy -- www.bluemoment.com/*pdf*/*shrimpy*.*pdf*‎
*http://www.yrvind.com/my_life/


----------



## Ekstasis (Sep 13, 2013)

Ty. Ahh Adrift is a great book. Have you seen Freya Hoffmeister's book/blog? She circumnavigated Australia and is working on S. America, all done in a KAYAK.


----------



## travelin (Sep 13, 2013)

I read kon tiki when I was a kiddo. loved the tale.

my teacher would send me to the high school library during our reading hour and I would pick books out and read them. the librarian would not let me check out the book kon tiki because "428 pages is too long for someone your age"

I came home, told the parents and they scheduled a meeting with the school board.

after that I was allowed to take any book in the high school library.

I was in fourth grade.

a seriously good example of navigation under extreme, desperate circumstances is the voyage of captain bligh and his officers after they were cast adrift from the bounty. say what you will about his commanding skills, the man was a navigator and a sailor!

my current fuzzy thought is that once I get the farm up and operating there should be some spare time here and there so I envisioned purchasing a 35+ foot boat and sailing the gulf for two or three week stretches. I realized after a while that this time limit would preclude any carribean cruising, but who knows how long I could actually break loose. it all depends on how many people are involved in the farm and how long I determine I could be away.

and looking in the mirror I realize that, at 50 and poor health those kind of adventures might be best left to younger or healthier people...

I dunno. in the fullness of time it may come about...


----------



## rationale (Sep 14, 2013)

So I am also interested in this, but don't really want to risk my life. Fuck mass society -- getting out of it has immense appeal. But I don't want to do it if I have a significant risk of dying (despite the fact that taking risks does have some appeal). So, Caveman sailor, can you elaborate on what you think the risk level is? It seems like you might be doing this to prove you can survive -- is that the case? Or do you not think it's really that much of a safety risk?

And what is the timeframe -- when would you be able to take additional people on?


----------



## Cavemansailor (Sep 14, 2013)

Certainly not trying to prove anything--wouldn't be asking for crew in that case (more like begging now, as I was supposed to cross the Gulf almost a year ago with a crew that bailed--fucking lazy wage-slave robotic morons). 

After many close calls with death (unintentionally--with mother mountain lions, 18-wheelers, child soldiers, storms, snakes, dehydration, starvation, etc) I try to minimize risk whenever possible. You reach a point though, where you just say, "fuck it--I've waited long enough--gotta go before I die from smokin these cigarettes, cold and alone anyway!"

Crossing the Gulf of Mexico ALONE will be next to suicidal--for two simple reasons: tanker ships and the ability of one person to stay awake for only so long. I dodge'em all day right now, but can't imagine going below for more than 10 minutes, let alone taking a nap!

The Gulf has some of the heaviest commercial shipping and oil drilling activity anywhere. I will probably not show up on their radar (if they even have someone on watch--those things can run on autopilot now). Going alone, you are basically playing Russian Roulette with tanker ships. 

Storms can be terrifying, but unless the boat gets cut in half (by a tanker ship) its not going to sink. The biggest non-human threats are people falling/getting washed overboard and getting rolled and losing the mast. Both these dangers can be greatly minimized by prudent seamanship. 

Just one other person on board would raise the odds of survival to something like 98%. Of course, its impossible to eliminate risk completely (unless you are in a super-max prison in solitary, and even then....there's earthquakes, asteroids, nuclear missiles, Texas, suicide, and god forbid, OLD AGE!).

Without another person, I might be pretty much fucked. If I had radios and radar, I'ld probably be just fine, but it is very unlikely that I'll ever be able to afford the robotic versions of a human watchkeeper. 

But hell, I might do it anyway. Sure beats being locked in the mental hospital (I've been there). 

Anyway timeframe....lookin to leave whenever hurricane season looks like its wound down to a close. Probably late October/early November. Crossing the Gulf should take about 2 weeks.


----------



## ByronMc (Sep 14, 2013)

I thought hurricane season ended,in early December, & of course,I'm saying that,to give me,more time


----------



## Ayurveda78 (Sep 14, 2013)

Sounds like an awesome time. I have spent a little time I the water. Avid fisherman, SCUBA, chef by ex profession and a general jack of all trades. I do have my passport and after a little running around together maybe in islands or such would be down for a long voyage. Currently in Grand Rapids would like to keep in touch and possibly meet up sometime. Whether it be Texas or the keys which would probably be most likely for me.


----------



## ByronMc (Sep 16, 2013)

I'm emailing the owner,he wants to find a good home for her ! Price,you won't believe it !


----------



## clockwise5000 (Sep 18, 2013)

If you were to stop in Mexico or central America I'd get out there.


----------



## bardamu (Sep 18, 2013)

Well also the longer the hull the larger the mast it can support and hence more feet of sail. With any decent amount of wind the power given by a larger sail far exceeds the extra weight of the boat.


----------



## bardamu (Sep 18, 2013)

ByronMc said:


> View attachment 11124
> I'm emailing the owner,he wants to find a good home for her ! Price,you won't believe it !



Watch out for wooden hulls way the fuck more tlc required than fiber glass, also harder to identify serious problems like internal rot.


----------



## Kittwoopsiessmith (Sep 18, 2013)

How fast do I need to be there?


----------



## DrRabbit (Sep 23, 2013)

This sounds way cool, I wouldn't be able to crew for this voyage but would be very interested in any future trips.


----------



## PeterBryson (Oct 4, 2013)

fuck, if you make it to europe/africa alive, I'd drop everything and come along, or either way I want to meet you, good luck, bon courage


----------



## kai (Oct 9, 2013)

19 footer with crew on an open ocean passage is gonna be intimate, to say the least. I hope you get along really well with whoever you find to crew on your vessel.

But logistically it's no big deal, J.C Voss sailed from Vancouver island to England heading west in a dugout he'd converted to a yawl with crew and this was in a time before winches, radios, gps and what not. His book is really good 'Venturesome Voyages' by J.C. Voss. 

Your trip sounds really fun but my mind is a bit boggled by the thought of having enough water and food for more than one, tools, gear, spare halyards, extra tackle, spare parts and odds and ends that suit a long voyage all compressed into a 19 foot boat. 

I've lived on a Crown 23 before and just alone with hardly anything it was really uncomfortable, I've also owned/sailed/lived aboard a Newport 30 (claimed recently by a 60 knot storm RIP) which is more comfy of course but obviously more hassle single handing. 

Anyways I'm off topic but it sounds fun and people have perservered through worse then a tiny space to share while ripping it up on the ocean.

May the wind always be at your back and your big jib always draw.


----------



## ChrisHitTheRoad (Mar 13, 2014)

It's March 2014 now, so where are you?


----------



## creature (Jul 2, 2014)

July, 2014 .. bumping the thread...


----------

