Working on Boats
 

I put a new web site on-line last week about working on boats.
http://www.workonaboat.com

I was wondering if anyone has any advice for information that I should
add. Did I miss any important links? Is there any advice I should offer
for people who want to work on a boat? I'm also interested in including
some travel stories about crewing and working on boats, so if you have any
to add, just use the contact form on the web site.

Thanks

Working on Boats
 

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 01:11:32 -0700, Tim Synge wrote:

We were in St Tropez in July and got chatting to one or two of the crew
of "Rio Rita", a rather impressive 50 metre motor yacht. The consensus
seemed to be that the most successful way of getting a job was simply
to trawl around the harbourfront in a suitable location and ask at each
boat whether there are any vacancies. Whether this approach is relevant
to sailing vessels, I am not sure.

Walking the docks is a very good method, but a lot of marinas are locked
or have restricted access. It depends on where you are. A few other ways
are crew lists (Internet, magazine, marinas), advertisements posted at
marine stores, crew agencies (for professional crew), and acquiring
daywork through crew houses. If you are working with the super yachts
like the one you mentioned, you can make $100 to $150 (US) cash per day
just washing them. The crew are making from $3,000 to $10,000+ per month
plus huge tips. The $10,000+/month wages are the captains and engineers
of the biggest boats.

I've been up all night working on adding some forums to the site. Still
needs some work, but it's a bit nearer to completion.
http://www.workonaboat.com

Working on Boats
 

boatcrew wrote:
On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 01:11:32 -0700, Tim Synge wrote:

We were in St Tropez in July and got chatting to one or two of the crew
of "Rio Rita", a rather impressive 50 metre motor yacht. The consensus
seemed to be that the most successful way of getting a job was simply
to trawl around the harbourfront in a suitable location and ask at each
boat whether there are any vacancies. Whether this approach is relevant
to sailing vessels, I am not sure.

Walking the docks is a very good method, but a lot of marinas are locked
or have restricted access. It depends on where you are. A few other ways
are crew lists (Internet, magazine, marinas), advertisements posted at
marine stores, crew agencies (for professional crew), and acquiring
daywork through crew houses. If you are working with the super yachts
like the one you mentioned, you can make $100 to $150 (US) cash per day
just washing them. The crew are making from $3,000 to $10,000+ per month
plus huge tips. The $10,000+/month wages are the captains and engineers
of the biggest boats.

I've been up all night working on adding some forums to the site. Still
needs some work, but it's a bit nearer to completion.

How many deck crew or cook/housekeeper hands did you interview to
arrive at your conclusion that these entry level jobs typically pay
$36,000 a year plus "huge tips"? It is my impression that would be on
the high side for a grunt, but in exchange for that or likely less the
crew person will be living aboard with one single bunk, maybe 2
drawers, and half a small locker to stow all their worldly posessions.
Large areas of the yacht will be "off limits" to the crewperson, unless
functioning in their capacity as a water-borne servant.

The job is on-call 24/7, but on the bright side for a young, footloose,
adventurer willing to kiss butt in any port of the world it's a good
way to do some travelling. Many owners of the biggest mega-yachts are
aboard for only a few weeks a year, but maintain at least a minimal
crew at all times.
Paul Allen will pick up the phone, call his skipper in the Virgin
Islands, and say "I would like to meet the boat in Barcelona on the
first of next month and cruise the Med. for two weeks" The crew never
really knows where it will be, or when, but on the upside the
atmosphere is probably not as intense when the owner and his party are
not aboard.

Working on Boats
 

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 08:25:13 -0700, chuckgould.chuck wrote:

How many deck crew or cook/housekeeper hands did you interview to
arrive at your conclusion that these entry level jobs typically pay
$36,000 a year plus "huge tips"? It is my impression that would be on
the high side for a grunt, but in exchange for that or likely less the
crew person will be living aboard with one single bunk, maybe 2
drawers, and half a small locker to stow all their worldly posessions.
Large areas of the yacht will be "off limits" to the crewperson, unless
functioning in their capacity as a water-borne servant.

It's less on sailboats, but $3,000 is reasonable for a stewardess or
deckhand on a super yacht, say in South Florida or the Caribbean. Tips
can be huge when chartering. I didn't say it was paradise though.


--
Work on a boat, yacht, cruise ship
http://www.workonaboat.com

Working on Boats
 

boatcrew wrote in
:

It's less on sailboats, but $3,000 is reasonable for a stewardess or
deckhand on a super yacht, say in South Florida or the Caribbean. Tips
can be huge when chartering. I didn't say it was paradise though.



Best way to get on a sailboat is to show proficiency in key skills. I use
mine, electronics/electrical/diesels. Works like a champ, but I don't want
money which is a different matter. If you look like a human, act like one
and treat the skipper with respect, not arrogance, you can get a lot of the
skills you'll need for a paying job, later, aboard his boat. I spent a
month in Florida from Ft Lauderdale to Charleston, SC, on a 41' ketch last
spring. Cost me about $100. I had the boat to myself in Daytona Beach,
not exactly an awful place, at a nice marina, for over 2 weeks while my
captain went back to Atlanta to work. Very relaxing. I keep his boat
clean, his electronics in first class condition and fixed his flooded
diesel engine with the local mechanic. You'd be amazed how popular you get
with captains who live miles away from their boats if you can make the boat
seaworthy and stocked before he gets there! He comes aboard and, just like
the really rich yachties, is ready to cast off, his trusty crew (das you!)
having done the local legwork and stocking before he arrived. Do that and
his boat becomes your boat whenever he's not around.

After you get experienced, DOCUMENTED EXPERIENCE on real yachts you've
wheedled yourself aboard, with time at sea, THEN you're worth actual money
as you'll know how to handle her, under power and sail, and become a
valuable watch stander. Document all your time on someone's boat in a
logbook, logging what you do for the boat (especially if it included
unclogging the head, fixing equipment in the bilge,etc. and hours you stood
watch at sea). Ask the captain to sign your logbook with his boat name so
you can show what you've done to some future captain during negotations
about pay. Documented time also counts when you get along and want to go
to some place like Sea School for your license....

--
Larry
I took rec.boats out of the path to this post so's not to attract
trouble....