Message Board: Sailing Opportunities

OPO e-mail # 18-130 I spoke with OPOOPO on the phone today and he is a very nice man. He contacted us because his friend who he will be buddy boating wit also called to get a crew from us so you will have a small Flotilla of two boats and a nice itinerary to boot. This is not a forced march delivery, but a please trip that you are welcome to join. The trip is free with onboard expenses included, but you need to get to and from the boat and also have money for shore side activities. As we like to say him wants you to join him not adopt you. The Krogen 48 is a very nice trawler type boat. You will have your own cabin. If interested please contact him with a brief sailing resume and your contact info to OPOOPO him e-mails: they presently living on our vessel most of the year and at our home in New Orleans, LA the remainder of the year. We’ve been boating together in one form or another for over 30 years. We are looking forward to celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary next March. This is clearly one of those situations where this long distance voyaging is more my dream than Jan’s though she has certainly enjoyed our years on the water. I’m a lucky guy. We’ve owned Figment (our Kadey Krogen 48NS) for 8 years. She was in Seattle when we purchased her. Though we lived in IL at the time, we just started cruising from Seattle. In the intervening years we’ve made two trips to Alaska, a circumnavigation of Vancouver Is, and several cruises into British Columbia. In 2017 we headed down the west coast and arrived in La Paz, MX in late Nov. We participated in the 2017 CUBAR rally from San Diego to La Paz. We’ve spent 2018 cruising in the Gulf of California and working our way to the present location of Barra De Navidad, MX. Most of our boating experience is power though I’ve done a bit of sailing on the Great Lakes. Prior to our purchase of Figment I crewed a 53 Viking from Chicago to Ft Lauderdale and return. I was responsible for the navigation on those runs - back in the early days of Loran. I also helped bring a boat south from Ketchikan, AK to Seattle. Over the years we’ve attended numerous educational programs including US Power Squadron programs. Information about our vessel: Figment is a 1997 (hull 8) Kadey Krogen 48 North Sea model with full walk-around main deck configuration. We are the fourth owners. She is a very sea kindly, full displacement hull with full keel and great prop and rudder protection. She is also very livable with two cabins, two heads, well equipped galley, comfortable salon, separate pilot house, and upper bridge. Our guest will have use of the mid-ship cabin with head (including shower) across the hall. This head also contains the clothes washer/dryer. Figment is well equipped with 6 person life raft, ditch bag, medical supplies, AED, spares, maintenance supplies, and tools. She has satellite based SMS communication resources and we are in the process of purchasing an Iridium Go to add satellite voice communications along with a more robust weather information resource. Other relevant info - • Active stabilization - ABT Trac • Single engine CAT 3208NA with ~6700 hrs • NL 12KW generator • AB 13’ aluminum rib with 40hp Evinrude • Foldable inflatable with 4hp Evinrude • Kayaks - 2 sit in models Our cruising plans: • We will return to Figment on Jan 19, 2019 o Figment is presently in Marina De La Navidad, Barra De Navidad, MX o The closest airport is Manzanillo (ZLO) • About Jan 23rd or 24th we plan to depart Barra De Navidad continuing SE • From Barra De Navidad we’ll be buddy boating with a 43’ Nordhavn which will be operated by the owning couple and a third person • During the following 2-3 weeks we’ll travel to Huatulco, MX where our buddy boat owners will return to their home Feb 09-16; in their absence we’ll hang out in the area along with the remaining member of their crew • About the third week of Feb we’ll cruise to Chiapas, MX • We’ll then clear out of MX and head to Marina Papagayo in Costa Rica as soon as weather permits • Our buddy boat owners and Jan and I will then return to the US Mar 09 - 16, 2019 • Upon our return we’ll cruise through CR and into Panama with plans to arrive Panama City late Mar to early Apr to get measured and schedule a Panama Canal transit on Apr 20-21. • Ports we expect to visit along the way (with local airport code) o Ixtapa-Zihuantanejo (ZIH) o Acapulco (ACA) o Huatulco (HUX) o Chiapas (Tapachula TAP) o Liberia area of Costa Rica (LIR) o Golfito o Panama City (PTY) Observations on the above cruise plan: This is an aggressive schedule with weather management being important and leaves little time for hanging around in a particular location no matter its appeal. While not yet formally engaged, we’re planning to retain the services of Marine Wx Center (Chris Parker and team) to assist with wx decisions. I’ve had communications with Chris. Our daughter, son-in-law, and two young granddaughters will be joining us for the Panama Canal transit. In addition to them we’ll need 2 - 3 line handlers. Our guest can certainly participate in the PC transit though he will lose the use of the mid cabin when our children arrive. We have additional sleeping accommodations in the Pilot House and Salon settees to accommodate others such as the line handlers. We expect to be hanging around in Panama City (Marina Vista Mar) for a couple weeks post measure, pending the canal transit. During our absence from Figment in Marina Papagayo, Costa Rica we are certainly open to our guest being joined by another party if they wish to remain on Figment while we return to the US. Given the duration of this cruise it may well be more practical to have different guests join us back to back. This is the approach Blessed is using with a change occurring in Costa Rica - I think. What we are offering/seeking: Reflecting on my earlier years when I was seeking cruising experiences I think this is exactly what we can offer. We eat well. We also work fairly hard. I’ve often joked with friends that most folks don’t realize how hard one has to work if they want to play seriously. We also relax and enjoy the journey. We would like a guest to help with the general operation of the vessel, to be able to stand watch including at night. We will have to deal with long lines and similar obstructions such as unlit pangas along the route. We don’t expect our guest to have decades and hundreds of hours of experience. However, we do expect him to be situationally aware and to have sound familiarity with vessel operations such that he can identify when something isn’t normal. It is very important that he knows when to wake an off-watch person to assist if he isn’t in a position to resolve the matter. Our guest must have acquired the ability to manage motion sickness. He will likely need to perform engine room checks. Spanish language fluency (spoken) is a significant plus. Our guest should be a non-smoker. We are an alcohol free zone during vessel operation.

OPO e-mail # 18-109 Boat owners OPOOPO heard about us on the docks in Little Creek from one of our NARC skippers. This is a request for someone living in the area who might want to join them for a couple of days on this passage around Cape Hatteras (The actual trip will be about 30 to 36 hours) There is a good weather widow opening up early next week. They have a very nice Sabre 456 built in 2011/2012 and they have owned her since new. This is not there first offshore passage. He has been sailing his whole life, she would like to have another crew aboard for the passage. Since it is short notice they will be happy to help with a small stipend towards travel within reason. This is a nice opportunity to sail on one of the last Sabre 456 built. If interested please e-mail them at XXXXX@XXXX with a brief sailing resume and your phone number.

OPO e-mail # 18-127 OPO members and Boat Owners OPOOPO and his wife Diana are searching for crew to complete their voyage from Annapolis to New Zealand. OPOOPO has given us a lot of information to help find fellow OPO members who would like to join them for legs of their proposed itinerary. OPOOPO has been working towards this goal for many years as you will read. They are looking for experienced crew who can help run the boat and enjoy the passages. We have explained to members in the past that boat owners welcome fellow sailors to join them and they will cover boat expenses, but they do not want to adopt you. It is very reasonable to ask crew to chip in for provisions for longer passages and of course to be able to pay your way to and from the boat and have money for meals and entertainment ashore. Since OPOOPO did such a good job explaining the situation, the boat and his experience we have copied most of it here for you to help you make an informed decision about joining theming. If interested please send OPOOPO an e-mail with a brief sailing resume and start the courtship. OPOOPO e-mails: Owner/Captain of Oyster 55 seeks one crew to complete crew of four for one or more legs of passage from Galapagos to French Polynesia, Tonga, and New Zealand. Boat is a 3-cabin blue water cutter-rigged sloop with all modern electronics and safety equipment, stylish and comfortable. Each crew will have a private cabin. Depart Galapagos April 7 2019, arrive in Papeete, Tahiti approximately June 19 or 20 after spending time in Marquesas and Tuamotus. Depart Bora Bora approximately July 21 to Cook Islands, Niue, Samoas, Tonga. Depart Tonga approximately September 23 to New Zealand, arriving approximately October 1. Seeking crew with mechanical and/or electronics expertise and previous blue water experience. Owner/captain pays all boating expenses including fuel, marinas, sat phone subscription, etc. Crew shares expense for provisions and is responsible for personal expenses, visas, and transportation to and from the boat. Send sailing resumes or questions to XXXXX@XXXX . The Captain and First Mate Diana and I have been sailing on inland lakes since 1982. We started chartering Caribbean bareboats in 2000 after doing some crewed charters in the 1990’s. Chartering fit us so well that we bought a Beneteau 50 in the Sunsail fleet in BVI in 2009. Using the exchange privilege that comes with owning a Sunsail boat, we sailed in almost every country where Sunsail or Moorings had a base. So in addition to sailing to almost every island in the Caribbean, we have bareboated in Bahamas, Belize, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Seychelles, Thailand, Australia, and French Polynesia. I’ve crewed on two OPO passages. In 2015 we bought an Oyster 55 and begin refitting it and customizing it to our purposes. We sailed it to Newport for her shakedown run, the 2016 Bermuda Race. I had no particular expectations but we held third place in our division on days 2-4, but in light winds on the final day we faded to fifth place. So far we have sailed the following passages on her: 2016 Annapolis to Newport Newport-Bermuda Race (and return to Annapolis) Hampton VA to BVI with the Salty Dawg rally 2017 Many days in the Lesser Antilles BVI to Bermuda to Newport Newport to Hampton Hampton to BVI 2018 BVI to Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic Dominican Republic to Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena to Turks and Caicos Turks and Caicos to Annapolis I’ve kept good records of our saltwater sailing days and as of now we have spent 842 days on saltwater. Some of that is at sea on long passages but most of it is on anchor or in marinas after short passages between islands. I try to avoid marinas when I can, but sometimes there is no other choice. The Boat Escapade’s communication equipment includes VHF with DSC at the nav desk and a Command Mic at the helm, SSB at the nav desk, an Iridium 9575 Extreme sat phone at the nav desk with outside antenna and a Delorme/Garmin InReach. In addition we carry 2 handheld VHF radios including one with DSC. For navigation there are two Raymarine series E chart plotters, a 12-inch screen at the nav desk and a 9-inch screen at the helm. For redundancy we carry 3 iPads with Navionics and a handheld GPS. Safety equipment includes a new Winslow 8-man life raft, EPIRB, and all the other devices required to meet the Bermuda Race Safety Requirements. There are 4 bilge pumps including an electric pump in the bilge, a manual pump near the nav desk, a manual pump in the cockpit, and an engine driven pump. There are 6 fire extinguishers including an automatic one in the engine room. Escapade is equipped with radar and two-way AIS. Sail management includes a Harken electric furler on the Genoa and a Hood electric in-mast furler on the mainsail. The primary winches and the coach roof winch for the mainsheet, outhaul, boom vang, and topping lift are electric powered. The winches for the staysail, traveler, and spinnaker halyards are manual. Ground tackle consists of a 99-pound Spade anchor and 400 feet of hi-test chain as the primary anchor and a 44-pound Bruce anchor on 500 feet of rope (and a short chain) as the secondary anchor. Escapade’s energy system consists of a bank of 8 Lifeline AGM house batteries, 2 Lifeline AGM engine starting batteries, and a Lifeline AGM generator starting battery. Energy is supplied by two alternators on the engine, a 9.0 kW Northern Lights generator, 2 solar panels, and, of course, shore power (50 amp). The AC system is 240 volt, 50 Hz, but the transformer can supply 120 volts to two dedicated outlets. The DC system is 24 volt. All lights are LED. Air conditioning and water maker require 240v AC current from shore power or generator. Each cabin has dual USB power ports. Tankage includes 220 gallons of fuel and 220 gallons of water. Cruising range under motor, depending on sea state, is approximately 1000 miles. Comfort and convenience features include 3-zone air conditioning/heat, icemaker, large refrigerator and separate freezer, 25 gph water maker, 32-inch Samsung flat panel television, audio system with speakers in saloon and in cockpit, USB power ports at the nav desk and in each cabin, and a custom-designed dodger/bimini with Lucite panels forward and roll-up Eisenglass enclosure panels all around. Screens for ventilation can be substituted on the sides and aft. My favorite indulgence features are a 9 hp bow thruster and a Maxwell remote windlass control at the helm with a chain counter.

OPO e-mail # 18-99 Pro skipper OPOOPO e-mailed from sea. He is looking for one more crew for the last leg of a Transat. I know it sounds confusing but if you e-mail him he can explain that he does not know the exact dates, but he can help you decide when and where to fly into (either US or BVI). This is a nice downwind passage on a nice size cat. He e-mails: Brand New Lagoon 42 Cat “I could use one more crew for the last leg of a Trans Atlantic out of the Lagoon Factory in France. Exact day TBD. Boat is fully equipped with all safety gear and 2018 B and G electronics. Trip should be 6-7 days going the right way in the wind/current on a brand new Cat. Crew should be able to stand solo watch and mind the instruments, sails, weather and traffic. The trip is free and flights out of ALL are cheap. Please send a brief personal bio along with your sailing resume to: www.UUUUU.com;

OPO e-mail # 18-100 I plan to pick up a J-109 (35 ft) from the owner and his race crew after the J-109 North Americans which end Sunday Oct 14th. The tides are good to depart that afternoon and make it through NY city. This is a 48 hour passage and I will rent a car to get us back. I am looking for two more crew. You can meet me in Huntington NY and I will get Cathy to drive us up. Or you can meet us in Larchmont. However, since thus is more a race boat than a cruiser I want to have (and we need) the wind from the right direction. If the wind is blowing strong from the south we may delay until the next day so crew need to be a little flexible. Of course we will know the weather two or three days in advance so we will have notice, but no one wants to plan flights around that schedule. The boat does not have a dodger or autopilot, but is fun to sail. If interested please let me know. I may not be able to get back to you until we arrive back in the office on Tuesday or Wednesday since we are sailing back from the Annapolis Boat Show tomorrow morning and will be at sea. Just send me an e-mail and I will be in touch with you on Wednesday. OPOOPO

OPO e-mail # 19-07 Boat owner and very experienced skipper OPOOPO is looking for three crew to join him for his annual passage north. He has a nice Hinckley 48 that he has owned for many years. He knows the boat very well and has sailed north and south between the Caribbean and Newport many times. I have known him for many years and he is a very nice guy. He is looking for crew with experience, but with 4 crew in total you may not have to do a solo watch at first until you get comfortable. He just e-mailed me with his plans for his trip north this year. He e-mails “I plan on Leaving Cartagena on the 22nd of April and sail 5 days to Turks and Caicos. Stay one night then 5 days to Bermuda. Stay for a night or two and the sail 4 days to Newport arriving around the 7th or 8th of May I’m looking for 3 crew to sail all or part of the passage If interested please e-mail Mike with a brief sailing resume and your contact information at XXXXX@XXXX

OPO e-mail # 19-04 or Plan B, Nassau to Bermuda, then on to the Chesapeake. - Boat owners and OPO member graduates OPOOPO and OPOOPO are looking for one more crew for a total of three for this opportunity from the Bahamas to the Chesapeake Bay. OPOOPO joined OPO members a long time ago to get more offshore experience, and now holds a 200 Yacht Master with many offshore miles under his belt. She has her STCW2010. The vessel is a Hallberg Rassy 53 in excellent condition. They have had the boat since buying her in Greece in 2013, they cruised the Med and then crossed the Atlantic in 2016 and have been cruising in the Caribbean since, and know her very well. He is very handy and can fix most things. She is very nice and they are experienced sailors now. They retired younger than most people so are still in fine shape. They are younger than me, which is not saying too much anymore. Since it will be a crew of three you must have experience to stand a solo watch on the offshore legs and know how to handle sea sickness if you are prone to it. Option 1: The plan is to meet in Marsh Harbor about April 5th and then cruise a couple of islands before making the offshore trip to the Chesapeake Bay. Approx. 10-12 days Option 2: Weather permitting, depart Nassau around March 28, sail to Bermuda (~4 days) for a planned stay for 10 days and arriving in Chesapeake area around April 20, give or take. This may also be considered as two separate legs. Still considering both options, and crew availability may help deciding factor. If interested please e-mail them at XXXXX@XXXX with a brief sailing resume and your contact information.

OPO E-Mail # 18-118 Freedom 35 I have a regular client who has been transferred (again) and needs his boat back in the States. I brought it down initially. The boat is at the beautiful Royal Jamaica Yacht Club. I am looking for two qualified crew to sail her back. She is fully outfitted and has the jiffy furl in-boom furling which allows precise sail reefing along with full length battens for great sail shape. The boat does not creak or groan in any sea. A stout monohull. The owner has installed an extra 50 gallon fuel bladder to ensure a swift passage. The trip should take 5-7 days depending on which end of Cuba the wind allows. I do not intend to bash up to the Windward Passage. Going around the West end is slightly longer, but downwind in the trades and a ride all the way up in the Gulf Stream The trip is free and as it is close after Thanksgiving I will put up $200 each for crew. It is after Hurricane season and in all warm weather. Please send a brief personal bio along with your sailing resume to: www.UUUUU.com. Anyone interested in a bonus trip I am taking a Beneteau 57 from Charleston, SC to Port Canaveral, FL on the 23rd then driving to Miami to fly to Kingston.

OPO e-mail # 19-15 Owners - We are OPOOPO, a married couple in our 50’s. OPOOPO has a lengthy sailing background with over 65,000 miles under sail on yachts from 27’ to 190’ and has in the past earned various credentials including USCG 200 Ton Master, Yachtmaster Ocean Commercial, MCA Officer of the Watch 3,000 Ton and full STCW qualifications. She has sailed 20,000 miles as well. We recently purchased a 2009 Chris White Atlantic 57 catamaran with plans for extended cruising starting with one or two seasons on the East Coast US/Canada/Caribbean. The Yacht - We bought Boundless in December 2018. She is a light, fast, and comfortable catamaran in excellent condition. We are just completing a purchase refit which includes new standing rigging, new watermaker, interior refinishing, new forward and aft cockpit awnings, a new Cell/Sat Comms package, cleaning the fuel tanks, renewing the black water systems and various other details. All the safety equipment has been refreshed or renewed. The sails are a lightly used three years old, the steering system, engines, and electrical system are in great condition, and the full Furuno electronics package while original from 2009 is working well. We have four sleeping cabins and two full heads. Boundless is a lot of fun to sail and takes good care of her crew. The Program - We are planning a trip from Brunswick, Georgia to Newfoundland departing June 1. To the extent that the weather cooperates and that it is safe and mostly comfortable to do so we will try to make the trip in one passage, but won’t hesitate to stop in if needed. At roughly 1,600 miles we expect the trip to take about nine days, though passage timing planning in a yacht which can suddenly maintain 15 knots when the wind comes right is a bit tricky. We are not racing sailors, but we like to make swift and efficient passages and arrive with the boat in good shape. We generally stand solo watches, though any required sail handling and maneuvers will mostly be done with the captain on deck. We run the yacht family style, everybody pitches in for everything - preparation, sailing, maintenance, cooking, cleanup, the whole program. We generally eat mostly plain fresh foods simply prepared, and very little meat. We of course run a drug free boat, and there is no alcohol consumption underway. The Crew - We are looking for one or two people to sail with us on this passage. The first qualification is non-smoking; this is very important to us - genuinely non-smoking people who haven’t just gone cold turkey, or those who will sneak a cigarette ashore or any time they think they can onboard. After that we are looking for easy-going people with a love of the sea, a sense of humor, and good physical fitness and agility. Cooking skills a huge bonus! Some sailing experience is required, we strongly prefer not to take people on their first offshore trip - please have one of those already and ideally a reference letter from that captain. Enough knowledge of boats and sailing in general to treat Boundless well is very helpful. You will have a private cabin and a shared head. We pay for all expenses on board, and may assist with travel costs on a case-by-case basis. Ideally we can meet in person or have a video call on Skype or FaceTime to finalize a mutual decision to sail together. Looking forward to meeting some great people! If Interested please send an e-mail with your sailing resume to XXXXX@XXXX and also send me pictures, but I did not include them in this e-mail. You can exchange pictures and more information if you contact him and are interested in joining them.

OPO e-mail # 18-101 St. Maarten - We met OPOOPO at the Newport Boat Show. He is heading south from the Chesapeake Bay and is joining our rally. He has a small boat but he has lots of experience with Atlantic crossings etc. The boat is a Bristol 35 that he has owned since 1987 and is a 1973. He is looking for one more crew for a total of 2 crew. Obviously that crew needs to have prior offshore experience. The trip is free with all onboard expenses included, but he wants you to pay your own $100 NARC Rally per person fee. Most OPO members do not qualify for this opportunity and you would not to normally go on an older smaller boat, but he does know what he is doing so if you are looking for an adventure and may have small boat crossings planned in the future on a boat you might own, then this is a good opportunity to try the ocean on a smaller boat. If interested please e-mail him with a sailing resume to XXXXX@XXXX

OPO E-Mail # 18-119 OPOOPO is looking for crew to sail with him from Annapolis to Newport. This is a very short notice opportunity as he would like to leave on Tuesday if the forecast holds. The boat is a Beneteau 46 in great shape with full electronics. OPOOPO by e-mail XXXX@UUUUU.com

OPO e-mail # 19-13 Boat owner and skipper OPOOPO is looking for one more crew for a total or 4 crew for his annual passage back from the Caribbean. He has a very nice Amel 53 that he has owned for many years and has made this passage many times. He has also gotten crew from us in the past. Most of his crew are made up of OPO members that he has met through us and has kept in touch with. He is very safety conscious ad has the boat very well equipped. I have known him for many years. The trip is free but you as usual you need to get to and from the boat. He may sail straight through if the weather looks ok and the passage will take about 10 days after you leave, but plan a couple more days for weather delays or a stop in Bermuda if need be. If interested please send a short resume to him at XXXXX@XXXX

OPO e-mail # 19-14 Boat owner and captain OPOOPO is looking for one and possibly two experienced off-shore crew for his annual trip north. OPOOPO has owned this boat since new and takes pride in ownership and keeping things proper and shipshape. He has gotten crew from us before. He does expect the crew to be easy on the boat and treat it like they would their own home. He does a good job of describing himself and the boat so we copied and pasted his request. He will likely stop in Bermuda for fuel and will stay for a few days if the weather is iffy for the last leg. The Amel 53 is a very easy boat to sail and very comfortable. If interested please e-mail OPOOPO at XXXXX@XXXX . Ideal Crew On May 31, I plan to sail from Martinique, to Newport, RI. My boat is LADYBUG, a well found, fully equipped 53 Amel ketch. I will stop in Bermuda for a day or two if there is a reason to do so. The voyage to Bermuda should take about 8-10 days, and the voyage from Bermuda to Newport about 5 days. The trip could take several days longer or less depending on the strength of the Azores/Bermuda high and the trade winds south of Bermuda. In Martinique, the crew will be welcome, indeed encouraged, to arrive a few days before departure and stay on the boat at its berth at the marina in the village of Le Marin. I will require a sailing resume and references. The crew will share a two bunk state room and head. I will provide the food and costs during the voyage. My ideal crew of two would have the following characteristics: 1. Physically fit and healthy (not over-weight), no blood thinner medicines, 2. No problem with seasickness (this is important.), 3. No special diet, 4. No smoking, and this is a dry boat-until arrival, 5. Must be experienced in off-shore sailing, each person will do a solo watch. 6. Be familiar with mechanical things and modern navigation equipment. 7. Be interested in many things, don’t be a fanatic of any kind. 8. Share the food preparation and cleaning. I had the boat built in La Rochelle in 1998. I have sailed it approximately 60,000 miles. This includes 3 transatlantic trips, numerous times to Bermuda and the Caribbean down to Trinidad and up to Canada, from England to the Mediterranean and all over the Mediterranean during the 8 years that I lived on the boat in Port Grimaud in southern France. I replaced the boat engine 3 years ago and the rigging last winter. This winter, the electric motors for the sail controls and the motors for the two auto-helms were rebuilt. The sails were new last year.