In hope of enlightening other sailors who are waiting to make their first blue water passage, I share this experience. Hopefully, this passage will shed some light and possible humor as to the wrong way and now, with some experience, a better way of accomplishing your first passage.
As with most beginning sailors, I read a lot about blue-water sailing, trying to gain as much knowledge as I thought I'd need before venturing offshore. Eventually, I went on the Internet in search of a Captain, one who'd take on an inexperienced offshore sailor willing to exchange free labor for the blue-water experience. After much searching, I connected with a Captain who wanted me to help him deliver his sailing vessel to the British Virgin Islands
We arranged to meet in Bermuda on November 22, with a float plan to depart two days later. So I tell my Boss "See you in two weeks," and I'm off for my first offshore passage.When I arrived in Bermuda, I gave the captain $220(the cost of gaining this experience). Then the Captain promptly informs me that the trip is delayed by one week, due to a crew member's late arrival. OK, half my vacation is shot, but that's all right because I'm still excited. Then thinking about it, I realize this is going to be a world-record trip or I'm going to need more time from work. I call my boss,get the OK for another week and return to the boat. I then was introduced to the Captain's girlfriend. She promptly told me she "hated sailing", dreaded the trip and informed me that I was never to go into her galley!(I'm trying to keep an open mind.)
Now the last crew member arrives and, after meeting the Captain's girlfriend, he is contemplating not going on the trip at all!. I decided it was time to head for the nearest tavern to find a cold brew to help me maintain a sense of humor about this whole mess. I met a sailor in the bar who told me of a Captain looking for crew to head to St. Martin. Encouraged and hopeful, I sought out the second captain, met his wife and two young children, and they invited me aboard as crew. Better yet, I could enter the sacred ground of the galley and, to my surprise, he wasn't going to charge me for the trip!
So I approached the first Captain about a refund of my passage money, especially since the Captain had doubled the cost of the passage after being delayed in Bermuda for a week. He decided that he would refund me my money less $30 a day for the storage of my clothes, plus an embarrassed admission from him that the situation with his girlfriend was a little "uneasy" and the prospect of me sleeping in the middle of the pilothouse would be a bit uncomfortable.
So now I'm on the second boat, had some money in my pocket, and I'm baby-sitting the kids while the Captain and his wife take care of last-minute business in Bermuda. In the mean time, though, I'd heard from another sailor that my new Captain had sunk two boats in the past three years, so I decided to take a stroll on deck to check this ships seaworthiness. As I notice rust stains down the sides and splits up the massive wood mast, I know it is time for a serious talk with the Captain:
"How does she sail, Captain"? "Oh just fine", just a little cosmetics needed. "What about the rip in the main sail"? "Oh, I'll sew that up before we cast off, thanks for noticing that for me, sailor" "When we casting off, Captain"? "Oh, in about a week or so".
Without a further word, I went into the bar for another cold one, trying to get up the nerve to call my boss yet again. "Okay,he said", after a pause, But we really miss you at work! Whew! Just as I'm taking that deep sigh of relief, the weather turns into a subtropical depression, later to be named "Hurricane Olga". Finally, after five more days, Olga moves west and we are on our way out the cut from Bermuda to points south. With 25-knot winds and the engine heating up, the Captain says "She's fine,not to worry".
The next several days went by with 27to35-knot winds constantly(I'm used to four to 10 knot winds). We make three knots at night and five knots during the day, while the seas were getting steeper and more confused. After two days at sea, I asked if I could take a shower."Sorry, pumps not working",said the Captain.(Sponge bath it is, no problem.) After another couple of days, the Captain asked me to help him empty the bilge. So, we had a line running into the toilet from the bilge and, as he watched the secondary pump the bilge into the toilet, I pumped the water out to sea.(Man what a mess this was!)
Waking for my watch from midnight till 4 am, I went for a cup of coffee, but the Captain hollered down to tell me we were out of propane, which meant "NO COFFEE", Now I'm thinking
this would be easier if I borrow the dinghy and float the rest of the way, then I remember the dinghy has a hole in it!
On the 11th day of a six-day passage, I'm trying to sleep and suddenly the boat sounds like she's coming apart! (Of course this happens at night.) I run up to the pilot house and see the Captain frozen to the steering wheel, "What's going on",I ask? "Look at the wind gauge, stupid", he says. I hated to do it, but did it anyway, 36,38, 40, 42, knots with gusts to 44 knots!
"Captain, I yelled, we have to reduce sails", "You go do it", he replies. (There we were, all 60 tons of us, plowing through 12 to 15 feet seas at nine knots with three sails up). I'm thinking "we're going to die right here, right now", A disaster is very near. So I go out in 40+ winds with seas 12 to 15 feet, trying to reduce sails alone. As I worked with the headsail, the Captain's screaming wife literally pried his hands off the steering wheel and pushed him out to help me. Now, with sails down, it appears we might live through this after all. Having been traumatized, I go down below, too frightened to turn out the light.
Finally, we are 16 nm from St. Martin. "Land Ho", (I always wanted to say that!) However the wind was out of the north east, pushing us right past the island! Twelve days at sea and I'm watching our destination pass by. After asking the Captain to turn on the motor, I hear,"Can't, the transmission is bad", Now I know why bringing alcohol on board is not a good idea! Finally we reached another sailing vessel by VHF and he used his satellite phone to contact a towing company in St. Martin to have us towed in. We hove to for 6 hours, and all the while I was thinking "If I were only a long distance swimmer"! We were towed in, and my first passage was over.
What would I have done differently? Will I ever want to go offshore again? Or even sail again for that matter? Well, I will certainly do things differently and to all you Internet sailors out there, here is a list of some things that will help your first passage go smoother than mine:
1. Have patience! That is the essence of sailing
2. Keep your sense of humor; there is comedy in all things.
3. Tell your boss "you are going offshore and he'll see you when he sees you"
4. Get in writing from the captain your responsibilities and financial arrangements.
5. If possible go sailing with the captain at least once before the offshore experience.
6 Tell the captain what you expect to learn from him on the passage.
7. Take along your own earplugs,a small flashlight and safety gear(with at least 2 tethers).
8. Inspect the boat before leaving the dock.
9. Familiarize yourself with the rigging.
10. Get references on the captain and, by all means,check them!
11. Meet all the crew members prior to leaving the dock.
12. Tell the Captain of any special needs you might have(like coffee).
Above all never give up on yourself and keep believing in the innate kindness of others. Look adversity in the face and say to yourself with gratitude, "I DID IT"! By the way, any captains out thre looking for an experienced offshore sailor?