Less is More: Offshore Sailing with Neophyte Crew

Story and photos by Andy Schell  

When I posted a crew opportunity on my Facebook page, Andrew bit. But Andrew had never been offshore before. In fact, he had never been sailing before. Andrew has spent time sleeping on the side of a cliff in a bivy sack, so I figured he would handle the elements just fine.

I can teach someone how to stand a watch in a day, and I am more comfortable asleep in my bunk when I know the person on watch will wake me if they have a question rather than do something of their own accord that might not be right. And they learn to sail my way, which is alAndrewStausonWatchUSEso worth something.

Aside from our grounding in Rock Hall at the end of it, the trip was awesome (though we did suffer a bit coming up the Bay—the last night saw a low temperature of 36 degrees. But then again, that’s why I brought an ice climber onboard).

Two days later, I was on a plane again headed for St. Thomas to bring a boat north to Rhode Island via Bermuda. I had lined up my friend Billy Rudek, a captain at the Echo Hill Outdoor School on the Eastern Shore, as first mate and agreed to bring along Casey and Lindsey Alexander. I met them quite serendipitously when they called inquiring about the Caribbean 1500. “We want to sail our own boat in the event in 2014,” they told me, “but we’ve never been offshore. Do you know of anyone looking for crew?”

Indeed I did! They keep their boat, a 45-foot Van de Stadt sloop, in SolomoAndrewAndyandDennisrepairingajib_800x600USEns Island and have spent the past four years refitting her themselves. We had dinner at Middleton Tavern in Annapolis about six weeks before the trip was set to depart. I did not have any specific interview questions but let my intuition guide me. I got a really nice vibe. They booked their flights.

Billy and I educated Casey and Lindsey on maritime traditions and superstitions our first evening in St. Thomas at dinner. They had bought a bunch of bananas at the grocery store and thought I was joking when I told them to get rid of them before the trip.

The passage north to Bermuda included five days close reaching in 20 knots of breeze, clear skies, and warm weather. I overheard Lindsey say to Casey one morning, “This is my favorite kind of sailing.” No kidding! Casey and Lindsey learned what it is like offshore and how to stand single-handed watches.

There is a precedent for my style of choosing crew. When Mia and I sailed Arcturus CaseySwimmingOfshoreUSEacross the Atlantic in 2011, our friend Clint came along. He had only been on a sailboat once before, with us in New Zealand when we first met. But it did not matter. He is an adventurous type. Then, I just had a hunch about Clint, and I love him as a friend. But now, I think there really is something to it.

And there is nothing better than sharing sailing with people who have never done it. That is the best part.

About the Author: Visit 59-north.com to learn more about Annapolis sailor, writer, and yacht delivery skipper Andy Schell’s adventures.

Visit our DelMarVa Rally page to see how Andy, his dad, and crew are faring in the rally on Sojourner.