Too much to do? Prioritize!

It happens every time we leave Nine of Cups for a few months and then return. We are overwhelmed with projects, repairs and maintenance. “Just put it on the list” is the Captain's usual response to any problem we discover that requires attention. It's just that the list grows and grows until we feel it is untenable … then what? Well, then we revert to our standing philosophy of life aboard … just a little further. Don't worry about the whole list; just worry about getting one thing checked off and moving on to the next. When you look at the whole picture, it's overwhelming, but looking at parts of the whole is much easier to handle. It's really about dividing big plans, projects or tasks into smaller tasks that are doable and that you can check off after reasonable effort. It's about lists and prioritizing what we really need (or want) before we're ready to head back to sea. Engine, sails, safety equipment all in good order? All those are necessary for prudent sailing. Varnish, microwave kaput, stainless polishing, even refrigeration are not reasons to delay a departure, unless we choose to.

So, as the list has grown, we've started our A, B and C task lists. Some items are receiving priority attention. We had contracted with a local fellow to repaint the topsides. He did as instructed and completed all but the navy shear stripe. Much to our pleasant surprise, he did a terrific job, and I might add, on time. “On time” is not usually part of the West Indies vocabulary. David has work to do on the cap rails and as soon as he completes his part, Rawle can finish painting the shear stripe.

We brought back a new cutlass bearing and shaft seal … priority items. They've currently taken up residence on the nav station midst a jungle of other parts, patiently waiting for David's attention. He figures when the pile disappears, he's finished up using all the parts and it'll be time to go, although he hasn't purchased the engine room through hull valve yet and that's an A-list item. We also need to anti-foul the bottom … currently an issue since bottom paint at the chandlery is back-ordered four weeks. Really? We've got it on order … any color will do ... as long as it's black.

The fridge is another issue. We haven't figured out what to do about it yet. Currently, there are three options available to us, including living without refrigeration which many cruisers do. We'll figure out our best solution soon. Evenings are spent discussing and figuring out options while drinking slightly warm wine or tepid beer. We always seem to come up with better solutions when a little alcohol is involved.

Midst the prioritizing and actual work, Marcie's sister, Lin, is coming for a visit. She doesn't care for boats much … the seasick thing. Being on the hard will alleviate the seasickness issue, but living on the hard will not be all that pleasant for her. That said, we plan to spend some time touring the island providing time off the boat, some good sister-on-vacation time, and good blog material. The last two times we visited Trinidad, we did mostly boat work and not much land touring.

So we've set a goal. We'd like to have all of our boat work done and splash by the third week in April. With that schedule, we should have enough time to get to the Chesapeake before hurricane season begins, ~2,000nm away. It will not be a leisurely up-island cruise as we originally planned. Instead, a rather direct trip is more likely in the cards, with a few planned ports of call along the way . But you know what? If it doesn't work out, there's always Plan B. We're working on that, too.

Stuff your eyes with wonder!

Ray Bradbury, sci-fi and fantasy writer extraordinaire, really had the right idea. For more than seven decades, he inspired his readers to think outside the box, color outside the lines, run with scissors … dream, think and create. He published a book of essays entitled “Bradbury Speaks”and wrote “In my later years I have looked in the mirror each day and found a happy person staring back. Occasionally I wonder why I can be so happy. The answer is that every day of my life I've worked only for myself and for the joy that comes from writing and creating. The image in my mirror is not optimistic, but the result of optimal behavior.”

What he was saying was “Don't delay. Throw off the lines and leave the dock!”. Despite his vivid imagination and prolific creative writing, he still understood that reading and fantasizing about the world never takes the place of actually experiencing it firsthand. We are the sum of our experiences. He encouraged us to explore. There's so much world to see, so much to do and so little time, grab every second. Live and explore. Don't sit and knit mittens or whittle wood in your rocking chair. Don't sleep away your life … there's plenty of time for that later.

Walk on the edge of a volcano and feel the earth tremble beneath your feet. Stretch yourself. Get scared a little. Walk midst the ferns of New Zealand. Feel warm rain on your face. Watch sunsets and sunrises. Swim with penguins and dolphins. Climb mountains. Take long walks. Bask in the history of those that traveled the same path before you and left their mark. It's all out there just waiting to be discovered … all over again for the first time. Wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say “I'm happy because I've lived my life to the fullest.” That's our plan!

FAQ - Do you ever take crew aboard?

We know lots of cruisers who like having extra crew aboard, especially when they're facing a long trip ahead. For sure, having an extra mate to stand watches and help with chores during an ocean passage can be a great benefit. We know of several boats that have had excellent experiences taking on crew in local ports. We also know several that have had nightmare crews and regretted taking crew aboard.

We have only taken on crew once. It was a long passage from Ecuador to Chile via the Galapagos and Easter Island. John is a good friend and we couldn't have asked for an easier crew mate to get along with nor a more knowledgeable or helpful sailor. It was a long passage, however, with lots of days at sea and after a particularly big storm, he was ready to call it quits when we arrived in Easter Island. He was very honest about it. “This is your life and for me, it's just a one-time adventure and I'm ready to go home.” He'd had enough.

Talking with other cruisers and from our limited experience, here's some basics we'd suggest if you are considering taking on crew…

1. Finding crew.Consider asking friends whom you know are good sailors and whom you trust to accompany you on the passage. Check out bulletin boards in local marinas … there are always ads for crew seeking passages or experience. If you're “interviewing” on line, be sure to speak to the person in advance, get a feel for them. Obviously, in person interviews are best. Get references from other captains. Are they capable and trustworthy? Remember if you're sharing your “home” and watches, you've got to be able to trust the crew, so you can sleep. There are lots of on-line crew/passage finding websites. Here's a few …crewseekers.net, www.cruisersforum.com/forum/f30, floatplan.com
2. Personalities in sync.The best qualified person may not mesh with you and the personalities of the resident crew. A very experienced crew person may want to take over and feel it beneath him/her to do menial chores, while a more inexperienced crew member may be excited to pitch in and learn as much as possible. Weighing the pros and cons of how the new crew member will fit in with life aboard is crucial to harmony at sea.
3. Set house rules in advance.No smoking aboard. No drinking alcohol during passages. No friends with benefits aboard, etc. Whatever your rules, state them in advance and make sure they're understood.
4. Outline crew financial obligations.Crew usually pay for some boat expenses like their share of food, sometimes part of the fuel, etc. plus their own personal expenses as well as immigration entry fees at new ports. Who pays to get them to the next port or back home? Make sure they understand the costs involved and, more importantly, have enough money to pay.
5. Delineate your expectations regarding duties.Do you expect them to stand night watches? What are their responsibilities regarding maintenance, repairs, cooking, sharing cleaning chores, etc. Be specific.
6. Be aware of the immigration/maritime laws of countries you plan to visit. Taking on and letting off crew can be tricky in some countries. Some require that a bond be posted in case a crew member jumps ship. The captain is required to pay their airfare back to their country of citizenship. We know a captain who paid a hefty fare to repatriate a Russian crew member from French Polynesia to Moscow. The French weren't interested in having an indigent Russian hanging out in their paradise.

That said, the biggest problem with crew for us is that we lose our privacy. We don't usually bother to close the head doors when we go to the bathroom. We don't necessarily get dressed when we head into the galley for morning coffee. We aren't beyond skinny-dipping in tiny, secluded anchorages. I reckon we enjoy our intimacy, personal freedoms, and “us” too much to share with others for any length of time.

Have you ever taken on crew? What were your criteria and how did it turn out?