By Ken Inouye
The people that I sail with are more than just crew. They are my friends (and extended family) that share a common passion for sailing and adventure. As a boat owner, I also enjoy the challenges of managing a crew. It’s sort of like running a small business. You have to get the right person, at the right place, and at the right time to make things work smoothly.
Sailing brings together many different people from many different walks of life. To me, sailing is the great equalizer. There is no societal hierarchy, political lean, gender, age, or ethnic boundaries.
It seems silly, but finding good crew is a big problem for most boats. Most boat owners are constantly looking for crew. Most new sailors are constantly looking for a boat they can sail on and gain experience. The biggest hurdle seems to be is matching the personality and goals of the owner with the crew. I suppose if someone asked me what my primary sailing goals were for each sail, I would tell them that teaching my crew how to handle situations on and off the boat. When crewing on other people’s boats, I find bringing an adult beverage or snacks like home- made cookies to share goes a long way in being invited back.
Extensive sailing experience is not the primary criteria for selecting my crew since we are always learning. In fact, teaching someone enthusiastic and new to sailing is sometimes easier than teaching someone that has sailed for “years” and is complacent with bad habits.
Commitment, dependability, and focus are three of the most important assets that are high on my list of qualifications.
Whether they learned to sail from family, friends, or a sailing school, such as Spinnaker Sailing, it seems like all my crew bring different skill sets to the boat.
In my former life I was a mechanical engineer. “A jack of all trades and master of none.” My wife monitors the weather and can see buoys and marks way before I can see them. She also makes great lunches. I have one crew who is a chatter box and communicates well in all situations, another is a shipwright who can fix anything with a knife and toothpick, another crew can solve puzzles like Rubik’s Cube in a matter of minutes. Others are quick studies, and can perform their duties without micro-managing and contribute greatly to the running of the boat.
Some are actively racing on other peoples’ boats. Some own their own boats. Others have cruised extensively in other parts of the world on their own boats, and still others only race twice a year with me. We all enjoy living in the moment.
To find good crew I try to assess their personality, compatibility, willingness, and ability to learn quickly. I also look for people who can deal with problems as they arise. Contrary to popular belief, size does matter. I try to match my crew assignments with their skills, physical size, and strengths. My core crew is made up of dynamic people.
Dynamic people are the hardest to find and hardest to retain since they are constantly on the move.
Over the years, I have developed a crew list. I have a core group that has sailed with me for many years and a list of individuals that I ask to fill positions as I need them.
I have three simple boat tests to find out if a person is suitable crew material.
The first test is:
- I give them a sandwich.
- I then announce we are going to tack.
They have a few choices to make.
- They can say: Wait a minute until I finish my sandwich.
- They can throw the sandwich overboard.
- Or, they put the sandwich into their pocket.
I pick the person that puts their sandwich in their pocket because they realize things have to happen NOW and are thinking ahead.
The second test is:
- They eat anything.
Picky eaters are welcome, but they need to understand that they must bring their own food and enough to share. I really don’t want to have to make “special” meals on the boat. My rule follows Utah Philips’ story about Moose Turd Pie (search for it on YouTube). “If you complain about the food, then you’re the next cook!”
The third test is:
- They turn off and stow their cell phones for the duration of the sail. Nothing irks me more than someone staring at their phone when all hell is breaking loose. (I’m ok with designating someone to take a couple of photos if we have a lull.)
To me, sailing is a learning experience and a work in progress. It’s an adventure. I constantly learn by reading about others making mistakes and making my own. Trust me, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, I’ve survived all these years without any major mishaps.
Some of my core crew, have been sailing with me for more than 30 years. I continue to cross-train each person and give them more responsibilities each time we sail to improve their sailing skills. It’s important to always make them aware that sailing should be fun and safe. If I need them to help out during the sail, I can count on them to do the best they can with the training I’ve given them. The buck stops with me.
I always enjoy recruiting new crew because it gives me the opportunity to review and improve my own boating habits and re-evaluate the rigging of the boat. A boat that is difficult to sail is probably not one that is safe.
The best part of having a good crew is that we build trust and respect for each other. The worst part is we can almost read each other’s thoughts and they’ve already heard all of my bad jokes.