The Value of Experienced Crew

As a general rule, I sail as if single-handing. That’s because it’s rare that I get the chance to sail with other experienced sailors on board.

But I’ve recently had the chance to sail my boat with several friends who have, collectively, thousands of sea miles under their keels. And I came to realize how different – and pleasant – the experience can be. 

So when I invited my friends to sail with me aboard my boat St. Maurice, I knew I’d likely learn something in addition to having a good time. 

One of the friends, Kathy, is a woman who I met many years ago while we both were members of a sailing collective in Berkeley (of course there’s a sailing collective in Berkeley!). In those years, and in the time since, Kathy did a lot of racing on San Francisco Bay. She crewed on and skippered ocean voyages. She also founded and taught at a sailing school in Palau. 

Megan, another friend from that collective years ago, also has a huge amount of sailing experience. 

I’ve owned St. Maurice for many years, and my habits for setting up and getting under way are well fixed. So I was surprised when the three of got on board that things started happening without a word of instruction. 

Sail cover: Off and folded!

Wheel cover and covers for the dodger: Off, folded and stowed with the sail cover!

Drinks and snacks: stowed in the cooler!

Everyone had the pfds on. Main halyard was rigged. Dock lines were prepared for removal. Pretty much all I needed to do was set up the GPS and start the engine. We were ready to leave the dock within about 10 minutes of arriving at the slip. Wow!

That was a lovely way to start, but it was only while under way that I came to appreciate the real value of experience on board. 

Tacks happened with no fuss and little effort. Sails got trimmed silently, and our course was followed without input from me even as wind veered, as is common while passing east of Alcatraz. 

I found myself explaining – as I often do with charterers and non-sailors aboard – why the wind tends to change direction as we headed north past the Alcatraz – upon which Kathy made it quite clear that I was man-splaining. I’d been around the island countless times, but the chances were quite good that Kathy had been there at least as many times as I had. So no use my offering that I always make that little speech. At least Megan seemed to find the exchange amusing.

In rounding Alcatraz, it’s important to keep outside of the Coast Guard buoy west of the island. Boats that slip between that buoy and the island risk hitting “little Alcatraz,” a rock generally hidden but visible during the lowest tides. It was a caution I knew I didn’t need to explain.

The rest of the trip, and all the other times we’ve sailed together, went the same way: smoothly and with little apparent effort.

They also went safely, because part of what an experienced sailor does as a matter of habit is keep a careful lookout for potential hazards. That’s typically my job alone when I’m out with non-sailors. Lots of traffic plies the central San Francisco Bay, from sailing vessels, to fishing boats, to ferries to cargo ships, tugs, pilot boats, tour boats and motor yachts. Any one of those can create a collision danger. 

Then there are the dozens of buoys and marks placed by the Coast Guard as aids to navigation, each of which can, ironically, be a hazard to the unwary. Also bridge abutments, rocks awash at low tide, like little Alcatraz, and probably a thousand other things out there can turn your lovely sailing day into nightmare without careful attention.

For once, I was able to relax a bit, knowing my vigilance was wordlessly duplicated by both Kathy and Megan. 

On my boat I typically sail with charter guests who usually have little or no sailing background. I have set up controls to make it easy to do all the common jobs – hoisting and dowsing sails, tacking, entering and leaving the dock – without aid of crew. 

On Spinnaker boats with charterers or people on board who are not students, I will usually have one person take the helm with instructions to steer a straight course while I accomplish whatever tasks need to be done. As Spinnaker’s boats are not set up to easily accommodate single-handed operation, this often means I’ll have to use my judgment to skip or combine steps where it’s safe to do so, or go through tasks one-at-a-time that an experienced crew could complete all at once.

Sailing has been my avocation for decades. I am accustomed to being the “sage” on board – I’m comfortable with being the individual responsible for the safety of my crew and vessel. But until sailing with Kathy and Megan in recent months, I’d lost sight of how much that responsibility can weigh. 

I was pretty sure I’d learn something from Kathy and Megan. Turns out, what I learned – aside from how well Kathy steers a straight course in quartering waves (something one learns from being at the helm for many ocean miles) – was the value of experience under way.

The same lesson came home to me more recently during a charter aboard Spinnaker’s J-105. It’s a really fast, responsive boat that is terrific fun to sail. For this charter, I had six guests on board, none of whom had ever set foot aboard a sailing craft. 

Happily, I also had another Spinnaker staffer on board as crew – a guy who was able to help set sails, tack and maneuver the boat. Between the two of us, we were able to ensure everyone on board could enjoy everything that boat has to offer. I had been prepared to do that charter alone. But doing it with experienced help made the experience fuller for everyone on board.

Experienced crew can amplify the enjoyment of sailing. Aside from sharing the joy of a common pastime, bringing crew along who a skipper can rely on also helps make the trip safer. In the case where the skipper may not have thousands of hours at the helm or a Coast Guard master’s license in the sea bag, the hive brain created by the combined experience of skipper and crew can help avoid trouble, and contribute to everyone becoming better sailors.

The question, of course, is how to find that experienced crew. Spinnaker can help. Club members can make themselves available to other members, for example. The club has an app, Spinnaker Sailing Connection, that lets members, well, connect. You may also find club members to sail with a Spinnaker events, or by joining Spinnaker activities. Even just bumping into sailors on the dock can lead to shared time on the water. All you need is to be open to the idea and be ready to share your enjoyment of our sport.