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We have gathered the main elements of a sailing resume,
as charter companies typically define it. As you will see, the amount of
information, although not equally extensive with each charter company,
can be substantial and should be taken seriously!
General Boating Experience
- Your recent boating experience (last 5 years).
Size and type of boats you have handled in the past.
Were they of similar size to the size of the boat you wish to charter?
Was this in a recent past?
How many days a year are you typically sailing/boating?
- Do you own a boat now or have you owned one in the past? This is an
important question: most boaters who are or have been owners have an
understanding of
a boat main systems and the inner intricacies of it, which is essential
to happy and safe cruising.
- Have you had any professional or formal training?
While it considered valuable training, a Bareboat Certificate from
a sailing school is not
a requirement to
charter a bareboat. However this document alone may not qualify you
to bareboat charter: What is important is your overall practical boating experience.
Seamanship
- What are your cruising and navigation experience?
- Do you know how to plan
a trip from point A to point B, requiring navigation skills, escape
routes, weather forecast interpretation, decision making,
anchoring, mooring and/or docking under sail and power?
- How many times
have you anchored and in which conditions: single bow anchor, double
bow anchor, Mediterranean mooring, etc.
- What is your experience level
with reading nautical charts, plotting, dead reckoning, using a GPS/chart
plotter?
- Do you have any experience in heavy weather sailing?
- Do you have any experience
in emergency procedures, i.e. Man Over Board retrieval, distress calls
etc.
- Have you sailed on the ocean or other large bodies of water such
as Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Florida Keys, San Francisco Bay,
Great Lakes etc.?
- Are you experienced in the operation of twin-engine vessels?
This is an important requirement to charter a twin-engine powerboat,
or a sailing catamaran. If you do not have such experience, plan on spending
at least half
a day getting
acquainted with the maneuvers with a charter company employee.
- Who
is the crew that will be your party? Are they knowledgeable boaters
who will be actively participating in sailing the boat?
Can you rely on them to help you in the regular chores or in the event of an
emergency, or
will
they be passive guests? If you are on a large boat (especially
a catamaran) you will
need at least one (maybe two) good crewmembers to assist
you.
• Are you familiar with the area you are going to charter in?
Comments
The first question that comes to mind is: How much of all that information
is really checked by the charter companies? Not always that much.
Can you "embellish" your
sailing resume or even downright lie? Of course
you can.
But we think it is actually a very bad idea.
- Serious charter companies,
if you are a first-timer with them, will check you out before they
let you
go with a $200,000+
boat.
If you are
not deemed
good enough, regardless of your experience or
what you wrote in your resume, they
will require that you hire a "friendly skipper" either
for a day or two, or even for the entire cruise
-if you are really bad. And...this
is at your expense - about $120 per day.
Do not forget that charter companies do not own
the charter boats: individuals like you and me
do. So
the charter
companies have
to respond to the owners
when an accident happens, and if negligence is
proven – due to lack of experience
for example – the consequences can be dire.
Besides, a damaged boat is not good news for a
charter company because the boat will not bring
any income
while in repair.
- Even if they do not check you
out, it is downright dangerous and stupid to go at sea without the
proper experience, simply because you and your guests/crew will not
be really safe. So again, do not
lie - you
will make
this a much better experience.
You've been
warned!
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