By Scott Dodgson
With the vessel prepared to charter, food stocked to the brim, fuel, flowers special gifts, it was time to get Beth prepared. Most charter vessels carry a number of Polo and T shirts with the yacht’s logo printed on them. I found a couple of shirts for her, but she needed shorts and shoes. So Laura and Beth went to the Chandlery to buy uniform looking shorts and shoes. Because we live so closely there is a balance that must be struck between familiarity and service. We are there, but we aren’t. It’s tricky. As the captain I spend most of the day with the guests sailing and talking. The crew is usually busy preparing the next meal, straightening out the cabins, or simply sitting off to the side out of the way of the guests. I have one rule, never express on opinion about the guests while they are on board during the charter. I found that once uttered, that opinion affected the service and attitude however subtly. Once years later while running a mega yacht, I found the owners had bugged the crew’s quarters and the galley. Half the crew was asked to leave after the owner left for no reason. I left shortly after discovering the owner was a complete jerk and wasn’t worthy of my service. He was under the illusion that his money would protect him from my anger over his insults. Once the word got out he had a very hard time finding crew so hard in fact he sold his boat and took up golf. There is an art to finding the balance and in general the guests set the boundaries and the captain and crew respect those boundaries. The guest’s boundaries and attitudes can be varied. I’ve had couple charters, honeymoon charters, married on the boat charters, wife swapping charters, gay and lesbian charters, nude gay and lesbian charters, nude family charters, dysfunctional family charters, family charters, atrocious weather charters, no wind sailing charters, party hard charters, tour of bars charters, adventurous charters, golf charters, dive charters, hunting charters, archeology charters, restaurant charters, mystical meditation charters and humanitarian charters. So you never know what you are going to get, but seeing Beth and Laura arrive in their uniforms and new deck shoes gave me solace that we would have our boundaries established professionalism so no matter what happened we would provide the most congenial experience possible. I left the girls to get ready for the guests while I rode in a mini bus to the airport to greet the guests. I hoped that this charter, booked by the grandmother for her adult children for three weeks would be relaxing, fun and non-eventful. But one look at the Swedish grandmother and I knew this maybe the hardest three weeks of my life.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Boat Kids
By Scott Dodgson
I want to take a moment to address the news reports of Abby Sunderland the 16 year old girl who left Marina Del Rey, California to set the record of being the youngest girl to sail around the world solo. Her boat was knocked down and demasted in the Southern Indian Ocean. She was feared lost at sea but this morning reports she has been found and will be rescued within 24 hours. I live in Marina Del Rey so you can imagine the buzz around the marina about her trip. As the resident Yoda of long distance sailing having sailed over 200,000 nm I have experienced just about every disaster, foul weather (four hurricanes) numerous knock downs and just about every mechanical and technical problem imaginable at sea I stand in her and her parents’ defense for sailing around the world but not for chasing the record. In fact her record chase was over when she had to put in to South Africa for repairs. Her subsequent decision to traverse the Southern Ocean was an imprudent decision. A decision I suspect was not hers alone to make. I’ve been in that situation and understand how easily it is to make a bad decision. Sometimes the decision works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Often times it’s just bad luck which can occur on the best of days at sea. But my point is to rebut those parents and observers when they say how you can let a 16 year old sail around the world alone? It’s easy she is a boat kid and boat kids aren’t like your kids. They aren’t like you when you were 16 years old. They are a special breed with a well developed sense of responsibility, maturity, and character. If you have to ask you kids to take out the trash your kids ten times your kid isn’t one of them. I have had a lot of kids and families on my boats over the years and I get the same concern from the parents every time. “I’m worried that my child won’t adapt to the boat.” I always reassure them that they will and they don’t believe me until the end when the stand corrected and amazed at the transformation of their child. First, boats are small, but they are to scale within a child’s perception. It’s like a house made for them. Second, let a child do the work. It’s fun to steer a big thing when all you’ve driven is a bicycle. Third, it’s great to be a part of a team especially when you do the same tasks as your parents. Boats kids know and welcome the responsibility of controlling their world on the sea. They stand watches, use the radio, help with food preparation, plot courses, and if trained know every safety procedure. And for those families who take their kids cruising or dream of taking their kids cruising they will develop communication skills with other boat kids, languages, learn cultures, ingenuity, experience and respect nature. I started sailing at a very young age and at sixteen I sailed from Atlantic City New Jersey to Bar Harbor Maine and back by myself in a 21 foot sloop just because I could. I got to control my world at sea and it helped me control myself when faced with the uncontrollable world on land. I’m grateful Abby is okay. And if I was her parent and she wanted to try again I’d be happy to let her go, but this time forget the records. Let other fools chase false gold. It’s what you’ve learned about yourself that is the treasure.
I want to take a moment to address the news reports of Abby Sunderland the 16 year old girl who left Marina Del Rey, California to set the record of being the youngest girl to sail around the world solo. Her boat was knocked down and demasted in the Southern Indian Ocean. She was feared lost at sea but this morning reports she has been found and will be rescued within 24 hours. I live in Marina Del Rey so you can imagine the buzz around the marina about her trip. As the resident Yoda of long distance sailing having sailed over 200,000 nm I have experienced just about every disaster, foul weather (four hurricanes) numerous knock downs and just about every mechanical and technical problem imaginable at sea I stand in her and her parents’ defense for sailing around the world but not for chasing the record. In fact her record chase was over when she had to put in to South Africa for repairs. Her subsequent decision to traverse the Southern Ocean was an imprudent decision. A decision I suspect was not hers alone to make. I’ve been in that situation and understand how easily it is to make a bad decision. Sometimes the decision works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Often times it’s just bad luck which can occur on the best of days at sea. But my point is to rebut those parents and observers when they say how you can let a 16 year old sail around the world alone? It’s easy she is a boat kid and boat kids aren’t like your kids. They aren’t like you when you were 16 years old. They are a special breed with a well developed sense of responsibility, maturity, and character. If you have to ask you kids to take out the trash your kids ten times your kid isn’t one of them. I have had a lot of kids and families on my boats over the years and I get the same concern from the parents every time. “I’m worried that my child won’t adapt to the boat.” I always reassure them that they will and they don’t believe me until the end when the stand corrected and amazed at the transformation of their child. First, boats are small, but they are to scale within a child’s perception. It’s like a house made for them. Second, let a child do the work. It’s fun to steer a big thing when all you’ve driven is a bicycle. Third, it’s great to be a part of a team especially when you do the same tasks as your parents. Boats kids know and welcome the responsibility of controlling their world on the sea. They stand watches, use the radio, help with food preparation, plot courses, and if trained know every safety procedure. And for those families who take their kids cruising or dream of taking their kids cruising they will develop communication skills with other boat kids, languages, learn cultures, ingenuity, experience and respect nature. I started sailing at a very young age and at sixteen I sailed from Atlantic City New Jersey to Bar Harbor Maine and back by myself in a 21 foot sloop just because I could. I got to control my world at sea and it helped me control myself when faced with the uncontrollable world on land. I’m grateful Abby is okay. And if I was her parent and she wanted to try again I’d be happy to let her go, but this time forget the records. Let other fools chase false gold. It’s what you’ve learned about yourself that is the treasure.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Maintenance
By Scott Dodgson
The next morning I handed the keys to the scooter to Laura and a pile of cash to go food shopping. In general finding a large grocery store is difficult unless you are in a big city. Luckily Rhodes has a relatively large store five km from the port. Laura and Beth left on their little adventure while attended to the maintenance. I changed the oil and filter on the Ford Lehman six cylinder. Over the years I have found most boaters hate to change the oil. I hate changing the oil because it requires hand pumping five quarts of oil out of the engine. It is messy and time consuming. So I installed an electric pump. If you buy a boat, build a boat make sure you have a system installed. Trust me you will thank me in the end. It is a simple procedure. At the bottom of the oil pan I took out the drain plug and installed a brass fitting. Using oil resistant hose and two clamps I ran the hose up to a pump which I mounted in the side of the bulk head. Make sure the hose is free from constriction as the motor vibrates. I used an old water pump I had laying around, but mini fuel pump will do. I grounded the switch to the engine and a hot lead. Then I took a five foot section of clear water hose, mainly because it is easy to coil and store attached it to the pump. I always have an empty five gallon oil pail to discharge the oil into and a full pail to fill the motor again with oil. One other note I used a wine cork to seal the end of the hose. The procedure is simple start the engine let it run until warm, turn it off, put the hose in the empty pail and throw the switch. Five minutes later you are pouring oil back into the engine. Next I checked the sea strainers. While the sea cock was closed I checked the zincs. I especially paid attention to the zinc in the heat exchanger. For some reason they seem to go fast. Next I checked the fuel filters. I repeated the same procedures with the generator. One other area of concern was the water maker. I changed those filters without fail. On a charter boat we use a lot of water and although I held nine hundred gallons of water ten to eleven people can run through that water in a day and a half. With the hatches closed and my pails of used oil sitting on the quay I waited for the fuel truck to arrive. The fuel truck would take used oil and recycle it for a small fee. I made a check of all the heads, water faucets and lights. When I was satisfied I went on deck and check all the rigging, lights and sails. I hired a kid who was looking to earn some money to polish all the stainless steel and brass. By the time Laura and Beth returned I was enjoying a beer satisfied my yacht was ready to go.
The next morning I handed the keys to the scooter to Laura and a pile of cash to go food shopping. In general finding a large grocery store is difficult unless you are in a big city. Luckily Rhodes has a relatively large store five km from the port. Laura and Beth left on their little adventure while attended to the maintenance. I changed the oil and filter on the Ford Lehman six cylinder. Over the years I have found most boaters hate to change the oil. I hate changing the oil because it requires hand pumping five quarts of oil out of the engine. It is messy and time consuming. So I installed an electric pump. If you buy a boat, build a boat make sure you have a system installed. Trust me you will thank me in the end. It is a simple procedure. At the bottom of the oil pan I took out the drain plug and installed a brass fitting. Using oil resistant hose and two clamps I ran the hose up to a pump which I mounted in the side of the bulk head. Make sure the hose is free from constriction as the motor vibrates. I used an old water pump I had laying around, but mini fuel pump will do. I grounded the switch to the engine and a hot lead. Then I took a five foot section of clear water hose, mainly because it is easy to coil and store attached it to the pump. I always have an empty five gallon oil pail to discharge the oil into and a full pail to fill the motor again with oil. One other note I used a wine cork to seal the end of the hose. The procedure is simple start the engine let it run until warm, turn it off, put the hose in the empty pail and throw the switch. Five minutes later you are pouring oil back into the engine. Next I checked the sea strainers. While the sea cock was closed I checked the zincs. I especially paid attention to the zinc in the heat exchanger. For some reason they seem to go fast. Next I checked the fuel filters. I repeated the same procedures with the generator. One other area of concern was the water maker. I changed those filters without fail. On a charter boat we use a lot of water and although I held nine hundred gallons of water ten to eleven people can run through that water in a day and a half. With the hatches closed and my pails of used oil sitting on the quay I waited for the fuel truck to arrive. The fuel truck would take used oil and recycle it for a small fee. I made a check of all the heads, water faucets and lights. When I was satisfied I went on deck and check all the rigging, lights and sails. I hired a kid who was looking to earn some money to polish all the stainless steel and brass. By the time Laura and Beth returned I was enjoying a beer satisfied my yacht was ready to go.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Rhodes
By Scott Dodgson
We secured the sails as we rounded the point of Rodos city. We prepared to go stern to. My one piece of advice for anyone sailing in the Greek Islands is to contact an agent before arriving at any port. Usually when bringing a boat into the harbor there is any number of agents hanging around the quay looking for your business. They have a tendency to claim you as a client once they touch your lines. In some cases they may even demand payment. So make arrangements first. They can make arrangements with other agencies for a fee, but it is well worth it. I use Makis at Yacht Rhodes International. Makis can arrange anything and that’s a fact. I called him on the VHF to tell him I was entering the harbor. We passed through the gates of Mandraki harbor where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. I scanned the docks and saw him driving up on his scooter waving his arm. He stopped in front of an open space on the quay and directed me to berth there. A few minutes later we were tied up. I lowered the passé rail and Makis boarded welcoming me back to Rhodes. At this point I had two days to turn the boat from ocean cruiser into a charter boat. Makis and I went over a list of services I would need. Makis was the charter broker for my three week charter so he had been in contact with the guests. Since I’ve gone through this drill a few times before we only spent a few minutes ticking of the list of services. I instructed Laura and Beth to gather all the laundry. Three thousand miles, seven countries, and five weeks on board makes a lot of laundry! A minivan stopped behind the boat. A British woman who specializes in cleaning boats inside and out stood with three other employees waiting for the go ahead. I have found that after a long sail the crew is pretty tired and although they are willing to clean they generally lack the enthusiasm for this kind of detailed work. I waved them on board to get started. I gave Makis my documents and we left together on his scooter. Laura and Beth would clean out the fridge. I dropped off Makis at his office and returned to the boat with his scooter. Scooters are essential! The cleaning crew was hard at work when I returned. The laundry was in their van ready for transport and Laura and Beth were sitting on the quay talking. I hoped there wasn’t any drama coming my way since I need both of them to do their jobs for three more weeks. My trusted mate wouldn’t be joining us for another a month. Within the first two hours of arriving, I was having the boat cleaned to perfection, laundry being washed, dried and pressed, flowers ordered, a mini bus arranged to pickup the guests from the airport, drinks ordered, a rented scooter for transportation and my clearance papers stamped. Next I was taking Laura and Beth for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.
We secured the sails as we rounded the point of Rodos city. We prepared to go stern to. My one piece of advice for anyone sailing in the Greek Islands is to contact an agent before arriving at any port. Usually when bringing a boat into the harbor there is any number of agents hanging around the quay looking for your business. They have a tendency to claim you as a client once they touch your lines. In some cases they may even demand payment. So make arrangements first. They can make arrangements with other agencies for a fee, but it is well worth it. I use Makis at Yacht Rhodes International. Makis can arrange anything and that’s a fact. I called him on the VHF to tell him I was entering the harbor. We passed through the gates of Mandraki harbor where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. I scanned the docks and saw him driving up on his scooter waving his arm. He stopped in front of an open space on the quay and directed me to berth there. A few minutes later we were tied up. I lowered the passé rail and Makis boarded welcoming me back to Rhodes. At this point I had two days to turn the boat from ocean cruiser into a charter boat. Makis and I went over a list of services I would need. Makis was the charter broker for my three week charter so he had been in contact with the guests. Since I’ve gone through this drill a few times before we only spent a few minutes ticking of the list of services. I instructed Laura and Beth to gather all the laundry. Three thousand miles, seven countries, and five weeks on board makes a lot of laundry! A minivan stopped behind the boat. A British woman who specializes in cleaning boats inside and out stood with three other employees waiting for the go ahead. I have found that after a long sail the crew is pretty tired and although they are willing to clean they generally lack the enthusiasm for this kind of detailed work. I waved them on board to get started. I gave Makis my documents and we left together on his scooter. Laura and Beth would clean out the fridge. I dropped off Makis at his office and returned to the boat with his scooter. Scooters are essential! The cleaning crew was hard at work when I returned. The laundry was in their van ready for transport and Laura and Beth were sitting on the quay talking. I hoped there wasn’t any drama coming my way since I need both of them to do their jobs for three more weeks. My trusted mate wouldn’t be joining us for another a month. Within the first two hours of arriving, I was having the boat cleaned to perfection, laundry being washed, dried and pressed, flowers ordered, a mini bus arranged to pickup the guests from the airport, drinks ordered, a rented scooter for transportation and my clearance papers stamped. Next I was taking Laura and Beth for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Last Night Watch
By Scott Dodgson
I washed my face in the galley while the kettle came to a boil. For long night time watches I made a strong espresso usually a triple and added Bailey's Irish Cream. This brew kept me up all night while calming the jitters from the coffee. I grabbed two apples and a bag of Star Burst candies and stuffed them into my pockets. As always, I checked the chart and the chart plotter. We would be in Rhodes and at the end of the crossing from Trinidad in nine hours. I entered my position, weather, and crew names into the log book. I also made notes on my state of being. “Tired, pleased, but in general good spirits”. Laura saw me moving around in the galley and came to talk to me. She told me Beth was on deck. She was a little emotional so I should be cautious when talking with her. What I saw and heard was Laura was emotional. She promised we would talk after we got into Rhodes. She went to our cabin to sleep. “Wake me up if you get tired.” On deck I found Beth sitting next to the helm wrapped in a blanket. In general sailing at night is much colder than you would realize even in the tropics. So having a nice blanket wrapped around you makes the watch comfortable. It also serves as a wake up when you get a little sleepy. Toss it off and the cold air will wake you up. First, I checked the tow line. Sometimes the towline will chaff at an alarming rate. It’s no fun turning around to find your dinghy bobbing in the ocean at night. I made a two degree correction on the autohelm. I trimmed the main, eased a touch on the mizzen, opened the staysail a mite and closed the Genoa a turn. With the wind slightly abaft of beam I slightly closed the slots. This tweaking took into account the cool and heavier air would stream off the foot of the sail rather than spilling off the clew. I could hear the autohelm making fewer corrections. The boat held it’s course with less effort and more speed. Beth watched me move around the deck. When I settled next to her in the cockpit I offered her an apple. She accepted with a smile. We sat in silence for a while until I leaped up at the sight of a school of dolphins racing along side. We had entered a massive plume of plankton. The visual effect is stunning. The dolphins looked like they were speeding through the stars. The green glow outlined the hull and created a long green trail in the wake. And just as I convinced Beth to come and stand on the bow sprit and enjoy the spectacle the full moon began peaking over the horizon like a beacon of bright yellow light. It was so bright I went back to the cockpit to check the radar to assure myself it wasn’t a ship. It was that bright. I called Laura. She looked around and was happy to join Beth and myself on the bow sprit. As the full moon rose a few degrees above horizon and we passed through the last of the plankton plume, I asked both of them what is wrong? The three of us sat the rest of the night and talked. What I learned? Laura was planning to leave me after the summer charter season. Beth wanted to stay and work with us, however Beth in her quest to rediscover a comfortable place in her sexuality had seduced Laura, who was experimental at best, but in this circumstance was uncomfortable with their relationship and Beth was seriously regretting her behavior. Both suffered from guilt over their actions. I tried to reassure both. I told them to look around. Look at the beauty of dolphins swimming through the stars. I told them there was something you both wanted and maybe needed in their liaison. Don’t feel guilty I urged, life is long and complicated, the best you can do is move forward and look to the next day. By then the sky turned grey with morning light. The green mountains of Rhodes Greece lay on our starboard beam. The three of us huddled together under the blanket watching a new day dawn.
I washed my face in the galley while the kettle came to a boil. For long night time watches I made a strong espresso usually a triple and added Bailey's Irish Cream. This brew kept me up all night while calming the jitters from the coffee. I grabbed two apples and a bag of Star Burst candies and stuffed them into my pockets. As always, I checked the chart and the chart plotter. We would be in Rhodes and at the end of the crossing from Trinidad in nine hours. I entered my position, weather, and crew names into the log book. I also made notes on my state of being. “Tired, pleased, but in general good spirits”. Laura saw me moving around in the galley and came to talk to me. She told me Beth was on deck. She was a little emotional so I should be cautious when talking with her. What I saw and heard was Laura was emotional. She promised we would talk after we got into Rhodes. She went to our cabin to sleep. “Wake me up if you get tired.” On deck I found Beth sitting next to the helm wrapped in a blanket. In general sailing at night is much colder than you would realize even in the tropics. So having a nice blanket wrapped around you makes the watch comfortable. It also serves as a wake up when you get a little sleepy. Toss it off and the cold air will wake you up. First, I checked the tow line. Sometimes the towline will chaff at an alarming rate. It’s no fun turning around to find your dinghy bobbing in the ocean at night. I made a two degree correction on the autohelm. I trimmed the main, eased a touch on the mizzen, opened the staysail a mite and closed the Genoa a turn. With the wind slightly abaft of beam I slightly closed the slots. This tweaking took into account the cool and heavier air would stream off the foot of the sail rather than spilling off the clew. I could hear the autohelm making fewer corrections. The boat held it’s course with less effort and more speed. Beth watched me move around the deck. When I settled next to her in the cockpit I offered her an apple. She accepted with a smile. We sat in silence for a while until I leaped up at the sight of a school of dolphins racing along side. We had entered a massive plume of plankton. The visual effect is stunning. The dolphins looked like they were speeding through the stars. The green glow outlined the hull and created a long green trail in the wake. And just as I convinced Beth to come and stand on the bow sprit and enjoy the spectacle the full moon began peaking over the horizon like a beacon of bright yellow light. It was so bright I went back to the cockpit to check the radar to assure myself it wasn’t a ship. It was that bright. I called Laura. She looked around and was happy to join Beth and myself on the bow sprit. As the full moon rose a few degrees above horizon and we passed through the last of the plankton plume, I asked both of them what is wrong? The three of us sat the rest of the night and talked. What I learned? Laura was planning to leave me after the summer charter season. Beth wanted to stay and work with us, however Beth in her quest to rediscover a comfortable place in her sexuality had seduced Laura, who was experimental at best, but in this circumstance was uncomfortable with their relationship and Beth was seriously regretting her behavior. Both suffered from guilt over their actions. I tried to reassure both. I told them to look around. Look at the beauty of dolphins swimming through the stars. I told them there was something you both wanted and maybe needed in their liaison. Don’t feel guilty I urged, life is long and complicated, the best you can do is move forward and look to the next day. By then the sky turned grey with morning light. The green mountains of Rhodes Greece lay on our starboard beam. The three of us huddled together under the blanket watching a new day dawn.
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