How to be good crew

Do you want to be “good crew” when you race or cruise on a boat that isn’t yours

The boat may not be yours, but you should treat it like it is. Treat the boat as if you owned it. You may even treat it better than the owner and the owner will appreciate you for that effort. The following suggestions are from 30+ years of crew and ownership experience. Each boat has its own rules so ask the owner.

Offer to arrive early and help get the boat ready. You can learn how to rig the boat.

Don’t be late. If you get caught in traffic, contact the captain.

Wear closed toe, non-marking shoes. Check them for rocks. Some boats don’t allow street shoes onboard or below. Ask the captain.

Do not bring spray sunscreen. It makes the deck slippery and it ruins varnish. If you use it, spray it on land.

Sunscreen without avobenzone is best to use, avobenzone causes orange marks on fiberglass and clothes.

If you see sharp bits on the boat, tell the owner. Sails are expensive and skin bleeds. Examples are cotter pins sticking out, shrouds have sharp bits, lifelines that cut you.

Ask the captain about food and drink. Be prepared to provide your own. Don’t assume the captain will feed you. Take your food and drink home with you. The captain has plenty of their own items to schlep home or store on the boat

If food is messy to eat at a table on land, it will be even messier to eat on a moving boat.

If you have long hair, pull it back. Winches, lines, halyards, lifelines, will grab your hair. Loose hair is a hazard waiting to happen.

Sailing gloves are personal choice but very handy and smart. Rope burns HURT.

Check the weather and dress appropriately.

Ladies’ skirts, pareos, dresses are not appropriate for racing. They may be fine for a cruise. They can be a hazard around winches, stairs or stanchions.

Keep your gear organized in a soft sided and soft bottom, zippered bag. Don’t bring plastic grocery bags that spill your gear out and don’t close.

Don’t bring leaky coolers on board. Damp items can ruin woodwork. Finding water pooled on the floor can cause a major search mission to happen on a boat due to worrying about a leak.

No luggage with wheels, hard bottoms or hard bottom coolers. They are hell on varnish/floors.

Don’t assume it is okay to drink alcohol during a race. Each boat has their own rules.

Bringing food to share is a nice gesture.

Learn about racing by going online and watching video and reading books.

Learn the race rules or at least the basics- https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/rules

Don’t talk over the captain.

Prep flag is 5 minutes before the start, focus on the race. Focus on the race during the race. Socialize after the race. Focus on the race.

Stay focused on the start. Maneuvering, a start can make or break your race and boat.

Ask the captain what the course is, understand the game plan.

Only the captain or whomever the captain designates as the speaker on the boat should speak to other boats.

Do your job and not someone else's. Focus on your job and the people or objects you are affecting. If you are grinding in the jib, make sure the sail comes in cleanly. There is a lot going on during a race and it is easy to lose focus

Don’t blindly adjust sails. Always make sure the sail comes in clean. Did it tack/gybe clean? If there is resistance to what you are doing, there probably is a problem. Look up! Don’t strangle your crewmates!

Make sure to offer to help clean up the boat before and after the race. Offer this days before the race and offer to help on days there are no races. Helping to clean the boat will build your boat karma.

If you don’t understand why something is being done, ask after the race. Racing can be stressful, and it is a tough to stop and explain concepts. But do ask, otherwise you won’t learn.

Do not put your body between boats or objects that are colliding. Fiberglass can be fixed easier than you can.

The garbage is one of the last items off the boat. Don’t assume you are helping by taking it off the boat without asking.

Have fun.