I have written the following questions hoping it will, if the need arises, help me in an evaluation of any applicants I might seek out for crew. There are no right or wrong answers, no grading will be applied in my evaluation as to our compatibility, something of supreme importance when isolated from the world on basically an uncomfortable, rocking, floating island 39 feet long. The questions are not of a technical sailing nature, nor do they get into any navigation, they simply help me evaluate your decision making skills, which ultimately can mean the difference between life and death at sea. All questions are taken from real life sailing scenarios to help me judge your level of skills that will result in a fun and safe cruise. So just have fun with it..
Scenario 1
Quick, you notice the skipper is suffering a massive hangover and your departure time, in high winds and choppy sea conditions is fast approaching... what do you do?
a. Let the bastard get underway on his own if he really wants to get underway, you are too hung over to care..
b. Make the bastard get up and leave you alone until he has made your coffee just the way you like it.
c. You have already been up for two hours and decided to scrub down the waterline as well as prepare a large breakfast, you know the food will help make your miserable existence on board a little more tolerable for the skipper…
Although the above question really has no right or wrong answers It will be used to help in my selection of crew….
Scenario 2
Quick, you notice the skipper is suffering a massive hangover and the anchor, somehow in the 65 knot winds managed to come loose, and now are heading towards other boats, dragging your anchor over their ground tackle… it is 3 AM and there is no moon….what do you do?
a. Let the bastard get up and figure it out if he really wants too, you are too hung over to care.
b. You wake up raising a clenched fist to the moonless night yelling “Oh Thank you soooooo much! You couldn’t do this at ten in the morning??? After we have a nice, leisurely wake up, a nice breakfast, lots of hot coffee???? Nooooo, you have to do this at three in the morning!!!”, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!!!!…..
c. You position yourself strategically on deck waiting to throw yourself over the side using your body as a large fender (also known as a cushion) if needed to protect the finish on CHOICES from being damaged when colliding with other boats in the anchorage.
Again there are no right or wrong answers, just simple guidelines being used by the skipper in making his choices for crew….
Scenario 3
Quick, you notice the skipper is suffering a massive hangover and somehow managed to make his way up on the forward deck in the middle of the night. He is presently passed out with his head hanging over the side and somehow managed to pull his shorts down around his ankles. Fast approaching the dock is a large group of tourist and will soon be passing the boat…what do you do?
a. Let the bastard figure it out himself, you have a massive hangover and are too sore all over from sleeping face first on the cockpit floor to care….
b. Get up and find the camera so you can preserve the moment…
c. Quickly find a blanket and cover the skipper thus saving any self respect he may have remaining after the “events” from the night before…
Again, I cannot emphasize enough to all, that there are no right or wrong answers and are only a loose guideline to help me decide who is best suited to crew. I have chosen many true life situations as examples, thus ensuring
Next we will do some simple true or false questions. Again, there are no right or wrong, just guide posts…
1.True or False You notice the skipper is suffering a massive hangover and everything he told you the night before is the “honest-to-God, this-is-no-shit” truth ….
2.True or False. The skipper appreciates and encourages having any navigation errors brought to his attention, especially when they have already been discussed to some length…
3. True or False. The skipper, although suffering a massive hangover, appreciates your timely suggestions on sail adjustments, and general sailing trim…
4. True or False. Anything that the skipper says during moments of panic should not be taken to heart…he is only trying to motivate the crew into quicker action, and you should ignore any unclear or conflicting orders coming from the helm….
5. True or False: The skipper totally appreciates your expertise in tying macramé knots and that while getting supplies you decided he has been kinda grumpy and so bought decaffeinated coffee for the long passage and forgot to tell him until the 2nd day out.
Wasn’t so bad now was it? I eagerly look forward to the next phase where I give you 1 hour to make five different dishes utilizing a secret ingredient, The hard part is you have to do it in the galley where you only have two pans. Remember taste is most important but not everything there are points for presentation and originality as well. .
No comments:
Post a Comment