How to avoid crew problems and bad atmosphere on board

How to avoid crew problems and bad atmosphere on board

Crossing the ocean can be exhilarating and exciting, but sleep deprivation, stress, motion sickness, and a lack of personal space can bring even the softest person down. The bad atmosphere on board is like a powder keg - it only takes a small spark to trigger an explosion.

Terysa vanderloo says that last year she and her partner were lucky enough to cross the Atlantic, but there were a few boats that were not so lucky.

One couple bought their yacht a year before ARC to spend a season or two cruising the Caribbean. It was their dream, the result of years of hard work and planning. Realizing their own lack of experience, they carefully selected team members: three men and one woman, each with their own skill set. What they didn't take into account was their temperaments and behavior.

“I’m not saying that we didn’t think about it, we thought. But you cannot know what problems will arise when six strong, intelligent adults are forced to live together on a boat. "

They trained with every crew member prior to the transition. In particular, negative behavior had already been observed during the test trip to sea, but they hoped it was an anomaly. Then, just before sailing, another alarm bell rang:

“We had one person crying in the morning when we set out because the galley was a mess and not everything was packed. They put things in order in five minutes, but it caused enormous stress for this person. "

Along the way, the atmosphere only got worse. Accusations of all kinds have been heard, ranging from lack of effort to poor skills and poor decision making. Later, the yacht itself became the subject of much criticism.

“If any equipment broke due to human error, we were accused of poor design or poor quality equipment. Everyone was disappointed in the preparation of the boat. "

“The depressing thing was that we involved the entire crew in preparing the boat for a year. We even gave them free rein to inspect the boat, buy spare parts and equipment, and any parts or items that they thought were missing. "

The tension reached its climax when the crew noticed a hole in the staysail the size of a grapefruit. We pulled out a sail repair kit, but it only contained a spinnaker repair tape, and there was a burning question about how to repair the sails. As a result, the crew could not make a joint decision and temporary repairs continued throughout the entire journey.

After 16 days at sea, they finally crossed the finish line. For most yachts at ARC this is a joyous occasion, but not for this crew. The owners of the yacht, against all odds, were happy that they had crossed the Atlantic and offered to change into crew t-shirts for a joint photo and celebration.

“The answer was no. We arrived as we left: under a thick cloud of moodiness. "

The second story is about two crew members who join the malevolent skipper. The crew had a bad experience with the catamaran that belonged to the couple living on board.

“We have been looking for a boat to participate in ARC for several months. After a short chat, the owners seemed to be fine and everything was fine and we were delighted to join them. Everything seemed wonderful: we were very relaxed, shared the costs without any fuss, got along well, and together coped with different tasks on the boat, "say two new crew members."

However, when crossing from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, the atmosphere deteriorated. Everyone had the opportunity to leave the boat in the Canary Islands, but they were understandably reluctant. Of the four crew members, only one person has already had an ocean crossing experience. As the race approached, the difference in opinion over the meal schedule reared everyone.

“The owners of the yacht announced to the crew that we should all get together for all meals. I raised the issue of breakfast together as we will be on duty at different times throughout the night and may not want to get up early. We were made clear in no uncertain terms that if we don't have breakfast together, no one is responsible for the food we paid for.

After a week, things got more serious when the spinnaker halyard began to fray. We were worried, and brought up this topic at breakfast, we were ignored. At about 10 am we heard a strong bang, the halyard tore and the spinnaker fell into the water. I was very angry with myself for not doing anything despite the silence. Each of us was to blame because we wanted to keep the peace. But with each passing day, the skipper's lax attitude towards safety and maintenance became clearer.

We secured the spinnaker again using a halyard designed for a storm jib. Even though the new halyard began to show the same signs of rubbing, the skipper said that everything will be fine as we will not have more options if this happens again.

I was dumbfounded. Because he ignored any evidence that was simply obvious. I started to get scared. If he has this attitude towards repairs, what else was hidden behind this awkward workaround? All four crew members began to lose faith in the skipper and we decided to double check everything he had done.

At that moment, it became much safer for me. I felt that there is a competent view of everything. However, the arguments did not stop, and the atmosphere worsened day by day.

I believe the skipper felt threatened by the skill set and personalities on board. Oddly enough, he vetted us thoroughly to make sure we are all helpful and competent crew members. Unfortunately, he did not want to listen to the suggestions of either of us.

We look back at the transition as a positive experience, but we focus on yachting, the wildlife we've seen, the beautiful sunsets, the stars, and the places we've visited along the way. We've learned a lot, especially how to deal with difficult individuals. "

What can you do to keep the crew in harmony on board?

Dan bower met dozens of different crews on my 51ft yacht Skyelark... He shares tips on how to succeed in your relationship with the crew. There are usually two problems:

The first problemThis is when the crew members feel that the yacht or skipper is unsuitable for the task, leading to hostility towards the skipper or anxiety that they will do it all themselves.

Second problem - this is a disagreement between skipper and crew member, which is often fueled by personal collision - usually it is a lack of a skipper who is either stressed or anxious, or uncomfortably sharing the space of "his yacht" with the crew.

In both situations, dialogue is the surest way to solve problems. Most people are inherently intelligent, and once the situations are worked out, they all come together. During lunch, it would be good to ask about something, from the other crew members, or from each one alone in a quiet time, albeit at the end of the night shift on deck.

If you see conflict brewing, make some adjustments. Move the clock and shift systems and assign clear roles for the crew, try to do it routinely.

The most common points of contention are eating and sleeping. Some people are addicted to recipes, others can use up a week's supply in one meal. Someone is asleep, and someone is listening to music without headphones, lamp light, loud conversations or even an unpleasant laugh! You need to give a briefing ahead of time or give a gentle reminder that people are tired.

Also, fairness is important. Make sure that all unpleasant jobs are distributed evenly among all crew members in turn. Set aside places for privacy. In good weather, the bow deck, in other weather, let there be a salon. Everyone sometimes needs to take a rest in a secluded place from time to time, as the cockpit is a noisy and hectic place.

A yacht owner planning a lifelong adventure should think ahead about the crew and what might go wrong. A person's personality is more important than his skills. Any skipper can teach the crew the basics of yachting, but the most important thing is to find a common language and compromise. The crew should arrive a few days before the start so you can get an idea of how well you are working together. Ask what they can do and what is important, why they need a team, and why now.

24.08.2017