The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Oceans

This book aims to point out the adjustments one has to make when changing to a cruising lifestyle, and to present the necessary infor¬mation to do so successfully.
It seems inappropriate in today’s world to distinguish between men and women when outlining the preparatory steps and desirable skills for obtaining a crew position. In this book, we have made no such distinction. The procedures and situations described here apply to males and females alike; I know of no other environment where the traditional roles are swapped to such an extent as in the cruising world. Men are required to cook, wash, clean and sew, along with all the tasks associated with actual sailing - and anyway, often there are only men or only women on board. In mixed crews, women who happen to be fulfilling the role of cook are required to be equally handy on deck, for watches, helming, winching, sail changing and maintenance. There is no place in cruising for those people who can only cope with traditional male/female roles.
However, women can do some tasks better than men, and there are other tasks that men can accomplish with greater ease than women. It is a fundamental fact of the human species. Obviously, people will gravitate towards those skills that suit them best, but there are no prescribed roles for men and women in cruising. Adventure is a matter of personality rather than gender, age or occupation.
Having made the change, you may decide the lifestyle is not for you. If this is so, then I hope that this book will at least have helped you conduct a satisfactory experiment. However, the step you make initially may so suit you that you will want to take further steps to continue. In which case, it is hoped that a measure of your success can be attributed to this book.

CONTENTS
About the author
Introduction
_{01 HISTORY OF YACHTING}
Definitions
02 RACING VERSUS CRUISING YACHTS
03 THE SUCCESS FORMULA
04 MENTAL PREPARATION
Skipper/crew goals and relationships
Sailing as a couple
Socio-cultural issues
Yachtie versus conventional lifestyle
Time sense of time world
Paranormal experiences
Conclusion
05 PHYSICAL PREPARATION
Desirable skills
Practical advice
Living on board
Seasickness
06 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PREPARATION
Financial responsibilities to skipper and authorities
Financial arrangements with skipper and yacht
Carrying money and proof of financial credibility abroad
Mail |
Job opportunities
Sailing opportunities
Crewing as a profession including superyachts
7 WHERE THE YACHTS ARE
How they travel seasonally
The need for crew
Using the seasonal calendar and world chart
Locations and seasonal bottlenecks
Rallies and regattas
Yacht migration maps
Seasonal calendar
8 HOW TO CONTACT SKIPPERS AND YACHTIES
Personal presentation
Classified advertisements
Yacht clubs and cruising associations
9 SAILORS’THOUGHTS
Appendix 1: Travel facts
Appendix 2: Addresses of consulates and representatives in London
Appendix 3: Checklist
Acknowledgements
Index