How to look after your crew at sea
PETE GOSS is a world-renowned racer and adventurer, and has sailed over 250,000 miles. He now cruises with his wife Tracey
Navigation and boat handling are all well and good, but overlook the practicalities of keeping your crew fed, warm, safe and healthy and you risk putting a big hole in morale and standing yourself into danger.
Whether you are a skipper, mate or crew, the role of purser, responsible for victualling the ship is of vital importance on board. A good purser ensures that there are spare batteries, the toilet rolls never run out, and there is a spare wash bag for the crew member who forgets theirs. Pencils, eraser and sharpener are in the chart table, there’s a spare set of thermals and hot water bottle handy in case of an emergency and the standard medical pack has extra seasick tablets and Sudocrem. And that’s before we’ve even thought about food. It comes down to recognising the fact that thoughtful use of resources, space and meticulous planning can nurture crew morale and safety.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
When it comes to food on board, everyone will have their own preferences, so I’m not about to give you any recipes. However, you need to give it some thought. Crew meetings – or family mealtimes – can be used to test menus. For longer trips, don’t forget special occasions. Candles and family gifts can be stored on board to celebrate birthdays. During the British Steel Challenge we carried ‘This is your life’ books bursting with funny stories – great morale boosters that drew us together as we learned so much more about each other. There was a much anticipated weekly family newsletter that kept us in touch with
