Daywork 123

Even after many years of cruising I am still learning the ropes. I have previously mentioed "find-a-crew. It has not been as productive as I might hope but perhaps my specific needs to not resonate with the desires of the subscribers.

As a single hander I occasionally find myself in need of a second person to help with tasks. Sometimes it is just ennui, other times it really takes two, e.g. the need to be on both sides of a bulkhead simultaneously.

I met a nice young man at The Harbor where he was visiting with his girlfriend/bartender. I asked him about day work. First. He said he was free the next day so I hired him. It worked out very well. He also filed me in on the daywork world.

It seems that the old "walk the docks each day and ask" has become impossible. Security in the marinas has become very tight. As a consequence the daywork "body brokers" are one way to get work. Enter the Internet. The web site www.daywork123.com provides a way to connect people in the industry. It is sort of a Craig's List. I decided I would give it a try and post for boat cleaners. Within an hour I had several replies. I was surprised from the CV's how hard it is to get work. I will let you know tomorrow how it works out.

We also talked about boat sitting. In St. Maarten the going rate in the crew house is $150 per week to share a bunk house with 11 other people. To boat sit with a dinghy to get around is nirvana. Not only does it save money but also wear and tear. Plus the fun of having XO to love. He also shared that conditions were similar in most ports. I good thing to know the next time I want to visit my sons.