FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

GUESTS ABOARD! - A SURVIVAL GUIDE

You’ve successfully completed a passage to the Caribbean and your crew has finally departed!  Ahh…alone time, sundowners with fellow cruisers, afternoon naps, time to do repairs and finally, the boat is just how you like it.  You are in an amazing location - the weather is outstanding.  Why not have friends and family down for a visit to share your adventure?  So, you start inviting and planning.  But before you make those plans final, beware of the lingering guests, the sloppy guests, the big footprint guests, and the dreaded water hogs.  Don’t get me wrong, we love having guests and we invite our friends and family year after year.  It’s great fun but it can also be a real challenge.

There’s an adage, “you can choose the time or the place but not both”.  Not so much in the Caribbean where island hopping is easy, and our guests really appreciate that.  Then there’s the fish metaphor – that one’s spot on!  Five to six days is optimal.  Anymore and you are tempting fate, as each additional day increasingly tests your tolerance.  Bad habits are amplified 10-fold on a boat.  

We have found that a successful visit is all about setting expectations and asking the right questions before arrival.  In many ways it compares to the crew discussions you should have before every passage.  (Click here for a webinar on that topic).  Do your guests have expectations about the area?  Will you be a sailboat or just a floating hotel?  Do they get seasick?  What do they eat?  What don’t they eat?  Allergies?  Are they strong swimmers? Are they sailors?  Will they use up certain things you cannot easily replace? 

Here are a few tips we have learned over the years:

1. Right away, before you do anything else - teach them how to use the head.  Don’t wait until it’s too late and you are picking wipes out of the impeller with needle nose pliers!
2. Guests are your Amazon Prime delivery truck.  Your mules, your easiest and cheapest way of getting boat parts and everyday items you just can’t find in the Caribbean.  Don’t be shy, even if they must check a bag just for your stuff (at your expense).
3. Regarding bags – pack light and no hard rollers. Your boat is not a cruise ship.
4. No heels or hard soled shoes.
5. Encourage them to use sunscreen.  A bad burn will last the entire visit.
6. No dramatics, Leonardo DiCaprio was not on a real boat.
7. Know what they eat.  Ask about likes and dislikes, allergies and cravings.  Having a boat stocked with the right foods will make for happy guests and an easy first day.  
8. Ask if they get seasick. Ignore all bragging about iron stomachs.  If there is even the slightest chance, drug ’em (appropriately and legally of course).  We have guests that vomit while on anchor.
9. Teach them about limiting water and power usage.  Again, don’t wait.  The longer you wait, the harder and more uncomfortable it will be.
10. Understand that what is everyday life for you can be an injury waiting to happen for an inexperienced guest – think getting in and out of the dinghy and broken toes.
11. Instruct them to keep their belongings in their cabin and that the saloon is for everyone, so keep it clear.  This is all about what we call footprint size.  There are guests who just can’t help themselves.  You know the type – they’re everywhere.
12. Have them help.  Let them steer or drive the dinghy.  Most guests like to contribute, so involve them in day-to-day operations or let them help with a repair.  They will feel productive and relevant.
13. Galley Cleanup.  Set the ground rules early or else you will be washing all the dishes all the time.  It’s a tradeoff between water conservation and feeling like the third stew on Below Decks.  But there’s always an opportunity to dry.
14. Be explicit about how they are to leave their cabin and head on departure.  Again, think third stew.
15. And learning from our and our friends’ experiences:
1. All fishing lines in before anchoring – it’s a sure bet they will fowl the prop.
2. If they help with the dock lines, make sure one end is actually tied to the boat.
3. Ditto for the dinghy anchor and fenders.
4. Make sure the top of that 5-pound bag of ground coffee they bring you is sealed before they bring it down the companionway.
5. Milk chocolate isn’t a great thing to bring to the tropics.
6. Keys and cellphones don’t float.

All told, it’s great fun to have guests.  We all live privileged lives and sharing just a glimpse into how we live and what we do is a real treat.  Guests give you the opportunity to relive experiences anew through their eyes, which renews your excitement and provides perspective….and don’t forget that spare impeller they’ll bring to you.