Lend a hand on my boat in Panama

Details

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  Description

  LOOKING FOR:
  An individual or one couple (can be friends who don't mind bunking together) to help me sail, upkeep the boat and take care of guests.  It's the rainy season and supposed to be a pretty active year for hurricanes in the atlantic basin so we'll be playing it safe by hanging around the Caribbean side of Panama and Colombia including San Andres. 
  
  Note: I cannot accommodate people with special dietary restrictions or have smokers onboard.
  
  REQUIREMENTS: I don't care what experience or skills you have. Attitude is everything. You need to be able to cook reasonably well and enjoy cooking. You need need to enjoy water/watersports and be comfortable in and around water. You need to be clean and organized. If you hate cleaning, this is not a good fit for you.
  Can be best if you're in Panama already and we have a chance to meet in person.
  
  THE WORK: 
  
  Most of the work is going to be cleaning or just lending a hand.  Can be scrubbing the decks, scrubbing the hull, wiping down surfaces to prevent mold growth, cleaning the stainless, airing things out in the sun, putting things away during the rain.  Prepping the boat as rain and storms come and go.  Organizing the galley, provisioning.  Assisting with sailing, docking, filling water tanks, fuel, etc...all the day to day of life onboard. Might be cleaning cabins and laundry if we have guests onboard. Might have you give a hand with various projects I might be working on.  It's a huge help just to have someone around to go grab me whatever I'm needing while down in the engine room.
  
  It's not all work. There's foiling, kayaking, snorkeling, fishing. Beaches, sunsets, starry nights, nature...there lots of downtime on the boat, can read, relax, yoga...
  
  THE BOAT: This is a no nonsense alloy catamaran. It's 57ft (17.4m) long and 32ft (9.8m) wide. It's not fancy. It's practical and comfortable. With nearly 180sq m of deck space we're never cramped or yearning to stretch our legs on land. We have nearly everything onboard to be self sufficient.  Solar, water maker, washing machine...
  
  YOUR ACCOMODATIONS: You'll have a double cabin with your own toilet.  You will need to be flexible in case I need to move you if there are guests onboard. I'll give preference to couples or friends who don't mind sharing a cabin. There's always the option to sleep in a hammock or tent on deck.
  
  IMPORTANT: It's not a life for everyone. The boat bobs around, so motion sickness can be a problem. Need cleanliness, hygiene, both physical and mental. Important to be strong minded, no hangups, drama. Things don't always go perfect on a boat. Upbeat positive people make the best experience for everyone onboard. Remember we all need to get along and live side by side for weeks on end. Being able to converse is important. If you're a preachy person, we probably won't get along. If you're open minded and like to share about past experiences and views we'll get along great. I like to find humor in absolutely everything. It's all in good fun, but if you hold some things sacred, we might not get along either. If you're thoughtful, proactive, love to learn, laugh and have fun, you'll be right at home here.
  
  THE RULES: Strictly no drugs will be tolerated onboard. Moderate drinking such as a sundowner in the evening is ok. No drunken behavior allowed onboard. If you break something report it to the captain no matter how big or small. If you plug the toilet you'll be the one to unplug it. Have one pair of shoes for the boat and one pair for land. You must wear shoes while off board and come onboard with clean feet. It's the rain season, so you must have a good rain jacket. All must clean up after themselves and will be expected to share in the domestic duties like cooking and housekeeping onboard. Showers will be outdoors with the hose. Conservation of water will be a priority. There is a water maker onboard. We will gather rain water when possible.
  
  MY DISCLAIMER This is not a charter. You will get out of the experience what you put in, and I'll expect you to put in a lot and get a lot out of it. We'll work hard but also play hard. Everything can and generally will go wrong on a boat. So I can't make any promises, and you need to be flexible with your travel plans.  Equipment can fail, crew can sustain injuries or fall ill and we'll have to wait for safe weather windows. I can't risk the boat or the crew just because you really want or need to do something or be somewhere.
  
  INTERESTED? ASK YOURSELF FIRST: Can I survive with a quick cold showers? Am I comfortable to spend a couple hours in and out of the water scrubbing the hull? If I clogged a toilet on board, am I willing to pull the hoses and pumps apart to fix my mistake? Can I cook at least three decent meals (Bolognese and anything from a can doesn't count)? Can I handle change on a day to day basis (priorities and task can change suddenly onboard)? Can I be called upon to be reliable and clear headed in an emergency?
  
  YOUR MESSAGE: 1. Let me know you've read everything. 2. List at least 3 meals you are comfortable to prepare. 3. What do you hope to do with your downtime. 4. A little description of what you are expecting, or hoping for, or wanting from your time onboard. 5. Are you comfortable riding as a passenger on a motorcycle?
  6. Can you eat spicy food?
  
  Cheers,
  
  Brandon

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can learn about sailing, the sea, the Caribbean coast. Any and all things about boats. I've travelled many parts of the world as well. Can certainly share what I know.

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  Help

  No specific skills required, but an aptitude for hands on work is a must. If you excel at carpentry sewing, welding, cooking all the better. If your favorite thing to do is sanding I might never let you leave 😂 all that really matters is a good working attitude and care for what you are doing. I don't mind teaching what I know and what I don't know we can learn together.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  German: Beginner
  Spanish: Beginner
  Chinese (Mandarin): Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  There are private double cabins. 3 of them and 3 toilets on board. There is water for showers, but best to limit shower to 5 mins to conserve water (watermaker can only replace the water so fast). No hot showers, but if showering in the early evening or afternoon the water can be hot.
  
  In general it's a boat. It has many creature comforts but it is not a house (no hairdryer, small stove, small oven, showering outdoors). We try mainly to run on only solar, but have generator and engines for backup, but prefer to use sparingly. Think glamping...more camping than glam though.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Would love to accommodate a well trained dog on board.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Average of 5 hours a day. We might work 8 hours a few days in a row but we'll make it up by taking a few days off in a row

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