Gulet, sailing boat and yacht Charter in Croatia 

Skipper doubts - be good to him!

Most people believe that being a skipper is just leading an easy cruise from marina to marina, and that the greatest challenges are docking and mooring. It is thought to be easy money and an excellent summer job. On a boat, however, every member of the crew is a part of a newly-created family. Read more...

Sometimes it is difficult to balance different temperaments, wishes and possibilities, particularly so if the guest believes that the captain is his servant even though, as the commander of the ship, he is supposed to be in charge. In this event only the skipper's patience and experience can prevent a conflict.

The job of a boat manager is not defined by any law, and everything is based the skipper's will to provide the guests with a pleasant vacation, but the limits of his services have to be respected.

„I will be your slave- i will run the ship, cook, wash and attend to your needs 24/7.“ This is what many of those who hire a skipper would like to hear. So, how much can you actually expect from a skipper? As almost every other job in the tourist industry, being a skipper is also service work, and so the skipper has to be at your service. Nowhere, however, is the service precisely defined, while the unwritten rule is that the skipper should take care of the ship and the cruise and the safety of the crew or guests, and be at their disposal for what is expected of him. Of course, taking care of the boat is easily defined, while „being at disposal“ is a very broad and undetermined concept. What does this mean in practice?

The answer seems simple enough, but most often we are talking about a delicate tightrope- balancing act between the guests' wishes and the possible. First of all, every skipper needs to know that the guests requiring his services can not manage a boat, and usually don't know anything about what awaits them at sea. This is why the boat manager sometimes needs to accept an „unreasonable“ question as normal, while the guests need to have in mind that the skipper is just flesh and blood, with all the flaws and virtues. Also, a good relationship between the skipper and his guests is the precondition for a quality vacation- if you are on friendly terms with your skipper, he will provide you with more than is the standard service. Preparing meals- cooking, for example, is not part of the skipper's job, but when I liked my guests, I was always happy to prepare at least one meal for them. Cleaning up and dishwashing are also not the skipper's duties, but if the ship manager and his guests make a good crew, then the skipper will accept that it is his turn to wash the dishes. The same applies to supplying the ship with various goods and other responsibilities.

In the many years I have spent as a skipper I have confronted different problems in connection with the guests who sailed with me, because sometimes their demands were ludicrous and sometimes even insolent. Some guests, for example, demanded that, in addition to my daily duties, I also sail at night, while they are asleep. Because, spending a night anchored means losing part of the route, and it is very nice to wake up in a new scenery… Only it didn't cross their minds that I had to sleep too.

The most usual problem is the hunt for docking places in marinas. If you want to find appropriate accomodation for your vessel you need to search for it early in the afternoon, in order to avoid the evening jams. The guests, however, prefer to swim in some cove until sundown and head to a marina or a port just before twilight… when all the places are already taken, just as the restaurants in which you could have dinner are packed. Also, while safely mooring the boat is the most important thing for the skipper, because it means a peaceful night for him and his crew, the guests always have something else in mind, and mistrust in the skipper's decisions is another burden for him. Once I found myself in the harbor of a Dalmatian island where me and my guests spent a peaceful night. The next day, however, my rested guests demanded that we head across the channel, although it foamed with large waves. As I tried to talk them into staying where we were for another night, there was great discontent. And so I decided that it was easier to fight with waves than with displeased guests, and we set out for the neighbouring island. The faces of my guests were at first green, then white… and soon the contents of their stomachs were leaving a trail behind the boat. After this episode the answer to all my questions was „whatever you say.“

Alcohol is the second- and often even the first- cause of trouble at sea. Once a merry crew, with glasses in their hands and in a loose atmosphere, insisted that I drink „one“ with them. But „one“ did not satisfy them, they wanted me to have another, and another… To refuse politely, I told them that I shouldn't drink while steering the boat- and that we will continue after we dock. The skipper must never forget that his guests are on vacation and that they may have as much fun as they like- while he is working. Because, once you cross the line between business and the private, it is difficult to go back, and it is very important that the skipper knows his role, when and how he should be of service, and when to stand back because- in the hot summer months- with no days off- fatigue sets in. The merry company on the boat make up for their sleepless nights during daytime, so that in the evening they are ripe for new adventures- while the skipper's eyelids are turning into lead, even more so because on a rented boat the fiesta is actually permanent and sleeping barely possible.

And when, after a difficult week, the skipper sends the merry company home- a new company is already boarding and the story starts over again. The first month is endurable, especially so if the guests are in want of peace and rest- that kind exists too!- and such moments are precious. But most managers of rented boats meet the end of the season with three or four months of constant sailing, and so fatigue increased by lack of sleep and the psychological pressure caused by the lack of their own corner on the boat relativises the profits made. Therefore, if the guests do not have understanding for their skipper, then he will hardly have understanding for them- while a nice word and a polite gesture always help to overcome difficulties.

Bear this in mind when renting a boat, because a good skipper will see to it that your vacation and sailing experience be as pleasant as possible. He knows how to act out in the open sea and how to avoid undesired situations and- although he is not almighty, if you treat him fairly, he will do his best to give you as much as he can.