For the sake of a better word I shall refer to those on board as Crew.
The ‘work’ on a boat in respect of sailing anchoring or passage making is not eight hours a day, five days a week with weekends off. It is haphazard in many respects (thank the weather for that) and at other times a rhythm of work can be devised. Ultimately though, once into the lifestyle it doesn’t seem like work anymore it becomes ‘play’. Furthermore if you were to add up all the time actively ‘working’ (other than your normal domestic chores ) the average amount is only a few hours if that.
Having lived on boats by myself for many years I realize that at most times I am able to do everything myself, but it is very tiring. If I sail alone and through the night I either have to stay awake the whole time or cat-nap which when alone jeopardizes safety. In this respect I would ask that my crew stand watches. Although on passage I sleep in the cockpit right by the wheel and am always on call, however trivial the awakening may be. Until I am happy with the level of responsibility and the abilities of any crewmember I also run an egg-timer for 20 minute cat-naps so that I can check on things myself.
As people spend more time onboard and gain or bring experience to the boat then my trust and confidence grows.
When the weather changes or better still before it changes sails must be adjusted. More often than not it is to reduce or (reef) the sail, this has to be done quickly, so firstly the crew on watch will help but others may be requested to help, hence the expression ‘All hands on deck’ should need be, for any reason not just reefing.
Anchoring:
I have a powerful anchor winch so this work is not strenuous, however the laying of an anchor is a skill and once you get it right very satisfying. I know this when the wind is blowing 30 knots and my anchor is still keeping me safely tethered!
This is work to be done but satisfying never the less.
If you live with others in a shared apartment for instance you must tend to cooking, cleaning, bathing, tidying* and all the other chores of life. It is no different as a community on a boat. I often look at a task in front of me and say “Since this has to be done I’d better get on with it – after all nobody else is going to do it for me”, this is no different when others are in sight. There is no room for laziness on a boat!
For the happiness of the ship and all those aboard SHARE the opportunity and the adventure but please SHARE the workload!
Everyone helps with the cooking and the cleaning up afterwards. in my experience some people like to practice their cooking skills whilst others trade off with doing more washing-up for instance. We are adults and as such we can organize this in a fair manner.
At the end of the day one should not be doing much more on the domestic front than one would normally do in ones home.
Note: A certain level of cleanliness and hygiene has been achieved on Tropicbird this must be maintained. I don’t have bugs like cockroaches on my boat, heaven forbid, leaving something for them to eat like sugar granules is a welcoming invitation!
In even the ’safest’ anchorages I hoist the dinghy out of the water to prevent theft, (and barnacle growth) so help with this is appreciated.
Going to buy food is shared work, we all eat so we all carry.
Cleaning the boat and especially your living space all has to be done.
Maintenance:
I have been a yacht carpenter for 40 years!
Boats need quality work on them for many reasons. It is doubtful that I would trust anyone to do work of a technical nature unless they can prove a level of competence and experience which will not jeopardize the safety of the ship. I might ask someone to do some sandpapering but only if they beg me to do so!
Bet that’s a relief to many of you! It certainly gets those who might accuse me as a captain of ‘crew exploration’ off my back !
I will add to this as and when but I hope you get the picture.