KrisRaz

Looking for adventure, new places, new people

Hi, if you are seeing this because I messaged you, it is because you are going to be where I want to go, at the right time, and you look interesting. If not, I suspect you are here looking for crew, so please feel welcome to have a look. It is hard to make a good, but brief, summary, so if you have questions please feel free to ask.

My history. I retired from the Royal Canadian Navy, so have lots of sea time/miles. There are many things I miss about the Navy, like just plain old going to sea, the foreign ports, the camaraderie, and the sense of satisfaction of adding to the crew. My duties were administrative/managerial in nature so other than basic seamanship I can’t offer any specialties. My kids are grown, and I took a civilian job in the dockyard where I can maintain my network and friendships. I have lived in many places in Canada, and spent 4 years living in Germany.

In the summer of 2019, I met a beautiful woman. She was about to go on a sailing trip in Greece and Turkey. As she talked about it and then sent me pictures, I got really interested in sailing. By the time she got back a few months later, I had become regular crew on a sailboat that raced every weekend, and had my competent crew qualification. I never missed a race, unless I was abroad on a sailing adventure out of Canada. Since then I have sailed the Aegean (2020) and Ligureian sea (2022) with some brief trips around Sicily and Malta.

Between racing and cruising, I have accumulated about 2100 NM (and growing). under sail. I can work a spinnaker, hank on a sail, etc. because much of my time has been on an older boat, with an older skipper who has been an excellent mentor. Not to put you under the illusion that I am proficient in everything, or anything really. I am certainly not. There are many things I have not even tried once yet. But, I am packing new knowledge in hand over hand as fast as I can and will try to pry every bit of information I can out of anyone with credibility. I go to workshops (recently AIS, Cruising, and Spinnaker) and am eager for more. I have RCN training in sea survival, firefighting, damage control, flood, and some other stuff that civilians won't need.

A little about me, personally. I get along with most, am pretty easy going, but am no one’s fool. I let little things go, and am described as very dependable, punctual, reasonable, and creatively efficient. I was a Scout leader for 17 years, with lots of successes behind me there. Map and compass basics, and knots should not be an issue. I am never sea sick, even in sea state 5. I live by a few personal rules, like paddle your own canoe, leave a place better than you found it, and respect everyone until given a reason to change that. I travel with a little luggage, no baggage. I am neat and tidy, but not OCD about it. I enjoy a good chat with interesting people. Embark/disembark dates have some flex, so schedule changes can be accommodated, at least to a point. I am fit, no serious (or even minor) ailments. I can climb any mountain, swim any sea, and have lots of energy. I promote sustainable living, and living gently on the earth. I also enjoy yoga, kayaking, hiking, gardening, cooking, woodwork, and generally being outside. (See, not all military come out with tattoos and scars and a bad attitude.)

Suzanne is my sailing partner, Suze0228 as she is known on Crewbay. She is wonderful and has been sailing for decades.

What I am looking for. I have been many places with the Navy (and Army before that), but now I want to choose where, when and how long I stay.
I must admit, I am tired of being cold and wet from sailing in my local waters, and am really looking forward to going sailing in a warm climate and not going back to the same port I left that morning. Throw in some good people, some laughter, a bit of exploring, a lot of learning, some good food and wine, and I could not imagine anything better. I am eager to be a full member of the crew, so not interested in charters. For the right trip and boat, I can deploy on relatively short notice.

So far I have been on sloops and a few ketches. I really want to crew on a schooner and a cat next. The list of ports and places I want to see is going to be hard to squeeze into one lifetime, but priorities are currently Turkey, Croatia, the Balarics, Portugal. However, with the right boat and skipper I will go anywhere.

I hope I have portrayed my enthusiasm and desire to be an asset instead of a tourist. I am a mixed bag of practical experience, but am definitely not a fresh-out-of-the-box newbie. Besides the opportunity for memories and shared adventure, here is a chance for the right skipper to help me build on my foundation of sailing knowledge, and fine tune me to be an effective member of the crew.

Note: I have the CYA Day skipper course, but it is not in the drop down options. I selected intermediate in lieu.

• Phone
• Skype

• Tags:
• Mile building
• Competent Crew
• Friendship