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. We also sailed in the Med in 2023 and 2024.

Between racing and cruising, I have accumulated about 2100 NM plus (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. 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 have been 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 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, cats and a few ketches. 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 and SE Asia. 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