Lookforcrew

Tips for Onboard Guests

Whenever guests are aboard, clearly explain what is expected of them, especially if they have little sailing experience. A pre-departure tour of your vessel, its systems, and any attendant peculiarities with a comprehensive stop in the head will make time underway more enjoyable.

Temperatures on the water are often cooler than inland, so let your guests know if they should bring any special gear. Non-skid, non-marking shoes will save you time spent scrubbing the deck later. Many people think a boat is the same as a house and may need reminding that there is finite space for personal gear on board. Duffel bags and soft luggage should be used instead of square, non-collapsing luggage. Sunglasses, suntan lotion, and a hat may be a few of the things you suggest.

Extended voyaging to foreign ports presents a unique set of conditions for guests. Make sure the proper crew lists, passports, and other boat documentation are on board before having to explain things to a Customs official. Other cultures may have a vastly different way of life that should be researched before leaving. Impress upon the less traveled that the rest of the world is not like home.

By assigning a space for guests and their gear, you will eliminate missing items later. Explain the importance of things being where you can find them quickly and ensure that items like flashlights, handheld compasses and radios, and dividers are returned to the places where they belong.

The expression "you missed the boat" is surely nautical in nature. Little is more frustrating than waiting for missing or late crew as a beautiful sunny and breezy day ebbs by. Make sure guests are aware of departure times and know that weather conditions, tides, and currents are constantly changing and need to be incorporated into a nautical outing.

Explain also that the time to rise and shine is based on the convenience of everyone aboard and the cruising plans for the day. You, as skipper, should be the first to rise and the others should follow shortly after. Make guests aware of the limited washing and toilet facilities on the boat and instruct them to be time considerate to others. Also instruct them thoroughly on the use of the marine head, the fact that there are no plumbers at sea, and the importance of water conservation when cruising between destinations.

Familiarize your guests with safety and emergency procedures before leaving the dock. Explain fueling procedures, docking and departing plans. Make sure someone on board is able to take over for you and operate the VHF radio to ask for help should you become disabled.

By being up front, honest, and direct with your guests, everyone on board will have a safe and pleasurable trip.

Yachtswoman: Sailing helped me cope with the 'hell of cancer'

By Anouk Lorie for CNN

April 16, 2010 9:02 a.m. EDT

Yachtswoman Ellen Pontin, who kept sailing as she battled breast cancer.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Emma Pontin will launch the 2850-passenger "Celebrity Eclipse" cruise liner next week
Professional skipper hopes to inspire others suffering from cancer with her story
Pontin is planning a round-the-world voyage with 42 other breast cancer survivors
Pontin: "We've got to think 'I fought for my life, now I'm going to live it'"

RELATED TOPICS

London, England (CNN) -- A round-the-world yachtswoman who beat breast cancer says that sailing helped her cope with the "hell of cancer."

Lawyer-turned-skipper Emma Pontin who refused to give up sailing despite undergoing a double mastectomy in 2007.

She says the sport took her far away from her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments and made her feel "alive."

Pontin was talking ahead of her latest project to raise awareness of the disease: launching a cruise liner. She is to name the 2850-passenger "Celebrity Eclipse" next week.

Pontin -- whose sailing achievements include a round-the-world race and several transatlantic crossings -- was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2006 as she was about to embark on a race.

Despite having to drop out of that race, Pontin continued sailing professionally. "It was my lifeline," she told CNN.

"The diagnosis blew me out of the water," Pontin said. "I didn't want to die. So I got up and continued to do my job and I realized that the more I continued sailing, the more I could mentally take on the hell of cancer."

Pontin likens sailing to "pure escapism."

"The water took me as far away from my treatments as possible. One minute I was undergoing chemotherapy and the next minute I was on the water. That made me feel free and alive," she told CNN.

As "Godmother" of "Celebrity Eclipse," Pontin hopes her story will help others affected by breast cancer.

I fought for my life, now I'm going to live it.
--Emma Pontin

"Emma is an outstanding individual with an incredible zest for life and is an inspiration to women from all walks of life," Richard D. Fain, Chairman of Celebrity Cruises told CNN.

Pontin is the second cancer awareness ambassador to be nominated by the upscale cruise company, Celebrity Cruises. Cancer survivor and founder of UK cancer charity "Walk the Walk," Nina Barough serves as "Godmother" to liner, "Celebrity Equinox."

"[Emma's] determination to make every day count, her courage and her positive attitude amidst challenging sailings, even during times of adversity, is tremendously empowering for other women and their families."

Pontin, who wrote the book "Beating the Blowfish" about her fight with the disease, wants to share her love of the sea with others.

The 40-year-old is planning another round-the-world voyage, but this time with 42 men and women who have suffered from breast cancer.

And unlike previous races, Pontin and her crew will be taking their time. The voyage, which she is planning to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2011, will be almost a year long.

"I want people to understand that if you go through breast cancer, you can do anything. Some people who've had breast cancer or going through it just sit at home all day, on their sofas and don't know how to handle it.

"And I want to tell this people: 'Do something amazing, cross an ocean, bring it on!"

"And the truth is," said Pontin, "We've got to think 'I fought for my life, now I'm going to live it.'"