Having sailed double handers for the last 7 years and not always having a regular crew I can vouch that a good crew is worth their weight in gold (or beer).  I have now had the same crew for a year and our results are improving all the time.  He knows when I'm going to tack before I do sometimes and helps take the tactical load off my mind.  He is also a great helm and we sometimes club race quite successfully with him on the stick.  Oh and he's 15!

Anyone else got views on the merits of great crews?  Should they be rewarded with their weight in beer?  Should they do all the tactics? should they get the sail controls too? What the hell them them steer!

well on the olympic tornado, the crew does everything but steer, so i belive that they are worth there weight in gold as i am one!!!!!!

i do think the helm should at least do the main sheet!!!!!

I'm glad you agree.

I sailed the Enterprise Severnside Areas at Penarth on the Weekend with a stand in crew.  At 13 Richard must have been the youngest sailor in the event.  Anyway he hiked like a goodun and we were flying upwind.  I think his favorite moment was when we caught up and then crossed Richard Estaugh on one beat (It certainly was one of mine).  He looked after some of the controls giving me a bit more time to concentrate on the tide and steering through the waves. That helped enormously.

I can't buy him a beer for all his hard work for another 5 years though!

Well you can just dont let his parents know, theres nothing better than your first ever beer being:

1. bought for you

and

2. being after winning a race

its great being under age and crewing for a rich yachtie sometimes

I agree youve got to have a good regular crew, whenever I swap crews from my regular crew I find winning races alot harder. I find it especially important in strong winds if you have a good crew that your used to sailing with and knows your style of sailing its so much easyer as your not worrying about what the crews doing as your already know!

Hi everyone,

It's amazing how often the crew is not recognised, or not identified, in the media and even in the results at some clubs and at some events.

Ian  (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)

in alot of boats (tornado sport ) the crew does more than the helm and still they get all the glory

Surely it's time to get away from this old fashioned notion of helm & crew, as though somehow the helm is the boss (my crew is my wife so I know otherwise!)

These days it is all about teamwork in a boat and the sooner some Clubs recognise this in the way they publish their results, the better. Helm, crew, whatever they are called is irrelevant. It takes two to get a boat round the course quickly & each member of the team deserves equal recognition.

If I may add my penny worth from over the sea.

I sail regularly a 20' beach cat with the co-owner of the boat. We change roles on a constant basis. The crew on a cat is part of a team and not less important than the helm. He controls the jib sheet, dagger boards, barber hauler, mast rotation (we have special control for that) and position of the jib clew on the jib traveler. The helmsman is left with helming, tactics and main-sheet. The outhaul of the main is managed usually by the crew as well but not always.

And - to make his position more interesting, the crew has to point out wind shifts and puffs, look for the buoys and of course tend to the balance of the boat. On a catamarans equipped with a gennaker - he does that too!

I believe it is clear from the above that on a technical boat the crew is worth his weight in diamonds.

Mark (Nacra 6.0 NA)