Sailing experience

You don’t need to be Bernard Moitessier, but we prefer crew members with basic sailing knowledge. We also appreciate it if crew members have a basic understanding of what it’s like to live on a sailboat in the tropics to avoid surprises upon arrival.

We appreciate it when crew members have skills related to maintenance, DIY, repairs, etc. even if they’ve never been applied to fixing a boat.

Karaka is not a luxury yacht

Karaka is not a luxury yacht.

We’re an old school ocean going ship, comfortable but hands on and labor intensive. Crew members should not expect the comfort of a charter catamaran. We don’t have a fridge, no bathroom with a shower (we wash in the sea or on deck), no air conditioning, no private cabins (open bunks with curtains only), no outboard motor (we row), no electric windlass, no jib furler, etc.

Life in the water

Being comfortable in the water is imperative. We spend a lot of time in the water, diving, snorkeling, spearfishing, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, etc. If you’re afraid of water or dislike getting wet, perhaps you should reconsider your life choices before applying.

Creativity

Creative skills and talents: music, drawings, painting, sculpture, etc. We enjoy having musicians onboard, for example. Being on the boat is an excellent opportunity to be creative and is more rewarding than spending all your free time watching TV series on an iPad.

Food

Being able to eat anything is necessary. After making considerable efforts to be tolerant and open-minded, we have decided not to take in vegans anymore and, to some extent, vegetarians either. If the idea of catching, killing, preparing, and eating a fish repulses you, Karaka probably isn’t the right boat for you. Unfortunately, it’s also challenging to accommodate people with specific allergies like gluten or lactose since all our meals are communal.

Physical fitness

Being physically fit is essential for sailing an old-school ship like Karaka. We expect all crew members to do their part, participate in maneuvers, row the dinghy, raise the anchor, take down sails in storms, etc. We don’t have a maximum age requirement, but it’s imperative that you can do your part without special treatment.

Motivation

We prioritize highly motivated individuals, crew members who want more than just a cheap ride. Over the years, most of our best crew members came with the idea of learning as much as possible before buying their own boat. Many of them became captains of their own sailboats. So, if that’s your intention too, make sure to mention it; we appreciate that and it will greatly work in your favor.

Maturity

We are not your mum and dad, we are not social workers and we are not running a kindergarden. We expect our crew to be mature, independent and functional, and that they won’t need our constant attention to entertain them, reassure them and teach them how to put their own pants on, that they won’t freak out on us for weird reason and that they will be willing and able to be part of a sailing crew with all the compromises that it entails in regards to sociability and getting along with others. We are not interested in fighting your demons, do not bring them on board.

Children

We do not accept minors. No children. The boat is not designed to ensure the safety of young children or infants onboard, so we won’t accept anyone as crew who is not fully autonomous and legally independent. To be honest, we prefer people to be at least 20-22 years old.

Pets

We do not accept dogs. We already have a cat onboard, and we really don’t want to deal with somebody else’s dog, so dogs are categorically excluded. Due to the cat, we also have to say no to people with cat allergies.

Length of stay

It’s very rare for us to take people for less than a month. We are building a community, not taking clients or hitch hikers.