My wife and I are looking for what appears to be a unique situation. We are taking a year long honeymoon and are looking to do some cruising in the South Pacific to fulfill a life-long dream. Unfortunately time and monetary considerations will not allow us to cruise our own craft. So we are looking to start off our honeymoon with a bang and spend a month or so cruising with somebody already their.

I guess the closest term I can think of is “funded crewing”. We originally ran across this concept through a yacht named Moet. In short, we are looking for something between chartering and crewing. The original plan (through Moet) was based on the “crew” paying all expenses but sharing all duties/chores for a month period. We’d like to find something similar to this.

Our requirements are pretty few. They consist basically of only a private cabin/berth, a venue somewhere in the South Pacific, and a really adventurous crew. Ideally the crew would be interested in water sports, especially surfing.

What’s in it for you? Well first off it there’s the financial aspect of whatever we work out. Secondly, although we aren’t a truly qualified crew (see below), we guarantee that we will take our duties very seriously and will more than pull our weight. Lastly we are a really fun, easy going, considerate, and positive couple and we’re sure we can help to create some really positive energy for your journey.

OK. In terms of qualifications we will make up for a lack of experience with attitude, energy, and ability to learn quickly. But here we go:

Jeff grew up racing dingies. At some point in his youth his parents starting taking the family on cruising vacations to the Caribbean and the South Pacific. This led to the “Avatar” project where the family built a 45 foot aluminum cutter. Jeff and his brother worked with the marine carpenter to build and finish (mostly finish) the interior while his Dad did the rigging, refrigeration, electrical and navigation. After shakedown cruises in the San Francisco Bay the whole family sailed the boat down to San Diego. The parents continued on cruising full-time in Mexico and the Caribbean for another 10 years before switching to a 6 month cruising schedule for another 8 years. During this time Jeff spent a quite a bit of time crewing during vacations. In addition to this sailing experience Jeff is an excellent cook and extremely handy having general contracted his own home renovations. He’s an avid surfer and windsurfer as well as an enthusiastic kitesurfer and diver.

Jen hasn’t spent a lot of time on boats but has loved the chances she’s had to spend on Avatar and others. She is also an excellent cook. In addition to this Jen is a world-class negotiator, diplomat, organizer, hostess, and easily makes people feel at home. Among her friends she is legendary for making sure that everyone always has a good time and that any event is fun.

Below are a few pictures of us. Please email Jeff at jmilum@yahoo.com with any questions. We’d love to hear from you about any ideas you have on how we could possibly make our dream a reality! Cheers, Jeff and Jen.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n59/jmilum/sayulita/mex011.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n59/jmilum/sayulita/mex033.jpg