[PUP] line handlers

[Peter Pisciotta]

Scott - if you don't mind sharing, what's the going rate for agent and/or line handlers these days? When Enrique got started a few years ago, he was a siginificant discount off the regular agents - who were in the $500 range. If I remember correctly, Enrique was a cab driver who got started by running cruisers to the various offices, then started to ask "hey, why don't you just let me do it for you?" Entrepreneurism at its finest!

When I went through the Canal in 2004, there was myself and 3 crew aboard (the Canal requires 4, but 4 are only needed for center-tie, which is probably rare these days), so we took on one line handler for $50 - included use of lines and fenders.

To Bob Austin's point about not using professionals, my crew weren't strapping srevadore types, just a gang of retired regular guys who had remained active through life, all eligible for AARP cards, who loved boating, and were available when I needed to leave Dana Point. We handled a Nordhavn 57 with relative ease and had a great time in the process (okay, hydraulic bow and stern thrusters helped, but I think we would have been okay without them). Its a long, hot day, but fun - during the 14+ hour transit, locking is only a couple hours of work - at most, though there is a lot of time out in the sun.

Peter
Willard 36
San Francisco