Solo female sailors safely proceed with caution

Although, my first crew match opportunity seemed perfect--a passage from Belize to Florida; I did discover that doing my homework doesn't always make for the perfect result! As a solo female sailor, I wasn't looking for being a cabin sweetheart and it did seem that the warning signs were there but I ignored them. I love to sail with easy-going skipper, no yelling or manic, disorganized leadership skills.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be the passage of a lifetime for me! The boat was not well-maintained or clean and the refrigerator didn't work, water was iffy and items not stowed properly. OK! I'll start cleaning and help provision. The shower just shed dirty trails of water when I sprayed cleaner on the walls and the head had the most foul odor-flushing and spraying didn't seem to get this fixed. I was determined to live with it and get on with sailing anyway. Skipper gave me numerous orders in a row but no time to complete them before the next immediate order was given. At the end of the morning, I was chided for not doing all the tasks which I had at that point not stowed two lines. As the food wasn't properly cooled I was nervous to eat the cooking except peanut butter and bread.

In public, there was a lot of touching and moving too close to me for comfort and I insisted I was not looking for male company and moved away and kept my behavior professional. Alas, this would work a short while. After five days, I jumped ship with a very distraught and ugly scene-literally tossed onto the dock. My roundtrip air fare of $750 and three night hotel of $500, provisions and dinners, $150 were the monetary lesson; but what I gained in experience-knowing how to discern the skipper's intentions and methods were invaluable.

I will try this again but with great caution. This was very upsetting and a bit scary to go through but I believe it to be a valuable cautionary lesson. Wish me luck on the next voyage!