[DocRon]

In terms of experience vs qualifications.....

I remember when I was doing my PADI Instructor course 16 yrs ago in Ft Lauderdale.... I had the minimum required dives to do the course at that stage.....
One day we were going out for a dive and the course director turned the boat around and headed back to port. I asked if there was a problem with the boat and he said "NO, it is too rough for diving!" I looked around and could see a few ripples (in SA standards) and told him that we were Instructor level candidates and that everyone should at least be capable of diving in these conditions. I grew up diving on Aliwal Shoal and we launch through surf and waves sometimes 8ft plus.When I told him that I had dived in much worse conditions at beginner level and I would be teaching in much worse conditions that were present he thought I was nuts!! Believe me, I am very safety conscious individual and I have lived by the ocean all my life and was a professional lifeguard at one of the most dangerous public beaches around...Amanzimtoti! Yes and I have turned boats around when I thought it was unsafe for the people who I was diving with!!!.... We had guys on course whose log books at time looked impressive with 1000's of logged dives.....however 95% of those dives were inland and the guys simply could not handle the "rough" sea conditions.

In yachting it is much the same. Some people have lots of logged miles but never been beyond coastal waters. We need to assess each individual when placing them and look at the experience according to the conditions they will be working in. However some people just seem to have a natural ability and thet are deserved a chance as well.

In terms of age vs experience.... how is one meant to get experience without growing older?

So next time you are looking for crew I believe that age, experience and qualifications all come into play. I believe I have a bit of each!!!