Plant-Based Saling Chartres in Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas

House Rules: • No smoking • Not suitable for pets • No parties or events • Check-in is after 3 pm • No pets allowed Safety & House Rules On-board Rio... Believe it or not, living on-board and especially sailing requires obeying a set of rules, which every crew member has to follow without question or discussion. It sounds strict and rigid, even cruel, but it is the fact. Every skipper has their own set of house rules on board but basically, they all have the same goal: to keep the boat and crew safe. Researching the accidents that took place on board, I concluded that the majority of them occurred due to human error, which was neglecting the house rules. Even though house rules might sometimes look like captains' ego-trip, all crew members have to follow them and behave in line with them. If you follow those (sometimes stupid) rules, the captain won't have anything to complain about you while his attention would be focused on the navigation and handling of the vessel. Less obvious but completely true, the level of your safety onboard increases significantly. Researching my colleagues' and my own experience from aboard sailing yachts I tried to list some of the most important house rules on board. The captain's word is the law: There can be only one captain on board. Captain's orders must be obeyed without question or discussion because he has full responsibility for goods and lives aboard so he gives orders in order to safely do the maneuvers and bring the vessel to the safe port without injuries, damage, or loss of life. Captain's decisions or orders could perhaps be discussed after the vessel is safely moored, over a glass of beer. Still, only if the captain feels like explaining his decisions. The equipment is not to be played with. This should be self-explanatory. Every single part of the deck or navigation equipment is mounted with a purpose in the sailing or navigation procedures. When not in use, they should not be touched just for fun or because of boredom. No matter how robust deck equipment looks, incorrect use of equipment leads to its damage in most cases. There are no stupid questions: There are no stupid questions – if you do not understand the manner of functioning of the equipment if you do not understand what the captain wants from you, or literally, anything else that you do not understand – feel free to ask. Crew members are good to help only when they know what they are doing, while they could be the worst nightmare when they only think that they know what they are doing. Shipshape: This word is often used in another context than boating and sailing but this time it represents exactly what I find the most important rule of them all. Every single thing aboard a vessel has its place and has to be put exactly in the same place all the time. Starting with deck equipment (sheets, winches, handles, jammers, fenders, lines, etc.) are always to be handled orderly and stored tidily after use. That way all sorts of injuries, such as twisted angles, browses, or scratches are put to a minimum. That applies to the under-deck world as well – all the dishes, plates, and cutlery have to be stored in their compartments before taking off while all the cupboards, drawers, and hatches have to be carefully closed. All the objects, which might be rolled over or broken, should be secured as well as the swimming toys (fins, goggles, towels, and swimsuits), which have to be stored in the trunks instead of lying in the cockpit or on the transom. I like to go so far that I ask my crew to hold their refreshing drinks in their hands even if we are motoring smoothly on the flat sea. Only one speedboat that passes us closely is enough to produce swell, which turns over the glasses, breaks them, and makes the complete mess in the cockpit. Safety first: This rule should probably be stated on top of the list but its last place does not decrease its importance. Every captain should go through a safety briefing before taking off regardless of fine weather or experienced crew. Every crew member has to be aware of the place of their life jackets and all the fire extinguishers. In case of emergency, everybody should obey the instructions by the captain (explained in the first bullet) who should know how to handle the life raft and manage the maneuvers of abandoning the vessel. At the end of the day all (basic) rules mentioned above could be summarized in the first and the last – if you obey the captain and maintain the safety rules your stay on-board will be respected. Please do not hesitate to send us your comments and interesting derivatives of house rules on board. I believe it is about just a little self-discipline required to accept them and make sailing real fun. After all, don't we all go sailing to change some of our everyday habits? I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind, and a strong mast! Summary: • We do not allow any shoes on board. Please remove your shoes prior to boarding RIO!!! • NO SMOKING! “RIO is a smoke-free environment" Smoking is not allowed anywhere on RIO. • We would like our guests to pick up after themselves. If they prepare any kind of food onboard, please clean up and put back anything where you found it, i.e. inside the cabinet and refrigerators. • We expect our guests to keep RIO'S common areas neat and tidy! i.e. living area below the deck, the cockpit area and navigation area, and the deck surface area... we ask them to please keep it in the same way they found it when they arrive. • "We do not allow any kind of smoking or object or paper in the toilets". I hope that we all understand and if you have questions please ask. Captain Jose