At 08:27 AM 9/11/01, you wrote: >If the return delivery falls through would you charge for return >airfare on the original delivery. > >I would apreciate your views on this. I am doing this for the fun >and experience but I want to make sure were being paid what >is <<< This response was done for bill, for an email he sent me. I went into some detail, but briefly about the beginnings of ones delivery career. I figured that many of you would enjoy reading my response. So.....>>>>> Bill, What you are asking is a complicated, long involved batch of material. I some ways I have no problem with answering your questions, but on the other hand, it would take a lot of time. I don't spend time making estimates for things which are theoretical not to be trips. It just is not worth my time. But, I appreciate your honesty in not portraying this as a real trip that I might be engaged for. On the other hand, I am so far away and the airlines being what they are, right now, there is no way I could be competitive. The hard truth is: If you are doing this for the fun and the experience, you are not qualified to be paid, perhaps not even to do the job. In my estimation there is no half way between doing a delivery for hire and doing it for nothing. The real cost of doing the job right and safely, does not lend itself to a halfway this or that. Only rank amateurs think that a delivery trip is well paid. The cost of maintaining gear and charts and the wherewethal to do a delivery safely, every single time, chews up real expenses. Failure to figure this into the cost of doing things, means that many delivery "captains" have no charts, and no safety gear, etc. Any owner who would engage someone who is not qualified by proven experience to captain a vessel, lays themselves open to charges of negligence, in the event of an accident. This last comment is not my opinion but is a principle of maritime law, which I only refer to. It might even be a clause in the boats insurance, which the underwrites can refer to when declining to provide coverage, in the case of an accident. In many cases the owner can't get insurance coverage for the trip unless, captained by a licensed individual. A licensed individual, should but does not always, know about these things. But failure to be aware is no defense in court or at a hearing to revoke one's license. The general trend in delivery work is that someone tries it a couple of times, becomes aware of how dangerous it really is to take a boat one is not familiar with; without proper safety gear and decides that it is a game they want no part of. There are many people around who have tried the game and just opted out. I tried it and changed tactics. So in that respect, I have already, "been there, done that". I lay this out, not so much as to discourage you as to just give you heads up. If you have an accident or get hurt, it is not worth it. And you will be less liable to have an accident the more you know about what you are really up against. If you keep at it, eventually you will learn the ropes, in the meantime, you are liable to have an accident. I would prefer that the latter not be part of your future. If you are serious about delivery work, then you can't afford to have an accident, in which case you have to approach this as if it were a real business. In which case you can't afford to have ANY accident on your record. And the greatest chance of an accident is your first few deliveries before you have your system fine tuned. Getting the job, is the easy part. Getting it done is the hard part. Never mistake the order. IF you are being offered a delivery and you have no experience, you can be almost certain you are being offered a pig in a poke. Be wary. Well meaning friends who want you to deliver their boat, are just that. But they can get you killed. For out of country jobs, or where I can not control the situation, I charge by the day, plus expenses. My transport to and from the job, and all other out of pocket expenses. I do these jobs for the income, not for the fun of it. Any other incentives for doing delivery work are just those of an amateur. For everyone who tries this the "Rubicon" marks the point of no return. After that you are a professional and you will find yourself compelled to act like one. It would take many pages of material to do any justice to the details of how deliveries should be handled. I am afraid this is as much as I have time for today. Regards, Capt. Mike Maurice Near Portland Oregon.