tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57657377163238139782024-03-19T02:58:02.416-07:00The INTERVIEW WITHA CRUISER ProjectTeam Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-48985490253049882862018-04-23T03:00:00.000-07:002018-04-23T03:00:27.026-07:0010 Questions for Maple<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Darryl, Janet, Ella (11 in 2017) and Iris (7 in 2017) began cruising in 2015 aboard Maple, a Leopard 384 hailing from Vancouver, Canada.<br />
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They say: <i>We had planned to start out in the Caribbean as that's where we thought we'd buy our boat, turns out that this particular type of Catamaran sold at a significant discount in the Mediterranean, so in the end, we started out in Greece. We spent 18 months in the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean in Jan 2017. We'll be in the Caribbean for another season, and are planning to go through the Panama Canal on our way to the Pacific in early 2019. Our plans are to circumnavigate, as slowly as we feel like and we'll keep moving towards that goal as long as we're having fun. If the kids need us to stop for some reason we may take a short break though ultimately I'd prefer not to ever go back to work, but we're trying to play it by ear.</i><br />
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You can read more about their journey on <a href="http://svmaple.blogspot.ca/">their blog</a>.<br />
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<b>What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why?</b><br />
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<i>Solar Panels</i> - we installed these within months of moving aboard and have 1140W of power to work with. Ultimately we do not need to rely on any outside sources of power for our lifestyle and do not have a generator on board, yet still are able to run the fridge, a 30L/hr watermaker, 3 computers, 3 ipads and all the boating related electrics.<br />
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<i>Watermaker </i>- this was a huge addition just before we cross the Atlantic and has gone a long way to making us completely self-sufficient. Being able to make water and not rely on dock water, or jerry jugs is fantastic. We have a Schenker Smart30 watermaker which is a European energy recovery type watermaker very similar in design to the Spectra but at a more wallet-friendly price point. So far it has proven an incredibly reliable and robust system. We opted for a fully manual version to avoid the additional potential of a computer failure.<br />
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<i>Washing machine</i> - this is a total luxury that has changed our willingness to wash sheets, towels, and other clothes. Doing laundry in a bucket is possible, but not fun. About 8 months ago I (Darryl) installed a Daewoo mini washing machine that is bulkhead mounted taking up about 60cm (length) x 60cm (height) x 40cm (depth) in one of our heads. It uses about 100W of power and 24L of water per load and makes laundry a dream. Well worth it. Of note, it is a 220V appliance which is fine as our inverter is 220 and we've got European wiring but something to keep in mind.<br />
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<i>Rocna 33kg & 100M of 10mm chain</i>- This one lets me sleep at night. Like most, we're cruising on a limited budget (and we're trying to limit it more) so we want to anchor out whenever we can. Our original Delta 25kg and 40M of 8mm chain weren't doing it so this upgrade was a must that has more than paid for itself. The Rocna (like most new generation anchors) performs well in many different bottoms and holds like it means it. We very often need to break it out with our engines because it buries itself so well.<br />
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<b>Speaking just about your boat (not gear), what is one thing you wish your boat had that it doesn’t and what is one thing your boat has that you wish it didn't?</b><br />
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I wish the boat had the ability to point upwind better. We bought a cruising catamaran so of course, we knew that upwind performance would suffer, but I don't think we really knew what that meant until we tried several days of sailing upwind finding that pinching at greater than 50 degrees results in an abundance of leeway which almost cancels out any extra angle on the wind. As they say, you can't have it all.<br />
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I wish that the boat did not have the current forepeak cabins. Our forward berths (we have a four cabin cat) have extra "crew" berths in the extreme forepeak, these are narrow triangle shaped areas at the extreme bouncy end of the boat. We had thought our girls would use this space for playing, reading and storing stuff but the space is poorly used if at all and would better serve as sail lockers, not an easy conversion and challenging to pull off without a conversion, given that access is over top of the children's bunks and I can't imagine ever getting away with dragging a wet spinnaker or fenders across their beds.<br />
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why? </b><br />
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There are so many places. <br />
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In the Med we loved loved loved Greece and Turkey. The people and fresh produce in Turkey cannot be beaten, genuinely interested in you and your adventures the locals we met were ready to take you into their homes and share their lives with you moments after meeting. In Greece, the choice of island anchorages and the incredible food were things that kept us there for much of our time in the Med. These two are definitely the places we'd go back to (though Venice canals in a dinghy are pretty cool). <br />
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In the Caribbean, the tiny island of Dominica is heaven on earth. The people are friendly and the landscape is incredible. Lush jungle tumbling down steep hillsides to collide at the bottom with freshwater pools fed by cascading waterfalls, it's like something out of Robinson Caruso. Unfortunately, Dominica was hammered by hurricane Maria this fall and the jungle vegetation was a bit torn up, but we understand that the greenery has made a comeback and the fresh tropical fruits and veg that the island is known for are in abundance again. Bonaire is a close runner-up in our minds as that's where Janet, Ella and I learned to scuba dive. The reefs there are incredible and the water is so clear that you can almost count individual grains of sand on the bottom from your cockpit in the mooring field.<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you?</b><br />
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The heat. Coming from Canada I expected to love the heat of the tropics and I do, but it doesn't always agree with me. Heat rash is a normal occurrence for me and my youngest, Iris. That said, we manage and wouldn't trade it for snow and freezing weather.<br />
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<b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising?</b><br />
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So many. Like most, we went too far too fast. Looking at a globe before setting out I thought that we'd be able to cover much more distance than we could. When we tried, we broke things, we got frustrated and we hated it. When we slowed down, things got better fast. We didn't budget enough for outfitting the boat either, which means we spent a lot \more in the first couple of years than we expected to. We're on year 3 now and trying to make sure we stay on budget. It's not easy in the Med or the Caribbean as they're both expensive places to cruise, but it can be done.<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?</b><br />
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The cruising community is incredible. Without fail we have me generous, friendly, helpful and caring people from around the globe. When a cruiser is in trouble, others offer help freely and without expectation of compensation. We have so many solid friendships with other cruisers and we feel blessed to have met them.<br />
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<b>What do you think is a common cruising myth?</b><br />
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The Caribbean is rife with crime. Nothing could be further from the truth. While cruising in the Med we never locked our hatches when we left the boat, and never locked our dinghy. Before crossing to the Caribbean we heard constant messages from various sources about how dangerous the Caribbean was. We were told that we had to lock our hatches when we left the boat and when we were sleeping (note: doing so is impractical unless you want to drown in your own sweat while you roll around sleepless) and that if we left our dinghy unlocked it would disappear. We were told that we should beware interacting with locals who dinghy up to our boat with local goods to sell because they might be casing the boat for a later theft, or might board brandishing machetes. None of this has turned out to be true. People in the Caribbean are inevitably friendly and curious about what we're doing. To be sure, many of them have much much less than even the poorest cruisers, but that does not make them thieves, and while I can't deny that crime occurs, as we all know from the media, it occurs everywhere and to state that the Caribbean is any less safe than your hometown would be a gross inaccuracy. We have felt safe and comfortable everywhere we have gone - don't buy into the culture of fear around yacht crime.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
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I love telling people that we had never sailed before we left - after they pick up their jaws, I clarify. Janet and I both took Basic Cruising Standard from the CYA in Vancouver (a total of about 24 hours on the water) and also took a 5-day intensive Intermediate Cruising Standard from the CYA in Vancouver (5 days liveaboard training). Neither of these courses took us out of sight of land (in fact we could have swum to shore at any given time). Fortunately for us we started out in the Med where there are many many many safe harbours and short day sails to learn. There also are no consistent wind patterns so we had to learn all points of sail. Spending 18 months in all conditions (from 0 knots wind to 35+ knots upwind in 2-3M seas) gave us confidence that we could handle the downwind passage from the Canaries to the Caribbean. We now have more than 10000 miles under our belts and while I still wouldn't brave Cape Horn I'm pretty sure I can handle the typical coconut milk run circumnavigation. <br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Cruisers (and others) that measure other people and cultures against the standards of their own lives and culture. We are traveling to learn, experience and understand how others live their lives around the world. Doing so requires us to understand and accept the paradigm that they live under. Assessing other cultures against the standards of what is acceptable or desirable in our culture doesn't allow us to appreciate how other people live, and why they make the choices they do. We wrote about this a bit on our blog. <br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>What advice would you give someone dreaming about going? </i><br />
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I would tell them to go, go as soon as they could because you don't know if you'll always have the chance. I would also tell them to get the smallest vessel they could be physically comfortable in. We have seen many cruisers who bought more boat than they needed for different reasons and most of them are unhappy with the lifestyle. The cost of maintaining boats increases exponentially with size, everything is bigger and more expensive. We have shared anchorages with 200+ foot super yachts and with 20-foot sailboats, and we all have the same sunsets, blue water, and white beaches to wake up to.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-69450657310175323812018-03-30T00:41:00.000-07:002018-04-18T05:12:24.987-07:0010 Questions for Lequesteau<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Greig and Caroline Carroll began cruising in 2014 on SV Lequesteau, a Niagara 42 hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They left Toronto, transiting the Erie barge canal and then the ICW to Florida before jumping to the Bahamas. They have since spent three years in the Eastern Caribbean and ended last year sailing from Martinique to Bonaire.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why?</b><br />
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I'm not sure I'd say have any “favourite” pieces of gear but I do have some that I use a lot. I think the first one would be anchor windlass. It is so much easier to bring the anchor home under power than it is by hand. I think the second is the dinghy and outboard motor. We have a 2006 mercury 9.9 that hasn't given us any trouble outside of normal maintenance. While underway I find that the auto helm is a God send. Without it, there would be many hours of hand steering which would take away from the fun.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>Speaking just about your boat (not gear), what is one thing you wish your boat had that it doesn’t and what is one thing your boat has that you wish it didn't?</b><br />
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I think the one thing that I'd like to have that we don't is either a wind generator or more solar power to charge the batteries. We have 420 amp hours of batteries and only 150 watts of solar. This doesn't fully charge the batteries. With a wind generator, I wouldn't have to worry about the solar most days as a pretty good breeze glows. A water maker is pretty high on the list as well but so far we've been able to get water just about everywhere.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why?</b><br />
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So far my favourite place has been Bonaire. It has the crystal clear water of the Bahamas with the ease and convenience of being able to get pretty much anything we need provision wise and at a decent price. The diving on Bonaire is outstanding. Over 100 sites and all within easy access.<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you?</b><br />
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I didn't realize how poor some people's seamanship and boat handling could be. In the BVI we actually watched several charter cats race for a single mooring like their lives depended on it. Then when one finally got in the cursing and swearing from one of the other boats was surprising. Also anchoring techniques. We've seen time and time again where they come in and drop the hook and put out very minimal scope then drag during the night. On three different occasions, we've had boats swing into us because they anchored too close or didn't understand what swing room was. We've also had a couple of boats drag down and hit us<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising?</b><br />
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I think the biggest mistake was assuming that everyone had the same work ethic as they do back home. In the Caribbean, life is very slow to get done but it takes a while. We had to replace our engine in St Martin and when the mechanic said he'd be in at 8:00 we assumed he'd be in by at least 8:15. Some days he didn't show up until after lunch or just before quitting time to say he'd be back tomorrow. And when he did show up I had to supply most of the tools and a good part of the labour. Not what I was expecting. But you get used to it<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?</b><br />
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The trip from Georgetown, Bahamas to St Marteen would be the roughest part of the trip. All those miles straight into the wind and seas for days. Or having to get up and underway at 0400 to get the least amount of wind and then have to be tucked in by 0900. I had heard but did it believe it was as bad as they said. It truly was the “Thorny Path”.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>What do you think is a common cruising myth?</b><br />
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The Caribbean is all gentle breezes and calm seas. When we left I figured we'd be sailing south with a nice easterly breeze cooling us under full sail and gently rolling seas. Well, most of our time in the Caribbean has been close hauled and pounding into choppy seas. Not until we left Martinique to sail to Colombia did we actually get to sail down wind. The seas were still up a bit. Right now in Santa Marta Colombia the wind has been howling at for over a week to the point where we are heeling over in the marina.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
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We sailed off Nova Scotia for many years as well as both my wife and I have each have over thirty years in the navy.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Customs!! I'm not sure how an organization as regulated as customs can have those regulations interpreted so many different ways. So far the US has been the worst. When we cleared into the US at Oswego, NY we were with three other boats. When we called customs they asked if we had a cruising permit. We said no some we were told to call the main office in Syracuse the next morning which we did. A customs agent came down and inspected our meat and fruits and vegetables. He confiscated our lines and oranges saying that we couldn't keep them as they may contaminate the Florida citrus crop. I get that but the label on the oranges said product of Florida! Ok whatever, we got the stamp and we're told as Canadians we had six months. Off we went. When we got to Charleston, SC two customs agents came down the dock and asked if we'd cleared in. I told them we did in NY about a month before. They asked if they could come on board so of course we let them. They went through our paperwork then started to fill out a form and when they gave it to us they said that it was a warning for not checking in next time would be a five thousand dollar fine and the third time was ten thousand and the third time was one hundred thousand and up to six months in jail and they would take the boat! We were a bit dumbfounded. When I asked what he meant he told me that whenever we moved the boat we had to call the local customs office and report the move. I told him we didn't have a phone was there a VHF channel I could call them on. He said no I'd just have to figure it out. So we got a phone and called in every night. Several times I was asked why I was doing it so I explained what we were told. I got several different responses from you don't have to do that, to we only needed to call in when we entered a new district.<br />
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The other boats we entered Oswego with all got different responses to their check-in. One had a cruising permit faxed to them, one had it delivered by a kid in a rubber dingy because the customs agent was on the wrong side of the Harbour. One was never even asked if the had a cruising permit. None of us were told about calling in. If I'd driven my car across the border I could have gone anywhere in the US for 6 months and never had to check in anywhere. That's my rant!<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>Is there anywhere you sailed to that was a disappointment?</b><br />
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I'm not sure I can say we've been disappointed with anywhere we've been but there are some places we've been told were the best places and people would go back and never leave if they could. The Grenadines were one. Friends told us that they were next to Gods country. They were ok but nothing I'd have to go back and see. I think Curaçao would be another. I was expecting so much after hearing about the ABCs. Maybe it was after Bonaire nothing was going to compare. Other than that there's nowhere that we were really disappointed over.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-13923931514543551212017-12-18T03:00:00.000-08:002017-12-18T03:00:23.840-08:0010 Questions for Tika<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Russel, Greer, Kai (13yrs) and Jaiya (10yrs) began cruising in 2015 aboard SV Tika, a 2008 Outremer 55 hailing from Fremantle, Australia.<br />
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After purchasing Tika in Panama, they cruised the Caribbean for 7 months before heading across the Pacific in 2016. They have spent a second season in the Pacific after visiting New Zealand and are now in Australia.<br />
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They say: "We plan to sail to Tasmania early next year and then across the Great Australian Bite to Perth mid 2018."<br />
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You can learn more about their voyage on their <a href="http://www.tikatravels.com/">website </a>or by <a href="mailto:tika@tikatravels.com">email</a>.<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about navigating is…</b><br />
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…to cross-check with each other. We check one another’s assumptions, route planning, waypoints and logic whether we are miles from anywhere, navigating reef strewn atolls or entering a major harbour. It is easy to misjudge (especially when you are sleep deprived during a passage) and two people cross-checking helps to minimize human error. We try to cross check even basic, simple aspects of navigation. <br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising? </b><br />
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Cruiser years are like dog years- you need more time!! For every year you think you need cruising- you need seven ….especially when cruising with children and doing school for 3 or more hours of the day.<br />
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<b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising? </b><br />
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<li>We moved too fast and got too hypertensive about home-schooling. </li>
<li>We went through a stage of leaving lines (the dinghy painter, fishing line, sheets) in the water and getting them wrapped around the props. It happened about 6 times in as many weeks and we got so annoyed with ourselves! We set up a few systems and it hasn’t happened since. One simple thing we do is to put a peg on the ignition whenever we put a fishing line out to remind us to bring it in before we start the engines. </li>
<li>We didn’t have the right anchor initially- it took a major dragging incident before we upgraded to a beast of a Rocna. </li>
<li>We used to leave our dinghy down at anchor, lost a very cool dinghy and learnt to pull it (the replacement) up every night without fail (not only to avoid loss but also to be ready to move at any time if a crazy wind picks up or another emergency transpires)</li>
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<b>Describe a drool-worthy perfect cruising moment</b><br />
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We had an encounter with a pod of humpback whales between Va’vau and the Ha’apais in Tonga… an absolutely incredible experience. They surrounded us, dived under Tika’s hulls, breached right next to us and gave us a once in a life-time encounter. <br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Like/love</i>: The community. We form friendships quickly and often and meet super- interesting people. We get to enjoy and share everything from help and advice with maintenance, radio nets, pot lucks, recipe’s, school materials and (for us) windsurfing gear!<br />
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<i>Dislike</i>: Constant conversation about boats and sailing (that tend to get a little same-same) and the drinking culture.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat</b><br />
<br />
<i>Favourite</i>: combination of speed, comfort and safety. We think sailing performance can be under rated. We are able to take narrower weather windows due to our speed and we can also sail quickly and comfortably in light winds.<br />
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<i>Least favourite</i>: the concept of having to sell her at the end of our cruise (sob!)<br />
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<b>What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why?</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>DC water maker means we can make water off solar and wind power without having to run a generator</li>
<li>Code zero sail and self-tacking jib</li>
<li>Shaft drives</li>
<li>Skegs</li>
<li>Centerboards</li>
<li>Running back stays</li>
<li>Huge forward toy lockers for our windsurfing gear (we have 4 boards: two inflatables, two hard and 7 sails aboard)</li>
<li>Our gorgeous dinghy Tika-Taka that we love love love… she is a gig harbor lobster boat (a sailing dinghy with a reefable main and jib, a rowing dory with slide seat and two-up rowing and a planning dinghy with our 15hpr outboard)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjBCEGfWNRdUzzGS8LawaLeM2rvRD7LeUKOKKDXFdkUWpIkmBbi1sUKQPE0ewp4dr1ggNPsY3LIdLHaFoGJvWr0x1rEHTPLn-srXdrR2Dr-bDmb_Wpb7FiOT2Rq2ui7jMyqUEeY9VhZDb/s1600/DSC01205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjBCEGfWNRdUzzGS8LawaLeM2rvRD7LeUKOKKDXFdkUWpIkmBbi1sUKQPE0ewp4dr1ggNPsY3LIdLHaFoGJvWr0x1rEHTPLn-srXdrR2Dr-bDmb_Wpb7FiOT2Rq2ui7jMyqUEeY9VhZDb/s400/DSC01205.jpg" width="266" /></a><b>What is your most common sail combination on passage? </b><br />
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<i>Downwind passages</i>: code zero 120sqm on windward hull.<br />
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<i>Upwind: </i>jib and main.<br />
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<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time?</b><br />
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<i>Russel</i>: both. He loves sailing in all conditions and loves the destination. <br />
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<i>Greer </i>is a little harder to please and needs time to enjoy the destinations. Likes being at sea but finds being on the go and on a time frame challenging. Prefers long, delicious stops in gorgeous anchorages and really getting to know a place to seeing as many countries as possible in the blink of an eye. She has serious ‘schedule envy’ of cruisers that spend entire seasons in some countries! <br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it? </b><br />
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<i>Probably a question around cruising with children and what unique rewards and challenges this entails</i>.<br />
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Cruising with our two kids defines us as cruisers and has us make decisions that cater to their needs as well as the family unit as a whole. A chunk of each day is spent doing school and boat maintenance and R and R must fit in around this! Sometimes, we look at childless couples and single-handers and think what it must be like to have all that additional time! But showing the kids the world through cruising and boat-schooling has also been one of the most rewarding aspects of our trip. On a big picture level, we like that we are showing our kids what it takes and how it feels to set a big, hairy audacious goal and then to achieve it. This is real world life coaching at its best.<br />
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The time as a family living within 55ft has at times been intense, but we have got to know our kids on a whole new level and have watched them grow into confident, competent, resilient young people through life on a yacht. <br />
<br />The Interview With A Cruiser Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11733083193150772044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-70235714659556747102017-12-04T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-04T04:00:18.987-08:0010 Questions for Starry Horizons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Amy Alton and her partner, David Alton (both 33, Americans) have been cruising since 2014 aboard SV Starry Horizons, a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 hailing from Kemah, TX, USA.<br />
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They picked up the boat in La Rochelle, France and sailed it to Florida where they finished getting it ready for cruising. After Florida they went to Canada, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and have spent the last two seasons in the South Pacific.<br />
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You can learn more about their voyage on their <a href="http://outchasingstars.com/">site</a>, <a href="http://facebook.com/outchasingstars">Facebook </a>or <a href="http://youtube.com/outchasingstars">YouTube</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>We are halfway into our voyage, and over halfway around the world. We expect to finish our circumnavigation in 2020 in the Caribbean</i>."<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
<br />
We didn’t. Our first overnight together was leaving La Rochelle on our three-day passage to Spain. It was scary, not only because it was our first passage but also because the conditions were tough. It remains one of our hardest passages. I didn’t want David to leave me at the helm but he had to go try to sleep. <br />
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Prior to that, we had a ton of boating experience, since I owned a dinner cruise company for 5 years and David and I are both USCG licensed captains. We had also been doing day sails out of Houston and did two charters in the Caribbean on catamarans similar to what we ended up buying..<br />
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Individually, my biggest sailing experience was 3 weeks with my dad between Florida and the Bahamas - including an overnight crossing o the Gulf Stream. <br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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This lifestyle forces you to face issues and problems you would have never dealt with in land life, and on such an intense level. Problem solving and keeping a level head are skills that are so important to have. The biggest example of this for us was in the Bermuda Triangle, our autopilot started malfunctioning. It was early morning so David had to wake me up. We had a very important discussion where we calmly decided to keep going, while hand steering. I just kept telling David that I was totally fine with us hand steering as much as we needed, and we can hove to or deploy our sea anchor if we needed a break. Having the situation up at the helm controlled allowed David to really dive into the issue and he ended up solving the problem in a matter of hours. The situation could have easily devolved into two people panicking and making bad decisions, but instead we kept calm and supported each other.<br />
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Buying and outfitting a new boat was incredibly hard. Starting from ground zero means you have to start with a blank canvas and pick out every single detail while sometimes arguing with the factory and your dealer. We’ve never bought a used boat to outfit for cruising so we don’t know the other side of the coin. But with the instant depreciation and the fact that new boats sometimes have big issues, I don’t know that we would buy new again. We are so very lucky with our boat though. We love her, and she seems to have less issues than some sisterships have.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Some cruisers seem to drag anchor all the time. I don’t understand that! It’s so critical to our safety and peace of mind that we’ve got the biggest and best anchor we could. If you are dragging, there’s a big problem and you need to find a better solution.<br />
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Also, fishing. We’ve landed a few good fish lately, but overall our fishing skills could use some improvement!<br />
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<b>What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why?</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>We have a really, really good pair of Steiner binoculars given to us as a gift.</li>
<li>We installed three oil change pumps, which make changing out the oil on our boat super fast and clean! </li>
<li>My favorite piece of (digital) gear is my library membership! I’ve read about 400 books since we left home and most of them I’ve read for free thanks to my library.</li>
</ul>
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
<br />
I have a love/hate relationship with cruising friendships. I’m a very social person, and I feel like I have to go out of my way to make new friends out here. It can be very isolating if you let it. When we do make a big effort to reach out and make friends, our friendships often come on fast and strong. We might spend days hanging out and doing activities with our new friends. But eventually, one boat has to move on and we never know when we might see our new friends again.<br />
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<b>What do you miss about living on land?</b><br />
<br />
I miss familiarity. We’re always coming into a new anchorage, or port, and having to find our way every time is tiring. I spent most of my life in Houston and I know it pretty dang well. I miss always knowing where to go or find whatever it is I need.<br />
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There is definitely a satisfaction in becoming familiar with a new place. Being able to advise other cruisers or walk to your destination without needing help gives me a great sense of accomplishment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnvhsSwyirOO1SL6X5vynG6hDpGH-3TnbB_k6PVnLq2oQ0-W5v8gWogg9dOvPCDnPjt2YHI-0DrqUcTuKZZUy5hDKBvAYBYhgsQYvCyBgkoTp05AxnwNOG2sBSl-Kj7w14vzw0RBpi6Pl/s1600/2014.10.29+-+DSC_0118+-+Amy+and+David+as+SH+Leaves+Factory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnvhsSwyirOO1SL6X5vynG6hDpGH-3TnbB_k6PVnLq2oQ0-W5v8gWogg9dOvPCDnPjt2YHI-0DrqUcTuKZZUy5hDKBvAYBYhgsQYvCyBgkoTp05AxnwNOG2sBSl-Kj7w14vzw0RBpi6Pl/s400/2014.10.29+-+DSC_0118+-+Amy+and+David+as+SH+Leaves+Factory.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat</b><br />
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The layout of our boat is so open. I love how our sliding glass doors between the main salon and the cockpit open up. It’s like having an open floor plan house. Also, the windows in our main salon give us a wide view and the lighting in the boat is fantastic. All our windows are covered with textaline, so it’s not harsh lighting. Our custom hard top and enclosure mean we are safe and dry at the helm in all conditions.<br />
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My least favorite thing about the boat? That’s tough…probably that there are two heads on the port side. I feel like any two couples we have visiting should be able to share a head, and that second head could be put to better use as a storage space or more room in the guest cabin. That’s pretty nitpicky though. I love our boat.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?</b><br />
<br />
The Atlantic is pretty crowded. Although we did miss some islands in the Caribbean, we don’t have too much of an interest in going back, except for some of the less cruised areas that are more remote like Central America or the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.) <br />
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The Pacific has many more stunningly beautiful anchorages that you can often have all to yourself! There were at least a half a dozen places we went to that we top 10 gorgeous sites and we spent at least a night by ourselves. And the CULTURE! The islands of the Caribbean often seem more diluted due to tourism or colonization, but in most of the South Pacific the native culture still thrives.<br />
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<b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising?</b><br />
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In outfitting our boat, we made the mistake of thinking projects would take about half the time they actually do. We expected to spend 3 months in Florida, but ended up spending 5 months. In fact, we still make this mistake. Sometimes we wait until later in the day to start a project and when sunset comes around, we are still working on it.<br />
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We also had very limited experience with spinnakers and bought a asymmetric, top down furling spinnaker. It’s more complicated and we haven’t quite been as successful as we’d like to be with it. It’s ripped three times, once totally in half, so that’s been an expensive mistake.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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We are really proud of the “work” we’ve done this year. We get asked a lot about how we fund our trip and if we work along the way. Normally the answers are that we saved money and no we don’t work along the way. This year, we did actually work, and earned money through several different means. Our biggest income was working as crew. We left Starry Horizons on a mooring in Neiafu for 6 weeks while we flew back to the states and sailed a new catamaran, S/V Julia, with her owners from Portland, Oregon to Hilo, Hawaii. We also sold some of our photography and writing, including to Cruising World magazine. We ordered Out Chasing Stars shirts and posted them up for sale. We were excited to sell 30 shirts! It was really exciting to earn some money and try out crewing for the first time.The Interview With A Cruiser Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11733083193150772044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-71161587205820345782017-11-27T04:00:00.000-08:002017-11-27T04:00:02.190-08:0010 Questions for Louise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jessie Zevalkink & Katie Smith cruised from 2012 - 2014 aboard SV Louise, a Cal 27. They spent that time on a 6000 mile journey through the rivers of America, around Florida, Bahamas, Eastern seaboard, Hudson River, Erie Canal, Trent-Severn, and the Great Lakes*. Jessie is currently cruising again on a different boat with a different crew. She and her fiancé recently sailed her father's boat from Michigan to England.<br />
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You can learn more about their journey on their <a href="http://www.katieandjessieonaboat.com/">website </a>or by sending her an <a href="mailto:jesszevalkink@gmail.com">email</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfvUxQUcjNUUomwzvdLdMBgJMMSyrmXJl-CCLKdd9pbFpMNCkjyBHxmgvaBiA9zX2jNObXzllFzC-kV91aIOr95DD5lW_N04u-1Nj42ukEhHlIo20e93vxQzYrWZNtvNJLDlgIPiwzWlK/s1600/compass-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1002" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfvUxQUcjNUUomwzvdLdMBgJMMSyrmXJl-CCLKdd9pbFpMNCkjyBHxmgvaBiA9zX2jNObXzllFzC-kV91aIOr95DD5lW_N04u-1Nj42ukEhHlIo20e93vxQzYrWZNtvNJLDlgIPiwzWlK/s320/compass-8.jpg" width="200" /></a>*Editor's Note: Because of my own interest in her adventure, I asked Jessie to participate despite the fact that she has not (yet) been cruising outside of her home country for more than two years (an IWAC requirement).<br />
<br />
<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy? </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsl8hY_65WBckvO-jX6O9jzPp89uRGPvC9ljtZYw0iSsuhLMQtqjt6T_KemzejLuWT4RCWERNj6-7TA5mFVd4XfehA6u5dBxxMEXraF8k31T9Axb5WvtHuev2g4pjWQ92qPPqWhF-fWSU/s1600/killarney-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsl8hY_65WBckvO-jX6O9jzPp89uRGPvC9ljtZYw0iSsuhLMQtqjt6T_KemzejLuWT4RCWERNj6-7TA5mFVd4XfehA6u5dBxxMEXraF8k31T9Axb5WvtHuev2g4pjWQ92qPPqWhF-fWSU/s320/killarney-23.jpg" width="213" /></a>When curious cruisers try to have a conversation while you are attempting to dock and get properly tied up : ) I always need to concentrate, just give me 5 minutes and you will have my full attention! I hate when I come off short, or uninterested which tends to happen when you are in the middle of taking care of your boat. It's a silly pet peeve because typically cruisers are just excited and/or there to help you out, but for some reason I am horrible at multi-tasking in this department.<br />
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<b>What do you enjoy about cruising that you didn't expect to enjoy?</b><br />
<br />
The silence. I am a busy body. A people person. I thrive on company, social settings, and strangers. However I am quite an introvert, my creativity in writing and photography doesn't occur until it's silent, not until I am in a place where I can tune everything else out. I'd never written a page in my life, and all the sudden, I was writing every single day. Thinking in ways I've never thought before.<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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To trust yourself. To know your boat and know yourself. How other people do things might not be the way you should do things. I trusted everyone else before myself when we left for America's Great Loop. It was as if everyone held all the knowledge aside from me, we had a really hard time making our own decisions. What we eventually learned was that every single cruiser has a different boat, different perspectives, different abilities, and different experiences... different taste buds per se. You have to learn not to be a follower.<br />
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<b>Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?</b><br />
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Katie and I were essentially camping. No fridge, freezer, shower, ac, heat, internet, running water, hot water, working toilet, microwave, etc... the list goes on and on. We wore head lamps when the sun went down, slept with the cat and dog in the v berth to stay warm, and washed everything in the salt water. In the moment... gosh... we wish we had all of the above luxuries. In retrospect I wouldn't have done a thing differently. I grew up well off in suburb where everyone smiled, waved, the trees were bright green and kids drove Mercedes in high school. The greatest thing I've ever done for myself is choose live for 2 years going to the bathroom in a bucket and removing every single convenience I unconsciously grew up with.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat.</b><br />
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My favorite thing about Louise was her simplicity. When your neighbors water maker or ice maker breaks its the end of the world... and your sitting there enjoying every sip of a warm Budweiser... you can't help but get a kick out of it. Our problems were small in comparison to others. Again, in the moment our problems felt big, in retrospect, we were perfectly fine the entire time. My least favorite thing about our boat... I admit to being one for aesthetics, color schemes, balance and organization. Pour little Louise had the worst combination of colors and patterns. Her hull was ivory, buffed and shiny in a few areas, dull and scratched in others. Her boot stripe burgundy or brown depending on who you ask. Her main sail cover bright blue. Her bimini "burgundy" in attempt to match the boot stripe. Her deck cream. Her inside cushions décored in a late 70's plaid. I can't say she was easy on the eyes. But it didn't matter.<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true? </b><br />
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I remember reading about all the things you "MUST HAVE-OR ELSE", hearing about all the things "YOU NEED-OR YOU WILL DIE". From water-makers to radars, to guns and trackers. I struggled with this in the beginning as I mentioned before, I trusted others' experiences and knowledge before my own. What I found to be true... is that need nothing aside from something that floats and an adventurous soul. We picked up twin sisters on the Mississippi River who had kayaked in their tandem kayak from rivers headwater. They were on their way to Mardi Gras. They had 40 bucks, a bag full of Oreo's, some Cool-aid and a tent. Our boat was a castle to them.<br />
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why? </b><br />
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I have to say the Bahamas and not necessary because of it's obvious beauty and culture. The magic in the Bahamas came from how long it took us to get there. It took us over 6 months to get to an island that is 51 miles away from America. An island that you can hop on a ferry or plane only to arrive in a matter of hours. Everything feels, looks, sounds, tastes and smells completely different when you are travel as slowly as we did. It was the greatest reward having made it there. We arrived with no plans and 3 months before hurricane season. We wanted to stay forever. Every person was a story. Every island was your own. Every meal eaten was the greatest on earth. We worked hard to be there, it brought a level of appreciation that could not have been discovered in any other fashion.<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette?</b><br />
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Be careful how to give new cruisers advice. Be open to where they are coming from. New cruisers are timid, they have a lot to learn. What they need is to be built up, to be encouraged, to feel like they can do it just like you. Don't scare them with you own challenging experiences. Share with them how you got through it and why it ended up being your greatest story.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving? </b><br />
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How does one gain experience without experiencing ? One might ask. We got our experience on-the-go. We were conservative and patient about it. We knew we were slightly naive. We knew we did not have the experience. It kept us cautious but was never a road block.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it? </b><br />
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We are a society relying on instant everything. Instant oatmeal. Instant news. Instant social media. Instant responses. Instant coffee. Instant connection. Instant cameras in our pockets. The list is disgustingly never-ending. Saying it's hard to slow down is an understatement. I can barely go to the bathroom without my phone anymore. We get bored quickly and need some kind of instant-fix. I don't think most people really understand what it is like to travel at 5 mph for two years. <br />
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The question to be asked should be "<i>What is it like to step away and slow down for two years... like really slow down</i>?" The answer is long, and I've written an article about it that I would like to share. <a href="https://katieandjessieonaboat.com/2016/05/16/five-miles-per-hour/">This article</a> encompasses every reason why I would do it again, and why I will forever be an advocate for cruising America's Great Loop.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-17331945945547435332017-11-20T02:00:00.000-08:002017-11-20T02:00:01.013-08:0010 Questions for Golden Glow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rand and Ellen began their current cruise in 2014 aboard SV Golden Glow, an Antares 44i hailing from Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA<br />
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They sailed down the east coast of the US to the Caribbean, south to Grenada, back up to Bermuda and across the North Atlantic to Med where they sailed through the Aegean, Adriatic and Libyan seas as far east as Turkey. They then crossed back across the Atlantic through the Caribbean and Panama to the South Pacific Islands where they are currently.<br />
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Readers can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://svgoldenglow.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/svGoldenGlow/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or via <a href="mailto:svgoldenglow@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>We are enjoying a mobile home tour and global romp through the mid latitudes of our fine planet while we are still young enough to do it as a couple. We love laughter, beach fires, good stories and having our kids join us on adventures</i>."<br />
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<b>What was the most affordable area to cruise in your trip and the most expensive?</b><br />
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Turkey was the most affordable and high-end resort areas like St Barts, Mustique, Capri & the Amalfi coast, Santorini in Greece, and the Costa Smeralda of Sardinia were most expensive. When you see a helicopter parked by the pool on the deck of the boat next to you, expect prices to be scaled accordingly.<br />
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Generally the least expensive is where there are no stores and tourist locations to visit. Living off the land like remote locals is very close to free. The eastern Mediterranean (Turkey and to a lesser extent Greece) in 2015/16 offered food at a 20-30% discount of that of western Europe and the strong dollar offered another 30% discount. Gibraltar is amazing on fuel and booze. French Polynesia the locals offer fruit from their land for free and in some Tuamotu atolls we and others were given lobster for free or in exchange for a couple limes.<br />
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The most affordable places we’ve cruised have at least a few of the following criteria:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Where there is low to no tourism or tourism is not a major industry. Living, eating and socializing as locals v.s. tourists is culturally rich and financially prudent. </li>
<li>Where the food you chose to eat is grown locally and services are taught locally. Buying imported food or services is normally more expensive. </li>
<li>Where we do not need to do boat work, the boat can be a major part of a budget. </li>
<li>Where our US dollars have the best conversion ratio into the local currency. A strong dollar can create a 20-40% discount.</li>
<li>Where your are able to speak the language. Negotiating in a foreign language is a tad more difficult. </li>
</ul>
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Marina and mooring fees in some countries (Montenegro, Croatia, Italy) can add a lot to the budget. We prefer to anchor in less crowded anchorages. Where there is a nature reserve the extra fees can be well worth it: Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, Madalenas of Sardinia, Tobago Cays in the Grenadines, San Blas in Panama, the extra fees are well worth it. Even when grabbing a dock, most places will negotiate rates if they are not full. It helps to know the rates of the closest discount marina when negotiating.<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette</b><br />
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Boating is steeped with traditions and etiquette. Where to start? Racing a dingy by a boat filled with white dressed, red wine holding cocktailers? Turning on your generator just as the sun is setting next to the couple meditating on the front deck next to you? Partying until sunrise with music blaring next to the boat that just crossed 2000 miles and have not slept a full night in several weeks? Running a mooring line from each side of your boat so it can quietly saw through the mooring leaving it ready to fail for the next boat? or Waiting until neighbors are enjoying a swim in the crystal clear waters to discharge your black water? <br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Even if it’s biodegradable, if it floats (citrus peels, fruit, crew members), don’t dump it overboard unless you’re well off shore. If it is plastic, or has plastic in it, NEVER dump it overboard.<br />
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<b>What is your most common sail combination on passage?</b><br />
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We run an in-mast furled main sail and two furled head sails (Genoa and Screecher/Code Zero) that all get a lot of action. Direct downwind, wing-on-wing with Code 0 and Asymmetrical spinnaker or Genoa, depending on wind speed. We also love the Parasailor for effortless downwind sailing over a broader wind angle, though the combination of wing-on-wing headsails and or asymmetrical spinnaker tends to be faster for us. <br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true?</b><br />
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That we would sink to the bottom of the sea or be eaten by sharks or shot and raped by pirates. Most likely all of the above. That and cruising was really just working on a boat in beautiful places. We are still afloat and while we've swum with sharks and looked for pirates, neither has taken an interest in us yet. What we have found is that if you are disciplined and work on your boat on a daily basis, you can reasonably take at least one day a week to enjoy the adventure.<br />
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We were also slow to embrace having an in-mast furling system, but now we are converted. It offers flexibility of partial reefs, ability to reef single handed (more sleep for crew) and the safety of not having to go on deck in rough seas. Unless we were racing, we would not go back.<br />
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<b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often?</b><br />
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My concentration, when I smell Ellen cooking something exotic, seems to break, but generally, if we have items break too often, we change manufacturers (my brain excepted). The Rule Bilge Pumps are pretty consistent in their sporadic life span given the little that they actually run. We also have a Sea Recovery Watermaker that was pure joy for a bit. It has a steel valve (Danfoss) that fails due to rust (must have been designed for saltwater during the pre-stainless era). We engineered a manual valve workaround that has eliminated any failures in the last year.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat</b><br />
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What we like best about the Antares 44i is how well designed it is as a blue water cruising yacht for a couple on a global adventure. The comfort and safety of Antares’ protected helm is something we both appreciate, especially now that we’ve crossed many oceans and put in so many offshore miles in all kinds of weather. The Antares’ beautiful Brazilian cherry woodwork inside is so much warmer and more luxurious than we found on most of the other cats we looked at. From the shaft drives to dual Racors, we are very happy with Antares.<br />
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We also had a <a href="http://svgoldenglow.com/2017/02/sunshade.html" target="_blank">sunbrella cover</a> made that turns the foredeck into an additional covered living’ “spa" space. It covers the trampolines, including a hammock, inflatable couches and doubles as a theater. It also allows us to keep our forward hatches open in the rain. We cannot overstate how nice it is to not have to get up to close hatches during a late night squall. The theater is created with some projection screen fabric on the underside of the sunbrella and a set of blue tooth motorcycle speakers that offer surround sound when mounted on the pulpits and salon roof.<br />
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This turns Golden Glow into a big screen <a href="http://svgoldenglow.com/2017/02/golden-glows-sailboat-movie-theater.html" target="_blank">movie theatre</a>. Butter up the popcorn.<br />
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Our beds are incredibly comfortable and our cabin is just the right combination of cozy and airy…we sleep better on our boat than anywhere else in the world.<br />
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Our least favorite thing is that we did not take the time for extended sailing 20 years sooner. We have a big family and were busy raising our children and getting them prepared for adulthood. Now we wish we’d spent more of their formative years sailing the world with them. The least favorite thing about our boat - when we gather together as a family (all ten of us), we could use a dozen more cabins - and perhaps a crew to handle all the cooking and cleaning while the family plays together.<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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I wish we had done more video while talking ‘into' the camera so we had footage not just showing where we were, but of our own personal observations and expressions as we shared what we have seen. We have thousands of photos and videos of the places we have been, far less of ourselves narrating and laughing into the camera.<br />
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<b>Have you ever felt in danger and if so, what was the source?</b><br />
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With a sturdy, well-built boat, we know the weather conditions we can handle. And with modern weather forecasting, especially with the easy downloading of forecasts anywhere in the world using our Iridium GO & SSB, we can pretty much avoid worse weather than we are comfortable with.<br />
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Bad people on the other hand can show up anywhere. The crime of certain places (ie. Caribbean, Colon/Panama, Tahiti/Bora Bora) takes some of the joy out of free and easy life style we look for in cruising. We are fortunate to have a boat that will always get to the other side of an ocean, and a great alarm system on the boat to warn of bad guys. We just have to not fall off or let bad people on. We have only had to confront someone once in our 30.000 mi. and that was a minor event.<br />
We spent a lot of time in Turkey in 2015 and 2016. We even flew into Istanbul in late June 2016 and walked through the exact path that was tragically blown up four days later by a terrorist's bomb. So it is noteworthy that we remember Turkey as one of our very favorite places to live and sail, not just for its beauty, delicious food, fascinating history and culture, but mostly for its lovely people. We experienced overwhelming warmth and kindness from all the Turkish people we met and we felt very safe in the small towns and along the beautiful extended coastline that is ideal for sailing. I imagine the people have not changed much in a few years, though the politics seem to.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I’ve asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>What are your favorite toys on your boat?</i><br />
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We love our toys and tools of our global adventure. We chose to bring inflatable sailing kayak and an inflatable paddle board. We also carry surfboard, caving, climbing, tennis rackets, yoga mats, hiking gear, fold-up bicycles, cards, a backgammon board, drone quadcopter and many beach games and toys. I wish we had started kite boarding earlier as that seems to be a great combination of what works while cruising<br />
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<b>What recommendations would you offer new cruisers?</b><br />
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In addition to paper charts and pilots carry a collection of electronic charts. We use multiple electronic charts on no fewer than 3-5 devices (iPad, iOS and Android phones, Mac and PC) in addition to our Furuno chart plotter. For areas like the South Pacific where traditional charts can be very inaccurate it is essential to familiarize yourself with navigation tools that bring in satellite imagery such as OpenCPN, Google Earth (and Tallon) and SeaClear. Don’t forget to download the offline map detail on your Navionics/Boating app while you still have internet and to zoom into the routes, some reefs will not show up unless you are zoomed in to less than 20-30 miles zoom. This is quite a small area when doing a 1000+ mile passage.<br />
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Get the most powerful and highest efficiency solar you can fit on your boat. We also like our quiet D400 Wind generator to give us a boost, especially at night on anchor. It is a sweet thing to have more ice than your can use because you have more electricity than you need. Blended frozen drinks are a wonderful thing. <br />
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Compare the Iridium Go, Delorme and other satellite options before purchasing. We use SSB, Iridium Go, Delorme and have used FleetBand / KVH. There is a large price and performance variance.<br />
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Be sure you have an iPad or tablet with as much storage as you can afford. Among the apps we use every day are:<br />
- Weather: Weather 4DPro, Windity, Squid Mobile, PredictWind Offshore;<br />
- Navigation: Boating/Navionics, iNavx, MasSea/Nobeltec, Earthmate;<br />
- Anchor Watch: Anchor Alarm;<br />
- Constellations: Night Sky, Star Chart, Moon Plus, SkyView Free;<br />
- Learning - Knots Guide, BoatingCalcs;<br />
- Opera Mini for going online using less data;<br />
- Tides, currents: Aye Tides XL;<br />
- Tracking friends: Marine Traffic;<br />
- TripAdvisor before you pull into a new place;<br />
- Communications back home: Viber, Skype, Hangouts<br />
- Security: a VPN like Private Tunnel , we also use this to look like we are in the USA to be able to do things online like pay your property taxes, download a kindle book, etc. that might be blocked from other countries.<br />
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<b>We know communications can be a challenge when you’re sailing from country to country, and in diverse parts of the world, how do you make it work, and what tips can you share?</b><br />
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We will never take fast, easy internet for granted again. Or underestimate how much ease and convenience internet connectivity gives us, or how much we use it for. Google Fi improved our lives a lot when we switched from our old cell phone carrier to it. Before Fi, we had the choice of either paying ridiculous charges on our international plan, or we would have to go into each new country and get outfitted with a new sim card and a mobile plan before we could be connected. Google has relationships around the world - and throughout the USA - so that your phone picks up and connects, very cost effectively, to the local carrier wherever you are. No more Sim cards. No more wasting a day just getting connected. Having cell connectivity and data as you approach a new country by sea is marvelous. In places like the Mediterranean or the Caribbean where you may go back and forth from country to country as you sail, google Fi’s system is effortless. It doesn’t work everywhere yet, but it’s still been a huge improvement and time saver for us.<br />
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Beyond Google Fi, we also rely on our Rogue Wave wifi booster and our cell phone booster which are invaluable at giving us the strongest connectivity possible from the boat, even when we’re many miles offshore.<br />
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Our Iridium Go gives us good connectivity when we can’t connect to wifi or cell. We use it for texts and email, weather downloads and news.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-40211871698852644832017-11-13T03:00:00.000-08:002017-11-13T03:00:10.964-08:0010 Questions for Jacaranda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Co-captains Chuck Houlihan & Linda Edeiken began their current cruise in 2005 on SV Jacaranda, an Allied 39 hailing from San Diego, CA, USA.<br />
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They have remained in the Pacific on this cruise, heading south and then west: Mexico (for 7 years), Central America, Ecuador, Panama, Galapagos, French Polynesia.<br />
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Previous to this cruise in the 1990's Chuck sailed Jacaranda from Mexico to Australia taking 6 years. In the 1970's Chuck crewed with his sister and her husband on a Lapworth 36 called “Gambit” in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga. <br />
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Readers can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.jacarandajourney.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>Both of us are very avid travelers who have done extensive independent world travel before meeting each other. Besides sailing we continue to enjoy land journeys. Linda chronicles our experiences in “Passage Notes” on our website. She includes helpful details about places to stay, places to eat, travel routes, etc. for those wanting more details in “Trip Reports”. Chuck is retired from the IT business but Linda continues to do her art and jewelry on the boat</i>."<br />
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<b>Over the time that you have been cruising, has the world of cruising changed? </b><br />
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There are significant differences from when Chuck started cruising 40 years ago. Back then boats were much smaller and mostly monohulls; 35 feet would have been one of the larger boats whereas today it would be one of the smaller ones in a fleet comprised more and more of catamarans. Huge changes in navigation and communication have also occurred. Chuck first cruised using a sextant and thought he had died and gone to heaven when sat nav was introduced. He relied heavily on paper charts. In addition, we now cruise with GPS and Google earth charts (OpenCPN, GE2KAP, SASPlanet) which are incredible. As a consequence of GPS opening the way, many places that were remote are now full of cruising boats. Today it is harder to get off the beaten path - you still can but you have to try harder and go further.<br />
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Fewer boats are cruising with SSB radios which means the cruiser nets that have been so important for socializing, information exchange, and safety tracking are declining in value. More boats are substituting satellite systems. Cruisers with ham radio licenses are going the way of the dinosaurs.<br />
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The connectedness of programs like sailmail, winlink, and satellite systems make staying in touch with friends and family much easier than before. Internet availability seems to be an added criteria for what makes a good anchorage nowadays.<br />
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Today, the staggering amount of electronic gear on a cruising boat means more time in port getting things fixed, the need for more charging power and bigger battery banks.<br />
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Cruiser attitudes have changed too. The wonderful aspects of camaraderie and helping one another that is a hallmark of this lifestyle still exists. But we sense a decrease in the commitment of giving back to the wider cruising community. Many boats don’t understand the concept of “leaving a clean wake” for others coming behind them, let alone thinking of ways to improve the experience for the next wave of cruisers.<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way?</b><br />
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Lots of stuff here.<br />
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Chuck learned a tip from an old “salt” many years ago about how to discourage gooseneck barnacles from attaching to the hull during long ocean passages by trailing a line from the bow for 30 minutes a day. He has passed that on to many cruisers doing the Puddle Jump over the years. That and a number of our little tips for everyday living on the boat can be found on our website in "Other Good Stuff.”<br />
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The sun is your worst enemy so be vigilant and proactive. We cover ourselves as well as anything on deck that can be destroyed by exposure to those harmful rays, even our roller-furler blocks and the handholds on our dinghy. And don’t leave the covers off your sails - we cringe when a boat sails into an anchorage and leaves the sails exposed to the sun for days. Check your sail covers by holding them up to the sun - if you can see light coming through then UV's are probably eating up your sails. Time to make new ones. Insist on using Tenera (Gortex) thread for any canvas work. Tenera thread will outlast the material and you will never have to resew. It’s worth the pricey $100/spool cost.<br />
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Ever since he purchased Jacaranda 30+ years ago, Chuck has kept a detailed work log, now maintained in an EXCEL spreadsheet. This has been an invaluable record of when work was done, especially years later when the project has to be redone. It includes details like part numbers, vendor contact info, instructions to himself for removing or repairing gear, plus photos of specific installations step by step.<br />
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Install an item with the thought of having to take it out for servicing. This is a hard concept to fathom when the item is new but surely at some point later on you will have to remove it.<br />
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Linda keeps a computerized inventory on the boat for food provisioning and for the contents of most lockers. It is a nuisance to set up initially but she finds it invaluable when you need to locate something. There is a sample format on our website.<br />
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<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Running out of money</li>
<li>The arrival of grandchildren</li>
<li>Physical limitations due to injuries, health or age </li>
<li>Break up of a relationship</li>
<li>Caretaker responsibilities for a child, relative or aging parents “back home” </li>
<li>For “kid boats”, schooling needs (most often for an older teen or high schooler)</li>
<li>Not enjoying the lifestyle/boredom</li>
<li>Fulfillment of a travel/hiatus goal and the desire/need to resume a career</li>
</ul>
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Personally, we say we will be cruising until we are either not having fun any longer or we are too physically challenged to continue. We have a vision of sitting in our rocking chairs overlooking the sea somewhere at sunset, reminiscing about our cruising days while snacking on the granola bars from our ditch kit.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)?</b><br />
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Not really because we always go into a new place with an open attitude of exploring and looking for the best. That said, we were disappointed with Panama City, Panama as a place to stay on a small boat because, surprisingly, we found it very cruiser UNfriendly. The City and its environs (Casco Viejo, the Canal, rain forest, indigenous communities, etc.) were fascinating and wonderful and we had some fantastic experiences. However, we felt the lack of good anchorages and adequate facilities for cruisers made it uncomfortable or expensive as a place to be aboard your boat. This was unexpected since it is so much about ocean-going travel - but the focus is on freighters and expensive motor vessels and small cruising boats seemed to just be tolerated. We wouldn’t want to go back on Jacaranda but we’d return as a visitor in a heartbeat.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated? </b><br />
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We fell in love with Colombia! We did not cruise there but flew from Ecuador. We think it is underrated because, in the minds of many people, its old reputation as a dangerous drug cartel-controlled country has not yet been supplanted by its new reality as a safe place to go. The people were over-the-top friendly and welcoming. The variety of landscapes were ecologically diverse and culturally interesting. Among our favorite experiences were attending the annual Flower Festival in Medellin and seeing the spectacular Caño Cristales (River of 5 Colors).<br />
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<b>Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?</b><br />
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In Chuck’s earlier cruising in the 1990’s, Jacaranda had been well outfitted although pretty basic. For this current journey, we did a lot of upgrades and we added a windlass, radar, and more substantial autopilot. Linda’s only request was for a water maker. In hindsight, we regret removing our hot water heater (we thought we needed the space for the water maker). Our wish list: space for a dive compressor and tanks (just no room!), a 60 lb. anchor to replace our 44 lb. Bruce, and a more efficient refrigeration system. We love our AIS (our most recent installation) and we’ll be investigating lithium batteries in the future.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
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Chuck raced, delivered boats and joined his sister and brother-in-law for a while during their circumnavigation on their Lapworth 36 in the South Pacific in the 1970's. His advice: Gain sailing experience by racing and as skills build, offer to help deliver boats. Crewing on different boats with different skippers will teach you a lot - both what to do and what not to do.<br />
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Linda was introduced to sailing in her twenties when she visited her parents who had bought a sailboat and went cruising in the Caribbean for two years. However most of her offshore experience was cruising on Jacaranda. We took a number of extended trips to the Channel Islands (CA) from San Diego during the years before we left to go cruising.<br />
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<b>Have you ever felt in danger and if so, what was the source? </b><br />
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Chuck’s first delivery from New Zealand to Sydney in 1977 in the middle of winter (maybe that's why he got the delivery) was a very difficult trip with much heavy weather. Using a sextant, he was not really sure he was plotting accurate fixes until he closed with Sydney. The boat leaked like a sieve and was not very seaworthy - while he was not in immediate danger it was not a comfortable trip.<br />
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Getting caught in the infamous Queens’ Birthday Storm (NZ to Tonga) in 1994 was a nightmare. A Force 12 storm with winds of 70 knots and monstrous 30’ breaking seas, it was extremely dangerous and became the most disastrous storm in NZ rescue history (7 boats abandoned and one boat with crew lost). But he and his crew and Jacaranda came through unscathed. There is a lot of luck in this game :-)<br />
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Linda hopes Chuck’s experience will fulfill their quota of dangerous situations so she doesn’t have to ever go through anything like that!<br />
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<b>What do you find most exciting about your cruising life?</b><br />
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Our boat is small but our life is big. The cruising lifestyle is a dream for folks like us who have a love of travel, adventure, sailing, the sea and nature and for whom routine is anathema. We are excited by: <br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>A lifestyle of freedom, independence, daily adventure and open-ended possibilities</li>
<li>The joy and “spirituality” of sailing and harnessing the wind.</li>
<li>The mobility - freedom to relocate/move our home about.</li>
<li>Immersion in and closeness to the natural world, especially the sea - surrounded by “something of the marvelous.”</li>
<li>Living like a turtle, traveling the world with your home on your back.</li>
<li>Seeing new things with new eyes - experiencing new places, cultures, language, people, traditions, customs in a way that is uniquely possible.</li>
<li>The supportive camaraderie of fellow cruisers and the ease of making friends from all walks of life - a diversity of people you would never be exposed to at home.</li>
<li>Living with a high degree of self-sufficiency and a small carbon footprint on the world.</li>
</ul>
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We are grateful very day and never lose sight of what a special world it is out here.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Irresponsible cruisers who don’t do the right thing, intentionally abuse the rules, and don’t “leave a clean wake”…… people who try to game the system and take advantage of it for their own selfish needs, not realizing that it hurts the cruisers who follow them. Examples are sneaking into a marina when the office is closed to steal water rather than pay for it, not paying a dinghy dock/anchorage fee when they know they are required to because the attendant happens to be absent, stopping in the Galapagos citing a phony mechanical breakdown to buy fuel and avoid paying the initial entry fees, and leaving a marina without paying outstanding bills. This gives cruisers a bad name and often results in boats following behind being dealt with quite differently.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>We’d like to talk about “giving back” as cruisers.</i><br />
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When your lifestyle is about travel, people you meet and cultures you experience touch your lives and your heart. We have experienced the kindness of people all over the world and so it has become part of our value system to try to reciprocate and contribute to those who we encounter. “Giving back” or “paying it forward” are concepts that are very dear to us and something that we strive for wherever we go.<br />
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We try to give back not only to the people in the countries we visit but also to our own broader cruising community by finding or making opportunities to volunteer to help with our time, skills, or sometimes, money - it can be a family in need, a child who can’t afford school expenses, a community project, a cruiser event, a charitable organization, a cruising family who has lost their boat, or the need for cruiser networking and information. Chuck enjoys being very active on the cruiser radio nets.<br />
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A recent example we are very proud of occurred in the Marquesas Island of Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia. We became a major sponsor of a new va’a (outrigger canoe) program for younger children on the island and our donation helped the community to purchase two child-sized canoes, paddles, and life jackets. This early exercise program will give the kids healthier lifestyles and will allow them to be better competitors in the French Polynesia national sport of va’a racing.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-86571856785386297292017-11-06T04:00:00.000-08:002017-11-07T01:09:33.631-08:0010 Questions for Ronja<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kirsten Folkersen and Per Westergaard have been cruising since 2012 aboard Ronja, a Malö 36 hailing from Thurø, Denmark.<br />
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They have cruised from Denmark to the Mediteranean through the standing mast route in Holland and the English Channel. From Le Havre in France they had the mast taken off, and sailed through French rivers and canals to Port St. Louis du Rhone. From there they followed the French coast to Genoa, Italy, and this year to Sicily.<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://ronjaroundtheworld.com/" target="_blank">blog </a>or through <a href="mailto:pw@fyens.dk" target="_blank">email</a>.<br />
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They say: <i>The first three years of our cruising we both had full time jobs in Denmark and only sailed four weeks each year. When our holidays ran out, we just went into a harbour and asked if they would look after our boat for the next 11 months, until we were back again. And from there we picked up the cruising the next year to new destinations. In 2016 we both retired from our jobs and we are now cruising two-three-four months a year. </i><br />
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<b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising? </b><br />
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The first year we underestimated the effect of the tide, because we were not used to having tide in the inland waters of Denmark. When we reached the German Bight we were appalled by the power of the tide, and more than once we had to redefine our route in order to cope with the tide. The second year we got problems with our Yanmar-motor at the river Marne in France (the propshaft broke). No marine mechanic within hundreds of miles, so we picked a local mechanic specialized in lorries. We never should have done that. A marine mechanic had to do the repair all over the next year. Happily he did this for only a third of the price of the lorry-mechanic in northern France.<br />
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<b>What was the most affordable area to cruise in your trip and the most expensive? </b><br />
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Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France are all affordable countries to visit, when it comes to the price of a berth in a harbour. Going from France to Italy was generally double up on the prices. Italy is hilarious in its pricing, and it is hard to understand the logic in their prices. In Sardinia we paid a record of 153 € for just one night in Porto Cervo. In La Caleta, also in Sardinia, we could moor for free at a certain pier, but if we took water or electricity from that pier, we had to pay 85 €. However the costs of living in general are ok in Italy, and the anchorages are beautiful and free of charges.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy? </b><br />
<br />
French harbour captains insisting that you moor stern-to. We prefer to moor bow-to. And French and Italian harbour captains seriously claiming, that they have wifi in their harbour, and carefully print out the code. It is a joke. The wifi in nine out of ten of these harbours are not even close to working.<br />
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<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising? </b><br />
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Old age or maladies. The anchor, the mainsail, the whole boat getting too heavy to handle.<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike? </b><br />
<br />
I like the helpfulness of German and Dutch sailors, when you enter a new harbour. They willingly jump from their own boat to take your lines and help you into your berth. This has occasionally happened in France as well. We still have to experience that kind of hospitality in Italy, but off course we have only been cruising Italy for some three months. We also like the willingness of the cruising community of all countries to exchange hints, experiences, destinations and good advice with one another. <br />
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<b>Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?</b><br />
<br />
I should have installed an AIS and 30 meters of extra chain to the anchor and some solar cells to prolong the energy supply while anchoring. Further I should have invested in an electric motor to pull up the anchor, which would have been a considerate gesture toward my wife and sailing companion, Kirsten.<br />
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<b>Speaking just about your boat (not gear), what is one thing you wish your boat had that it doesn’t and what is one thing your boat has that you wish it didn't? </b><br />
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I sometimes wish my boat had an extra five feet length, and just as often I wish, that she does not have an extra fire feet length.<br />
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<b>In your experience how often do you think cruisers spend sailing vs. motoring, coastally vs. on passage? </b><br />
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I am sure, we motor a lot more, than we like to admit. At a certain age you no longer fancy crossing the wind head on, and some of us do not even have the patience to keep on sailing, when the speed drops to less than two knots. Hard to explain why; because most of us do have all the time in the world. We are on the vacation of our life.<br />
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<b>What do you miss about living on land? </b><br />
<br />
Absolutely nothing. In our case this is all about the balance between sea and land. We are cruising the world, but our concept is, that we do it bite by bite. We are not full-year cruisers. Our balance between cruising the world and living in an apartment in Copenhagen is important, and we are pleased even, when we cruise only one third or even one fourth of the year. And we may be even more happy, when we some day cruise more than half of the year.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it? </b><br />
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<i>What is the driver behind your wanting to cruise? </i><br />
<br />
Good question! It’s the adventure of it, the feeling of waking up each morning, and knowing that today you are going to experience something completely new to you, going to a place where you have never been before. It’s also the realization of a lifelong dream growing while we were busy at our jobs and sailing only for weekends and summer holidays in the inland waters of Denmark and Sweden. It’s the simple of life on board a yacht. It’s the time of the hour making no more sense. It’s the closeness to nature. It’s the intimacy. It’s life.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-34643384691630758702017-10-30T02:00:00.000-07:002017-10-30T02:00:02.724-07:0010 Questions for Delphinius<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Paul Thornton, Jayne Eames-Thornton, Lily Eames-Jevons and Sky their dog have been cruising since 2013 aboard SV Delphinus, a Bavaria 44. They started in Croatia, cruising around the Mediterranean for a year before moving through the French Canals up to North France, and around the Baltic. They then sailed to Cape Verde,across the Atlantic, around the Caribbean, and are now on the east coast of Central America. </div>
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<i>Editor's note: Lily, age 12, completed this interview</i></div>
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She says: "<i>We started in 2013, but plan to stop in 2018 and go back to England so I can do my exams. We technically don't have a hailing port. The boat is registered in Hull, Yorkshire, but it's never actually been there. We just keep going, rather than taking our boat back to the UK. </i></div>
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<i>In 2010, my dad died from a heart problem. A few years later, my mum met Paul, who had been sailing small vessels for a while, but had never actually owned a boat of his own. One day, Mum and Paul went to Scotland for a sailing trip. After that, Paul asked Mum, "Do you want to sail the world with me?"</i></div>
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<i>And that's how it started! Paul sold his house to buy a Bavaria 44 called MyWay, and we flew to Croatia to hop onboard. As we were heading up the French Canal, we renamed our boat "Delphinus", because we're not common cruisers - we are world sailors! ...sort of. We haven't actually made it all around the world yet. But we have made it to the Caribbean Sea from the Adriatic Sea, and Mum and Paul even got married on the Island of Dominica</i>."</div>
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You can learn more about their voyage on Lily's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1574976389454055/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> or <a href="http://www.sailblogs.com/member/delphinus.jr/" target="_blank">blog</a>.</div>
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<b>What advice would you give to parents thinking about taking their children cruising? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Well, first off, don't just think about it! If you have the
opportunity standing right in front of you, don't treat it like it's
part of the wall. Reach out, hug it tight and don't let go! </div>
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Your kids will thank you for that... as long as you make it fun for
them. That's the point of cruising, right? As well is being
educational, it's also exciting going to different places and seeing
different cultures. "Make it their dream, too" as said
in Voyaging with Kids by Behan Gifford, Sara Dawn Johnson and Michael
Robertson - which I'd highly recommend all parents read if they're
considering taking their kids cruising. It'd loaded with basically
everything you could ever need for a successful family
cruising trip. Okay, that's a bit of a lie, since you need to learn how
to sail first and all, and you can never predict what the weather will
be like. So let's just say it gives everything a book about voyaging
with kids can offer you. </div>
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<b>What advice would you give to other kids thinking about going cruising?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Enjoy it to the max! You're going on an adventure of a lifetime, so
make it feel that way for yourself! Do everything you want to do, and
don't look back at the things you've done in the past until you've
finished cruising. Then write a book! Write a huge
fat hardback of the story of your sailing, and add your favourite
pictures to it! That way you can recap on all the exciting thrills
you've had - good and bad (you obviously have to be realistic: if
cruising was all sunshines and rainbows then everyone would
think they could do it!</div>
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I don't think there is anything. I've been really happy with
cruising for the past four years, and I don't think anything anyone
could say could improve my lifestyle - now or before. </div>
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why?</b></div>
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I think it has to be Grenada. Like most places I've been to, I only
went once. But because we stayed there for six months, I think it's
that it became a comfort zone to me. I met so many of my current friends
there - and it was just an all-round beautiful
island - literally. All the vegetation and historical sites are really
interesting to learn about. Grenada also introduced me to some foods I
would never have dreamed of eating before. Guava is now my most
favourite fruit, and nutmeg my favourite spice. </div>
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b></div>
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I love how I don't think I've ever met a single cruiser who hasn't
been kind to us, and after knowing them for a while have become good
friends. </div>
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But this has its flaws, which leads me to what I dislike about the
cruising culture. There's always going to be a time when you have to
part ways with them - whether it's in a week, or a month, or a year. And
it hurts, even though you know you can still
keep in touch and that you'll probably see them again eventually. </div>
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Well, my favourite part is that it's a home you can take anywhere
you like in the world (as long as it's linked to oceans, obviously). You
don't have to worry about packing things in a suitcase every time you
go somewhere, and it can all stay right where
it is while you take the boat there. </div>
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On the other hand, it often seems better to stuff your things into a
bag rather than having it all lain out when you're about to go on a
long passage that's bound to be rough. That's when you gotta stow
everything away, and you're never sure whether or
not that box of all your craft stuff will tip over if you put it on
your shelf behind some nylon strings... that's why I dread coming into
my bedroom after a rough passage. </div>
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<b>What do you enjoy about cruising that you didn't expect to enjoy? </b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
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Before we started cruising, I had next to no appreciation in the
beauty of nature or history. Nowadays, I love taking my dog for walks
through greenery and examining the different agriculture - especially in
the fascinatingly colourful tropics. I also
love going to museums and reading about the past of all the countries -
how Colombia was attacked by English pirates, how they made rum in the
1800s in Grenada, all that. </div>
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you? </b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
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I started writing a diary before I crossed the Atlantic from Cape
Verde to Barbados. Reading back on it now, I'm surprised to see how
excited I was to come to the Caribbean. Nowadays, over a year later, I'm
just really excited to get away from the tropics.
I'm fed up of the heat and beaches I once found gorgeous. Obviously,
I'll probably dream of coming back here in the future, but for now, I
just wanna see a bit of snow or something!</div>
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<b>What do you miss about living on land? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I miss having familiar grounds to roam around on. I miss going to
school, especially since I never got the chance to have the secondary
school experience. I miss being able to see my friends whenever I like. </div>
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;">What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b></div>
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></div>
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It would've been interesting to answer this question: did cruising change you at all? If so, how?</div>
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I'm not sure if this would've applied had I not started sailing,
but I do think I've changed since before I began travelling. Before,
from what I can remember, I was quite gullible, naïve, attention-hogging
and I never used to eat anything that was outside
of my comfort zone. Now I've changed, though: I've learned not to take
people so seriously (probably from living with Paul for the past four
years), I prefer to be the mob rather than the centre of attention, and I
eat a lot more things now. So all's a-gooden!</div>
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-81810880846423259062017-10-23T04:00:00.000-07:002017-10-27T21:22:28.229-07:0010 Questions for Fluenta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Max, Elizabeth, Victoria (aged 13), Johnathan (aged 11), & Benjamin (aged 3) Shaw have been cruising since 2012 aboard SV Fluenta, a Stevens 47 hailing from Halifax, NS, Canada.<br />
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They left Washing State (USA) heading down the West Coast of US as they described it "with our hair on fire to get to Mexico for two seasons to refit the boat and have a baby (all normal of course)." From Mexico they headed across the South Pacific to New Zealand for two seasons with a season in Fiji in between. This last year they headed from NZ to the North Hemisphere for hurricane season spending time in Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Tikopia, Vanuatu now New Caledonia.<br />
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Readers can read more about their cruise on their <a href="http://sv-fluenta.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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<b>What do you enjoy about cruising that you didn't expect to enjoy?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Max</i>: Spending longer periods in one location rather than trying to see lots of different locations.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: All the cruiser book exchanges - with a baby on my lap for so much of the last three years, I have had lots of time to read! I also love watching my kids play with kids of all ages, rather than just their own peer group.<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: Talking to grownups from all different backgrounds, they know so much about so many different topics and cooking for all the kids while camping.<br />
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<i>Johnathan</i>: Camping ashore.<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Max</i>: We expected that we would be able to see more countries in a season. This turned out not to be true for us, not because of the speed of the boat which is fine but rather our style of traveling is to spend more time in each area we visit.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: I thought that cruising was an all-or-nothing decision, that we needed to completely sever our ties to "home and stuff", as if we were never coming back. Once we left, I found that lots of people do some form of 'commuter cruising' where they cruise part of the year and have a land-life for part of the year. Even if I had known about it, this wouldn't have been a workable model for us, as we have gone too far afield to come back to house or job for part of each year, but it would have been nice to have kept a few more mementos of our previous life...<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: That it is easy and is always paradise!!!<br />
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<i>Johnathan</i>: Cruisers are always sitting on white beaches.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: I did not conduct a lot of research prior to heading out cruising but it all seems pretty natural as I have been doing it for my whole lifetime.<br />
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<b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Max</i>: The autopilot - it may not break the most often but it is the most frustrating (the regularity x PITA x expensive product) as it is expensive, the company is a pain to deal with (Navico) and it is awkward to repair at sea. We have just purchased a massive autopilot drive from another company so once we install it hopefully these problems will decrease in frequency.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: Everything. Every single piece of equipment on the boat will fail, or at the least need maintenance, in its own unpredictable turn. When we left, I understood in theory that things would break now and again, but I really had no idea just how time consuming it would be to keep the equipment on the boat functioning. Computer/Electronic terminals corrode; plumbing and through-deck fittings leak; the pump to the watermaker, that was just overhauled, will break after only few weeks once civilization has been left for the outer islands; the windlass will whir but the chain won't move while weighing anchor, etc, etc. It goes on and on, and it seems that the more important a system is, the more likely that it will fail at an inconvenient time. The only approach to maintaining sanity (IMHO) is to develop a spreadsheet (to track maintenance and plan preventative/cyclical activities), a sense of humour, and a sense of gratitude that the failure happened at this moment, and not at a worse one (ie it is bad for the sink drains to disintegrate and start leaking the day before a planned ocean crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia or Fiji to New Zealand, but it would be worse for them to crack a week later at sea...). All this being said, there is a fix (either materiel or financial) for pretty much every scenario, and with sufficient redundancy, there are workarounds for most failures. We have two (or three) ways of doing almost everything (including spare autopilots), and we carry significant volume and weight in spare parts, tools and components, and we exercise our sense of humour regularly. I think that part of the reason cruisers get together to share stories in their cockpits in the evenings is to remind one another that everyone really is 'in the same boat' and that we are all facing challenges of one kind or another: this is the only way to stay sane!<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: On different years it has been different things but it seems like it is mostly the the fans! the head-torches, the sparker on the stove ( these are the things that bug me the most).<br />
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<i>Johnathan</i>: Autopilot.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: Lego.<br />
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<b>What advice would you give to parents thinking about taking their children cruising?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: Go cruising ! We did the 21 day passage from Mexico to Marquesas with Benjamin as a four month old. However, we did realize that a third adult is important for long passages when you have a small child onboard. Now that the older two kids are a big help crewing and Benjamin is three years old we have not gotten crew for longer passages.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: Just go! If you feel the tug to change things up a bit and go travel, then find a way to do it. The benefits and joys outweigh the drawbacks. As a whole, cruising kids are a delightful group. They welcome one another, and find a way to play together, regardless of age or background, and seem to have a kindness about them for kids with differences/challenges that is not always in evidence in the average school yard. As I write this, an 11-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 3-year-old from two different boats are playing Minecraft together beside me; one season in Fiji, we were six kid boats with a dozen kids (equal boys and girls) ranging in age from 5-13. Time and again, I have appreciated that our kids have the time freedom to 'get bored' and then come up with something to do; this might be reading the same book (or series) over and over again, handicrafts, writing, or Lego, but they have become very resourceful at constructively occupying their time. I think people hesitate to go cruising because they are worried about safety, socialization, and the disruption that might be caused by taking their kids out of their routine for a year or more. In our experience, careful planning and maintenance can mitigate safety concerns, kids socialize readily with kids when they have a chance, and with grownups when they don't, and our friends who have returned to a land-based life have found that their kids have found their way again with minimal fuss. Now, even more than when we were planing our trip, there are internet groups and books available that focus specifically on the ups and downs of cruising with kids, which means that parents who are thinking of taking their children cruising can readily find information and support throughout their decision-making process. I will say that there seems to be a sweet spot in terms of the ages of kids: little ones (preschoolers and younger) are very time consuming, whether on land or at sea. Elementary/middle schoolers are in the majority, and will be most likely to find kids of their own age in any anchorage; they are also old enough to make memories that they will remember! Older kids (high-school) are fewer in number, but they are out here, and are able to be more independent both in terms of assisting with operating/maintaining the yacht and also with keeping in touch with the friends they have at greater distances. I think that this means that parents who are thinking about taking their children cruising are probably wise to set their plans in motion as early as possible, so that their kids can enjoy the broadest range of experiences as 'cruising kids', but that there is no 'wrong age' to go, and it is never 'too late'...<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: We need a space to just be, just us, it does not have to be big but it needs to be some were (the boom a hammock or a hole dug into all the junk in the V-berth are some favorites on Fluenta) Also good harnesses are needed!!!! we have found that the blue and yellow ones from West Marine are great! they have to be comfortable as you will live in them, they need to have a clip on the leg strap that is easy to undo when you don't want to be in the bathroom for long at sea. BRING BOOKS, LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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<i>Johnathan</i>: Bring lots of books and space for Lego.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: Doesn't everyone live in a boat with a name? (Benjamin gets confused at the idea that some people live in houses, not boats, and that some live in big land-locked countries, not islands)<br />
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<b>Describe a drool-worthy perfect cruising moment</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: Hard to name a "top" moment but several weeks with new friends in our first atoll of Tahanea in French Polynesia (sharks, mantas, camping ashore with the coconut crabs), Fulanga in the Lau Group of Fiji again with other kid boats (nice village, spearfishing and SUP trips), Ailuk in the Marshall Islands (a tiny, friendly village, great kite boarding and spearfishing and being the only boat for most of the six weeks there).<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: I have two favourite kinds of moments: at anchor and at sea. An at anchor moment would be kiting in Ailuk: picture kiting in a spectacularly pretty lagoon, with vast stretches of brilliant white sand, clear blue sky, constant kiting wind, a fringe of palm trees, being watched only by a group of local children and a few sea birds, with each other as the sole marine traffic. This was in great contrast to the video we watched of the importance of learning the rules of the road when kiting so as not to endanger other people or boats: there were none! At sea, I love the quiet night watches, especially when the sea state has come down, the wind is just enough to move the boat, the bio-luminescence stirred up by our wake gives the sense of riding a magic fairy carpet, the rest of the family is asleep, and the only sound to be heard is the gentle wind in the sails and the shush of the water beside the boat; perhaps the light of the full moon is nearly enough to read by or perhaps the moon has set and the entire galaxy of stars is visible overhead, with the Southern Cross showing the way. [Bonus drool-worthy "Mom" moments - backrubs with one of my kids at anchor in Fiji while watching for shooting stars and having one of those memorable one-on-one conversations that make all the angst of parenthood worthwhile; watching a full lunar eclipse, at anchor in Suwarrow, with no one around for hundreds of miles except our family and the two Rangers]<br />
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<i>Victoria and Johnathan</i>: Camping and sitting around the camp fire with a large group of cruising kids for a week in Navadra, Fiji.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: I drooled a lot on my first big passage but I was only four months old ...<br />
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<b>Speaking just about your boat (not gear), what is one thing you wish your boat had that it doesn’t and what is one thing your boat has that you wish it didn't?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: Our boat has great storage for a 47' boat but I would love a "sail locker" to store the big bulky items like spinnakers, storm sails, kite boarding gear. A pretty blue paint job that is a magnet for pangas, Mexican tour boats, and dugout canoes ... [and tropical heat]<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: I wish we had a place to permanently/regularly hang a hammock in the shade. I thought we would easily be able to do this on the foredeck, but somehow, either our foredeck does not have just the right geometry (the inner forestay gets in the way a bit) or I don't quite have the time/motivation/leisure to figure it out (see question above on travelling with children ...) but after five years, I can still count on one hand the number of times I have sat in one of our three hammocks on the foredeck! In terms of what we have that I wish we didn't, I find that the diesel/water tanks under the benches are a mixed blessing: I am grateful for the fuel/water capacity that we have, but I find that I am really limited on bulk/rectilinear storage space (ie for crates of supplies). I was drooling when I visited another Stevens 47 who has fitted one of their single berths like a big toy chest: the entire bed folds up, and they have storage to the hull underneath. The corollary to this question is what design feature does my boat have that I like, and I would say that I like the way the galley is open to the rest of the saloon/nav area so the person in the galley can be part of the general conversation, and is not cut off in a u-shaped galley tucked away from everyone else. I also like that there are two routes to the aft cabin (through the galley and through the head) so I am (theoretically at least) not always moving out of someone's way so that they can get past me.<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: For what I don't want the answer is, at times, times MY BROTHERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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<i>Johnathan</i>: I wish we had space for to set out Lego and other projects.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: Our boat needs a trampoline to jump up and down on like all our friends' catamarans. The high counters used to make it difficult for me to steal food from the galley, but now that I am three they are no problem at all as I can use the fridge latch as a foothold to climb up.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: Mostly through some offshore racing. I was running a small sail training program for the Navy in Halifax so it gave me the opportunities to do some offshore racing (Marion-Bermuda, Halifax-St Pierre, Marblehead-Halifax) as well as teaching sailing in the coastal environment. Racing and teaching are both excellent ways to accelerate your learning. We both started sailing yachts with the RYA program when we lived in England and I was able to do my RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certification before I retired from the Canadian Forces. We also sailed Fluenta without kids from Seattle to San Francisco to ensure we finished the rough bits and worked out some of the boat's bugs before we embarked the kids (they were six and eight at the time).<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: I took my RYA Day Skipper course when we lived in England (learning boat handling in winds of Force 6-8) then I did a delivery from Bermuda to Marblehead for my (Canadian) Intermediate course. Even though Max took more courses, it was really beneficial to do our initial training together to get the same foundation and approach.<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: I did a bit of sailing when I was 3-4 and a bit of dinghy sailing when I was 6-7-8 but other than that nothing.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: I didn't get any. Babies don't get that [actual quote from Benjamin when we asked him]<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: I like the fact that the cruising community is so helpful - almost like the pioneer communities that one reads about. Everybody leans forward to help a boat in need. It is not something that bothers me particularly but rather something to be aware of is that group-think is prevalent and pretty natural in the cruising community which is interesting considering cruisers are generally pretty independent folks.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: I love how quickly people will connect, and how spontaneously they will adapt their social schedule to fit in a visit with each other. When I meet someone and we hit it off, we are much quicker to share confidences and arrange to socialize than we would have been at home. I think this helps to keep us all a little more sane! What I dislike is not so much the cruising culture (about which I don't really have any complaints) but about our lifestyle: I get tired of all the goodbyes. Even though we are often saying 'see you later' and reconnecting even several years down the road (we just met friends in Vanuatu whom we haven't seen for over two years since we were all in NZ), we also experience a lot of wrenching goodbyes. Even though this could equally happen at home, I still find it hard every time.<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: Every one goes out of their way to help, there is no rush and if it happens tomorrow that's fine:) There is no rush and if it happens tomorrow that's fine. :(<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: I like that it is like a village and there are lots of grown ups and big kids to look after me. I don't like it when all the ladies pinch my cheeks!<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: I can feel my blood pressure spiking as I start to type: the marine industry. Nothing has caused us as much grief as incompetence in the marine industry. We generally do most of our own work but to accelerate the departure from the WA state where we bought the boat we contracted out some of the projects. The level of incompetence and general unprofessionalism was mind blowing. I told one company I should charge them a fee for management consulting and providing their quality assurance. The inability of the manufacturers of marine equipment to respond in a timely or coherent manner or at all to e-mails is also unbelievably poor.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: These are minor irritants more than rants: Mold growing on everything I store away (especially leather). Never being able to see our benches without a herculean effort to stow everything away. Taking two days to prepare / stow / lash all our belongings so that we can go on a one-day passage, and then taking two more days to recover when we get there.<br />
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<i>Benjamin</i>: Nothing, I'm not crazy [says Benjamin]<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>Max</i>: Pet Peeve: people anchoring too close.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth</i>: As usual, I have a few answers:<br />
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Q1 - <i>What is one of the simplest/smartest things you have done aboard? </i>We have a spreadsheet of "everything" and in it we record all our storage, maintenance, plans, etc. It sounds simplistic, but we have well over 1000 line items in our Storage page, and any time we need to find something in one of our dozens of cubbies, I can just look it up. I have never bothered with including usage stats of our consumables (after five years, I provision based on availability, intuition, and a mortal fear of people going hungry, which is part of the reason that it is always so hard to see our benches!) Especially for items that we use rarely, it is extraordinarily satisfying to search for an item in the spreadsheet, and then find it exactly where it is supposed to be on the boat with a minimum of trouble.<br />
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Q2 - <i>What surprised you about cruising? </i>I was surprised that I wasn't alone in finding out that I 'don't love' long passages. I love the destinations, both the Islands with their rich cultures, and the cruiser community that develops so quickly in anchorages, as well as the sense of leaving the 'beaten path' and finding our way as a family, but often (especially when Benjamin was really young) I found that I did not actually like the sailing/passage-making that was required to get to these beautiful destinations. Many people go cruising for the love of sailing, but for me it is more of a means to an end (as shocking as that may sound). Because everything we own needs to be stowed / lashed to head offshore, and every hour of operation is an hour closer to maintenance, sailing is not something we do for fun. I thought I was alone in this, but the more I talk to other cruising couples, the more I realize that this is surprisingly common. Some folks even fly one spouse to the destination while the other delivers the boat. I am too stubborn to do this, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment, and I love the creativity that enables every family / crew to develop an approach that works for them. It seems to me that knowing this in advance might set the more cautious partner's mind at rest if one person is more enthusiastic than the other about cruising - there is so much to enjoy, and passage-making is actually a small part of our life (and the destinations are very much worth the journeys!)<br />
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Q3 - <i>What else surprised you about cruising?</i> Based on my pre-departure reading, I thought I would have a tidy boat, with meals at certain hours, the dishes always washed, school happening (with cooperation and joy) between the hours of 9am and lunch, educationally rich outings in the afternoon, and sun downers in the evening (you may wonder if I prepared for this life by reading fiction!) The surprise was that 'wherever you go there you are' - I didn't suddenly become minimalist or tidy just because I had moved onto a boat, and even though we significantly downsized before we left, with five of us in a 47 foot monohull, tidiness is rather elusive, and storage takes up much of the volume, including some bunks and benches (once again see previous question about cruising with kids). The surprise was that schooling and learning are not the same thing; and I have had to learn to stand back and let my children lead when it comes to their education: they will find their own interests and passions. Sometimes this looks like 'school in the morning' and often it doesn't. Once again, the surprise is finding out that I am not alone in this, and that every homeschooling family eventually figures out an approach that will work for them.<br />
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<i>Victoria</i>: <i>How the heck do you do school</i>: I do it mostly before everyone gets up, in my own time, without someone looking over my shoulder. I highly recommend using SelfDesign (only for Canadians - www.selfdesign.org) and Life of Fred (Math) and Rosetta Stone (French)<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-41180335979442553792017-10-16T02:00:00.000-07:002017-10-17T02:38:48.180-07:0010 Questions for Georgia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Paul Lever and Chris Hunter have been cruising since 2010 aboard Georgia, an Outbound 44 hailing from Seattle, WA, USA.<br />
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They left the Seattle area and traveled down the west coast of the US, Mexico and Central America to Panama. After transiting the Panama Canal and visiting the San Blas Islands, then went to Florida and up the ICW of the US to the Chesapeake and then on to the Canadian Maritimes. They then went to the Bahamas and back up the East Coast of the US. Then they traversed the eastern Caribbean, ending in Bonaire and Curacao. They left the ABCs and went back through the Panama Canal to the Pacific. Most recently they have transited the S Pacific and spent last cyclone season in New Zealand. They have just completed the passage out of NZ and are currently in Fiji.<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on <a href="http://svjeorgia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">their blog</a>.<br />
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<b>Why did you change boats and what do you see as the major pros and cons of your changeover? </b><br />
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The short answer is so that I could stay married:) I'm a big fan of taking the boat you have to cruise in. We had a nice J/37 that was easy to handle offshore, fast and reasonably comfortable. After a couple of years of cruising we decided we were going to be out for a long time and we wanted some more creature comforts, not the least of which a larger galley. The Outbound is a really well thought out offshore vessel with a decent turn of speed. Con is having more money tied up in a boat-- a depreciating investment.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?</b><br />
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The Atlantic side is so much more crowded than the areas we've traveled in Pacific. The Pacific islands and island people are very interesting and generally extremely friendly. The distances you have to travel are much greater in the Pacific, but the coral reefs make it all worthwhile. On the Atlantic side, outside the US, you tend to see boats that are redoing their passages - like in this is the 5th time we've done XYZ. On the Pacific passages it is often the first time for everyone, making it easier to develop a cruising community.<br />
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<b>What mistakes did you make in your first year of cruising?</b><br />
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Every cruiser needs to work out what cruising style is best for them. Are they commuter cruisers who spend 6 months on the boat and 6 months back home? Do they get to an ex-pat hangout and just want to enjoy the ease of being in the tropics and forget sailing? Do they want to get in as many stops, anchorages and ports as is possible, collecting all the t-shirts on the way? Is making distance and passages what it is all about? Are short jaunts from home the way to go?<br />
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I think we started out moving too quickly and trying to make distance. Our cruising style has worked into making significant jumps to get to a cruising ground and spending more time in one area rather than trying to see it all.<br />
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<b>What is the most important attribute for successful cruising?</b><br />
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Its all in the attitude. The attitude you have with your partner. The attitude you have toward officials. The attitude toward locals. The attitude and respect you have for the weather. And the attitude to working through all of the repeated maintenance items and jobs of daily living that are never ending on boat. If you are going to let these items get you down, then cruising is just not for you.<br />
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I am pretty good at fixing things quickly on the boat. I'm even OK with doing the same job over again. I do tend to get a bit down when its the third time on the same 'fix'.<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette </b><br />
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That's just too easy a question. Use a long painter when you tie up your dinghy at a dock and leave the outboard down. A far more difficult one to answer would be proper anchoring etiquette. As far as I can tell, that totally depends on what your nationality is.<br />
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<b>What piece(s) of gear would you leave on the dock next time? Why?</b><br />
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We left with one of those large, Conestoga Wagon covers for the boom. Although it's important to have shade in the tropics, that cover was too much effort to put up, take down, store and deal with when the winds got crazy.<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving? </b><br />
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I've done the early retirement thing a few times and took an Alberg 35 from Annapolis to Venezuela in my younger days. Chris and I have done the Inside Passage to Alaska and back down the outside. Also, while we were waiting to get our finances in order and sell a house we helped friends bring their Cal 40 down the Pacific coast from Washington to San Francisco.<br />
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Everyone who plans on taking up long distance cruising should take the opportunities available to crew on a few offshore passages. You'll learn a ton and be much better at setting your own expectations.<br />
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<b>What do you enjoy about cruising that you didn't expect to enjoy?</b><br />
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The first thing that pops into my mind is not killing or being killed by my spouse while living in such a close 24/7 environment. The second is Gin and Tonics.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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Cruisers that start the blame game and yelling when an anchoring situation occurs. Its amazing how a tiny bit of courtesy and cooperation can make what looks like a bad situation calm down and work out for everyone. Being told that I dragged upwind with a string of F-bombs at 3am just doesn't help the situation get better.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>How long do you plan to cruise?</i><br />
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We left with an open time frame. After a couple of years it was clear that we were going for the long run. Its now been 7 years and we are half way around the world having covered about 33,000 miles (more than enough to make it all the way around). We still take it one year or one season at a time. Its important to us to have the boat out of the Cyclone and Hurricane belts during the season as we are not one to tempt Mother Nature. We started out as full time cruisers, but now try to spend a few months each year back in Washington with our new, above average granddaughter. We'll keep going as long as its still an adventure and our health holds out.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-54172739487476702512017-10-09T02:00:00.000-07:002017-10-09T06:09:02.172-07:0010 Questions for Calico Jack<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Travis and Joanne Scott circumnavigated from the end of 2012 until early 2016 aboard SV Calico Jack, a 1972 Chris-Craft Caribbean 35, hailing from Key West, FL, USA. Their general route was from Florida, through Western Caribbean, and the Panama Canal, then across the Pacific to Bundaberg, Australia. From Australia they sailed the Great Barrier Reef of Australia to Indonesia, across the Indian Ocean to South Africa. They then sailed across the South Atlantic to South America, up the Eastern Caribbean, through Bahamas and returning to Key West, FL, USA.<br />
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You can learn more about their circumnavigation on their <a href="http://www.sailcalicojack.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?</b><br />
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We expected the South Pacific Ocean to be the best sailing conditions we would find, and while they were decent enough, we found our longer passages to be slow and rolly, with lighter than expected winds and large swells coming up from the deep Southern Ocean. (We were told by local islanders "it was a very unusual year"). But other than the first long passage, the island hopping style of cruising with short jumps in between turns the S Pacific into a cruisers dream. You could spend a lifetime there and still not see it all. On the contrary, we did not know what to expect of the South Atlantic, yet found that to be the best cruising conditions of our whole trip. Wind, seas and currents all lined up in our favor for a change, and we had stable enough conditions that we could set the spinnaker and leave it for days without tending to it. Also, much shorter jumps between landfalls.<br />
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<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? </b><br />
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Cruising-as-travel, definitely. Prior to getting together, my wife and I had both been avid travelers, and the cruising lifestyle allows us to travel more extensively and on a better budget. Our boat is our home, and the thought of taking our home out for a day sail just seems like too much work. But casting off the lines and setting out over the horizon... now that's exciting!<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about passage planning is…</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<u>prepare meals ahead of time.</u><br />
<br />
There are many, many books out there on the subject of passage planning and weather routing. With a little common sense and a good understanding of weather patterns, most passages will be pleasurable. But here's something we did that made eating while on passage enjoyable: Prepare a few meals before departure. No one likes to cook in a galley when its rough out, at least not us. We would start a few days before setting out, and make a bunch of "one pot" meals (chili, hearty stew, curry, etc), then measure out a portion for 2 people into a Ziploc baggie, and freeze it. Then it was fast and simple to quickly heat up a nutritious meal without spending lots of time getting tossed around down below, or watching all your ingredients go flying off the counter top!<br />
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<b>What is your most common sail combination on passage?</b><br />
<br />
Our west-about route pretty much had us sailing down wind almost all the time. With our sloop rig, we predominantly used a single head sail only, either jib or spinnaker. If we set the main and the jib, we found the large main would block the jib and rob it of the wind. Wing and wing sailing is beautiful, but a lot of work and diligence to maintain that configuration for long periods of time. We found our speed of roughly 5 knots could be achieved with a single head sail, which could also be easily operated from the cockpit by one person in times of changing winds or deteriorating weather. We are all about easy, and the little tiny bit of speed we lost was not worth the extra effort.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
<br />
All the old cruising books describe the ultimate cruiser as a ketch rig, full keel with the rudder attached, heavy displacement tub. We have seen all varieties of boats out there doing it, and doing it just fine. Mono- and Multi-hulls, sloops, ketches and schooners, big and small and everything in between. Just pick the boat that suits your needs and the cruising grounds you plan to go to.<br />
<br />
We had thought of up-sizing to a larger boat before our next cruise, but have decided to stay smaller for reasons that work best for us.<br />
<br />
Smaller boat = shallower draft. At only 4.5', Calico Jack can make nearly any pass, or anchor up close to shore when needed. It is a lot cheaper to do a refit or routine maintenance on a smaller vessel. We found many places were charging in 10' length increments (30-40', 40-50',etc) and the difference between was sometimes significant. We were small enough to secure dockage when we needed to, at times when marinas were full and larger boats were being turned away. We managed to pack into 35' everything we needed for long term cruising, and still had room enough for two people to be comfortable. .<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b><br />
<br />
For us, we have taken a break from cruising simply because we ran out of money. A few years to replenish the coffers and we'll be back out there again.<br />
<br />
From our cruising friends we have met who stopped cruising, some of them had reached their goal or destination, some ran out of money like us, some had catastrophic damages to their boats, and some had those same catastrophic damages to their relationships. Offshore cruising can be difficult to relationships, and we saw it affect many couples... older, younger, married, dating, family, straight or gay... no one is immune. Proper communication is key. Fears and concerns, hopes and dreams should all be discussed and shared. Teamwork and flexibility will get you through the worst situations, but only if both parties are on the same page.<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true?</b><br />
<br />
Its not totally free out there anymore. There are still some free cruising grounds, but it is more common to find areas that charge small anchoring fees, or cruising permits. Many places have installed moorings to protect the environment and no longer allow anchoring. Yachties are often seen as walking ATM's (especially in the eastern Caribbean). And we all know anything with the word "marine" on it will cost more! It is still possible to cruise on a small budget, but be prepared to either pay the local costs or to look for another place. Bitching about it, or even worse, sneaking out without paying only makes the rest of us look bad.<br />
<br />
<b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often?</b><br />
<br />
It all breaks eventually! Preventative maintenance helps, but the wear and tear of constant use will eventually win. In our case, we blew our transmission, a few sails, the auto-pilot, a fresh water pump, our ice maker, and more little things than I care to remember. But none of this ruined our experience, and even empowered us when we were able to fix it ourselves, or added to the adventure of trying to source parts in other languages. Some things we never did fix, realizing we never needed them at all... like our ice maker!<br />
<br />
<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette</b><br />
<br />
Don't anchor on top of your neighbor! (unless you are French, then its ok. Every French port we have anchored in was the same. Its just what they do, get used to it. Besides, it IS convenient to be able to hand a glass of wine to your neighbor when he runs out.) But seriously though, it may seem like common sense to some, but to many they don't seem to quite understand that anchoring is NOT the same as "parking" your boat. Take into account not only your depth and scope and swing radius, but also the same for your neighbors. If in doubt, dinghy on over and introduce yourself to your neighbors, and talk to them. Maybe they are ok with how close you are, or maybe they are not. Or maybe they have local knowledge of the area that will change your mind about being that close. At the very least they will know your are a conscientious cruiser. Remember: "last one to anchor, first one to move"<br />
<br />
We had one very tight anchorage in Grenada, and after looking for a spot for about 45 minutes, we picked a spot between 2 boats (one we knew, the other we didn't) which left just barely enough swing room. Our unknown neighbors were busy giving us the stink eye from their cockpit. Once we were sure the hook was set, we went over to them and explained why we anchored where we did, and asked if they were ok with it. They understood it was tight, and thanked us for checking with them. As it turned out, we all became really good friends and we hope to share another anchorage with them someday.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"What do you do for watch schedules on passages?"</i><br />
<br />
As with any vessel, someone must be "on watch" at all times. This can be difficult while cruising single- or short-handed. We have had this conversation with other cruisers and have seen a whole rainbow of watch schedules... some good and some bad. We buddy-boated for a while with a couple who did a strict 4 on/4 off, but they arrived in port exhausted and needed a day to recover. We also met two ladies who did NO watch at night... after dinner they both went to bed and trusted in the auto-pilot and radar on all night! Aboard Calico Jack we used a fairly relaxed and flexible schedule of 6 on/6 off during the day and 3 on/3 off at night. This allowed one of us to get a solid block of sleep, while the 3 hour watches at night were fairly short and easy to stand. We always arrived in port well rested, and in times of heavy weather or when there was a need for both of us on deck, we always felt alert and ready. Of course, what watch schedule works best for YOU is the one you should do. This is just our observations and what we have found to be best for us. </div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-23531566199917313422017-10-02T02:00:00.000-07:002017-10-02T02:00:14.988-07:0010 Questions for Rocket Science<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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TJ and Jenny Durnan are currently cruising aboard SV Rocket Science, a Riptide 55 hailing from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, USA. TJ began cruising in 1989 and Jenny in 2006.<br />
<br />
They have been up and down both coasts of North and Central America a few times, made three trips to the Caribbean and most recently sailed from Newfoundland to Europe.<br />
<br />
You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://svrocketscience.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Over the time that you have been cruising, has the world of cruising changed? </b><br />
<br />
I would say that it's primarily sheer numbers and demographic makeup. When I did my first Caribbean lap as a lad with my father, it was pre-gps, labor saving sail-handling systems were in their infancy. Refrigeration was an unreliable luxury not found on many boats, and watermakers were even more rare. I may be stealing this phrase, but cruising was done more by runaways than by retirees. Mostly, I think that uncertainty in navigation and the lack of comforts was the driver of this. Now that our boats have become better equipped and much more comfortable, it's attractive to more people.<br />
<br />
Also, it's probably safe to say that as the numbers have increased, general friendliness has diminished. This is true both among cruisers and with the locals, particularly on the more populated routes. There are still places where one can sail and find locals or other sailors eager to make contact and visit, but it's necessary to go to more remote places in general. It's understandable - when there's only one sailboat showing up every few weeks to a village, it's a big deal. When there have been 25 of us anchored off for 3 months, organizing bocce ball tournaments on the local beach, well, the novelty surely wears off. <br />
<br />
<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)? Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)? </b><br />
<br />
On the overrated side, the Eastern Caribbean comes to mind. The islands are beautiful and the sailing is often fantastic, but I found the islands themselves to be a little bit of a disappointment. The aggressive 'boat boys', often surly locals, and the general crime rate was a bummer. We have done a lot of cruising in the less-developed world, and there seems to be a bit of a culture of resentment in the EC that we've not found elsewhere. This is not to say that it was awful being there, we had some fine times to be sure, but this area is not high on our list of places to spend a great deal of time in.<br />
<br />
For underrated, a few places come to mind. First, Newfoundland is absolutely spectacular, for all kinds of reasons. Also, the Pacific coast of Panama was really a nice surprise for us, particularly the rivers. The Pacific coast of Mexico is also a spectacular place to cruise, and it's populated almost entirely by West Coast sailors. This is a shame. It would be well worth a season up there for E. coast/European boats on a circumnavigation who have the time to spare.<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should? </b><br />
<br />
To the first part, storms. True storm conditions on the typical cruising routes are almost never encountered. There are a few tricky spots on a typical circumnavigation, like from the islands to New Zealand, and perhaps a W-E crossing of the Atlantic. But, on the whole, even a gale is exceedingly rare. In about 50,000 miles of sailing, I have been in precisely 2 proper gales and only a single storm force event, which lasted all of 8 hours. Of course, none of this applies to the more adventurous folks sailing around Patagonia and the like, but for the standard cruiser, weather should not be a big fear, provided they're on one of the milder routes during the correct season.<br />
<br />
To the second part, two things come to mind. First, the boat is going to break, a lot. There have been way too many departures abandoned because some inconsequential piece of gear isn't working. New cruisers have to get their head around the idea that a broken watermaker should not mean that everything needs to stop. You have to learn how to do without these fussy items, and not let it have a big impact on the morale of the boat when these failures inevitably do happen. As long as the boat's sound in all of the seaworthiness aspects, the rest is really all small stuff, and shouldn't dictate a change in plans. The other thing that's often overlooked by new cruisers is just how they're going to fill all these long days. Cruising can be incredibly boring. There are times when you're at your 10th beautiful anchorage in the last 4 months, and there's not a damned thing to do, besides work on the boat or maybe go out and snorkel on the reef for the 3rd time today. Getting one's head around the slower pace of things is an unanticipated challenge for many.<br />
<br />
Finally, drinking is a big hazard, particularly in areas where retirees tend to congregate. The Caribbean and Mexico has a huge population of folks who really aren't sailing all that much, but rather sitting in a marina or anchorage socializing. This daily cocktail hour tends to turn into real boozing every day for many people. We were really shocked by the extent of this in our travels. I view this largely as a response to the boredom mentioned above.<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way?</b><br />
<br />
Always make sure your anchor is well set, and just because you see a bunch of boats all anchored in a cluster, it's not necessarily the best spot. Also, NEVER sail to a schedule.<br />
<br />
<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy? </b><br />
<br />
People with a 100 ton license who call themselves 'captain'!<br />
<br />
Also, just the general blowhard population that hangs around boats. The guys with all the strongly held opinions about just about everything that they force upon the rest of us. We could do with a lot less of that.<br />
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<b>Why did you change boats and what do you see as the major pros and cons of your changeover?</b><br />
<br />
Well, Rocket Science is boat #4 for me. The previous three had been slow, full-keeled 'bluewater cruisers'. I was at the point where I absolutely hated sailing those tubs. So, we went all-in on a carbon fiber speedster. This decision was driven by two things, actually. I am a commercial captain, and only get 2-3 months off at a stretch. We were getting sick of hanging around the Americas, and on a 120 mile/day boat, the logistics of venturing further afield were challenging. Second, I was missing the fun of sailing. So, that's the big pro for us, just being able to rack up 200 mile days easily with just 2 crew. If we really want to open things up, we have the option to take some skilled crew along, and we can realistically achieve 300 mile days in tradewind conditions. So, that's the big pro.<br />
<br />
On the downside, RS is a big, powerful beast. It is not a rookie's boat, and she is not tolerant of mistakes. So, we have to be more attentive than on previous boats, for sure. This is not a big deal, but we're more conservative with our sail selections than we have been in the past, particularly in unsettled conditions. Also, the sails and rigging are much more expensive.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>How often have you faced bad weather in your cruising? How bad? </b><br />
<br />
See above, very rarely. Only 2 gales and 1 very brief F10.<br />
<br />
<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? </b><br />
<br />
For us, it's really about travel. We get FAR more out of visiting a country on our boat than we do by just flying somewhere and staying in a hotel. We live amongst the locals, and have the time and access to a place to really get to know it. The sailing is just a means to an end. Sure, when all's going well, it can be magical. But, for the most part, passagemaking is pretty much an exercise in broken sleep and discomfort. But, it's a small price to pay, in our view.<br />
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<b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often?</b><br />
<br />
Probably the head needs attention most often.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
<br />
Cost is a good topic. The answer is different for everyone, of course, but we too often read about folks who are planning to cruise on $500/mo. They almost invariably wind up destitute on a broken down boat not far from their original point of departure. This would be a good topic to have an honest discussion on for sure*.<br />
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*Editor's Note: For a list of cruising costs published by cruising boats which features IWAC interviewees among others, see <a href="http://thegiddyupplan.blogspot.ca/2011/04/cost-of-cruising.html" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-52011115635734676492017-09-25T02:00:00.000-07:002017-09-25T02:00:02.620-07:0010 Questions for Amarula<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Eric (Captain - Australia) and Lynne (First Mate - England/Australia) began cruising in 2002 aboard Amarula, a 60' Crowther Catamaran hailing from Gibraltar that they build themselves.<br />
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They left Australia, cruising across the Indian Ocean to Tanzania. They stayed in Tanzania for 5 years doing charters and running a business. They visited countries along the African coast during that time. They left Tanzania for South Africa, eventually crossing the Atlantic to Brazil. They spent the next 4 years cruising up and down the Eastern Caribbean before sailing through Bonaire and Curacoa, and Columbia to Panama. After transiting the Panama Canal, they spent last season cruising across the Pacific to Fiji where they are currently.<br />
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They say: "<i>We met in Dar es Salaam in 1993 where Eric was operating his prawn trawler (designed, built and owner operated) and Lynne went to teach at the International School of Tanganyika. Eric's dream had always been to build a yacht and sail around the world, to which Lynne responded "I'll be your crew!</i><br />
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<i>We built our catamaran and launched her in July 2001 on the Clarence River, NSW, Australia. After a shake down cruise to Sydney for New Year & the fireworks, we set sail from Yamba, NSW in April 2002 around to Darwin, from where we began our circumnavigation in May 2002. We are still - very slowly - making our way around the world!</i>"<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.amarulasail.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare? </b><br />
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We have cruised the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and the Pacific. There is little comparison for me (Lynne), as the Indian Ocean was my first experience of an ocean crossing back in 2002. There were 5 of us onboard and we took 2 months from Darwin to Dar es Salaam, with a few short stops en route at Cocos Keeling, Chagos and Seychelles. We were on a mission to get back to Dar es Salaam, where we already had a few charter bookings lined up. But I LOVED being out on the open ocean, especially at night on my own in the wheelhouse or sitting out on deck enjoying the moon and the stars and complete serenity. We were fortunate with the weather! In fact, we motored miles north of our rhumbline looking for wind and at times just enjoyed floating at sea, swimming in the middle of the ocean thousands of miles away from anywhere.<br />
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We crossed the Atlantic from Walvis Bay, Namibia to Cabadelo, Brazil via a 6 day stopover in St. Helena in February/ March 2012. This time our only crew was our 2 Jack Russells, who did extremely well on their first ocean passage. We generally had reasonable winds and enjoyed a mostly downwind sail, thankfully avoiding the doldrums that a number of our fellow passage-makers 100 or so miles north of us lamented about daily on the morning radio net. We easily got into the groove of the passage and had no major dramas, but boy oh boy were the dogs happy when we finally made landfall in Brazil after 28 days at sea!<br />
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Meanwhile our Pacific crossing was easily the most challenging, perhaps because it is the most recent of our ocean crossings. We had an extra crew member, which especially helped with the night watches, but the first part of the sail towards the equator and the Galapagos was painfully slow. The grib files showed wind to the south of us and every time we started sailing towards it, it shifted further south. Remembering our Indian Ocean passage and the many hours of motoring, still failing to find the elusive wind, we spent some days just drifting and playing water frisbee with the dogs! As we struggled with either no wind or heavy squalls we were receiving emails from friends less than 100 miles south of us who were having a fantastic sail averaging 7 knots! Unfortunately, when we finally did get some wind the mainsheet block failed through crevice corrosion resulting in a ripped mainsail, then a few days later the block on our spinnaker snapped and our brand new spinnaker came tumbling down. This left us down to our 2 trusty headsails and we still had over 2000 miles to sail...... Add to this an almost complete lack of fish (4 in total in a 5 week passage!) and I can safely say we were all ready to set foot on land in the Marquesas!<br />
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Another thing we have noticed in the Pacific is that the weather forecasts have been invariably wrong and the winds have almost always been stronger than predicted, often from a completely different direction (see the answer below on danger)<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette </b><br />
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Maintain a good look out at all times and keep your radio on. Be ready to assist fellow cruisers and seafarers. We often came across fishermen as we cruised the Tanzania coastline who needed some kind of assistance, such as a tow due to broken outboard motors etc. On one occasion when we were heading to southern Tanzania for a bathymetric survey to study the reefs around Songo Songo island as part of the environmental impact study for the gas pipeline project, we stopped at Okuza island for a walk. We came across a huddled group of fishermen whose livelihood was catching and drying octopus. We soon discovered that they were stranded without water, as their supply boat hadn't shown up. As we had a watermaker onboard we offered to fill some jerry cans for them and immediately they came running over with at least 20x20 litre drums! We gave them over 200 litres of water and took one of them to the next island south where he was able to get further assistance. More recently, here in Fiji, a cruiser had run onto a reef and put out a Mayday call. We were about 5NM away at the time and changed course so we could assist.<br />
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<b>What piece(s) of gear would you leave on the dock next time? Why? </b><br />
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Because we built our catamaran for chartering we were talked into installing a dishwasher and a bar fridge, neither of which we ever used, so they became storage areas and we eventually gave them away in Africa and built in some large storage drawers instead. When we had a charter and wanted cold drinks we kept them in a cooler box on deck with ice blocks which we rotated from our freezer. As we had been based for a number of years in Tanzania prior to building the boat, we built Amarula as a stand-alone operation to operate as a charter vessel.<br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising? </b><br />
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<i>Eric</i>: Max. 45'. Priority of importance: 2 oversize anchors with minimum 100 metres chain and good anchor winch plus extra rode, robust auto helm, fish finder with portable hand-held depth sounder (Hondex PS-7), plenty of solar and wind to run large fridge/ freezer, good sail wardrobe (including headsail, staysail, mainsail, code zero/ spinnaker), enclosed cockpit/ wheelhouse for comfortable cruising in all weather, good stowage, Hard bottom dinghy with mimimum 9.8HP for river and reef exploration trips.<br />
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<b>What type of watch schedule do you normally use while offshore? </b><br />
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With just 2 of us we tend to do 3 - 4 hour watches usually starting around 1900 - 2300 (Lynne), 2300 - 0300 (Eric), 0300 - 0600 (Lynne), 0600 ~ (Eric). On the few occasions where we have had extra crew on long passages we do 3 hour watches.<br />
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<b>Have you ever felt in danger and if so, what was the source? </b><br />
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On passage we have generally picked our weather windows well and been fortunate to have some excellent downwind runs. On a couple of occasions we have run into unpleasant squalls of 40+ knots or so. For example, despite all the forecasts showing light winds from the NW we hit 40 knot squalls from the SE when we were heading from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus in French Polynesia and had to heave to for a few hours - our first time ever. Back in 2002 we did a marine research charter to Aldabra and Cosmoledo islands in the Seychelles and we found ourselves sailing/ motoring head on into the first named cyclone to form above 10 degrees south and we took a battering. Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury of being in a position to plan this passage, as this was a commercial charter that we had committed to. It also demonstrates the importance of timing your passages.<br />
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As for other kinds of dangers, when we were at anchor in Taganga Bay, Colombia, in November 2015, we were unfortunately boarded by armed pirates and robbed at gun & knife point. Meanwhile, we spent many years cruising up and down the coast of East Africa without any unpleasant incidents and in fact we had some of our most memorable experiences in that region. <br />
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<b>How much does cruising cost? </b><br />
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Again, this is a question that every cruiser would have a different answer for. Some people do it on an absolute shoe string budget never eating or drinking ashore at bars and restaurants, never taking tours or hiring cars or staying in marinas, others go all out and use cruising as a way to travel from country to country and base there, then experience just about everything that country has to offer including staying in marinas, going on shore based excursions etc. When we closed off our business in Tanzania and set off cruising we had a very healthy stock market portfolio and felt ready to take on the world and see and experience each new country to the max. In our first couple of years cruising during the GFC, we lost a huge portion of our portfolio and have been shoestring cruisers ever since! However we have had many incredible experiences and have met some fantastic people.<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way? </b> <br />
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Go with the wind. Relax and enjoy, rather than try to rush to meet schedules and be prepared to change your plans. We also really enjoy exploring anchorages off the beaten track and especially meeting and getting to know local people.<br />
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<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b> <br />
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There are so many reasons. Probably the most common being age/ health/ mobility issues, finances, time for a new challenge, end of a circumnavigation and grandchildren coming along! One thing we have noticed is that many cruisers go on to become land cruisers. Perhaps we will in the not too distant future...... But one idea that we are tossing around, now that we're almost done with cruising and much closer to home is to offer 'educational retreats' onboard for wannabe/ soon to be offshore cruisers - a kind of 'try before you buy' situation where people can come and test out the lifestyle, ask questions, learn the ropes so to speak - we'd love to hear from anyone who may be keen to try something like this and we can be contacted via our <a href="http://amarulasail.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>Eric</i>: Would you circumnavigate again? Yes!<br />
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<i>Lynne</i>: Would you like to continue living this lifestyle? Absolutely! </div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-10036133315403880382017-09-18T02:00:00.000-07:002017-09-18T04:50:02.492-07:0010 Questions for Blowin Bubbles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kyle and Shelley Benger left Canada on Canada Day (July 1) 2014 aboard SV Blowin Bubbles a 45' Dufour CT12000 hailing from Hamilton, ON, Canada.<br />
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They left Lake Ontario via the Erie Canal and entered the Atlantic Ocean at New York City. They then sailed down the eastern USA to Cuba, and then the Caribbean. They traversed the Panama Canal in February 2016 and are currently in Fiji.<br />
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You can read more about their cruise on <a href="http://benger.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">their blog</a> and about the educational charity they run while they are cruising on <a href="http://righttowriteministry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this site</a>.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat</b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: The best - The sturdiness of it. I believe we would give up long before the boat would. And it is paid for! The least - 30 year old boat so constantly something to fix.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: Pilothouse ketch design, can stay dry and helm from inside if needed and the sails are small enough for me to handle on my own. The least - is that the paint and engine are getting old - that means money output.<br />
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<b>Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising? </b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: A windvane but it was just too expensive and complicated given the design of our boat.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: We completely refit the boat for two years before leaving so all my wishes were granted. The only thing I can think of is the Toughbook computers we now use. We broke a couple laptops before realizing these were a way better option.<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you?</b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: People anchoring too close. It is like the store parking lots at home, you purposely park way away and walk and come back and someone is right beside you.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: What I call "Grotty Yachties". Everyone warned about locals in certain places but they did not warn you that a lot of theft comes from sailors who "shop" at your boat. <br />
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<b>Finish this sentence. "Generally when I am provisioning..."</b><br />
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<i>Kyle:</i> That is Shelley's job.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: I feel like I can find everything I need. And am always interested to try local foods.<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette</b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: Be respectful with your dingy around other boats. They make wakes too. Someone in the boat you are making jump around might be cooking with hot oil or down working in the engine compartment uncomfortably already.<br />
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<i>Shelley:</i> Leave a long painter on your dingy at dingy docks and NEVER side tide to the dingy dock.<br />
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<i>Both of us</i>: Learn flag etiquette It is really rude to fly a giant pirate, state or country flag of your own above the flag of the host country you are in <br />
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<b>In your experience how often do you think cruisers spend sailing vs. motoring, coastally vs. on passage?</b><br />
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<i>Kyle and Shelley:</i> We sail 90 % on passages. If we start going slower than 3 kn we start the engine. But we use those opportunities to make water and/or charge things. We are in the South Pacific and here people seem to wait for wind. Fuel is often hard to get. It we just want to move a hour or two we will use it as a water making run.<br />
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why?</b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Islands because it was the first time I had felt welcomed by locals as one of their own, not as a tourist. They were the most giving caring souls and made me think that was what I left home for.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: Tuamotus Atolls in French Polynesia because they were my first real Pacific experience. I am a Newfoundland girl, east coast Canada. These atolls were the stuff dreams were made of and they were full of pearls!<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?</b><br />
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<i>Kyle</i>: Fatty Goodlanders books were the best for me. Many of the cruising sources were dated but he is still living this life. Unfortunately countries rules and things change constantly. Noonsite is a great source.<br />
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<i>Shelley</i>: Being "girlie" I read about provisioning and such. My best read was The Boat Galley Cookbook. I was very worried about getting enough supplies in remote places but I was reminded by others that people eat everywhere. And a watermaker is essential in the South Pacific.<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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<i>Kyle and Shelley</i>: We researched a lot, read, watched videos. Took weather courses and sailing courses. We sailed a 36 ft sloop on the great lakes for 10 years before we left. So we felt pretty prepared.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>What kind of cruiser are you? </i><br />
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We have found there are some very diverse groups of people out here. Some for a set period of time or purpose. We have met:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>wealthy retirees</li>
<li>single handlers </li>
<li>families</li>
<li>younger 20-30 somethings - friends or couples</li>
<li>bucket list people on a time line of some kind</li>
<li>rally joiners</li>
<li>couples age 40+ </li>
</ul>
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We are full time cruisers with no house to return to and no set timeline. We are totally committed to this life!<br />
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<i>Where is your time spent?</i><br />
<br />
Over the past three years. We have spent 70% time moored or anchored. 10% of our time at sea and 20% of our time in a marina at dock. </div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-1005936637977450962017-09-04T02:00:00.000-07:002017-09-04T02:00:26.079-07:0010 Questions for Sunstone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1wCob2yH4kJirppuUR8Nio6euTiSpjuo_wlukyXDU7riU0hXQn9XE9VfUV2pqA-DeE5wqWJCR2qi10kMNnCnfuKOwTfF31sHXUbKcMlCd5yZnRfJx_uP10qvo4iLC9UbSs5jeUD8k71b/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1wCob2yH4kJirppuUR8Nio6euTiSpjuo_wlukyXDU7riU0hXQn9XE9VfUV2pqA-DeE5wqWJCR2qi10kMNnCnfuKOwTfF31sHXUbKcMlCd5yZnRfJx_uP10qvo4iLC9UbSs5jeUD8k71b/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a>Tom and Vicky Jackson cruised from 1997 until 2015 aboard Sunstone a 1965 McGruer built, S&S designed one-off - timber-built with a varnished hull - hailing from Nelson, New Zealand.<br />
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They describe their route as "too complicated to describe generally". It goes: UK, Spain, Canaries, Caribbean, New England, Nova Scotia, ICW, Bahamas, Panama, Galapagos, French Poly, Cooks, Niue, Tonga, Fiji, NZ, Aus, New Cal, Vanuatu, Aus, NZ, French Poly, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Easter Is, Chile, Falklands, Argentina, Brazil, Argentina, S. Africa, Aus, NZ, Vanuatu, New Cal, NZ, Fiji, Wallis, Tuvalu, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Guam, Japan, Aleutians, Canada, Hawaii, Samoa, NZ, Marshall Is, Aleutians, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Tonga, NZ. Also lots of offshore racing among the cruising, including the Bermuda Race, Sydney-Hobart, Swiftsure, Round North Island and Round New Zealand.<br />
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They say: "<i>We did lots (about 50,000 miles) of cruising as well as offshore racing in NW Europe before we actually stopped work and left to go long-term cruising, which was in 1997. Our last long cruise ended in 2015 and we are now shore-based, but we intend to continue cruising in the South Pacific.</i>"<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.sunstonesailing.com/" target="_blank">website</a> or by <a href="mailto:sunstonesailing@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a>.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?</b><br />
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We don't really feel this question has a useful answer at least not in terms of significant differences or contrasts. For us a more useful comparison is between temperate and tropical or semi-tropical cruising - or perhaps between wilderness cruising and cruising in more inhabited areas. Certainly the contrast between the latter two is sharp. Wilderness cruising, whether in the Aleutians, Patagonia or the Line Islands is demanding in terms of preparation, navigation, sailing/anchoring skills and, most of all, self-reliance. In temperate zones there is also the volatility of the weather. These are in contrast to cruising in more inhabited areas, where the availability of service and support is much greater and thus the demands on cruisers generally less.<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about navigating is…” </b><br />
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'The eyes have it!' Whatever electronic means you have, eyes are the most important navigating instrument you have. If things look wrong they almost certainly are, so . . . 'If in doubt, turn about.' Go back the way you came until you have worked out the right and safe course. Oh, also 'Two navigators are better than one.'<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? </b><br />
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Pirates. Pirates are the muggers of the sea. They can kill you or rob you just like muggers, but there are far fewer of them and they only operate in fairly well known areas. Avoid those areas and it is very unlikely you will ever see a pirate. You are far more likely to be mugged, injured or robbed ashore somewhere.<br />
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<b>And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should? </b><br />
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Having poor quality sails and not knowing how to use them! Cruisers should race. Racing teaches you not only how to make your boat go quickly in a variety of conditions, it also teaches you about boat handling under sail in conditions you might actually avoid if cruising, namely light and heavy air and tight situations with other boats. These are also necessary skills for a cruiser. Too many cruisers spend a lot of money on devices to make living aboard more like living on land - and then they skimp on sails, buying second-hand or poor quality sails. In fact, many cruisers have little understanding of what constitutes a good, well-made sail which will stand up to tens of thousands of miles of use and still have a shape which will adequately drive the boat to windward when that is essential.<br />
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Many potential and novice cruising couples do not adequately consider what demands will be made and changes will occur in their relationship to each other. Before heading off on a cruise few couples have spent 24 hours a day, every day with each other in a constantly changing and potentially risk-filled environment. In shore-based life most of us can spread our anxieties, frustrations and tantrums across a range of colleagues and friends as well as our partner. That is not the case when crossing oceans in a small boat. Achieving a complementary balance and trust in your relationship is essential and at first it may be hard work. Many apparently stable long-term relationships founder and sink under the demands of the cruising life. However, many others thrive and grow on the development of new skills, the stronger need for trust and the shared sense of achievement in the face of novelty, risk and difficulties.<br />
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<b>What is your most common sail combination on passage? </b><br />
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This depends so much on the nature of the passage that there can be no single answer. When down-wind passage-making in trade wind conditions we normally use the mainsail held with a preventer and a 125% genoa held to windward by an over-length spinnaker pole. In stable, broad reaching conditions, we often also set our inner jib (non-overlapping, but bigger and further forward than a cutter staysail) to leeward on its Solent stay. However, when the wind is forward of the beam and over 15 knots (true, not apparent) we mostly use our inner jib with any reefs which might be necessary in the main. As we do a lot of cruising in temperate waters, we use the latter configuration a good deal. As we always stand our watches on deck, fully dressed for the weather, we are able to reef early when conditions require it. We generally reef or change head-sail single-handed unless conditions are very bad. 'Sunstone' is set up to make this easy. We very rarely use our genoa part-rolled, but rather change to our jib if conditions require it.<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
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We are not really aware of any one 'cruising culture'. There are many different styles of and attitudes to cruising and the different styles diverge markedly. What we look for in other cruisers whom we like and respect are curiosity, openness, friendliness, honesty and, most of all, a desire, determination and ability to be self-reliant. Though we don't condemn them for it, we are puzzled by cruisers who actually don't much like sailing and have little interest in improving their ability to sail. These tend to be the same cruisers for whom cruising is just another form of travel. They reach New Zealand, park the boat and buy a car, rather than actually cruising the country.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat.</b><br />
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'Sunstone' was our home for over 30 years, so picking out one thing we particularly like about her is almost impossible. High on the list is that she takes care of us. Some boats require constant, expert attention to perform well or even keep you safe. 'Sunstone' responds to such attention, but does not require it. In conditions when we are cold, wet, tired, hungry and even a little frightened, 'Sunstone' reassures and takes care of us. This is partly the nature of her design, whose compromises have made her just about perfect for the different kinds of sailing which we have done. These include serious racing and long-term cruising as well as living aboard, while working full time at 'suit jobs' in a temperate climate. 'Sunstone' is a very sound, strongly built yacht with a sea-kindly motion, even in storm conditions.<br />
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Unfortunately, one of the compromises which makes 'Sunstone's' design so good for living aboard, her accommodation arrangement below, requires an offset companion way; this makes it impossible to mount an effective dodger which would give protection in the cockpit. Cruising on 'Sunstone' requires several very good sets of foul-weather gear as well as a tolerance for being wet and cold! <br />
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<b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often?</b><br />
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No gear on 'Sunstone' breaks often!! In the last 20 years we have cruised about 150,000 miles. During that time we have only had to wait in port once for repairs (engine gear box). There are three fundamental keys to avoiding breakages: buy the best you can afford; keep it simple; maintain it. Listening to other cruisers the items which most commonly keep them in port are: gen sets, autopilots, installed refrigeration and water-makers. 'Sunstone' has none of these. The closest we come is a small camper fridge which we can do without quite happily if we have to. Otherwise, the fundamentals of engine, rig and sails can be the cause of problems. All three can be kept going by regular inspection and maintenance. Our small Yanmar engine has done 10,000 hours in 19 years without a rebuild, despite being used as our primary power generator. How often do most cruisers go aloft to inspect their rigs or replace rigging wire? In the tropics, rigging wire should probably be replaced every seven or eight years. Rigs need inspection after any heavy blow, before any long passage and then after it. Sails need regular inspection and 'a stitch in time saving nine' or more likely 100! If a piece of gear seems prone to breakage or failure, there may well be something wrong with the way it is used or its suitability for purpose. If a piece of gear is inevitably subject to constant abuse, like the heads pump, carry a spare which is always ready as a replacement.<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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How to catch fish and how to stay warm sailing in the Bering Sea.<br />
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<b>What do you enjoy about cruising that you didn't expect to enjoy? </b><br />
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Having our faith in the fundamental goodness of human nature reinforced!<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it? </b><br />
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After living afloat for 35 years, we suppose that we expected to be asked (as we often are), <i>how different it is to live ashore or how we've adapted to the change</i>. We guess that the most fundamental answer to the latter question is that if you weren't adaptable before living afloat and cruising, that life is likely to make you adaptable. Moving ashore and buying our first house to live in after 41 years of marriage has just been another adventure - and we still feel at home when aboard 'Sunstone'.<br />
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The other bigger question is <i>what made us start it all in the first place</i>. Why would we choose to live first on a 31' boat and then 'Sunstone' while pursuing responsible jobs. At first the answer was easy. We couldn't afford both a boat and a house. We had to have a boat, so we didn't have a house. But there was more to it than that, because we did actually have our own version of a pre-nup: we both agreed that the only basis on which we would get married was if we lived on a boat. From the very first we agreed that if we really wanted something, we would pay the price. We wanted to go sailing as much as possible. If the price was living in cramped, damp, cold quarters with no appliances, TV, stereo, running water or shower, we would pay the price. We even decided to live that way ashore for the few years while we saved enough for our first boat. We learned to live without 'stuff'. Paying the price has got us the life we wanted. And in the circular way that all things so often work out, what we got, namely 'Sunstone', has shaped not only our sailing lives, but the whole nature of our lives together. 'Sunstone' has taught us a lot and helped us to learn about each other.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-30035593327191399002017-08-28T02:00:00.000-07:002017-08-28T02:00:20.613-07:0010 Questions for Amandla<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Captain Fabio Mucchi & First Mate Lisa Dorenfest are currently cruising aboard Amandla a Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 473 hailing from London, UK although Fabio is Italian and Lisa is American.<br />
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Fabio started cruising in 2001, Lisa in 2011, and they have been cruising together as a team since 2013.<br />
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Fabio cruised the Mediterranean on the first Amandla (a Beneteau Oceanis 381) from 2001-2003. He crossed the Atlantic in the current Amandla in 2005 and spent 6 years cruising the Caribbean, South, Central America, US East Coast, Bahamas. Lisa sailed in from The Netherlands across the Atlantic in 2011.<br />
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In February 2013, Lisa joined Fabio on Amandla in Isla Mujeres Mexico. From there, they sailed from Florida to Hawaii via Panama, Galapagos, and French Polynesia. From Hawaii they sailed to New Zealand, spending another season in the islands before arriving in Australia.They have since cruised from Australia to Thailand where they plan a refit in preparation for an Indian Ocean crossing in 2018.<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on Lisa's <a href="http://lisadorenfest.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> or by reading Fabio's <a href="http://www.frangente.com/libri/5120-art-Amandla.htm" target="_blank">book</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>We are both cancer survivors.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Lisa was diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer in the middle of her Yachtmaster program in England in 2011. She returned to the sea a week after undergoing a lumpectomy to complete her Yachtmaster Program and cross the Atlantic as Watch Lead. Her cancer returned while she was working in NYC in 2012 and she had a mastectomy prior to setting off across the Pacific in early 2013. She has been cancer free since August 2012. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Fabio returned home to Italy after closing his boat for the season in Guatemala in 2011 and was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was treated from November 2011 through January 2012. After a lengthy recover, he returned to Amandla in November 2012 to prepare for a Pacific crossing that commenced in early 2013. His cancer metastasized in 2015 requiring a liver resection in New Zealand. He captained Amandla from New Zealand to Fiji 45 days after surgery. In late 2015, the cancer resurfaced in several lymph nodes, requiring four rounds of chemotherapy in Sydney. He has been cancer free since April 2016.</i>"<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about passage planning is…”</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: “The only certainty is that our plans will change”. As a career project manager, it was initially difficult for me to adjust to the fluidity of sailing plans. Their mercurial nature is teaching me to live in the moment and take things as they come. The most important thing is to be prepared with contingencies when things don’t go according to plan (e.g. ‘what if the weather turns bad when we are scheduled to depart to meet guests in another port’? We now know the answer is ‘defer travel until weather permits’. Our guests can either come to us or wait until the weather allows us to get to them).<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: Prepare your passage for the best weather time of the year. Do not cross during or just before or after the end of hurricane season. Early or late season hurricanes are a possibility. Check your spare parts list and add if necessary. Only you know the state of your boat and can guess what might break.<br />
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<b>Having been in both the Atlantic and the Pacific (and Indian) oceans, how do they compare?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: The Pacific is big. One leg in the Pacific (Galapagos to the Gambier over 21 days) took longer than an entire Atlantic crossing. The Pacific requires much more self-sufficiency: adequate provisions and replacements aren’t readily available. You need to come with deep stores and sufficient knowledge to troubleshoot issues as they arise with minimal assistance. The Pacific is called the Coconut Milk Run, but for us, it was more like a Milk Shake. The weather was far more predicable in the Atlantic due to the extent of sea traffic piloting its waters and providing feedback to weather services. The Pacific was far more likely to throw us surprises. When a grib file was showing ‘oooo’ winds in an area, we found that meant ‘watch out, we have no idea what is going on here, but it promises to be strong and swirling. Reef! ‘<br />
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Our experience in the Indian to date has generally been a windless one although we sailed more than expected in Indonesia (40%!!!). But we have only just begun this Ocean and understand there are many challenges ahead.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: Crossing the Atlantic East to West is relatively easy. The Pacific raises the bar. Aside from lengthy passages, difficult weather and less accurate forecasting, some areas like Tuamotus require you to learn new skills including entering narrow passes with strong tidal current and anchoring among coral heads. In Fiji we encountered unmarked reefs. Some other areas are not accurate on charts. The crossing from Tonga to NZ either way can be treacherous. It is a continuous learning process<br />
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<b>What is the most important attribute for successful cruising? </b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: You have to really want to be here. It is not always unicorns and rainbows: sometimes it can be a real nightmare. As the old adage goes ‘cruising means fixing boats in exotic places’. The list of repairs can seem endless. And given the tight quarters and lack of alone time, a year’s partnership at sea is equivalent to a 10 years partnership on-land. But even in my darkest moments, I always choose to remain in this life, to complete my dream of circumnavigating the world under sail. At its worst, it is better than sitting around wishing I was living my dream. And at its best, there is nothing comparable.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: Be always vigilant. Do not rely on your instruments only. Keep your eyes open. Do not take unnecessary risks, reef early. Don’t be afraid to change your plans, to change your route to turn back and abort if necessary.<br />
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Always be prepared for injuries on board. It may never happen (so far so good) but a good First Aid Course could save a life. Have a good pharmacy on board and learn basic techniques<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: ‘The boat will never be perfect enough, my knowledge will never be deep enough, the time just never seems quite right’…but it is. Cruisers should be most worried about never leaving the dock.<br />
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Throw-off the bowlines… you’ll be glad you did.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: What she said.<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: The best thing about the cruising culture is that it is generally supportive, friendly and welcoming. Everyone is willing to share information and pitch in to get another out of a bind. I’ve made some amazing friends out here. The worst thing about the cruising culture is that it can be just like any other. Cliques sometimes form, there are people with strong opinions about ‘what a cruiser should and shouldn’t be’, and in spite of the exposure to multiple cultures, a few sailors remain surprisingly prejudiced. It isn’t some magical wonderland where everyone is all the same and everyone gets along with everyone else ‘all the time’, feeling nothing but love. You will find all kinds out here. I simply chose to deal with these normal life challenges in an anchorage rather than a cul-de-sac.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: in some areas of the Caribbean like Georgetown, Bahamas, hundreds of boat spend the full season without picking up the anchor. This is not sailing, it is like parking yourself in an RV campsite. Too much booze at parties too, it becomes the link for socializing.<br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: While at sea, I love our boat and wouldn’t change a thing (except for adding a washing machine). But at anchor, I do envy those roomy catamarans with all of their storage and entertainment. And what I would give for a crewed, 72-foot mono-hull with a walk-in engine room…maybe next time around.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i> : In part, it depends from your budget. I chose a 48ft for the added comfort. It is long enough for blue water passages but not too big to sail solo. Electric winches, bow thruster, full batten main, lots of chain (we have 360ft) water-maker, SSB HF radio, solar panels and wind generator, AIS transponder, forward sonar, and plenty of navigation back up (4 computers, 2 iPads, 2 plotters) to sail safely paperless.<br />
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<b>What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: A washing machine<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: Satellite dome for Internet but it should come with a free unlimited connection too.<br />
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<b>What type of watch schedule do you normally use while offshore?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: Captain 0600: 1200, First Mate 1200: 1800, Captain 1800-2100, sometimes 1800-2200, First Mate 2100 (or 2200): 0000, Captain 0000-0300, First Mate 0300-0600 ….my favorite watch, the only time I am up to see the sunrise.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: Like she said<br />
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<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxCAPbxOK7QUOyQv8_MlBh9zkRXWcRVLWpFhVYmY7p6E5haLw-56sc7owuXKuNjmiOGKx17OqID2EBLXvMfKv0SNZmg_gpwrHjGsfO07lvIVDSaj83AktIXExd3KTVapxBMlRxbFmTIks/s1600/SydneyHarbour_Australia+%2528c%2529+Fabio+Mucchi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxCAPbxOK7QUOyQv8_MlBh9zkRXWcRVLWpFhVYmY7p6E5haLw-56sc7owuXKuNjmiOGKx17OqID2EBLXvMfKv0SNZmg_gpwrHjGsfO07lvIVDSaj83AktIXExd3KTVapxBMlRxbFmTIks/s320/SydneyHarbour_Australia+%2528c%2529+Fabio+Mucchi.jpeg" width="320" /></a><i>Lisa</i>: Initially, admittedly, it was more about the goal of circumnavigating the world under sail as quickly as possible and then getting back to building my career in New York City. The Captain managed to slow me down and build excitement about other sailing grounds (we are now strongly considering The Magellan Strait and beyond after Brazil rather than returning home). I always had a desire to vagabond, but I thought I would do it in short spurts with long career stints in between. I’ve now been out here for four years and expect to have many years of travel under sail in front of me.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: I like a mix of both. I am more a slow cruiser. I enjoy living and getting to know places and people. But the first year with Lisa we sailed 11,000 nm in one season<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>Lisa</i>: <u>Do I need my own boat to go cruising</u>? Nope. There are several sites with boats looking for individual crew or crew couples. I list many of them on my website on my ‘Sailing Links’ page. Even if your long-term goal is to sail on your own boat, crewing for others is a great way to get experience and build sea miles.<br />
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<i>Fabio</i>: <u>Do I regret my choice to be a full time live aboard</u>? Absolutely not. I have been doing it since December 2005 and I cannot imagine living on land for extended periods of time, at least for the time being.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-51117456800060534612017-08-21T02:00:00.000-07:002017-08-21T02:00:04.121-07:0010 Questions for Tranquility Bay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Scott, Kimberly and their ship cat Allie have been cruising since 2005 aboard SV Tranquility Bay, a 38' aluminum Groupe Finot Reve d'Antilles hailing out of Detroit, MI, USA. They have spent the last twelve years sailing up and down the east coast of America and throughout the Caribbean.<br />
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They say: "From the glass towers of NYC to the steamy jungles of the Banana Republics, we've been pondering escapism and searching for a more connected and meaningful way of life.<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise at their <a href="http://www.sailingtranquilitybay.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/Sailing%20Tranquility%20Bay" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>.<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat</b><br />
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We take it for granted that our boat is incredibly strong. It always brings us feelings of security when the going gets rough. Something that appeals to us more regularly, however, is it's uniqueness. A lot of people – especially in the States – don't know what to make of it. It may as well be a spaceship with its unpainted aluminum topsides and bubble. People are usually very surprised when they come inside and settle into its cozy wood interior.<br />
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Our least favorite thing about our boat is that it is often difficult to go unnoticed. Its rugged fishing boat-like appearance has always appealed to us because in our minds it has a simple look, and not a yachty one. When we arrived in Panama, however, where most of the indigenous population paddles dugout canoes, it was hard to ignore the frequent amazement of many of the locals. They pound on the side grinning and say, “Aluminio!” Then they chuckle about scrap prices and the equivalent amount of recycled cans that they'd have to collect to make as much money as they could get by cutting off a chunk of our hull. Sometimes they make us nervous.<br />
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<b>What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free?</b><br />
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We'd love to have a set of lithium batteries. They're so light weight and put out so much juice. It would be a huge boon to our cruising comfort and if we ever ended up shipwrecked, we'd be carrying our own extensive prescription for depression. However, considering that lithium is a limited resource and witnessing the roadblocks faced by the electric car industry, we don't have fuzzy feelings about any big changes coming soon. But we'd sell our soul for a set of those babies! (hello sponsors?)<br />
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<b>In your experience, how often do you think cruisers spend sailing vs. motoring, coastally vs. on passage?</b><br />
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The percentage of motoring vs. actual sailing is hard to know, but what we certainly can say from our own experience is that there is a lot of impatience in the world. If you've just abandoned a thirty-year mortgage or walked away from an unfulfilling career and hopped aboard a sailboat, it can be hard to restrain your excitement. The wind isn't blowing, but you're anxious for the 'real' adventure to begin so you crank up the iron genny and head off, despite a forecast of glassy calm. Or in our own case, you start out making the mistake of jumping at the first stormy opportunity, puff out your chest and call yourselves 'real' sailors. Then you take a severe beating, and spend the next week shore-side looking for parts to replace everything you broke.<br />
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We see a lot of people out here trying to girdle the globe during one year sabbaticals. We also see lots of retirees deep into the final chapter of their lives – frequently complaining about there being “too much wind this year.” Of course people that have been out traveling longer tend to be tuned in closer to Mother Nature's frequencies, but really, the true percentages of sailing/motoring are all over the map. I don't think there is a science or study to accurately describe what percentage at any given time choose to motor or sail. Maybe chaos theory?<br />
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Spending days on end deafened by a throbbing engine, and enveloped in a cloud of soot isn't so magical. On the other hand, beating your brains back and forth and not making it into an anchorage before dark just to lay claim to some kind of sailing prowess certainly isn't smart either. Everybody wants to paint the perfect picture of their sail through paradise, but sometimes, you just have to eat it – with torn sails or a bruised ego. So … .. . 50/50???<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you?</b><br />
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There is always a lot of talk about the cruising community. The number of people actually going someplace in their boats is probably equivalent to the population of a small town, so it seems like a fitting analogy. It's remarkable how often we cross paths with the same people flitting about on sailboats.<br />
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We've had friends on boats deliver generous loads of medical and school supplies to third world villages. We've met crazy wandering gypsies that have told us stories about parts of the globe that we've never heard of. We've also met folks on shore that have welcomed us with open arms thanks to the many ambassadors of good will that have traveled before us. And then, there are the Hamburger Cruisers.<br />
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There are a lot of Hamburger Cruisers out here. Most of them are pretty friendly. Don't get us wrong, many of them have been wonderful to us, but it often seems that their main priority is to eat hamburgers in every country they visit. On an extended progressive dinner party, Hamburger Cruisers travel great lengths, at great expense and discomfort, seemingly, only to find their next patty. Sometimes, however, when there are no burgers to be found – things can get ugly.<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvrLB-nH0zFHEAc3W0z4_hRAhuCEwlQLreOHGGTsGED7RZ6ToutW6ikWFtFAphKNfV1_IXismFJ8LJsWTwM5bNCe-xngR2TbdIA3ZQTml1Pj4y4-489E-029OD-0z8zqJhOQ2KznFCeR5/s1600/SailingBahamas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvrLB-nH0zFHEAc3W0z4_hRAhuCEwlQLreOHGGTsGED7RZ6ToutW6ikWFtFAphKNfV1_IXismFJ8LJsWTwM5bNCe-xngR2TbdIA3ZQTml1Pj4y4-489E-029OD-0z8zqJhOQ2KznFCeR5/s400/SailingBahamas.jpg" width="400" /></a>Slow down and open yourself up to new experiences beyond sampling some local food and taking a tour. Ask yourself why you've signed up for this adventure. We often meet new people trying out life on a sailboat that think they're subscribing to some kind of special 'lifestyle' that they've caught a glimpse of on YouTube, but living and traveling on a boat isn't easy. It takes awhile just to get comfortable with your floating home and develop an understanding for how things work.<br />
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We've lost count of the number of times we've met cruisers committed to crazy accelerated plans – things like two year circumnavigations. They often have scarcely enough time to even say hello, much less keep their boat together before rushing off to the next spot. From what we've seen, it's a horrible way to see the world. What is the sense of traveling thousands of miles at great expense and a snails pace, only to do a waterfall tour and head off to the next place?<br />
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<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b><br />
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Probably the most common reason we find people bailing out early is that they've discovered traveling by sailboat was much more difficult and uncomfortable than they had imagined. It never occurred to them what it might feel like to get beat up for days on end. It continuously amazes us how many people – young and old – we watch head out for the first time after lengthy preparation, only to call it quits after they've had their first rough experience. Old age, and difficulties coping with the simple drudgery of operating a boat and living on it is another reason. Sometimes, the missus just wants to be with her grandchildren.<br />
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why?</b><br />
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It's hard to pin down one place, but we do have fond memories of our time in Venezuela. We entered the country shortly after their president called ours the devil. Despite some positive reports we heard before departing Grenada, we had reservations. More than one couple tried to convince us that “Hugo Chaves will confiscate your boat.” While we thought this was foolish, we did debate flying a Canadian flag to save face. Later, we thought that was foolish as well.<br />
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The Venezuelans were some of the friendliest people we've met in our travels, and the diverse scenery there was otherworldly. There was a serious crime problem everywhere we went, but thanks to a howling black market currency exchange, we remained somewhat blind to the dangers. Trading a personal check for a backpack full of money was unbelievably exciting. It was like living in the old Wild West.<br />
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Over the coarse of a year, we rode a towering wave of economic collapse. Fuel was thirty cents a gallon – delivered. To our surprise, in addition to discovering that Venezuela was indeed a democracy, we learned that the island of Margarita was full of top notch shopping centers where we loaded up with goods at pennies on the black market dollar. We filled shopping cart after shopping cart full of quality liquors, exotic brands of chocolate and giant wheels of cheese. Lomito, Spanish for tenderloin, cost less than ground chuck, so we ate it like hamburger.<br />
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We had a great time in Venezuela, and we've never regretted taking advantage of the economic situation there. We were even given free health care as visitors. What's most interesting, however, are people's reactions to our stories about this amazing place. We tell stories of many of our friends that still live there, and of all of the starving Venezuelans – still being crushed by the world oil economy. But the most striking response we ever get back at home is, “gas only cost thirty cents a gallon?!?!”<br />
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<b>Over the time that you have been cruising has the world of cruising changed?</b><br />
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Venezuela seems to no longer be an option for cruisers. It is now the world's largest remaining oil reserve – and an economic war zone.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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People that tell us, “it must be nice to live like you do.” They say it as if they themselves have somehow been cursed. It drives us crazy how people complain about their hectic lives in America. They often hear only what they want to from our stories. We fish. We swim in paradise. We drink cocktails at every sunset.<br />
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After meeting so many happy families that live in palm thatched huts with dirt floors – people that swim in the oceans, eat fresh food out of the jungle, and breathe the fresh air – it's really hard to listen attentively to some our friends or relatives complaining incessantly about the horrible complications of their material worlds.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>So I hear you guys have started a YouTube channel, what do you hope to achieve?</i><br />
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We'd like to share what we've learned in the last twelve years of our sailing experience and inspire others to follow their dreams. Currently we are completely overhauling/reconstructing our boat to outfit it for travel to colder climates. It has always been our ambition to travel to the edge of the icepack to see with our own eyes how the world is being changed. We'd like to take anyone else interested in the conversation about the future along for the ride in hopes of increasing awareness of the current situation. Come along for the ride at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/SailingTranquilityBay" target="_blank">Sailing Tranquility Bay</a>. </div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-60902698404574011572017-08-14T02:00:00.000-07:002017-08-14T02:00:30.990-07:0010 Questions for Bella Vita<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Brett & Stacey Hoopes have been cruising since 2012 aboard SV Bella Vita, a 1995 Hylas 45.5, hailing from Seattle, WA, USA.<br />
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From Seattle, they sailed down the west coast to Mexico, then across the Pacific (French Polynesia, w, both Samoas, Tonga, NZ, Fiji) then Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia and are currently in Malaysia.<br />
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You can learn about their cruise on their <a href="http://sv-bellavita.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>I worked in the boating industry for 10 years (Marketing Manager for Fisheries Supply) and Brett worked as a Sonographer at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance before we left. While there, Brett met and cared for many vibrant people who passed away from cancer before their time – many of who had big plans and dreams for when they retired….that they never got to do. This strongly reinforced our decision to go cruising while we were still young enough to really enjoy it instead of waiting until we retired. Life is short and you never know what will happen.</i>"<br />
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<b>Tell me your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about your boat.</b><br />
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Bella Vita is an amazing boat – the perfect size (IOHO) and strong enough to withstand big seas. We’ve always felt like she could handle WAY more than we can, so probably my (Stacey’s) favorite thing is how safe I feel aboard her at sea. Brett loves how well-thought out and laid out she is. My least favorite thing is that it doesn’t have a washing machine aboard (hope to rectify that some day!) and Brett’s is that we can’t access the anchor locker from the deck.<br />
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<b>What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free?</b><br />
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<i>Brett</i>: High quality insulation around our fridge. This has been a MAJOR issue ever since we got to warmer climates. <br />
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<i>Stacey</i>: A washing machine!<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true?</b><br />
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Living in the USA, there is a lot of press devoted to how dangerous many parts of the globe are and how we should be concerned about traveling there – especially in Mexico. We’ve been out now for almost 5 years and NOT ONCE have we ever felt we were in danger (other than from Mother Nature!). We’ve been amazed by the kindness and giving nature of the majority of people we’ve met along the way. They’ve made us feel welcome in pretty much every country we’ve visited.<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should?</b><br />
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Again – people shouldn’t fear that these places will be dangerous or that people are out to steal from them. That’s not to say you should leave everything open and invite people to take advantage of you – but you shouldn’t waste time on the fear of the unknown when it comes to foreign lands. What should people worry about? THE WEATHER! Do everything you can to learn about understanding weather forecasts and how to interpret them to aid in your routing. The ability to know when to sit tight and when to GO is one of the most important parts of cruising successfully. Brett adds that you should NEVER have a timeline – it will get you into trouble every single time.<br />
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<b>Where was your favorite place to visit and why?</b><br />
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Suwarrow – hands down. You can only get there by boat, and there are only the 2 park rangers that live there – so the area is completely untouched by tourism. It was amazingly beautiful, an absolute paradise. While some cruisers complain because you are only allowed to anchor in one area, which is open to winds and filled with coral bomies – we found that it was a little slice of heaven. Beautiful, clear water filled with marine life, gorgeous huge manta rays, sharks, fish of all kinds and birds galore. We spent the full 2 weeks allowed there and only wish we could have spent more time. A close 2nd was the Tuamotos – specifically south Fakarava – which to this day had the BEST snorkeling/diving we have every experienced.<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
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<i>What we like</i>: The cruising culture is amazing. Cruisers are always willing to be there for each other – to lend a hand to help fix something, to rally around a boat in dire circumstances, or to just share a beer after a hard days work. A perfect example – while we were in Tonga our fridge stopped working and we needed new brushes. We asked for recommendations from local cruisers on the daily net – and after the net we were contacted by a boat we didn’t know (at the time) named Iolea. Paul and Kate just happened to also own a Hylas, and wondered did we happen to have a Grunert refrigeration system like theirs? It turns out they had a spare set of brushes and were happy to loan them to us until we could get new ones delivered (which of course we immediately gave to them). These two wonderful cruisers resolved our mini-crisis in a matter of hours – so fantastic! We also love that cruisers have no qualms about visiting another boat and starting a conversation with cruisers they’ve never met….and within minutes they are likely invited aboard for a tour or a refreshment just because you’re sharing an anchorage. How many people at home have no idea what the names of their neighbors are even though they’ve lived next to them for years? I love the closeness and community of cruising – you really do make friends for LIFE!<br />
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<i>What we dislike</i>: Watching some cruisers absolutely loose their sh!t with locals over something stupid because they expect the efficiencies of their home in a foreign land. There is nothing more mortifying than watching a fellow cruiser (especially when they are from your home country) behave badly with the locals. We are all ambassadors out here and should never forget to treat locals with the respect they deserve, even when things are not going to our liking. We are guests in THEIR country and should act accordingly.<br />
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<b>What type of watch schedule do you normally use while offshore?</b><br />
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During the day we don’t really have a standard schedule – whoever wants to sleep can nap as needed. At 7pm we institute a 3/4/4/3 schedule, with me (Stacey) sleeping first. If nothing is happening in the morning, I’ll let Brett sleep until he wakes up naturally. If one of us hasn’t slept well (up during their offwatch time for sail changes, etc.) we make a concerted effort to get that person the rest they need during the day. It’s important that we are BOTH functioning as well as possible, so we’ve found this works great for us – but every couple we’ve met is different. During rough weather we often shorten up the duration as 4 hours on can be exhausting in really bad weather. When you first start out it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you and your partner.<br />
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<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time?</b><br />
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While we both love to sail – we definitely are more attracted to cruising for the travel. I’ve always loved to travel, but am not fond of flying and hate living out of a suitcase – so the idea of traveling with my home was extremely appealing. We have loved the comfort of having our floating home when everything around us is constantly changing and unknown – for me, having that little bit that is familiar is really important when you are traveling full time. These days I sometimes worry that we’ve become true sea gypsies and will never be content to stay in one place for a long time ever again. I guess time will tell, but as long as we can make the money last we will continue this life for as long as we possible!<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about navigating is…”</b><br />
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Never trust your charts. Always keep an active watch near land and assume your charts can be as much as a ¼ mile off. While our charts (Navionics on our RayMarine system) have been exceptionally accurate in most places, there have been exceptions and it’s imperative to use dead reckoning and all the information you have at hand in conjunction with what the charts are telling you. We also augment our charts with a program called Ovitalmap on our iPad that allows you to download Google Earth images for offline use. It has saved our bacon more than once and is brilliant when you are cruising in areas where there are no charts at all.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>How has cruising changed you?</i><br />
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When we first left, we were completely caught up with the rush, rush, rush of city living. Time just continually flies by and before you know it another year has clicked by and nothing has really changed. But when you cruise, one of the best parts is living a slower life that is less about acquiring things, and more about acquiring experiences. It brings home the fact that the people you meet and the experiences you have with them is what life is really about. Life is nothing without love and learning – about confronting your own personal fears and moving past them, while constantly challenging your personal “safety zones”. Cruising has made us more patient and less judgmental – more understanding of adversity and how it can change people for the worse or for the better.<br />
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I think it took us a good 6 months to really start slowing down and accepting the slower pace of our new life. Having time back – to be completely in control of our own time and how we use it has been a wonderful gift. Being able to see the world on a small budget is amazing – something I never even knew was possible until we started cruising. Now that we’ve slowed down and seen so many different places, experienced so many different cultures, we’ve really begun to understand how similar we all really are at our core. We’ve seen some amazing things and completely different cultures – but at the end of the day the people we’ve met all have the same basic needs and (for the most part) the same values. They show pride in their country, love for their families, frustration with their governments, they want the ability to feed and raise their families in a safe environment, and they experience all the same feelings and frustrations we’ve experienced while living in the United States. What used to seem so amazingly different is actually almost exactly the same, no matter what the culture or religion dictates. If we could just get people who haven’t traveled to understand that, what an amazing world we would live in. </div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-69442978457278863112017-08-07T02:00:00.000-07:002017-09-16T21:41:04.245-07:0010 Questions for Journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wayne Seitz & Dana Greyson cruised from 2012 until 2017 aboard SV Journey, a 1977 Pearson 365 ketch, hailing from Portland, OR, USA (though Journey's never been there).<br />
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They bought Journey in St. Lucia and sailed up the Caribbean chain, back to Florida. From there they spent time in the Bahamas before returning to Florida, before continuing on through to the Panama Canal. They crossed the Pacific to New Zealand, then spent another season in the islands before finishing their cruise in Australia where they sold their boat.<br />
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They say: "<i>We do see ourselves returning to cruising down the road, though not likely making a trans-Pacific crossing.</i> <i>Wayne, a savvy mechanic, is still a frequent contributor to the Pearson owners forum. We're incredibly humbled by and grateful to the many Pearson owners generosity to us. I've published a number of Cruising World shorts, the most recent in June/July '17, a heartwarming story about an island dog in New Caledonia supported by cruisers via Cat Impi's GoFundMe campaign."</i><br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.galleywenchtales.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
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For the money, we still felt we did well with our Pearson 365; safety -- a solid blue water boat on a budget was our driving criteria. Journey definitely delivered. With a bigger budget, a boat with a "man cave" and a better alternative to our v-berth for sleeping would've been excellent. We were very tempted partway into our cruising to switch to a Manta 37 catamaran for its more comfortable layout, but decided it was outside our budget and felt more confident we would recoup our buying price more easily with a lower cost boat, like our Pearson. We'd still have preferred a cutter rig over a ketch. <br />
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Bottom line: better speed and more comfort would've made long passages less stressful. <br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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Get new sails -- at least a new mainsail -- before you go if you plan to do substantial cruising, even if what you have is in okay condition. We figure we spent more money fixing what what we had than we would have for new sails, and we would've sailed much more efficiently, too.<br />
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While SSBs are slowly being replaced by satellite technology, we wish we had a working SSB setup not only for safety, but also to be more connected with cruiser nets, especially for the Pacific Puddle Jump (PPJ)<br />
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Buying your boat outside the US offers greater than expected challenges when it comes to getting your boat cruise-ready (especially when it comes to getting the parts you need affordably - or at all). After we sailed to the US, we left with a LOT of spares for the rest of our journey and they served us well.<br />
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We actually did this - worked at West Marine part time to enjoy the awesome employee discount on our boat gear. We thanked West Marine every day for the gear we'd never have had the budget to buy full retail. We also got fabulous advice from Milltown Sailing club (in Everett WA), Wendy Hinman ("Tightwads on the Loose" and "Sea Trials" author) and Seattle Women in Boating. Connecting with the sailing/boating community (experienced folks who are not connected with selling you stuff) and the Pearson forum was invaluable. We also crewed on three boats before we left, which taught us some good lessons. Wayne read just about everything he could get his hands on online about cruising (including Interview with a Cruiser).<br />
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<b>What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why? </b><br />
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Our oversized Rocna anchor. We got it after our first season and slept much better after that. The only time we dragged once we got the 42lb Rocna anchor was because our windlass broke so we scarcely put down any chain.<br />
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CPT autopilot. Not fancy or integrated but incredibly more robust than other more popular wheel pilots. Incredible customer service, too.<br />
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An illegal propane instant-on hot water heater for a darned nice shower for a boat as relatively small as ours. Even in the tropics a hot shower just makes you feel more human afterward.<br />
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Iridium Go! wifi hotspot with Predict Wind. Getting accurate relatively forecasts in middle of the ocean was pretty awesome, as was keeping in touch via texting from it (the latter really helped me feel less isolated on long passages like the 32 days it took us to go from Galapagos to the French Marquesas).<br />
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Soda Stream soda machine- great way to keep drinking water interesting without having all the extra soda bottles or lugging them shore-to-ship.<br />
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<b>How much does cruising cost?</b><br />
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We paid $30,000 cash for our sturdy 1977 Pearson 365 sailboat. We chose to aim for a fairly lean cruising budget of $1500 month for everything - from boat repair, to food, customs and immigration, entertainment -- everything. In places like Fiji we had no problem coming in under budget. However extensive boat maintenance and repairs in New Zealand and overall cost of living in Australia put us over budget in those areas. We also chose to not insure our boat or carry health insurance, which we knew was risky but also prompted us to take less risks. We also trusted fate and were willing to pay out of pocket for any medical needs. We rarely stayed in marinas. On the backside, after all our import and pre-sale and commission costs (~$10K USD), we sold our boat for a net of ~$46K USD. That net included putting in some extra work to save 5% duty on the valuation price (for a US-built boat under the thanks to the US Trade Act Agreement) and selling off boat accessories (ex. Iridium Go!, life raft, backup autopilot, etc. for $3.5K) not required by Journey's new owner. Our boat sale was not really a $16K profit! We spent a significant amount of money on maintenance, repairs (<a href="http://www.galleywenchtales.com/2016/04/nz-expensive-lesson-in-marine-repair.html" target="_blank">like this one</a>) and gear well beyond $16K, and we were pretty frugal.<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you? </b><br />
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Too many long, uncomfortable passages -- and relatively speaking ours were fairly benign. Thanks to doldrums, contrary winds (often despite what was forecast), currents that behaved differently than anticipated, torn sails, etc. most passages took us longer than expected. Having a genuinely pleasant sail, however, was exceptionally rare for us. Also, with the two of us as sole crew, we missed quality time together while on long passages. There's no sleeping together when one of you always has to be on watch.<br />
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<b>What is your most common sail combination on passage? </b><br />
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Jib only, followed by main and jib. We had a mizzen which we rarely used. Our autopilot was very prone to weather helm, which led us to a very cautious approach on how much sail we put up.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)? </b><br />
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Panama's official check-in rudeness and cost soured us when we first came to the country to a point it was difficult to overcome (though Isla Contadora, our last Panama stop was a great place to relax).<br />
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Bora Bora's over-commercialization turned us off<br />
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Vanuatu's cruise-shippy Efate was also an area where it seemed little could be enjoyed for free.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)? </b><br />
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New Caledonia was a pleasant surprise, refreshing us after we'd felt somewhat burned out. The sailing was easy, anchorages plentiful and varied, with lots of well-maintained hiking trails and islands with great snorkeling. We appreciate the ease of checking in and out of most French territories and New Caledonia was no exception.<br />
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Spanish Virgins were charming, far more interesting and less commercial ashore than BVIs or USVIs<br />
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Maupiti was a sweet place, unplanned to end our stay in French Polynesia with our favorite lookout point view. We were fortunate to catch a good weather window in; we saw how nasty its narrow reef entrance can get the day after we arrived.<br />
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<b>Share a piece of cruising etiquette </b><br />
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When you socialize with other cruisers in an anchorage, consider casting your net wider to invite the whole anchorage. Make a point of at least saying "hello" and introducing yourself to other cruisers in the anchorage, even if your default is to just stick with the folks you're buddy-boating with. You never know just how much being inclusive is appreciated, or how much being left out can sting.<br />
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<b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b><br />
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In our case, we stuck to our plan, a budget enough to cover 5 years of cruising, and we were reticent to tackle the sailing challenges between Australia and the US to finish a circumnavigation. We completed our goal; even if ours was halfway around the world (others stop when they circle the whole blue marble). Missing our friends, but especially parents, especially those who don't travel and are in their late 80s and 90s, also prompted our return home -- all the more so as our budget didn't include trips home to visit friends and family. We've observed cruising parents needing to usher their children into college are one call to end cruising. Health issues, among cruisers themselves, or with other family members are prime reasons to stop cruising. An empty cruising kitty is often easier to replenish with a long break from cruising, and a return to more traditional work for a while.<br />
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Particularly for frugal cruisers like us, at some point the clarion call of a queen-sized bed you don't whack your head on when you sit up and endless hot showers is darned compelling.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it? </b><br />
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<i>What scared you? (specifically, we were often asked about "pirates" and "storms" as well as other "I wouldn't go because" questions....)</i><br />
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We never encountered pirates, because they're not that common and Noonsite offers excellent information on areas to avoid. The only time we ever got "boarded" was by <a href="http://www.galleywenchtales.com/2014/05/intruder-aboard-where-surprising.html" target="_blank">a confused homeless fellow</a> in Jacksonville FL; he left without incident.<br />
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We never encountered sustained winds of over 30 knots or sustained waves over 4 meters (and >1-2 meters were most common) - boring but true<br />
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What scared us the most was our last long passage - two seriously nasty lightening storms coming into Bundaberg Australia. The first lasted about 2 hours, followed later by a shorter lightening storm in our last few miles in. Both times, we dropped our sails, turned off our electronics and put all we could in our "Faraday cage" (oven) in anti-stat bags. We didn't get hit, but sure thought we would.<br />
Overall, we were incredibly lucky as well as well prepared. We also can't help but wonder how many other boats cruise relatively unscathed... it just doesn't make as interesting "press" but all those scary stories sure do discourage a lot of folks from ever considering even getting into a boat, much less distance cruising.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-28147676986725810512017-07-31T02:00:00.000-07:002017-09-13T21:12:32.453-07:0010 Questions for Tainui<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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John Vallentine cruised from 2005 until 2016 aboard SY Tainui, a Formosa 46 hailing from Mooloolaba, Australia. He had various crew, especially Maxine Maters, Ian Allan, & David Lucas.<br />
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You can read more about his cruise on his <a href="http://www.tainui.org/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<b>Over the time that you have been cruising, has the world of cruising changed? </b><br />
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Yes. The remote world is shrinking. We have always pursued remote cruising grounds, preferably in high latitudes where they can still be found.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq4G1DswAjTvcnwpydC-_X5KTR9zLEa-lq8ihRn6MT6YSwiaqSQJrqHG4R7jSYKJH-GNvEu7VyA7aOxM_CvI0kW3Vaom28wkytA2-EMVWjcP4u4vj3pViCJdh_4VnAshMUgQGegpsuUtQ/s1600/pics013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq4G1DswAjTvcnwpydC-_X5KTR9zLEa-lq8ihRn6MT6YSwiaqSQJrqHG4R7jSYKJH-GNvEu7VyA7aOxM_CvI0kW3Vaom28wkytA2-EMVWjcP4u4vj3pViCJdh_4VnAshMUgQGegpsuUtQ/s320/pics013.jpg" width="240" /></a><i>Follow-up question:</i> <b>Any examples of the remote world shrinking?</b><br />
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The Galapagos, Lord Howe Island, Trinidad, Tahiti, Marquesas and Cuba all come to mind.<br />
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In the Caribbean, I wish I'd been to the Windward Islands 50 years ago.<br />
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I don't want to give you the wrong impression though. We cruised many places in solitude - Patagonia, Haiti, Newfoundland, Labrador, Iceland, Faroe, Arctic Norway and Svalbard, virtually all of Russia, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. The list is still long enough for a lifetime's sailing.<br />
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<b>Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?</b><br />
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The Atlantic is excellent for high latitude cruising – Labrador, Iceland, Svalbard, Patagonia etc. But the equatorial milk runs are boring.<br />
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The Pacific islands are becoming quite crowded but even as late as 2015 we found empty places – Tuamotus, Niue, Beveridge etc. The sailing is grand if you are going downwind.<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way?</b><br />
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My favourite trick is to break my travels with trips home. It is great to leave the boat and great to return. And you can stash the boat in cyclone holes or snow-bound ports.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu7oX_f1Otumfm0j4VS54h1R9M4f853bijv4_MZAIi-prOSt_tXqQtM8A8JoPerBQrpNjuiE-R6FCS6gmpprnNlTMYrkUBZq0cn_Q59v2E0deQLF8cgTaq3RiK9vp9hWRNnhNK8fOT2FB/s1600/pics011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu7oX_f1Otumfm0j4VS54h1R9M4f853bijv4_MZAIi-prOSt_tXqQtM8A8JoPerBQrpNjuiE-R6FCS6gmpprnNlTMYrkUBZq0cn_Q59v2E0deQLF8cgTaq3RiK9vp9hWRNnhNK8fOT2FB/s200/pics011.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?</b><br />
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There are many reasons why people stop cruising. Boredom, aimlessness, financial distress and partnership breakups are all common.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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More than anything else, I am driven crazy by fleets of Bavaria and Beneteau charter boats – what Ian calls “Eurovision Song Contest” boats. These are worse in the Med, of course.<br />
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I am also very irritated by boats which run generators at night, boats which anchor stupidly too close ahead of me, and those wind generators which whistle noisily.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingYO9CtEpYohbA2MvyRL5s86g7GkNs1Lqg9yRiHG3ZrdBw4FIAyYpyJmUtrx4uyycJqGqKGnlOPEUfzLr4OqIvIz1sxBqPaZkbQsUKqQGjvwDkZHoqkKHFWwjI3dQngc0F1TwKPWyt0ds/s1600/pics010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingYO9CtEpYohbA2MvyRL5s86g7GkNs1Lqg9yRiHG3ZrdBw4FIAyYpyJmUtrx4uyycJqGqKGnlOPEUfzLr4OqIvIz1sxBqPaZkbQsUKqQGjvwDkZHoqkKHFWwjI3dQngc0F1TwKPWyt0ds/s200/pics010.jpg" width="150" /></a><b>Have you ever felt in danger and if so, what was the source? </b> <br />
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Not really. Perhaps in a southern Ocean gale when we were surfing under bare poles at 18 knots I felt we were on a bit of a knife edge but our Aries coped effortlessly.<br />
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<b>What is your most common sail combination on passage?</b><br />
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I like having the boat pulled along by the nose. Obviates the danger of broaches and gybes.<br />
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In the high latitudes, poled out storm staysail with/without poled out yankee.<br />
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In tropical grounds, poled out #1 and genniker. Sometimes with the main as well <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzr5oU7EeU7Ab1TMKiQ3bojhK-__rt2Nwt02zJzj16p9Hq-noK81ExenTc6-kGlmVml25cfRtsRl7tXCoElPBwDRCFdOOWG17KyYtfrt3uZS1rds3FgzAT0WCXcZZ1KHeqje3CS94AUiT/s1600/pics008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzr5oU7EeU7Ab1TMKiQ3bojhK-__rt2Nwt02zJzj16p9Hq-noK81ExenTc6-kGlmVml25cfRtsRl7tXCoElPBwDRCFdOOWG17KyYtfrt3uZS1rds3FgzAT0WCXcZZ1KHeqje3CS94AUiT/s200/pics008.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>What piece of gear seems to break the most often? </b><br />
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Our 40 year old Ford Lehman engine needed regular coddling. Sheet chafe is a constant danger which can be avoided. Sail wear and tear is inevitable.<br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NX4IwRX4_88Q7Ctk2DLSm8JYahXAgNlv39LEe2-nUq_Nq2BV1OwLz1_ARdZmL3SZbmoMrmdJVDXGJ4N_JEZG2s4e4JR7CNE-y6sx-3WcT7iI3mH9fG34ADEoIp6LKsh0icwaYbJH9kTO/s1600/pics007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NX4IwRX4_88Q7Ctk2DLSm8JYahXAgNlv39LEe2-nUq_Nq2BV1OwLz1_ARdZmL3SZbmoMrmdJVDXGJ4N_JEZG2s4e4JR7CNE-y6sx-3WcT7iI3mH9fG34ADEoIp6LKsh0icwaYbJH9kTO/s200/pics007.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Solid, simple, seaworthy and with good sailing ability. There is no better boat than the Peterson/Formosa 46 for this.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>What next?</i><br />
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I don't have a specific answer to this, but my future will always include the sea and boats.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-82374191808174535062017-07-17T02:00:00.000-07:002017-07-17T02:00:00.335-07:0010 Questions for Impi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Brent Grimbeek and Ana Hill began cruising in 2011 aboard SV Impi, a Lagoon 440.<br />
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They have cruised Cape Town to Brazil, Tobago, Grenada, Lesser Antilles, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Florida, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and on to Australia<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="https://cat-impi.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, through their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyOIz17JUhlfkd34f8FrEg" target="_blank">videos</a>, or their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cat.impi" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should?</b><br />
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A lot of people we speak to have experience of sailing in the proximity of the coast and are fearful of sailing out of the sight of land. In fact, ocean sailing is way easier and safer than coastal sailing.<br />
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A lot of potential cruisers think that all they need is the money to buy a boat and that afterwards you just need money for food and diesel. Few wannabe cruisers realize the costs of maintenance on a boat and/or have the skills to do good maintenance themselves. <br />
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This can result in boats gradually going down hill, becoming unsafe and unseaworthy.<br />
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<b>What do you think is a common cruising myth? </b><br />
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That you are free as the wind! Unfortunately, the way the world is nowadays we are dependent on banks as one is not allowed to carry cash in excess of 10000 of the currency of the country you enter into without doing a declaration thereof. <br />
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In many countries although not in Australia and New Zealand, having a bank account is dependent on having a proof of residential address. This can become complex once one leaves the home country and maybe lets or sells one’s house.<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about navigating is ... </b>that charts in many territories are inaccurate. This requires us to use satellite photography as to avoid reefs and coral.<br />
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We were fortunate to learn this technique in French Polynesia from some fellow cruisers. It enabled us to navigate through the Tuamotu Islands without any hiccups as we could clearly mark and identify coral heads. Similarly charts are very inaccurate in Fiji and sailing from Vanua Levu to the Lau group overnight we were confident that we would not hit a reef as we planned our course very carefully using <a href="http://impi-store.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/navigating-through-uncharted-reefs.html" target="_blank">satellite photos</a>. <br />
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Whilst at anchor in the darkest night we can be confident that when the wind changes we are not going to hit any rocks as our boat position can be easily monitored on the satellite photos.<br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
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Buy a safe boat that is reasonably fast on the ocean and comfortable at anchor. Equip your boat in your home country and not once you are underway. For us South Africa was a good country to do this with skilled technicians and affordable prices.<br />
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So why do we love our Lagoon? Well it is a very safe boat, the underside ‘nacelle’ – a large bullnose protruding between the hulls toward the trampoline area tapers, as what I can only describe as a ‘third suspended hull’ – do not think Lagoon build this in as a beautiful looking feature, for it certainly is not – it is undersold and holds a phenomenal ‘secret’ to safety at sea. Let me explain.<br />
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We were sailing around the southern tip of South Africa when a storm descended upon us. The waves were breaking to the extent that the surface became filled with foam and soon we were dropping down these colossal monsters doing 17 knots bare poles. Every other catamaran there had to head out to sea, since dropping down these waves would see the bows dig into the back of the wave ahead and they feared pitch poling. Impi was the only boat to successfully round the Cape that day for shelter in the anchorage – why?<br />
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We soon learned the magic trick of Lagoon. As the bows descended into the wave ahead, that ‘bull nose’ of the nacelle would make contact with the water surface driving the bows upward, time and time again. The suspended hull effect would assist with keeping the boat steering straight down the wave, where catamaran skippers fear the boat broad siding down a wave face. This feature alone ticked a huge box for us, a major point of safety that was going to prove to be invaluable in some pretty ferocious storms we would encounter crossing many oceans of the world.<br />
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In the catamaran sailing community, we often hear sailors measuring the success of a boat by the height of bridge deck clearance – ‘the higher the better’, they would say. This is the clearance or height from the surface of the water to the underside of the boat between the hulls. Now whilst a certain amount of height helps in lighter weather conditions, many sailors do not realize that in heavier sea state conditions, too much height has a negative effect in that the wave energy under the boat gathers more momentum before hitting the underside of the bridge deck. Too little clearance is also not good as the boat can feel unstable, but in our opinion, Lagoon have cleverly found the sweet spot between.<br />
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Another incredible attribute to the Lagoon 440 is how the boat sails on different points of sail. The Lagoon 440 surprises so many fellow sailors and especially mono-hull sailors, who do not want to believe a catamaran can sail past them to their windward side, on a close ‘point of sail’. Yes, thanks to the two shorter spreaders on the mast, the Lagoon 440 sails very well upwind since the leech of the genoa can be hauled in closer before being obstructed by the spreader tips. This feature, together with the genoa car tracks, that are positioned closer to midship than many other models of catamarans makes the Lagoon 440 a terrific boat for sailing close hauled. In fact, the Lagoon sails well on all points of sail when using a variety of sails along with a barber hauler configuration for wind astern of the beam.<br />
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We can store an asymmetric sail, spinnaker, storm sail and extra genoa with ease and all concealed below the deck in lockers and not stored inside the living area of the boat.<br />
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When it comes to speed, of course the Lagoon is not a racing boat as ours is loaded with all sorts of home comforts, but it moves on average 150 to 240 nautical miles per 24 hours depending on the winds, currents and the sails rigged. For example, our previous passage from New Caledonia to Australia was an easy 4 day passage.<br />
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The Lagoon 440 leaves the factory at around 12.5 tons, but loaded weighs 16 to 17 tons depending on water and diesel on board.<br />
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Of course speed is great while sailing, however, for us arrivals and the time spent at our destination are more important. We arrive with our boat clean, all salt washed with fresh water from our 900-liter water tank and 12V water maker that produces around 60 liters per hour for the 20amps that drive it.<br />
The solar input via our 5 Kyocera 135w each panels (675w total) sees us topping up the batteries, up to 50 Amps, and plenty enough to run the Spectra Newport MKII.<br />
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Arrival also sees us with all washing clean, dried and ironed with our normal household ‘6kg washer dryer’ fitted into an outside cabinet, next to a sink and cockpit fridge. <br />
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Inside the boat, our fridge may be nearing empty but the freezer will often be loaded with fish caught en route. Thanks to the outside basin, those can be cleaned and filleted outside, a very clever and well thought through feature by the Lagoon designers who make Impi as close to a home on the ocean as one can get.<br />
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As soon as we are cleared, we are ready to explore the delights of islands unlike some of our co-cruisers who are hunting around for laundries, water, and electricity and stay stuck in marinas for days, sometimes weeks on end. Usually a one-day turn around is all Impi needs before heading out to those ‘paradise like anchorages’. With 80 meters of 13 mm chain, 20 meter of rope and a 33 kg Rocna anchor, a Delta stern anchor with 20 meters of chain, we can anchor just about anywhere, and the Lagoon carries the weight with ease.<br />
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Our Lagoon 440 has enough space for all our dive gear, dive compressor, the heavy dinghy with its 30 HP engine which the davits carry comfortably, makes it a breeze to immediately be exploring those delightful underwater corals.<br />
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Of course it all comes down to preference and what one wants to get out of a boat – for us it is more about a home which has the ability to carry all the home comforts safely and at fair speed from one destination to the next.<br />
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We live for extended times on anchor and our air conditioning, heating and refrigeration facilities ensure that we make plenty of friends! It is not unusual to hear: “Let’s all meet on Impi, because they have space to seat 10 round the table, enough plates and cutlery, air conditioning and a lot of space to store cold beers!”<br />
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Lagoons are sturdy boats developed not just for a charter market, they are usually baptized in rough seas - they need to cross the Bay of Biscay on their maiden run and that sea can get seriously upset with tremendous wave action as it is very shallow.<br />
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Our patio is similar to that of a mono hull turned side ways, protecting us from large waves from the stern. In extreme weather conditions, catamarans should not as a rule, be pointed toward the weather as one would in a mono-hull. Well, for the odd wave that may escape and descend on the boat, we do love the high back of the Lagoon 440, which provides some protection from a wave otherwise finding the aft door into the saloon.<br />
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The bridge, a feature seldom found on any other brand for a 45 foot catamaran, gives excellent visibility when cruising through reef-infested waters and is always the place our guests spend most of their time when cruising the islands. In bad weather it is comforting to be up there as one can feel the wind and the ocean away from the noise below and inside. It brings a new perspective and certain control in what otherwise one perceives to be life-threatening conditions. It is also the area where with wind from astern, we would sleep during crossings wearing our life jacket and harness, mostly because the motion is less aggressive up there.<br />
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Another feature we loved about the Lagoon when shopping for catamarans, is the strength and thickness of the ‘fiberglass ‘ – the coach roof is solid and sturdy. It feels safe and offers living room upstairs, something much needed when sailing for years on end. <br />
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We do believe the Lagoon 440 is a terrific deep ocean sailing catamaran - we have never regretted our choice of boat to circumnavigate, the boat keeps amazing us.<br />
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<b>How did you gain offshore experience prior to leaving? </b><br />
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We studied for our captain’s license in South Africa with a private tutor who accompanied us on our first long ocean crossing from Cape Town to Brazil. We have sailed just the two of us ever since. Our tutor taught us a lot about sail rigging and trimming. We did our first crossing using 2 genoas most of the time or an asymmetric sail. Our top speed was 21 knots. That was a bit too scary! We took 21 days to sail from Cape Town to Fortaleza. You can read about our first sailing experience on Amazon kindle – <a href="http://amzn.to/2qvgO40" target="_blank">Atlantic Crossing in 21 days</a>.<br />
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<b>Describe a drool-worthy perfect cruising moment</b><br />
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Difficult question as there have been many, so maybe I must go back to the first one, which was in Northern Brazil. <br />
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We went into uncharted territory there! With only a vague description from a Brazilian sailor, we headed for Lencois Maranhenses, a national park. It was described to us as a desert with freshwater lakes. <br />
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To get there we cruised for several hours up a muddy river with a 6-meter tidal range. We both started doubting the intelligence of doing this, as there were no other yachts around, just a lot of local fishing craft. We had been warned that not all of these people were friendly!<br />
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We anchored out in the river at night and the next morning took the dinghy further up river where we were told by our friend to anchor. It was a place we could only reach at high tide, taking care to avoid sandbanks. <br />
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A local fisherman drew a map of the course to take to enter and as the tide went up we took Impi into a real paradise with hundreds of red ibis, flamingoes and other birds. We were astounded by fish with 4 eyes, we had never seen before and the most awesome white sand dunes and fresh lakes where cattle would come and drink. Beautiful jangadas, the local fishing boats, with blue sails would go up and down the river bringing in the daily catch. The people would take pictures of us, as it was so rare to see a yacht there! They were very friendly and didn’t even speak Portuguese but an indigenous language.<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?</b><br />
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You cannot go on a charter vacation on a boat for a few weeks and say you have ‘cruised’. I think that depending on the level of stress in your life prior to cruising it can take several years to actually shed that stress and get into a cruising lifestyle. To find that connection with wind, weather and ocean, to open your heart to the beauty of your surroundings is something that some people never achieve. In our modern lives our spirits get shredded and torn into multiple directions. Cruising for us enables us to get whole again and to have that peace inside with makes us strong enough to deal with adversity and patient enough to wait for any weather window.<br />
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<b>What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free?</b><br />
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We would upgrade our solar panels to SunPower solar panels. At this point in time these panels have the highest energy output up to 327 W. They carry a long power and product warranty and we believe that together with our lithium batteries, which we installed earlier this year, these would significantly reduce our need for the use of a generator.<br />
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<b>Have you ever felt in danger and if so, what was the source? </b><br />
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We have felt in danger a few times and we have learnt from it. One area, which is neglected in a lot of sailing courses, is teaching students how to read the weather on our planet. We have learnt as we went along and sometimes because we got ourselves into bad situations. <br />
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One of these times was sailing from Ua Pau in the Marqueses Islands to the Tuamotu. The weather looked good according to the GRIBS and the forecast from Meteo France, so we left together with Tempest, an Amel mono-hull, skippered by our friends Bob and Annette Pace, medical professionals from the US.<br />
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As we went into the night the benign winds picked up to over 60 knots and the previously calm seas were whipped up into 5-7 meter waves crashing on Impi’s side. I prepared grab bags, food, meds ready in the cock pit should we need to abandon ship. We kept out a small jib and encouraged Tempest to do the same and sailed all night through vicious waves making speeds around 12 -15 knots on a small jib!. As the day broke, we saw a Japanese ship on the AIS and contacted them. They told us not to turn back as the storm was worse behind us then in front of us. They were such great guys, giving us a weather forecast all the way to Fakarava, which proved to be accurate. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSD8VJEt4xkTwT4OvG6QZ9Vp376tDnkoLlmYUD4IdZ5_fpudqUoGIw2qWGFvY2z6WFqJiiEFGMFXYX9H901nnBDNa5-2p6O426wcA2K8n0RGZFbXKpYhe2ioBtaqT6B2uulHhrXDEE0z5/s1600/IMPI7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSD8VJEt4xkTwT4OvG6QZ9Vp376tDnkoLlmYUD4IdZ5_fpudqUoGIw2qWGFvY2z6WFqJiiEFGMFXYX9H901nnBDNa5-2p6O426wcA2K8n0RGZFbXKpYhe2ioBtaqT6B2uulHhrXDEE0z5/s400/IMPI7.jpg" width="300" /></a>One of the reasons we learnt, why we had not read the weather accurately was because we didn’t look at the 500HP layer, we had just looked at the surface weather. What can happen is that the top layer breaks through to the surface given the right conditions. You then can end up with a rapidly deepening low and cyclone strength winds. We have learnt to always look at the top layer structure now as to avoid putting ourselves in that position again.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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We volunteer for an animal welfare charity <a href="http://www.animal.nc/" target="_blank">Bien Naitre Animal in New Caledonia</a> and encourage cruisers, friends and followers to become members of this charity as to set up a mobile veterinary clinic in the outer islands of New Caledonia, a service which currently does not exist. We are grateful to the Down Under Rally Go East for their contribution to the fund. Watch <a href="https://youtu.be/hk_N7NZi7Co" target="_blank">our video</a> on Moose, the abandoned island dog.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-46269052998790014162017-07-03T02:00:00.000-07:002017-07-03T02:00:18.577-07:0010 Questions for Dos Libras<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tammy, Bruce, and Jezabelle the cat have been cruising since 2013 aboard Dos Libras, a 1995 Catalina Morgan 45 hailing from Corpus Christi, TX, USA. They traveled down the ICW to the Gulf of Mexico from Corpus Christi to Florida then ICW and Coastal down to the Florida Keys. They turned North up the East Coast as far as Charleston, SC., then spent a season in the Bahamas. They returned to Florida for a summer and then passed through Bahamas on their way down the Caribbean island chain.<br />
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You can read more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.thingswedidtoday.net/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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They say: "<i>We cruise very slowly. We’ve spent the past three summers in various marinas plugged into the dock with wifi and air conditioning while doing boat projects. We may or may not do the same this next summer down south. </i><br />
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<i>Something changed for us over this past summer in Puerto Rico. Before then we have always felt “compelled” to be on our way to somewhere/ It is difficult to explain but while in Puerto Rico, we realised that we had no real plan until late in the summer and even then it was just to amble slowly down the Eastern Caribbean chain and then decide. </i><br />
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<i>Bruce is not getting any younger and the stresses of keeping up with the maintenance and repairs is beginning to wear on him. At this point we may be looking for a place to stop moving and spend a longer period… but…no plans to return to the US!</i>"<br />
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<b>What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true? </b><br />
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I did a lot of research prior to leaving home and found many sources of information. Gradually over time I have realised that much of the negative information and warnings provided by others has been exaggerated. Warnings about areas where current is an issue, warnings about shallow waters, warnings about passes or entrances that are tricky. I don’t know if we have just been lucky, or if our skill level is perhaps more developed than the authors of those warnings… but we have taken our boat into places that are supposed to be difficult, with little or no difficulty at all. That is not to say that a healthy amount of caution is a bad thing. We all have to know our own skill level and what our boat will do, but just don’t be put off completely by what you read. Dig deeper and take current conditions into consideration when making your decision. You just might miss someplace wonderful if you’re too easily put off.<br />
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<b>Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about passage planning is…” </b><br />
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I have to laugh at this question. We cruise so slowly and stay so long in some places that we’ve almost forgotten how to plan for passages. What I consider to be a passage is anything that will require us to establish a watch schedule. We have found that for the two of us, a two hour watch schedule works best. It is short enough that we don’t become fatigued, and after the initial sleep, it seems that we are able to fall asleep quickly enough to get a good rest. I always make brownies or cookies and prepare some pasta salad that is easy to serve and has lots of goodies in it. I’ve always got my route planned out and we’ve been pretty close in our estimation of the time it will take to arrive with sufficient daylight to safely navigate to our destination. I guess that is more than one thing isn’t it? <br />
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<b>In your experience how often do you think cruisers spend sailing vs. motoring, coastally vs. on passage? </b><br />
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We spend a lot more time motorsailing than we ever thought we would. We always try to sail when possible, but we are not willing to let our boat speed drop below 4 knots for very long before the engine gets fired up. We have found that the winds are often close to on-the-nose as we’ve been making our way east until now. But I still hold onto that hope that now that we’ll be traveling in a more N/S direction, we can sail more. A huge contributing factor that requires motorsailing is that for passages, we would rather wait for conditions that provide a more kindly sea state, which often means lighter winds. We would rather motorsail in more flat seas than travel under sail alone in seas much over five feet. Thus far, current has also been an issue - we’ve been traveling against it. The majority of our longer passages have been with reefed and overtrimmed main to steady the boat, and with the engine on to help us point closer to the lay line. <br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike? </b><br />
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I like the fact that you can make it what you wish. If you want to have bunches of friends and a full social calendar no problem. If you want to keep to yourself and see almost no-one that’s OK too. If I had to come up with a dislike it would be that in some of the more popular Cruiser hang-outs it is sometimes difficult to get OFF of the merry-go-round!<br />
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<b>What is a cruising tip or a trick you learned along the way? </b><br />
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Tea Tree Oil. I used it a lot the first couple of years out. Now it seems like I find myself using less and less but I believe that is because the mildew has been killed. I clean my ceilings and walls much less often and my towels don’t get stinky like they used to. (I use tea tree oil in my laundry soap and in home-mixed cleaners)<br />
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<b>What do you miss about living on land? </b><br />
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Not being wet and salty when I get to where I’m going. Whenever we go ashore in the dinghy it is almost guaranteed that we will be thoroughly splashed either coming or going. Secondly I miss fast internet. Finding a signal that is fast enough to do much blogging is a constant struggle. I dream of fast, unlimited internet.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)? Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)? </b><br />
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I have found each place we’ve been to be better than I thought it would be in some way or other. I have a tendency to project past experiences on my expectations for the future. I have been proven wrong time and again. Each place is unique and completely different from how I thought it would be. I have to remind myself of this so that we won’t skip someplace that could be wonderful!<br />
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<b>Speaking just about your boat (not gear), what is one thing you wish your boat had that it doesn’t and what is one thing your boat has that you wish it didn't? </b><br />
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I wish we had more deck storage lockers… but then we would have to give up some inside space, so it’s a trade-off. I can’t really think of anything we wish our boat did not have…<br />
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<b>What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free? </b><br />
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A new in-house generator and additional battery amp hours. Our Fischer Panda has died and we are using portable generators. While this is doing an adequate job, it is a lot of work for Bruce to charge up the house bank, which he has to do at least once per day, sometimes twice depending upon cloud cover. It is also difficult for us to be “that boat” in the anchorage that ruins a perfectly good sunset with a noisy generator.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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We’ve been asked many times why we chose to round Hispaniola to the west and cruise the southern coast of the Dominican Republic instead of following Van Sant’s instructions to do the northern coast. <br />
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We like to review all available resources and then make our own decisions as to when and where to sail. For us, it seemed more sensible, safer and more comfortable to go the way we did at the time of year we did. Late in the winter when the norther’s were less frequent and weaker, but still making it down as far as Hispaniola the light wind days just before the north winds arrived would provide us with easy travel east, and then when the winds turned north, the island provided protection from the high winds and waves, but we could still travel east with the north wind to carry us along on a beam reach. Seas were very flat with the island between us and the winds blasting off of the Atlantic ocean, so it was perfect. We experienced none of the danger of being on the northern shore with fewer safe anchorages and much higher seas. <br />
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The Mona Passage also seems more benign further south and we had a shorter passage than the northern route. The timing was much easier without having to worry about the hourglass shoals. Plus the storms that roll off of Puerto Rico don’t affect the southern Mona as much. I don’t know why anyone would ever choose that route over the one we took. Note: It can be a very different experience at a different time of year. We had help with late season northers.<br />
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Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-58960382232970949602017-06-26T02:00:00.000-07:002017-06-26T02:00:16.079-07:0010 Questions for Naoma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Nicole and Ryan Levinson have been cruising on their current voyage since 2014 aboard SV Naoma, a 1988 Ericson 38 hailing from San Diego, CA, USA. They left San Diego for Mexico and then made the jump to French Polynesia where they have been cruising since 2015. They have been sailing together since the late 1990's but started more seriously cruising the waters off Baja, Mexico and southern California in 2006. <br />
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They say: "<i>I may seem like I have the maturity of a 10 year old but really it's more like a teenager...</i>"<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise through <a href="http://www.twoafloat.com/" target="_blank">their videos</a> or on their <a href="http://facebook.com/TwoAfloat" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
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You mean aside from Nicole doing Yoga in her black bikini? We don't appreciate when cruisers publicly post detailed information about some of the more remote or less commonly visited areas they've explored. Especially in the Soggy Paws Compendiums or on personal blogs where they include names and/or coordinates. We think the Compendiums and blogs are a valuable resource, especially for new visitors to an area, but we strongly believe they should be focused on information about the "gateway" anchorages. In other words, anchorages that are generally already well known and commonly visited. Once cruisers reach those gateways they can explore remotely or remain mainstream as they see fit! We personally witnessed one particular spot in the Tuamotus that was more or less ruined (in our opinion) after detailed information about it was included in the Compendiums and shared widely via email. One season we anchored there alone. The next season there were a dozen other boats having endless beach bbqs (and leaving the fire pit residue) on the otherwise pristine beaches, disturbing motus that are bird nesting places, leaving the remains of trash burns, stomping all over the coral in the shallow water, carving their initials in trees, etc. We heard it just got worse as the season progressed. There are plenty of anchorages for that kind of behavior but precious few that offer a glimpse of "untrammeled" nature or the experience of true solitude. If you "discover" a remote uncrowded paradise please don't share it with anyone except maybe a few trusted friends or you will destroy the chance for cruisers following in your wake to also have the special experience you had! Certainly don't share it with the entire world on the internet or Compendiums!<br />
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<b>What is something you think potential cruisers are afraid about that they shouldn't fear? And what is something potential cruisers don't worry about that perhaps they should?</b><br />
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Many potential cruisers, especially from the USA for some reason, are afraid that if they have not adequately prepared for every conceivable contingency then they are doomed to certain death on the high seas. It is up to each individual to decide what level of preparation is "right" for them but potential cruisers should know that no matter how much they prepare there is always something that they didn't foresee that could cause injury or death. Accepting a level of risk is a fundamental part of cruising and a key part of adventure! The thing potential cruisers SHOULD worry about is letting their fear and endless preparation become a reason for never leaving. There's a great saying, "There are two types of cruisers - Those that leave without being fully prepared and those that never leave..."<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
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The location of good surf spots in French Polynesia... :) Kidding aside we feel we were given excellent information before we left and can not really think of any other particular thing we wished we had known. On the other hand there was a lot of stuff we were told that we later regretted ignoring such as "have a gravity feed system pre-rigged for butane" or "you will want a bigger watermaker" There was also plenty of stuff that people told us or we read that turned out to be a bunch of garbage... Consider the source!<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)? Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)? </b><br />
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We were not big fans of Nuku Hiva, especially when compared to the other islands in the Marquesas chain. On the other hand we thought the Marquesas in general were underrated. We only spent six weeks there our first time through but when we returned we spent six months and could have easily spent more.<br />
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<b>What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?</b><br />
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We like the sense of community that we've experienced amongst cruisers, especially in the South Pacific. There is a strong practice of looking out for each other and expressing genuine good will towards each other. <br />
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We are not fans of the packs of boats that travel en masse like locusts swarming anchorages with a sense of entitlement since they are part of this-or-that rally or whatever. Luckily the rally clones tend to blaze through, always in a hurry, and once their trash is picked up and whatever damage they caused is repaired, life usually returns to normal. :)<br />
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Nicole adds that she thinks it's an unfortunate tendency for many cruisers to crowd into certain anchorages and just endlessly socialize with each other rather than seeking a deeper connection with the local place and people. <br />
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<b>With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?</b><br />
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At the risk of sounding glib I'll say that the main requirements for a boat for safe fun long term cruising are the boat must be likely to stay afloat, can move, and can hold food/water. Anything else is just layers of comfort and increased margins of safety. I think too many people stress about what is a "blue water" boat or whatever even though they plan to follow relatively easy trade wind routes. Those people often end up in somewhat unresponsive expensive tanks built to survive cyclones despite never seeing winds over 30 knots... Thor Heyeredahl "sailed" from South America to the Tuamotus on a bunch of logs tied together! People cross oceans in kayaks, paddleboards, whatever. Think of it this way, what are the chances you will simply drop dead or become gravely ill in the next three weeks? Fairly slim, right? The same is true of a blue water passage! In many places if you sail during the right seasons you have extremely little chance of experiencing a major storm. If you can stay afloat, keep moving, and have food/water the chances are you will be fine even if "extra" stuff breaks like your chartplotter, computers, etc. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBj2Lf1L7JebzMvpf1yiXiAf2v3YUWUY-YLFvSNFt9CT775sgO4y1g1bRGVtYfH-JsqgwaymbfW88epPYmM_-bNYX0GpWHji7R5LhZ6OTxNH06PMDgXoMfZWXNJu7mp4CwhUv4VcCh539/s1600/10835091_887648161285210_6604589299406750555_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBj2Lf1L7JebzMvpf1yiXiAf2v3YUWUY-YLFvSNFt9CT775sgO4y1g1bRGVtYfH-JsqgwaymbfW88epPYmM_-bNYX0GpWHji7R5LhZ6OTxNH06PMDgXoMfZWXNJu7mp4CwhUv4VcCh539/s400/10835091_887648161285210_6604589299406750555_o.jpg" width="400" /></a>With that in mind, and the benefit of hindsight, if I were to start over I'd likely pick the same boat but possibly modify her to have fewer through hulls and possibly more secure hatches and portlights (enhances the "stay afloat" factor!) Our boat is fun to sail, she is responsive, handles well, is fast in wide range of winds, and is well built. She would probably not be our first choice for sailing in high latitudes or long off-season passages in a cyclone area but those are not our intended routes. We see a HUGE variety of boats out here, from cheaply built coastal cruisers (some don't even have toilets) to top dollar luxury ocean sailing yachts with all the latest gear. The boats are all different but they have one thing in common... They all safely crossed the ocean to get here.<br />
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<b>Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?</b><br />
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A programmable battery charger (versus one with a few pre-set programs) so we could more easily equalize our batteries. Possibly a charger that can handle both 110v and 220v. When we left we did not yet have a Honda 2000 gasoline generator but it has become invaluable and has saved us from having to put countless hours on the engine. We left with 400w of solar but have since increased to 700w. Finally, a larger capacity watermaker would be nice. Ours is efficient, small, and reliable (so far) but at 7-8gph it takes a looooong time to fill our tanks. Sorry, I know you asked for one thing so consider this a 4 way tie... :)<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving?</b><br />
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We did not gain any offshore experience before leaving but we were both already sailors with extensive coastal experience. I (Ryan) have been sailing most of my life. For over a decade I taught keelboat sailing at a few notable centers including J-World and as an adjunct professor of keelboat sailing at San Diego State University. I have a masters license and have worked as mate and captain of large (120'+) luxury sailing yachts in California and Mexico. I sailed on the US Sailing national team and was a former national champion (along with my teammates) for my class. I am an Emergency Medical Technician. Before this voyage I spent a few years studying extensively - stuff like celestial navigation, life raft survival, long distance communication, diesel engineering, electrical maintenance, marine firefighting, meteorology, and other related topics. With the exception of the rigging we did nearly all our own boat work and installations while preparing Naoma for this voyage. <br />
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Nicole is also a certified sailing instructor, although for smaller boats, and she has experience working on large sailing yachts including standing navigational watches. She is an Emergency Medical Technician and is a former San Diego ocean lifeguard.<br />
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Having said all this we are often anchored next to people who literally purchased a boat having never sailed a day in their lives before heading out on their voyage. I'm not recommending that, but it does help keep things in perspective...<br />
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<b>What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you? </b><br />
<br />
Cruising can create distance from your "community" back home, not just in a geographical sense but also because this is a truly life changing experience that few or none of your friends and family will never really be able to relate to. We were not so much surprised by that fact per se but rather by the extent to which we find it's true.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>What is your favorite YouTube sailing channel?</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3WnQG-QeLq1ebfr0gBUhg/featured" target="_blank">Two Afloat Sailing</a>! ;)</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765737716323813978.post-37580750564279974582017-06-19T02:00:00.000-07:002017-06-19T02:00:05.837-07:0010 Questions for Wondertime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sara, Michael, Leah (11), & Holly (8) Johnson began cruising in 1999. Their most recent cruise was aboard Wondertime, a Benford 38 Ketch hailing from Seattle, WA, USA. Before they had kids, Michael and Sara cruised to British Columbia and Alaska (their honeymoon!) and a few years later down to Mexico for the winter. With their children Leah and Holly, they departed Seattle again in 2011, circumnavigated Vancouver Island, continued down the west coast to Mexico then did the puddle jump to New Zealand in 2012. They are still in New Zealand but are preparing to take off again for a third time at some point.<br />
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They say: "<i>We sold Wondertime in 2014 and after spending the past three years on land (in a house for a year, then a year of RV travel in NZ, then an apartment for a year) we’ve just bought another boat, a German-built 12m steel Feltz Skorpion II (name TBD!). We’ll be in New Zealand for another few years then we've got to see Fiji, at least.</i>"<br />
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You can learn more about their cruise on their <a href="http://www.svwondertime.com/" target="_blank">website </a>or by <a href="mailto:crew@svwondertime.com">email</a>. <i>Editor's note</i>: Sara is a co-author of <a href="http://amzn.to/2rmb687" target="_blank">Voyaging With Kids: A Guide to Family Life Afloat.</a><br />
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<b>Why did you change boats and what do you see as the major pros and cons of your changeover?</b><br />
<br />
Our Benford 38 was the perfect boat when our girls were young (they were 1 and 4 when we moved aboard). But we simply outgrew the boat; the dinette was only big enough for just the four of us and by the time the girls had doubled in size we were simply too cramped. We also needed a break from cruising so decided to sell Wondertime in Auckland.<br />
<br />
After a couple of years of living on land we missed the simplicity of liveaboard life and started looking for the next boat (which would be Michael’s and my fifth together!). We had several criteria: sloop or cutter-rigged (we felt Wondertime’s ketch rig was far too complicated for a boat under 40 feet), comfortable living space (BIG saloon table, separate beds for the girls, comfortable double for us), fun to sail, and 40 feet or less. After a year of searching around NZ we finally found the one: a 12-meter steel boat built in Germany and recently arrived in NZ after being sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific by a meticulous German couple. She’s tough and simple and fun to sail and has a great comfortable layout. I think she’ll take us through the teen years and beyond just fine.<br />
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The major con is all the money we wasted with the changeover. Thankfully the new boat is set up with much of the same cruising gear we had on Wondertime (and definitely in better shape at this point!)<br />
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<b>What advice would you give to parents thinking about taking their children cruising?</b><br />
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You do NOT need a catamaran to take children cruising. Seriously though, I see parents online who think they need 50’+ boats to take their kids out on and if they can afford that kind of boat AND handle and maintain it that’s great. But plenty of families are out and about in 40 feet or less and are having the time of their lives. Kids really don’t need a lot of room (but layout—a space everyone can call their own—is definitely key).<br />
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<b>Over the time that you have been cruising, has the world of cruising changed? </b><br />
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Oh yes it has. We navigated to Alaska in 2000 with paper charts. I had a <a href="http://www.svwondertime.com/jennyp" target="_blank">website </a>even then and to update it I’d have to copy the files onto a CD and bring it into an internet café to upload. Now <br />
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everyone’s posting on Facebook via their sat phones. Cruisers are so much more connected these days than twenty years ago, both with each other and with those back home. Since sailing has always been about "getting away from it all" this kind of goes against that idea. On the other hand, we too love staying in contact with not only other cruising friends that have sailed on but also our families.<br />
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But the great thing is that it’s still so easy to disconnect by sailing a few miles offshore or to an anchorage without cell coverage (always plenty of anchoring room in those!). But the good news also is that this connection is all optional: the most fascinating cruisers we’ve met the past few years hardly ever even check email.<br />
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<b>What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?</b><br />
<br />
How painful it is to stop. Even if you want to.<br />
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<b>Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was overrated (not as good as you had heard)? Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)? </b><br />
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We thought Bora Bora was overrated, quite touristy. But we only had a couple of days there as we'd already checked out of French Polynesia so didn't get the chance to explore outside of the main harbour. Like anywhere, finding those hidden nooks is where the best cruising happens.<br />
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Our favorite cruising ground is still Mexico; we love anchoring out in Mazatlan's "old harbor" and taking an open air Pulmonia taxi into the city. It's rough and dirty and our dinghy was nearly stolen in the middle of the night one time (too bad the guy didn't see the locked cable!) but we still love it there. Mazatlan is a beautiful old city. Actually, now that I think about it, the entire west coast of Mexico is really underrated: there are so many amazing anchorages, the weather is generally good, the food is to die for and it's insanely affordable. I feel bad for the Pacific-bound east coast cruisers who miss it! We can't wait to go back one day.<br />
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<b>What piece(s) of gear would you leave on the dock next time? Why?</b><br />
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The mizzen mast. A ketch rig on a 38-foot boat is cute, but our upwind sailing ability was pathetic (the mizzen would just slat and slam so we'd take it down, thus losing 1/3 of our sail area) and it was twice as expensive to replace the standing rigging before we left (not to mention the additional sail). All our other boats have been sloops or cutters and we're glad to be in the single mast club again!<br />
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<b>How did you (or did you) gain offshore experience prior to leaving? </b><br />
<br />
Michael was a cruising kid as a teen, and besides sailing with his parents he crewed on a friend's boat across the Atlantic when he was 15. Our first offshore trip together was in 2000 when we sailed directly from SE Alaska to Seattle offshore. It blew about 30 knots the whole trip. It was a bit rowdy and I didn't know enough then to be nervous. In 2002-3 we sailed from Seattle to Mexico together, hopping down the coast. When it came time to leave with our two kids, we grabbed a friend to do the trip with us. We left Ucluelet, B.C. and sailed directly for San Francisco. Our daughters were 2 and 5 at the time and having a third adult made the trip so much more pleasant. We also had a crew member on our Pacific crossing from Mexico to the Marquesas. I think we're still friends.<br />
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<b>Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? </b><br />
<br />
All of the above: we love sailing (the feeling of the boat steering herself in tradewinds day after day just can't be beat). We love slow travel, even if it's just gunkholing locally. We love the simplicity and affordability (compared to a city mortgage!) of living on a boat even if we're not moving for years at a time. I love having my home where ever we go. Boats and cruising, for us, really is the ideal platform for an enjoyable life.<br />
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<b>Cruiser rant: What is something that drives you crazy?</b><br />
<br />
My major beef with the cruising community is this unspoken idea that you cannot “quit” (i.e. take a break from) cruising ever. To do so means you’re not a “real” cruiser. Or you’re a quitter. Or something. Also only “real” cruisers circumnavigate, or cruise for 10 years without stopping, or….you get the point. In our opinion, it doesn’t matter how long, or how far anyone cruises. It’s all about the experience, no matter how or where you sail. There isn’t any one right way to do it.<br />
<br />
Michael and I have been on again/off again cruising since shortly after we met in 1998 and we have to take breaks from cruising -- both for our sanity and our finances. Like right now, we’re living and working and going to school in New Zealand. We’re saving money and dreaming of places we might want to go (which is far more fun aboard our own boat than in a rental, let me tell you). This is one of the best phases of cruising, the dreaming one.<br />
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<b>What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?</b><br />
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<i>Is cruising the best way to raise kids? </i><br />
<br />
Yes and no. It depends. Just like some adults, not all kids enjoy the constant change of actively cruising, often leaving friends behind, etc. Parents need to respect their child(ren)'s individual personalities when planning a cruising life, even if that means swallowing the anchor if a kid is really miserable or just wants to go to school, for example. Maybe part-time cruising would work better for some kids or shorter, local cruises. There are many different routes to enjoying sailing as a family.<br />
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We think the best way to raise kids is to spend time with them and provide interesting and varied experiences and there are lots of ways to find that outside of cruising. But boat life is definitely our favorite way to do that.</div>
Team Giddyuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10547473588977308684noreply@blogger.com