10 Questions for Calico Jack

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.

You can learn more about their circumnavigation on their website.

Having cruised both the Atlantic and the Pacific, how do they compare?

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.

Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? 

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!

Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about passage planning is…

prepare meals ahead of time.

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!

What is your most common sail combination on passage?

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.

With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?

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.

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.

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.  .

In your own experience and your experience meeting other cruisers, what are the common reasons people stop cruising?

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.

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.

What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn't find to be true?

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.

What piece of gear seems to break the most often?

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!

Share a piece of cruising etiquette

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"

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.

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?

"What do you do for watch schedules on passages?"

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.  

Read the full interview

10 Questions for Amandla

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.

Fabio started cruising in 2001, Lisa in 2011, and they have been cruising together as a team since 2013.

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.

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.

You can learn more about their cruise on Lisa's blog or by reading Fabio's book.

They say: "We are both cancer survivors.

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. 

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."

Finish this sentence “One thing I’ve learned about passage planning is…”

Lisa: “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).

Fabio: 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.

Having been in both the Atlantic and the Pacific (and Indian) oceans, how do they compare?

Lisa: 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! ‘

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.

Fabio: 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

What is the most important attribute for successful cruising? 

Lisa: 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.

Fabio: 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.

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

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?

Lisa: ‘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.

Throw-off the bowlines… you’ll be glad you did.

Fabio: What she said.

What is something about the cruising culture you like and what is something you dislike?

Lisa: 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.

Fabio: 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.

With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat selection criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long term cruising?

Lisa: 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.

Fabio : 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.

What is the next piece of gear you would add to your boat if it were free?

Lisa: A washing machine

Fabio: Satellite dome for Internet but it should come with a free unlimited connection too.

What type of watch schedule do you normally use while offshore?

Lisa: 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.

Fabio: Like she said

Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time? 

Lisa: 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.

Fabio: 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

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?

Lisa: Do I need my own boat to go cruising? 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.

Fabio: Do I regret my choice to be a full time live aboard? 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.

Read the full interview

10 Questions for Delos

Christine Myers and Stephan Regulinski are on their second Amel SuperMaramu 2000 (53’ ketch). The first was Delos hailing from San Francisco, CA, USA and now Hanalei, hailing from Kailua, HI, USA. They cruised from 2000-2005 and will begin cruising again in 2012. On their first cruise they visited Turkey, Mediterranean Europe, Atlantic Europe, North Sea, British Isles, Ireland, Scandinavia, Canary Islands, Morocco, Gambia, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Panama, Galapagos, South Pacific, & New Zealand. You can read more about them on their website or at their blog.

What do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?

• Colleges are going to love that your kids made this trip.
• Your family will become very close.
• This is not a vacation; it’s a way of life. Save something for the next trip.
• It takes six months to adjust.
• Don’t rely so much on the internet in port or e-mails at sea.
• Just about every port in Europe has a different kind of plug.
• What happens at sea does not stay at sea.
• Tahiti is overrated, overpriced and overcrowded.

What has been the most affordable area to cruise and the most expensive?

Turkey was least expensive, along with La Gomera (Canaries) and West Africa.

Norway; Porto Cervo, Sardinia; and French Polynesia were the most expensive.

Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?

Solar panels.

What did you do to make your dream a reality?

We sort of won the lottery the first time; this time we are selling the house.

What is something you like about the cruising culture and something you dislike?

I love the openness, friendliness and mutual support of the international cruising culture. I dislike the focus on alcohol, especially in the Caribbean and South Pacific.

With the benefit of hindsight, what are the boat criteria you would use to purchase a boat for long-term cruising?

More energy-efficiency. But having said that, we just bought another boat and it’s exactly the same. I would consider length vis-a-vis European dock length pricing.

Describe a ‘typical day’ on passage on your boat.

It takes us about three days to adjust to passage time. Before that we’re all a little spacey while adapting to passage time. Typically I would stand the early morning watch, put out fishing lines, then do roll call on the net at 8. Kids will be up later. They’ll do schoolwork or read, depending on how rough it is. Back to sleep until noon or so, then up for the next watch. Chop vegetables in the afternoon and work on meal prep, check fishing lines. Dinner at 6. Everyone except watchstander goes to bed early, soon after dinner.

How did you gain offshore experience prior to leaving?

We crewed on friends’ boat from San Francisco to Santa Barbara.

What advice would you give to parents thinking about taking their children cruising?

DO IT! DO IT NOW!

When you meet another compatible kid boat, change your plans and hang out together. They don’t have to be the same age. Social interactions become incredibly important.

Try to get some homeschooling experience before you leave, and at least make sure you have good supportive resources. Don’t get stuck with set curriculum or try to recreate a classroom.

Adapt curriculum to your cruising experience and kids’ learning style.

Be flexible and creative about when ‘school time’ happens.

What question do you wish I had asked you … and how would you answer it?

How did your kids adapt? What were their challenges?

Here I’d point you to the blog because the topic is too big.

Read the full interview

10 Questions for Tamure

Scott & Kitty Kuhner (along with Alex and Spencer on their 4 year circumnavigation) cruise aboard Tamure, a Valiant 40 hailing from Rowayon, CT, USA. From 1971 –1974 they completed their 1^st circumnavigation via South Africa; from 1987-1991 their 2^nd circumnavigation via the Red Sea;  and having been cruising again from 2001 – present including an Atlantic Circle from 2003-2005, spending winters in the Bahamas and the summers in Connecticut or Maine. You can view slideshows online of each of their big trips: first, second, third and reach them via email (kuhner@mail.com) is ideal).


Describe a "typical day" on passage on your boat
With just the two of us on a passage every 10 minutes or so one of us goes on deck to take a look around. If either of us wants to take a nap, we let the other know and they agree and assume the watch. We do not sail Tamure as though we are in a race. We set the sail, let her settle into a groove and set the windvane self-steering gear. We usually have a SSB radio schedule with other boats on the same passage; one in the morning at 8am local and another in the evening at about 6pm local. A Typical day might be as follows: At 8 AM we do the morning radio sked. After the sked, Kitty makes breakfast either of eggs and toast or cold cereal. We then tuck into a book. At around 10:30 we have a mid morning snack of coffee and a donut or a similar treat. Lunch is usually a sandwich. After lunch one of us may take a nap while the other reads and keeps checking the compass heading and getting up to look around. We normally only attend to the sails if the wind has either changed direction or intensity. (Coming across the Atlantic from the Cape Verdes to St Maarten in the fall of 2004, it seemed as though a squall came through almost every day so we went with a polled out storm jib and a double reefed main. When the wind went up to 30+ knots we were barreling along at 6.5 kts, and after the squall, up and change the sails every time the wind dropped or increased because we were cruising and if it took an extra day to get to St Maarten, what the heck.) After the the wind would drop to 10 – 15 kts and we would do 4 to 4.5 kts. We did not get evening radio sked Kitty would cook dinner and I would wash the dishes. Then I would take the first watch from 8pm to midnight and Kitty would take it from Midnight to 4am; I would take it from 4 to 6 am and Kitty would take it from 6 to 8 am, when we would talk with our other cruising friends on the morning radio sked.

Share a piece of cruising etiquette
Don’t anchor too close to another boat, and if you do anchor close to someone else always ask them if they feel comfortable with your position. If they say no then we move. After all they were there first. When coming into a dinghy dock, always tie up with a long enough painter so that the next person can get his dinghy into the dock to unload. Also, if it is a crowded dock, do not raise your outboard motor up; because, then it may punch a hole in someone else’s dinghy.
Whenever we see a boat flying a foreign flag in our home waters, we always go over and invite them for drinks because when we have been in foreign waters others have treated us very well and we want to return the hospitality; beside they are usually very interesting people to get to know. As they say, “Your next best friend is only an anchorage away”. Also always be quick to lend a helping hand.

When have you felt most in danger and what was the source?
On our first circumnavigation (1971-1974) in our 30 foot Seawind Ketch we were only five hundred miles from home when we got caught in an early July 70 + kt hurricane between Cape Hatteras and Bermuda and, while lying a-hull with no sail up, suffered a knockdown. As we fell off a huge wave in the middle of the night, we hit the trough of the wave and the impact blew off our main hatch, grab rails, dodger, and windvane, bent the main boom and ripped off half the main sail. When we righted, the water was up to the level of the bunks down below. But, as I say in our slide show of that trip, “we were fortunate enough to have the most efficient bilge pump in the world; a frightened woman with a bucket!!” Luckily we keep our life raft in the cockpit covered with a piece of plywood, so we hadn’t lost the life raft. Had it been on the cabin top it would not have survived. As I looked at the life raft, it calmed me down a bit. I then took the plywood, which conveniently fit over the open hatch, and bolted it down to keep more water from coming in. By mid morning the wind was back down to a mere 30 kts and we sailed the rest of the way to New York with the jib and mizzen. At the time it was all happening, we didn’t panic; we just did what we had to, to save the boat. It wasn’t until the storm was over that we began to realize what a dangerous position we had been in.

What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?
On our first circumnavigation in the early 70s, No one told us what to do or what to expect. Our only knowledge came from a few books we had read. There were no cruising guides or anything like that. Consequently, we never knew what to expect when we got to a destination and as a result the sense of adventure and discovery was truly wonderful and exciting. My advice to others planning a long cruise is, “Get off the beaten path. As then you will experience the adventure of cruising.

What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?
We had read “Around the World in Wander III” and “Beyond the West Horizon” by Eric and Susan Hiscock. They talked about running down wind by poling out two head sails. We adopted that strategy and had two spinnaker poles mounted on the mast that we used to poll out a set of twin jibs that we hanked on the head stay. We sailed 60% of both our circumnavigations with twin jibs polled out. Sten and Breta Homedahl on the boat Fijording, whom we met in St Thomas at the start of the first trip, gave us a great piece of advice. They asked us why we were off cruising and after hearing our answer, they said, “You are describing the Pacific. Don’t waste your time in the Caribbean. Head straight for Panama and do the Caribbean on the way back!” We took their advice and are very glad we did.

What has been the most affordable area to cruise and the most expensive? What was affordable or expensive about each area?
We never really thought about how expensive one area was over another. We just lived rather frugally everywhere. On our first trip we never ate out until we got to Bali and found it was cheaper to go to the little restaurant in Benoa harbor  than it was to open a can of Dinty Moore’s Beef Stew.

What is the key to making the cruising life enjoyable?
Relax! You are not in a race so don’t keep at your wife to trim the sails. If the wind picks up and your wife suggests reefing the sails, don’t argue with her, just do it. After all, you have all the time in the world so lay back and enjoy the trip. Besides, your boat will sail better and faster when she is upright rather than healed over 25 degrees. I always take the attitude that another day I have; but, another mast I don’t have.

If doing a long distance cruise like an Atlantic Circle or a circumnavigation, DO NOT make a pre planned itinerary and then arrange to have friends meet you at a specific place at a specific time. You will end up having to go to sea in bad weather or you may miss an invitation from a local family to join them in a feast. If friends want to meet you somewhere on your cruise, tell them that they can pick the time or the place; but, not both.

Don’t be afraid of leaving your old friends at home; because, as I mentioned above, “Your next best friend is only an anchorage away!” Also get to know the local people and make friends with them. After all one of the reasons we all go cruising is to meet people of other cultures and gain a better understanding of the rest of the world. And once again, “Get off the beaten path!”

What is difficult for the parents of cruising children and what is difficult for the children themselves?
On our second circumnavigation 1987-1991, we had our two sons on board with us and we home schooled them. There was nothing difficult about having them aboard. On the contrary, it was a blessing and they opened many doors for us in exotic villages. They always seemed to make friends with the local kids. For example, when we were in Marovo Lagoon in the Salomon Islands, we bought the kids a dugout canoe from a local family and then, after doing their home school every day, they would have canoe races with the local kids. In the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama, they made friends with a couple of local kids and had them on board to play with Legos. If you have children with you, you will undoubtedly meet other cruisers with kids you kids ages. Make friends with those families and if they suggest getting off the beaten path and going to some out of the way island, ask to join them; or if you decide to go off to another island, ask then to join you. Your kids will love the cruising life if they have friends to play with; just as you enjoy being with people you like. We knew one couple who always went off on their own and their kids never had the chance to make and be with their friends. Those kids were miserable and hated cruising.

What did you do to make your dream a reality?
We made a plan. We said to ourselves, “OK, if we want to go cruising next year (or in x number of years) what do we have to do to be able to go?” Then we completed one step at a time always knowing that if things changed we didn’t have to go. As we accomplished each step, the momentum grew and before we knew it, we were casting off the lines! Also don’t have any debt. We never had any car loans, credit card or any other type of debt, including on the boat. We paid cash for everything and we always had savings and that gave us the freedom to leave.

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?

How much money does it cost to go cruising?

I can answer that to the penny: however much money you have!! When we did our circumnavigation with our kids back in 1987 – 1991, we spent on average about $1,800 per month. We were friends with another family on a 72 foot boat who had a little girl about our kids’ age and they told us they had spent close to $3 million on a four year circumnavigation. We were also friends with a couple who had a son our son’s age and they spent on average $800 per month. We all sailed to most of the same places and had many of the same adventures; except, the $3million family would fly from a port to visit some exotic place inland, and had very expensive wine on board, and the $800/month family walked or took buses everywhere, while we would sometimes rent a car to travel inland. We all had the same amount of fun and adventures and all three families loved the cruising life.
In closing, let me pass on what I say to friends who are about to go off cruising, “You may think you are going to have a good time; but, you really don’t know. You have no idea how GREAT a time you WILL have.”

Read the full interview

10 Questions for Kalaerin

Jim Carey and Joy Carey have been cruising on and off since 1979 aboard Kelaerin, an Omega 45 (Cutter) hailing from Bellingham, Washington, USA. Their travels so far include the West Coast of the US, Mexico (Baja), more W. Coast US, Canada (Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound), Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Azores, Med, Red Sea, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan. They can be reached by email (Kelaerin@yahoo.com). They have sailed with their children when they were infants, then again when they were 6 and 8, and again when they were 11 and 13. They add: It’s been a good life so far. Joy is partially disabled.


Of the changes, choices and compromises you had to make along the way, which were you happiest and most satisfied about, which do you wish you had chosen otherwise and why?
On the one hand, I wish we had started our world cruise while we were younger and the girls were still with us. Although they got to do a lot, still, this circumnavigation would have been a load of fun with them along. On the other hand, if we had started younger, we might still be having to work to fund our cruising. As it stands now, we do not have to if we watch our pennies. Also at first, we were looking at a 40 foot bare hull back in 1978. The mantra that got started around then was “go small, go now” (I think the Pardeys are responsible for that one) so we dropped the size down to a 32 foot model. We realized within a few years that we had outgrown the boat and had we built the 40 footer to begin with we would probably still have it to this day.

Describe a "typical day" on passage on your boat
Jim and I have a loose watch schedule that works for us. One of us takes approximately 2100 to midnight shift, then the swing from midnight to 3 or 4 a.m. and then the 3 or 4 to 7 or 8. I get breakfast, Jim checks over the boat a little and then we spend a good part of the day napping and reading. Not too exciting but mother nature usually provides the excitement for us anyway.

When have you felt most in danger and what was the source?
When we made a quick stop at Swan Island off the Honduras, we were hailed on the radio by the young military men ashore. We anchored in a small harbor and the men beckoned us to come up and tie to the quay wall, but it was too surgy and we didn’t think deep enough anyway. Jim rowed over to explain that to them. In the meantime our two young daughters were topside and the men noticed the girls. Pretty soon after that the radio was a constant chatter of them making randy and lewd comments about the girls. This was followed by them firing their rifles over the top of Kelaerin. We quickly put the girls down below and into the walk through area while Jim got the anchor up (no electric windlass for us in those days) and I put the boat in gear and motored over the top of a reef to get out of there as fast as possible. Jim says that was the scariest part of that ordeal!!

Can you think of a sailing tip (e.g., sail trim, sail combination) specific to offshore passages (e.g., related to swells)?
Keep the shiny side up J!! Sorry, we can’t think of anything in particular at this moment that would be general enough to suit everyone.

Where was your favorite place to visit and why?
This is always asked and it is so hard to answer. Truthfully, my favorite place is usually where I’m moored at the moment. I always fall in love with a new place for a little while, at least, and then the wanderlust hits again and it’s time to move on. One of the most exciting places we’ve visited has to be Yemen. We had such bi-polar experiences there and it was like being back in the medieval ages.

Across a year, what do you spend the most money on while cruising?
Maintenance, for sure.

Finish this sentence. "Generally when I am provisioning..."
There just simply isn’t enough room for all the chocolate ;). I usually overdo it if anything on the provisions. Until now we really have not needed to provision for a long period as we are in ports so often. Of course, now that we are moving into the South Pacific, that will change.

Are you attracted more to sailing itself or cruising-as-travel and has that changed over time?
To be truthful, I love the cruising as travel more than the sailing. In the beginning (now, that goes way back 30 years or more) I used to hate it when the sails went up as the feeling was so foreign to me. But now I’m anxious to get the motor shut off and the sails up as soon as possible.

What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?
Someone once said that you pack way too many clothes and never enough money.

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I’ve asked you and how would you answer it?


How about “Has the character of cruising/cruisers changed over the years you’ve been out?

I would answer yes to that. We’ve discussed this with other long time cruisers and we agree that GPS has gotten a lot more people out there who maybe would never have considered this before and that combined with rallies, we think, has provided a false sense of security for a lot of people. There are so many people we meet now who go from rally to rally and in between have a secure pod of friends they cruise with. A lot of these people can’t be bothered to mix with the locals or go off the beaten path. Which in a way is good for us, as when we go off the beaten path, which we do often, we have the place to ourselves. We recently gave advice to a cruising couple who were going up the Red Sea from Thailand. They were with a large group and we suggested to them to take it slower, enjoy the Red Sea, there were loads of places to explore. Instead, they did what a lot of people do when transiting the Red Sea, go as fast as possible and take advantage of every weather window to make more progress. To explore at all meant they would have had to break away and they obviously weren’t comfortable doing that.

Read the full interview

10 Questions for Billabong

Chris and KT Myles cruised from 2003 to 2009 on Billabong, their 42 foot Gibsea 126 Master. They cruised through the North and South Pacific, SE Asia, the Indian Ocean, Red Sea & Turkey. They can be reached by email here or here and have a blog and a website. They are both self-professed software/blogging/photography geeks and their son was born in Turkey at the end of their trip.

Describe your first sailing experience
Our first experience together was beating to weather in 25+ knots while everyone else turned around and went home. KT didn't have much sailing experience and we were leaving on our big trip in a couple of months so we had to keep going. The good news was she didn't know any different and didn't complain at all.. she thought that's what cruising was all about.

When have you felt most in danger and what was the source?
I think the scariest moment was when we hit a whale at night under full spinnaker. The collision nearly stopped us and the dramatic change in speed made the boat feel like it was listing bow down. We both ran around in circles trying to figure out what to do next. The confusion probably only lasted 10 sec and we settled into our "routine".. start the engine (to scare away the whale), report our position/situation to our buddy boat, check the bilge and water tight compartment for water.. and breathe! I would have loved to check the keel but a front came through about three hours later and we ended up beating into 30+ knots which extended our simple overnight into a two night trip (KT was not happy).

Was there anywhere you visited that you thought was underrated (better than you had heard)?
Kiribati, the Red Sea and the northern/eastern part of Fiji were all amazing. I can't even begin to describe the experiences we enjoyed with the locals, so giving and open yet so "poor". We spent two seasons in Fiji and went north to the Marshall Islands for a safe place during cyclone season. Tuvalu and Kiribati are really off the beaten path and extremely remote but well worth the trip if you are prepared for it!

Is there something from your land life that you weren't sure about bringing and are very happy about having brought now?
Multiple computers are a must. We were both computer geeks so we brought a photo/video computer and a navigation computer. In the end we ended up with spares for each with a complete backup system that would allow us to swap disks on the nav computer in about 20 seconds (we tested it out of necessity in Australia).

Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?
There are some changes we made along the way but I think it's important to settle into a style and a basic system before you add all the expensive gear. We used two hand held GPS (that could be stowed in the oven) coupled to a charting package (OziExplorer) that supported satellite photos and used Google Earth instead of buying an expensive chart plotter.

Describe a "typical day" on passage on your boat
Early morning usually involved our email transfer via Sat phone to update our blog and download the weather. That was followed by lots of laying around reading books and fishing, I became a fanatic. Ok maybe fishing is a strong word.. more like dropping a lure in the water and then playing with it's action. I have recently tried what land lubbers call fishing with all that casting and stuff.. I'm not a huge fan, I also don't like paying $20 lb for sashimi grade fish!! Some couples had a non-alcoholic happy hour to enjoy each others company and connect every day, it's amazing how quickly the time flies by.

What piece of gear seems to break the most often?
We didn't have any real breakage issues but I had spares for nearly everything so of course those things didn't break (I was known as "spare man").

How much does cruising cost?
Pretty much whatever you want! We lived relatively cheaply but our costs nearly doubled in countries like NZ and Australia when we drove around to see all the sites. Check out the cost break down and cost information on our FAQ page.

What did you do to make your dream a reality?
We sold everything and went. Too many people are sitting in harbors with boats that are more than ready to go. Just do it!

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I've asked you and how would you answer it?
What is the most important attribute for successful cruising? After the basics of navigation and anchoring I would consider problem solving and commitment/communication the most critical skills. We spent a lot of time walking through scenarios and potential issues so we were ready before they happened. I also didn't sugar coat what might happen ("when the boat is upside down") and we discussed our fears/concerns openly before we left. With any major change there will always be hiccups in the beginning so we committed to each other that we would give it at least a year no matter how bad it got. There should be only one captain (for critical decision making situations) but cruising is definitely a team sport and both parties should be comfortable.. that often takes effort, openness and introspection.

Read the full interview