five points

[Frank]

Found this on a cruising couples site today.....

"Five things I wish I'd known before I started cruising..." Boy, did that start a discussion! Herewith our contributions. Our 10,000 miles of cruising over the last four years have been mostly coastwise, from San Francisco, through Mexico and Central America to Ecuador, then through the Panama Canal to Cartagena and on to Guatemala (as of mid-2008). Those who sail mostly across oceans or to Arctic wastes will have different perspectives.



(1) You're not alone. The community of cruisers is both ephemeral and tightly-knit. You'll get to know people by their voices on the SSB months before you meet them--if you ever do. But cruisers help other cruisers: whether a mysterious engine failure, a medical emergency, or a needed part, we've heard it happen time and again. And yet, you are alone. Be prepared to be your own weatherman, and fix your own systems. Seek input, but make your own decisions.



(2) Everything breaks. There's a tradeoff between modern conveniences and maintenance. Every convenience comes with a mortgage of spare parts that must be carried, and time that must go to preventive and reparative maintenance. Try to find a point on the convenience-maintenance tradeoff that you're happy with.



As Larry Pardey said: "Be prepared to fix it, replace it, or do without it." Skilled technicians for high-tech systems are scarce. A village mechanic, given the service manual (you have the service manual, right?) and the replacement part (you have the part?), can usually get the job done on an engine. And in outback areas, a village mechanic can often accomplish wonders in fabricating a new rifnoid out of a bit of wrecked truck chassis. 



More often than not, you'll be your own mechanic, perhaps with the help of the guy in the other boat in the anchorage. Since most of our breakdowns have been electrical, I will emphasize: Most often, the problem is in the connectors, not in the components.



The best thing is to live with your systems for several years before you set off. Learn how things break, what breaks, and how to work backward from the symptom to the disease. Do basic maintenance and fix things yourself before you set off from the dock. We had our steering go bad in the Hobbies Cays off of the coast of Honduras, where there's nobody--not even fellow cruisers--to help. If I'd never torn into that system before, I would have been terrified. As it was, it was just "Oh, bother." And never ignore a strange noise.



(3) Getting food, medicine, and medical care is easy. There's no excuse for carrying a 5-year supply of flour (or whatever). Wherever we've gone, there have been people, and the people eat stuff, mostly stuff they buy at a small shop within a few steps of their front door. Eat what they eat, and you'll eat cheaply and learn to enjoy new foods. Likewise, the governments of those countries want to keep their citizens well, and have provided good-to-excellent public health services at ridiculously cheap prices (by US standards). Learn basic first aid, but forego the multi-thousand-dollar medical kit. On the other hand, be aware that counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a problem in second- and third-world countries, for example, "Lipitor" and "chloroquine" made of talcum powder: if there's a medicine that your life depends on, factor that into your decision on whether to buy south of the border. Most pharmacies have an English-Spanish dictionary of pharmaceuticals, and no prescription is necessary where we've sailed (except for psychoactive drugs).



(4) It's easy to travel inland to all those wonderful places you've heard about. We like to have reservations, but we have friends who do without. Both groups seem happy with their choices. Have some of the local language, though. Not only will it improve your ability to get by on your own, it shows respect to the locals, and they'll reciprocate. (Stick to your native language if you're dealing with a law enforcement official.) Wherever we've been, the locals have been warm, patient, and as curious about our lives as we have been about theirs.



(5) You can do this. "It is a commonplace that we cannot answer for ourselves until we have been tried. But it is not so common a reflection, and surely more consoling, that we usually find ourselves a great deal braver and better than we thought. I believe that this is everyone's experience...I wish sincerely, for it would have saved me much trouble, there had been someone to put me in good heart about life when I was younger; to tell me how dangers are more portentious on a distant sight, and how the good in a man's spirit will not allow itself to be overlaid and rarely or never deserts him in the hour of need." (Robert Louis Stevenson) Maintaining one's positive outlook is a lot easier if one spends one's time on quiet watches anticipating problems and hatching plans for what one will do when they arise. Always have a "Plan B." And another.

[Oldrig]

Frank,

Thanks for posting this.

Definitely words to cruise by--and to live by.

Grog to ye'!

--Joe

[newt]

I read these last night and could not think of one thing to add. Capt K- how bout putting these in the FAQ's or something?

[dnice]

This is nice. Since I haven't been reading cruising books in a while, it kinda refreshed my motivation and reaffirms my reasoning to keep it simple and go soon. Its so easy to get caught up in day to day things which always lead to the 'I need this, I want that' thinking... But really, all I need is a boat, and all I want is to go cruising. Everything else can wait or be figured out along the way.

[Frank]

Dnice...if its any more of a motivator to ya. The couple that wrote it took off in 2004. He was diagnosed with prostrate cancer last fall.Goes to show ya....DON"T WAIT !! I think he has some peace knowing no matter what happens, he's had 5 good years living the dream and as of now...still living it.

[Frank]

This is the link to their site.They sail a 42,have a watermaker,AC  etc. which would not be the KISS principle, but their site IS FULL of great info and exellent pics..so don't judge them harshly for having all the bells n whistles...they ARE out there doing it....AC and all.This is one of the best lil finds of late in my searching http://www.sv-moira.com/index.htm

[dnice]

Great site, there really is TON of info here. I'll have to dive into more later.

The first thing I notice though, is something I think is really important for the would-be cruisers to keep in mind. They have been cruising for 5 years, and their longest passage was 700 miles (7days) from panama to ecuador (and they motored the whole way :) ).

Not that a persons boat shouldn't be ready for anything, but it seems like most people are spending too much time making it strong enough for an around-the-world journey when they are not planning on going around the world.

I mean really, I could spend as much time as I want circumnavigating the Caribbean without ever spending more than one night offshore.
Of course it all depends on your goals, but for me, I'll be quite comfortable as long as my boat floats and the rigging is strong. I'd like to cross an ocean one of these days, but for now I just want to get out there and cruise, I'll do my learning, testing, practicing, and upgrading as I go.

[lshick]

Thanks for the kind words. It's nice to hear that one's efforts are appreciated. Susan does most of the writing.

A couple of corrections--our longest passage was indeed from Costa Rica to Ecuador, 750 miles, but we sailed the whole way, or damned near. There's no way we could have done 750 miles under power with 70 gallons of diesel on board.

And we don't really have an AC. When we're going to be leaving Moira in the tropics for an extended period, we buy a small window-mount AC and put it over a hatch.

Larry Shick
V42-148 "Moira" http://www.sv-moira.com

[dnice]

Your efforts are certainly appreciated.

I was just skimming through when I read that about the motoring, so I apologize for the incorrect statement.

"We burned twice as much fuel charging the batteries on this trip as we burned to push the boat: we used about 10-15 gallons of diesel fuel for propulsion to cover the 700 miles."

I just read that wrong.

I'll definitely be reading the site more thoroughly whenever I have time. I always enjoy cruising stories and since everyone has their own way of doing things, I tend to learn much more from personal accounts than I would from a how-to style book or something. plus its just good reading.

[Frank]

Welcome aboard here Larry. I truly enjoy your site and it has a wealth of hands on knowledge outlining the many ereas you have cruised. It is also written very 'honestly' ..sharing the fears and 'human' side of being out there. Too often peoples opinions and sailing blogs are based on the written word and not actual experience. I appreciate you sharing your adventures with all who read them. Happy voyaging.

[Oldrig]

Welcome aboard! I found your five points a real inspiration--and your log, which I've just started reading, a pure delight.

You're living it, while I only read about it.

Thanks for what you two have written.

--Joe