PREMIER ISSUE, JULY 1 2003 IN THIS ISSUE
The twice monthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers Premier Issue – July 1, 2003
To set sail somewhere is more important than life itself. A LITTLE CONTROVERSYCrossing Oceans the "Wussie" Way By Trish Lambert For many people, cruising is about crossing oceans.
In fact, I know several hard-nosed salts who
prefer to be offshore rather than in harbor. The
challenge of being out on the open ocean is a
major attraction for these folks. I have done a fair amount of ocean sailing, though
my high seas experience has been along longitudes
rather than latitudes. Once I get acclimated, I
do enjoy making an offshore passage, and love
the feeling of accomplishment when we’ve made
land fall. Over the years, though, I have come
to believe that sailing under one’s own power
is not the only way to cross oceans, and have
found that quite a few cruisers make crossings
other ways. A number of west coast cruisers we knew in Baja
California shipped their boats back home once
their Gulf of California adventures were complete.
They were able to avoid the infamous “Baja Bash”
this way. One couple we became acquainted with shipped
their Baba 30 across the Atlantic and have been
cruising European waters for the last several
years. I’ve recently heard about a new “float on,
float off” service that I find intriguing. Dockwise
Yacht Transport (www.yacht-transport.com)
operates a specialized fleet of vessels that
transport boats “as is,” without decommissioning.
You literally drive your boat aboard as the
vessel is submerged, divers position the keel
blocks and cradle, the vessel de-submerges,
and voila! You’re high and dry in a floating
boatyard.
One account I recently read summarized
transport of a sailboat from Lazaro Cardenas,
Mexico to Port Everglades, Florida for a cost
of $12,000. Dockwise has a number of itineraries
connecting the U.S. east and west coasts, Australia
and New Zealand, western Europe, and the Med.
This new service adds another option for cruisers
wanting to cross oceans. And though there are
those who would consider this kind of offshore
passage the wussie way to go, I think it’s
an idea with merit!
CRUISING STRATEGY Don’t Leave Home Just Yet By Trish Lambert In my second cruising experience, we inadvertently did
something that I now heartily recommend to anyone
starting out: Cruise in your home waters first.
When Jim and I left our marina dock on Ciao Bella to
start our trip to Mexico, there were still a few
projects left to be done. We decided to stick around
San Diego to finish those projects, so we anchored
out or stayed at the harbor police dock off Shelter
Island so that we could be close to the marine
services and supplies that we needed access to.
We ended up “cruising” in San Diego for a little
over a month. Living as cruisers in our home port
gave us insights into the untethered life that hadn’t
been apparent when we were tied to a dock and hooked
up to shore power. For example, we tested our power
generation system to make sure it was adequate for
our needs, found better ways to stow gear that we
were using more now than before we left the dock,
and devised a better dinghy towing strategy. Sure,
we would have done this stuff even if we had left
San Diego. The benefit of staying around home,
though, was that we were in familiar waters as we
tested ourselves and our boat, and knew where to
get supplies and services if we needed them. Several years later, when I was back in San Diego,
I knew a couple who left the yacht club dock six
months before they planned to leave and rented a
mooring in the harbor, just so they could test
things out while still at home. One result of
their strategy was that they found they needed
to upgrade their solar panels. This task, which
would have been pretty onerous to accomplish
from Baja California, was easily done before
heading out to sea. If you are getting ready to cruise for the
first time, or are re-embarking on a different
boat, I recommend joining the cruising fleet
in your own waters for some length of time. You
will be able to make modifications and adjustments
much more easily, and will leave home with more
confidence in your boat, your systems, and your plans.
ISSUE NUMBER 2, JULY 14, 2003 IN THIS ISSUE
The twice monthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers
To set sail somewhere is more important than life itself. A LITTLE CONTROVERSY Cruising Boredom By Trish Lambert It seems like heresy to confess this: I got bored when I was cruising. I don't mean the kind of boredom that most people might think of-the "boredom" of being on the open ocean for days or weeks. There is some mental adjustment needed to make an offshore passage, to be sure, and there may be a phase of this adjustment that could be called boredom. In my experience this was a transitory thing that disappeared after a couple of days when my mind and body got accustomed to the routine. I'm talking about a different kind of boredom which took me by surprise during my second cruising experience. Jim (my second husband/skipper) and I had taken off from San Diego to head into Latin America as the first leg of a circumnavigation, and for a while I was busy with life aboard a boat in foreign waters. There was a lot to learn and master about the "work as you go, cruise on a shoestring" style we had chosen. And there was a lot to learn about the people and cultures we visited, an up close and personal view of Latin America that isn't easily accessible from the States. But after about a year and a half, the things I had looked forward to before leaving San Diego had begun to pall...the palm studded beaches of uninhabited anchorages, the swirl of the market places in the towns we anchored near, the diving, the reading, the socializing. It took quite a while for me to realize that I was bored, mainly because I was unwilling to admit to myself (let alone anyone else) that the lifestyle I love could possibly be mundane and unsatisfying. This is the first time I've articulated it to anyone except Skip (my "third time's the charm" husband/skipper), and though my confession might be cathartic for me, the real reason I'm coming clean on the subject is to provide food for thought when planning your own cruising life. The fault for my boredom lies squarely at my own doorstep. Basically, I didn't examine my own expectations about the cruise and what interests I could pursue. We went from San Diego to Cartagena, Colombia in three years, a time span in which others have circumnavigated the globe. I hadn't thought about what life would be like at such a slow pace. We stayed in spots for weeks or months at a stretch, either because we were busy working (in town anchorages) or because we were taking a break from working (in out of the way anchorages). Without a next horizon to regularly set my eyes on, a sort of mental malaise settled on me, and I wasn't equipped to generate satisfying stimuli to pull me out of it. Many of my first mate friends have a great time cruising, no matter how fast or how slow they go. They have a range of hobbies that is well suited to the lifestyle, including activities like bird watching, shelling, sewing, cooking, and painting. My interests don't lean in those directions, and I hadn't thought about what hobbies would work for me once I mastered the ins and outs of cruising in Latin America. As a result, I didn't keep my brain exercised. The key, I think now, is to think ahead about what activities you enjoy and equip yourself to pursue them within the context of your own cruising agenda. Life is slower out here, and there are not the ever-present external stimuli that we take for granted on land. Cruising is about self-sufficiency, and that means sometimes relying on our own ingenuity to keep our brains challenged. The experiences of my second cruise have contributed greatly to the success of my third cruise. I know that I love to write, I love to create things on the computer, and I love to cruise. Which is why you are reading this newsletter, one of the products of my web site - an ongoing project that I thoroughly enjoy and is effectively helping me avoid that nasty "B" word this time around!
CRUISING STRATEGY Pirates NOT of the Caribbean By Trish Lambert "Aren't you worried about pirates?" This is a question I've been asked from time to time by land dwellers who talk to me about the cruising life. My answer is that piracy is something to think about, along with other security issues such as theft ashore and break-ins on the boat. It is not a worry that will keep us on shore, but it is one that may keep us from going certain places. Piracy is not confined to movies, and it is not romantic. It is a fact of life in certain parts of the world, and having current information on the topic is an important part of itinerary planning. The good news is that attacks on pleasure yachts (as opposed to commercial ships) are relatively few in numbers. This may be due to the fact that the cruising village keeps its members up to date on areas to watch out for through word of mouth. At this writing, risky areas include the coastline of Morocco, parts of the Cape Verde Islands, parts of Brazil, Venezuela, parts of Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador (Guayaquil), Southeast Asia, Somalia, and the Gulf of Aden. Here are some precautions to take if you travel in an area where piracy is of concern: --Band together with other boats making the same passage that are a match in speed to your boat. --Stay in visual contact with one another during daylight hours. --Devise a way to stay in contact at night without showing any lights. One way to do this is by establishing a single sideband frequency and contact schedule so that group members can check in on a regular basis. (Note: Do not use VHF radio for this contact. VHF can be easily monitored by others.) --Monitor this or another SSB frequency open at all times so that group members can easily make contact with the others as needed. (Again, maintain silence on VHF.) --Monitor the group's area on radar and have a plan for closing ranks if any suspicious vessel shows up and appears to be approaching. --Keep track of the positions of all boats in the group on a regular basis so that this information can be reported to authorities if the need arises. --If possible, equip yourself with a satellite telephone and keep a list of numbers for the appropriate authorities in neighboring countries that can be contacted in case of emergency. These and other precautions are outlined on two web sites that I recommend reviewing: www.yachtpiracy.org This is a site specifically about yacht piracy, and includes information about attacks as well as regions where piracy in some form is a risk. Klaus Hympendahl, the web master, has written a book about piracy that is due out in English sometime in the fall of 2003. This web site is written both in German and in English. www.noonsite.com This is Jimmy Cornell's web site for cruising yachts. There is a section on piracy with excellent information about recent attacks, resources, and recommended procedures. ------------------------------------------------------- NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR CLUB OR ASSOCIATION? Interested in a speaker who can give your members
great insights about cruising while making them laugh? “Corporate Suit to Cruising Sailor” As I share insights and tips that I’ve gained from
my twenty years afloat, I will transform before
the audience’s eyes from a corporate Barbie to a
cruising babe!!! For more information about this and other presentations
I can give to your club or association, contact me at
trish@takehersailing.com. ------------------------------------------------------- | 
