You’ve got the boat, you know where you will be going, and you know when you will be going. Now it’s time to fit out. Where to start?  I was walking the docks at a local marina the other day, checking out the boats--one of my favorite pastimes. Scanning across the slips, it was easy to pick out the cruising boats. They were the ones with the loaded decks. Jerry jugs, life raft, solar panels, wind generator, outboard hanging off the stern rail--all the stuff needed for a untethered life.
Getting a boat ready to cruise involves an overwhelming number of equipment decisions. Remember the five core principles of cruising from the first booklet in the Take Her Sailing Cruising Series? The very first principle—self sufficiency—is one of the primary drivers for fitting out decisions. So many things that are taken care of almost automatically on land—like electricity, water, communications, transport—must be carefully thought through and designed for our specific needs. Often we have to delve into things we’ve never had to deal with before, and learn completely new skills that may be well outside our knowledge and comfort range. This need to stretch ourselves is not a bad thing…in fact, it can be invigorating and immensely satisfying to master things we never thought we would do in a million years. You will learn things about about electrical systems, anchoring strategies, and diesel engines, to name a few areas, that will amaze and astound your land-dwelling friends and family. But I digress. Even with the promise of personal growth, the task of fitting out a cruising boat can be overwhelming. It’s no wonder that we rush to the marine bookstore when we first activate our cruising plans—we want to hear from the experts to get a handle on what we need to be focusing on and how we should prioritize our tasks. Here's what Sharon from San Diego, California said about the THS ebooklets:
My husband and I are planning to go cruising in two years. He has a lot of sailing experience, while I have very little experience and have a lot to learn. While I've read a number of books about cruising and my knowledge base is growing, reading Trish's ebooklets appeals to me because the topics are well covered and geared to my area of interest. She really knows her stuff, and it shows. Messing About with Boats, Part 2: Equipment, The Macro View discusses 50 items often found aboard cruising boats, some of which are "no-brainers," and some of which may be initially thought of as frivolous. I selected this particular list of 50 based upon my own cruising experiences and my observations of other cruisers with whom I've sailed. This booklet is an excellent companion to its predecessor, Messing About with Boats, Part 1: Choosing a Boat because some of the items may already be part of the boat you are considering. It will help you in your assessment of a particular boat in terms of the "extras" it already has on board. And it will help you estimate the cost of adding the features you consider important to include before letting the lines go that last time. Messing About with Boats, Part 2: Equipment, The Macro View is 90 pages in length and: Starts with a Cruise-Mo Quiz that lists 50 common pieces of cruising gear for you to categorize, and provides my own categorization. Provides an overview of each item on the quiz list according to how I have categorized it, identifies specific manufacturers where pertinent, and provides some insight into how each item is used in the cruising fleet. Relates some of my own equipment-related experiences, as well as those of Skip (my husband) and some of our cruising friends.
And, as always, I offer a no-questions-asked guarantee. If you buy this booklet and don’t get any value from it, let me know and I will refund your money. Ready to go? Click here to order the electronic version ($13.97, downloadable right after purchase) Or here to order the hard copy version ($15.97, sold and shipped by CafePress.com)
Trish Lambert
trish@takehersailing.com | 
