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For just about every question, there are almost as many different opinions as there are sailors. And, most of these different opinions are in fact valid for the specific individual with their particular boat and their unique mission. That said, below are our opinions based on our experiences to date. We reserve the right to change them, or even admit they are wrong, at any later date :)
4. What is the longest time you have been continuously away from land?
14. How do you keep in shape while cruising?
44. Why give up comfortable lives and successful careers for life at sea?
49. Any tips on provisioning for our first offshore passage?
We made a 9000-mile, 59 1/2-day, non-stop passage from Cape Horn, east, to Fremantle Australia. We can carry food and water for about twice that long, and we can catch rain water along the way to top up our tanks. We have made two other 29-day non-stop passages. Top of Page
Beth is very resistant to seasickness and will get sick only if we are trying to sail close-hauled into a big nasty sea for several days - something we try hard to avoid. However, if we anticipate this sort of situation, she can take any of several different medicines to avoid being sick (Stugeron [cinnazarine] is the best for her). Evans is seasick for the first 3-5 nights on passage almost every passage, but only when he is captain. When he crews on other boats he is never seasick, so it's obviously a 'loneliness of command' stress-related thing for him. He does not like feeling drugged and would rather be sick than take any medications. Top of Page
This is difficult. We tend to develop good upper body strength while cruising but our legs and aerobic capability waste away unless we work hard at maintaining them. Swimming and walking are the natural ways to get extra exercise while at anchor, but just as when ashore, we have to specifically set time aside for them. In addition, Beth has a set of simple exercises she does on relatively calm passage-making days, using elastic bands and hand weights. Evans does a set of sit-ups and push-ups every night when at anchor/in harbor. Top of Page
The classic mountaineering explanation is ‘because it’s there’, and that may explain the motivation of sailors who try to get the farthest south or north, or the first through a passage or into a difficult harbor. However, I have always found this explanation to be unsatisfactory and it does not explain my motivation.
We repeatedly leave the safety and comforts of shore life for two reasons:
First, it is real out there. You simply have to go out and sail the miles and deal with conditions as they are and you either do it or you don’t. This is an environment where seeing the clear, cold, unvarnished truth is essential. Fabrications and delusions and misconceptions will kill you. You can’t cross an ocean by giving a great PowerPoint presentation or putting the proper ‘spin’ on a press release. There are no referees to fake out or shot clocks to game or anywhere to pass the buck. There is no way to reschedule a hurricane or negotiate with a reef. Offshore it’s very simple and very real, and the colors are more vivid and the feelings more intense. Life ashore feels pale and washed out afterwards.
Second, deep seamen pull together the way humans should but rarely do ashore. Each skipper is entirely and completely responsible for his vessel's fate, but if assistance is needed, we help each other with no questions asked and no compensation expected. Ashore I would not be likely to drop everything and help fix a complete stranger’s roof or rebuild his car brakes, but that’s exactly what seamen do. Status is gained in the community by how much knowledge and assistance you contribute to others rather than how much stuff you own. This combination of complete individual responsibility with unstinting community assistance feels right. It’s clearly how humans should interact. It creates a challenge for all of us who have experienced it to be role models and also act this way ashore. Top of Page
(1) Water issues. Each crew should have their own 1 quart (1 liter) water bottle with their name on it, and they need to drink it empty twice every day. The separate water bottles minimize the spread of germs and drinking two liters a day minimizes the risk of dehydration.
Do flush out the water tanks (a chlorine flush to kill the bugs and then several fresh water flushes to remove the chlorine taste). Even if you have a watermaker, using seawater for dishwashing, with a fresh water rinse, will greatly reduce the amount of time you have to run the watermaker/generator. Check the o-ring on the deck inlet cap to make sure it is still sound and will keep saltwater out of the water tanks.
(2) Meal planning. Precooking meals for at least the first five dinners will minimize galley time while still providing good hot meals until the cook finds his/her sea legs. There are three options for ‘pre-cooking: (a) frozen, if you have the freezer capacity, (b) pressure cooking in jars, and (c) freeze dried - expensive and probably the least tasty. Bring spicy sauces if going this route. Again, for the first five days its best to pack food in "one-day packages" as much as possible to avoid time digging around in the galley lockers.
Also, plan some bland menu options, and bring saltines or pilot biscuits, for rough weather.
A daily 'surprise' that people will look forward to is a big moral builder – anything that will wake up the taste buds – everything from pickles to ginger cookies to ice cream bars are good.
(3) Crews differ dramatically on how much they will want to eat. Some will want three big meals and others will just have a bagel for breakfast, snacks for lunch and a real dinner. You can get accurate input from experienced offshore crew how much they think they will eat but those new to offshore usually don’t have a clue about their preferences. In the mid & higher latitudes you need to be prepared to keep everyone full of hot food, but in the tropics you can usually plan on light breakfasts and snack lunches (with lots of liquids) unless you know you have big eaters.
(4) Use regular silverware and plastic dishes. Wide mouth cups with lids are good both for drinks and soup/stews. If you have one for each member of the crew, each person can be responsible for washing his own mug. Get a large pump thermos and fill it with hot water before the night watches for coffee, hot chocolate, etc. Top of Page
"Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent."