[marauca]

Next let’s take a look at your situation, are you ready to go? One of the prime causes of a "cottage in the country" syndrome is our ability to cope with accumulating perceived "breakdowns" be they equipment or personal. Given that our senses may not be operating at 100% under lumpy sea conditions, the number of these we can cope with will be less at sea. We believe older cruisers will agree in the importance of maintaining a degree of comfort that allows reasoned decision-making in dealing with breakdowns as they occur. This all leads to our assertion that the boat must be dry below with warm bunks and good meals. On top of this, do all preparatory work possible before departure, both on deck and below. On deck for instance, run all the lines you may need, double check rigging and prevent loss of halyards, free shackles, seal hatches and portholes, tie down the anchor and plug the chain hawse for starters. Below, it is a good idea to sequence the charts, enter your waypoints, set up the logbook and prepare pre-cooked food for the first day or 2 and easy packs for later meals, nibblies for night watches etc.

Your boat should meet reasonable safety standards too and carry an EPIRB, liferaft and MOB equipment as well as VHFand HF radios. Here in Alaska the Coast Guard require all crewmembers to wear an immersion suit since time overboard otherwise is measured in minutes - so it is reasonable to expect some countries to impose special requirements in the safety equipment area. Remember to carry courtesy flags for each country you expect to visit and learn how to fly them.

Another comfort factor, both in the tropics and in extreme cold climates is cockpit shelter from the elements. A dodger is the absolute minimum but a cruising sun awning will definitely make your tropical cruise more enjoyable. In colder climates all-round protection is essential if you wish to live aboard and cope permanently. Cruising Ireland one year we noticed most of the local boats had a hard doghouse supplemented with zip-around clears. We installed this arrangement on Illywhacker and wouldn’t be without it here in Alaska. One can argue it may not look so slick but comfort takes precedence nowadays!

The equipment list can be endless of course and trying to keep up with advances in marine gadgets can be expensive and not altogether necessary for the first voyage. If you can sail safely, navigate, communicate and receive weather information you will be well on the way.