CRUISER LOG
Features:
JEANNE POCKEL's
CRUISING & SAILING DICTIONARY
Cruising information and terms for those sailing around the world 

ACETIC ACID - Essentially, what makes vinegar sour. If you can obtain acetic acid, which is diluted 1:25 with water to make “artificial vinegar”, you can have a year’s supply in a liter bottle, cheaply and compactly. Flavor it with wine, apple cider, herbs, and it’s a reasonable substitute for fermented "gourmet", wine or cider vinegar. Try a Chemist (Pharmacy), or in some countries, an industrial chemicals supplier. Chemical symbol for Acetic Acid: CH3COOH (See “Vinegar”)

ACETOMINOPHYN - (For example, Tylenol®). In Australia, NZ, is called Paracetomol. Same thing, different name. Only pain killer that should be used if Dengue Fever is suspected. Liver damage can occur if taken in too great quantities, or with alcohol.

ACID - Various types of acid are useful on a boat, and we probably carry all of them. Always dilute acid by pouring the acid slowly into water, not by putting water into acid. See “Acetic”, “Citric”, ”Hydrofluoric”, “Muriatic”, “Phosphoric”, “Oxalic”, “Tartaric” acids, "Stain Remover", “Vinegar”, “Heads”.

ALLERGIES - Some marine toxins, such as from jellyfish, cause extreme allergic reactions. Our doctor recommended that we carry at least one type of liquid antihistamine (such as Children’s Benadryl) as well as antihistamine pills as a preventive measure against reactions to new substances. In the event of a severe allergic reaction you may not have time to reach professional medical help. The liquid is faster-acting than the pill form and is more easily swallowed, which can be important if reaction causes swelling of throat and airway passages. If you carry Children's Benadryl, be sure you adjust the dosage for an adult. Better yet would be an “Epi-Pen” which is a premeasured dose of injectable epinephrin. It is most commonly provided to people with severe allergies (such as to bee stings, peanuts, fish, etc.) (See “Charcoal Tablets”; “Scombroid Poisoning”)

ALGAECIDE - Algae in your fuel tank will break down diesel and deposit water. In the tropics it can form quickly and clog fuel filters. Many marina fuel docks in the tropics sell an additive to handle algae. It is worth carrying. For potable water, Sodium Metabisulphide, the bactericide that is used to "pickle" the PUR desalinator membrane, is a good water tank algaecide, though the taste is dreadful. (See "Water Filter")

ALUMINUM - Extremely vulnerable to electrolysis. We do not recommend for cooking utensils, or storage containers. (See “Rust”)

ANCHOR - be sure anchor is locked securely before making any passage (we secure ours in chain locker so there is nothing on deck to be caught by green water).
In foul anchorages, it is helpful to buoy the anchor with a trip line. In very deep foul anchorages it may be necessary to buoy the anchor rode to prevent it from so tangling with the rock and/or coral on the bottom that it is hopelessly fouled. (Danger in areas with heavy swells is that rode fouls straight down leaving no catenary - has broken rode or bow stem of a number of boats. (See also, “Fenders”; “Fouling”; “Recycling”)

ANCHOR LIGHT - The April, 1998 SSCA bulletin had two do-it-yourself automatic anchor lights, to turn on at sunset, off at sunrise.

ANGIOSTRONGYLIASIS - (“heart-lung worm”) is a relatively rare but serious parasite that comes from locally grown lettuce or Bak Choy, but is prevalent in Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, Tahiti; reported in Puerto Rico. The parasite’s eggs are deposited by land snails that crawl and feed on the leafy vegetables, are found in shrimps, crabs, fish. Care must be taken to wash thoroughly, although does not always eliminate infective larvae. For shellfish, boiling for 3-5 minutes, or freezing for 24 hours will kill the larvae. (Source: “Control of Communicable Diseases in Man”, 1990, An official report of the American Public Health Association.)

ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP - Such as Softsoap™ (and Softsoap Hypoallergenic works in salt water), excellent for bathing and for first cleansing of cuts and abrasions. This is not the same thing as Phisohex Facial Wash (which is for acne). When we ran out of, and could not get in Australia or Western Pacific islands, got the first Staph Infection in nine years. Any Pacific Island nation where they keep pigs, particularly French Polynesia, you would be wise to carefully disinfect all insect bites, especially the sand flea ("no-see-ums") bites, or they will become infected, and we have seen lots of nasty scars from them. Treat cuts and scratches aggressively in the tropics.

ANTIBACTERIAL TABLETS - Water purification tablets: Milton’s (mf’d. by Proctor & Gamble in England for Aust. consumption. AUD$6.85 for 30 tablets). Also in Australia, AMCAL, AUD$4.95 for 30 tabs. Also made in England. As are AquaTabs sold in West Marine for a lot more money. You can also find them in the baby bottle section of stores in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, various labels.

Another option is sodium metabisulphide, used in Australia (and other places) to sterilize home beer-making bottles and equipment. It works, and is the same stuff that is used to "pickle" the membrane in small water desalinators. But it smells, and water treated with it needs to be filtered through a charcoal filter. (See water filters)

“ARMOR-ALL™” - We have heard reports that it should not be used on rubber dinghies because the silicone eventually migrates through the fabric and loosens the glue, letting go of the seams, which are then unrepairable because of the silicone.

ASPIRIN - Although aspirin is my pain tablet of choice, it is important to note that if Dengue Fever is suspected, do not give aspirin or ibuprofin. Only acetominophen (or Paracetomol in Australia, NZ) is safe.

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE - The United States’ insistence on giving barometric readings in inches of mercury seems, to my mind, to be quite silly. Less than two-tenths of an inch of mercury is the difference between low pressure and standard atmospheric pressure. So out of my own personal need, I’ve drawn up a small conversion table for atmospheric pressure in inches of mercury and in hectopascals (or millibars). You will find it easier to keep track of weather patterns when you only have to keep track of whole numbers. A low pressure system at 29.77 inches of mercury doesn’t seem that much different from a high pressure system at 30.59 inches. For me, a gradient of 1006 to 1036 seems to be easier to recognize and understand. So, for what it’s worth, here are the two tables.

BACKPACK - Don’t carry money in pack - use fanny pack or money belt (back pack is too easily picked). On busses or trains, watch out for thieves who help you put your backpack onto the rack directly over your head, only to loot it while you are riding. At the risk of sounding too cynical, very helpful locals sometimes have ulterior motives.

BAMBOO SKEWERS - More useful than we ever expected. Useful as a disposable stirring stick for small amounts of epoxy; as filler in stripped wooden screw holes; for cleaning out small diameter tubing; etc., etc. We even use them for cooking at beach barbecues.

BIMINI - Sailing in the tropics won’t be very much fun if you can’t get out of the sun during the day while sailing. Fitted with PVC gutters, makes a good passive rain catcher as well.

BLACK MARKET MONEY CHANGING - We have never encountered or tried this, but have been warned by others that one runs the risk of being shortchanged. If you decide to risk changing money on the black market, do not hand over your money until you have personally counted the local currency given to you. Smarter people than us have been cheated badly.

BODY ODOR - A landlubber friend of ours, a travel agent, commented once to us how so many yachties have terrible B.O. Our first reaction was “not Americans!”, but then we smelled a few. Occasionally we get to smelling a bit ripe, and have found that usually a bathing with Selsun Blue Shampoo, or more drastically, with Selsun concentrated (in yellow bottle) and then continuing with antibacterial soap solves the problem. In the tropics, the constant moisture on the skin as the body pumps out perspiration to cool itself is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, which lead to smelly bodies. Most people don’t realize when they start offending, so it’s better to err on the side of caution. It’s healthier, too. Cuts don’t infect as often, or as severely, if the skin is kept relatively bacteria-free.

BOOKS - Useful books: “DUTTON'S NAVIGATION AND PILOTING” by Elbert S. Maloney, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (Even after all our years of cruising we continue to check information in here; one of the appendices is translations of foreign chart symbols and notations - most languages of the world, most useful); “HEAVY WEATHER CRUISING”, by K. Adlard Coles, Peter Bruce, Intl. Marine Pub. ; “HEAVY WEATHER GUIDE” by Rear Admiral William J. Kotsch, USN (Ret.) and Richard Henderson. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD; “THE OFFSHORE DOCTOR” by Dr. Michael H. Beilan. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York (paperback); “WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR" by David Werner. The Hesperian Foundation, P.O. Box 1692, Palo Alto, CA 93402 (website: http://www.hesperian.org/ ); "PUTTING FOOD BY", Janet C. Greene, Penguin USA (Paper); “SITTING DUCKS” (author unknown, about Caribbean misadventures); “WORLD CRUISING ROUTES” by Jimmy Cornell; a good World Atlas; an almanac.
To keep books mildew-free, see “Mildew”.

BOTULISM - The most terrifying food poisoning, because it is usually fatal within minutes of ingesting the toxin, and an incredibly tiny amount is all that is needed to fell an army. Poorly processed home-canned meats and vegetables, cans damaged by dents or rust so that the botulin spores can get in and grow, are the most common sources of botulism. Discard bulging cans. If the lid on a “pop-top” has popped, discard the contents. These are telltales of the bacteria growing in the container. However, the toxin is easily destroyed by heat, 5 minutes of boiling food in an open pan destroys the toxin, so one should be careful to adequately heat all canned foods before eating, just to be safe. The spores, however, are a different matter. To destroy, for canning meats, for example, requires processing in a pressure cooker under 10 lbs. pressure for 75 minutes (for pints) to 90 minutes (for quarts).

BURGLAR ALARM - We have rarely locked our boat while we are away from it for a day and have had no problems. However, we have built an alarm system with which we are comfortable. We did not want a motion-detector system because there are too many things that can set off a false alarm; we wanted a system that would work even if we were on the boat or anytime we left the boat leaving the hatches open, thereby eliminating magnetic contact-type sensors. The alarm therefore consists of a pressure pad that sits in the cockpit in front of the companionway hatch, a 12V exterior horn, and a time-delay relay switch. The parts are readily available from do-it-yourself electronics shops, cost under $100, and can be tailored to the specific owner’s requirements. It fits our need and philosophy of frightening away the amateur thief, or warning us of intrusion in the middle of the night should we be in a location where that is of some concern. (see “Thieves”)

CANNING FOODS - when we started out, we weren’t going any farther than the Caribbean, where a new island (and market) is just a day sail away in most cases. I therefore didn’t think that canning meats was worth the trouble of carrying the jars, lids, and going through the effort. Once leaving the Caribbean for the South Pacific, however, passages are longer, we have no freezer, and we have found great destinations where there was no civilization - indeed, wonderful anchorages where there was no land. As much as we might like fish, a little bit of beef or chicken is welcome, and the longer we do without, the more we crave it. I preserve meatballs, stewed beef, ground beef (“mince”), and chicken. The most appreciated by Peter is the meatballs and loose ground beef. No matter how confident I am that the food is okay (opening the lid of a properly canned jar gives a resounding “pop” as the vacuum seal is broken), I still make sure that the contents are cooked/boiled for a full five minutes before consuming. And so I put up meats before any extended cruise or long passage. (See Appendix: Food Canning)

Remote destinations. In 1991 we decided to stop at Cocos Island, owned by Costa Rica and about 500 miles of its coast. Back then there were only two people living on the island - members of the Costa Rica Coast Guard, stationed there for three-month tours. Cocos Island is a national park, and we aren’t sure if the two fellows were there to police the park from fishing boats, since commercial fishing was outlawed, or whether it was just to be sure that Costa Rica maintained a presence there so that squatters couldn’t just move in and claim the island. Regardless, we found it to be exquisite, and wound up staying for almost two months. At this time I wasn’t canning meats, and so we were eating fish, the occasional lobster, and whatever sparse stores I had in our locker. We shared the anchorage with a French boat, EOA, and found ourselves trading back and forth for items one had that the other didn’t. But neither of us had meat, so we grew very inventive with preparing fish in different ways. Near the end of our stay at the island, we started getting a bit silly, looking at the sea birds walking around within neck-wringing distance from us (all the wildlife on land and in the waters of this island were unafraid of humans - not having been hunted, they didn’t perceive humans as a predator), and saying, “here, chicken, chicken, chicken”, though we never quite had the nerve to catch and kill one.

APPENDIX: FOOD CANNING. Although I have been conditioned my entire life to not reuse vacuum lids, I do not care to carry as many canning jars and lids as I need for a long cruise to remote places; and thus I save pint jars with “button” pop-top lids, such as spaghetti sauce, to use once more before discarding. Also, for smaller quantities, I save smaller jars, such as the jars that Salsa comes in. The risk is the rubber gasket, which is just a small thin strip in the commercial jars, becoming worn or damaged. Be sure that whatever jars and lids you use that you close them tightly before placing them in the water bath and processing, or the liquid will boil over and seep out of the jars.

Precooking meats before canning will insure that the canning broth remains clear and appealing looking. Skim off the scum and if still unacceptably cloudy, you may wish to strain the broth through cheesecloth (or a paper coffee filter!) before covering the meat in the jars with it.

I prepare meats slightly differently than if they were being used immediately. Meatballs are better if there is little or no spices, and I do not add bread crumbs; rather than browning in a frying pan, I drop them into boiling beef broth to partially cook, then lift out with a slotted spoon, pack loosely but firmly in pint jars, use the processing broth (strained to remove scum) to cover the meat, cover, and process. Ground beef: drop loose into boiling beef broth, boil for a minute or two, lift out of broth with slotted spoon, pack into jars, cover with broth, cover and process.

Chicken: remove bones and skin, process as for beef, but use chicken broth rather than beef broth. (Chicken bouillon cubes are fine). I also add 1 tsp. citric acid to each quart of broth.

CAUSTIC SODA - Same stuff as drain unclogger (such as "Drano") - useful for cleaning out the last bits of animals from seashells without harming the shell. But is nasty stuff - generates lots of heat, so add to water, not other way around; be careful of the fumes. Make up solution, put smelly seashell in and swish around so solution goes all the way into the shell and let sit overnight. Rinse out. (also useful when toilet in head has bits of rotting animal in it - when the smell gets too much, disconnect intake line, pump in caustic soda solution, let sit for a few hours, pump out, repeat and then flush with clear water)

CHARCOAL TABLETS - Available in most health food stores, good for absorbing ingested toxins such as Salmonella toxin from food poisoning, or for accidental overdoes of medications. It is not a medicine, but the same activated charcoal used to absorb minerals and odors from drinking water. Must be taken when symptoms first appear to have any effect. Can’t hurt, often helps, and with food poisoning, helps dramatically. (see “Allergies”, “Botulism”, “Salmonella”)

CHARTS - See “Navigation Charts”

CHOLERA - For normal healthy adults cholera is not fatal, just nasty, so one should not feel intimidated by it, nor avoid places where cholera has been reported. However, one should always take precautions against food-borne infections - very few places in the world have the same hygiene standards as in the States. As with typhoid, giardia, cryptosporidiosis, the majority of the carriers are asymptomatic - i.e., transmission is often effected by carriers who show no symptoms of the disease themselves, so the disease is transmitted by their handling of food - for this reason, even very clean restaurants can transmit various diseases if the people preparing or serving the food are unknowingly infected. We have eaten food from street vendors in cholera-endemic areas without any problems. If they are selling fried food and the food is handled with tongs and paper napkins without the vendor ever actually handling the cooked food, it is unlikely that the food is contaminated. If the vendor is dirty or the utensils are dirty, avoid it. (See also,“Cryptosporidiosis”; ”Giardia”; “Newspapers”; “Preserving Food - Fresh Vegetables”; “Rehydration”; “Typhoid”)

CIGARETTE LIGHTERS - Useful for searing and sealing cut ends of lines, webbing, etc

CIGUATERA - Food poisoning from reef fish. Caused by reef fish eating a toxic dinoflagellate - doesn't hurt the fish, but the toxin builds up in its flesh and is really nasty to humans - can be fatal. Symptoms include shivering, severe flu-like symptoms, reverse sensations (hot feels cold, cold feels hot). The toxin is a nerve toxin, can suppress breathing in severe cases. The larger the fish, the more toxin it could have in its flesh. Is found in tropical reefs worldwide, though some areas are worse than others. Not caused by pollution, so do not think that just because you are far from civilization that you are safe. In the Caribbean, do not eat barracudas, and we suggest avoiding large reef fish, such as groupers. Intravenous Mannitol (glucose drip) has been successful in treating it, if done as soon as possible after showing symptoms. Local remedies include drinking a whole can of sweetened condensed milk. Because the toxin builds up in the body tissues, one can eat ciguatera-infected fish without severe effect over a period of time, then suddenly eat the one fish that puts the level in the system over the edge. It seems to take about two years for all the toxin to leave the tissues. When Peter got it, he couldn't stand the taste or smell of fish for about six months. We were told by our island friends that this is not unusual. It's a scary thing and is not to be taken lightly. In many areas of the Caribbean we are so wary of it that we try to only eat pelagic fish, such as Mahi-Mahi, wahoo, tuna, never eat any but the smallest reef fish.

CLOCK - We have a small 24-hour digital clock that also shows the date at the navstation set to Universal Coordinated Time (Greenwich Mean Time). Radio and Weatherfax schedules are usually given in UCT, and this saves trying to remember what time zone we are in.

COCKROACHES - South Pacific roaches are big enough to throw a saddle on. If you see even one roach walking around in daylight, chances are you have a severe infestation (mild to moderate infestation, you won’t see one during the day). One cruiser roach treatment is boric acid mixed with sweetened condensed milk until stiff, rolled in balls and put around - especially in bilge. (This is a terrible idea if your bilge has even a little water, and if you make a lot of passages. People who found this most effective were cruisers in Baja California and dry ABC island in Caribbean. It’s not worked for us). We’ve found bombing the boat is the only sure way to get rid of them, but it means opening all lockers and leaving the boat for the day. Best bombing was set off after dark and left for a day. Prevention is better than trying to exterminate, but they’ll get on the first time you let down your guard. Do not bring store boxes onto the boat - unpack and discard before bringing stuff below. Leave stuff in sun in cockpit for an hour (if possible) before stowing it. No paper bags; even plastic bags can carry the eggs. Always keep one or two fresh roach traps around galley area. If you send your laundry out to be done by hand and it comes back the next day (as is common on some Caribbean islands), there is a possibility that there will be roaches in the clothes. Unpacking and laying out in the sun before bringing below reduces the risk. (See also “Mildew”)

COFFEE - For those who use Melitta paper coffee filters, there is a reusable cotton alternative from: The Coffee Sock Company, P.O. Box 10023, Eugene, OR 97440. They also make hand-held coffee socks with a stainless steel frame. At $3.95 per sock for a #6 Melitta filter, they are cheaper than the paper version, and it’s less trash generation. (We bought coffee socks in a plastic hand-held-type frame in Venezuela, very cheap, and in a metal frame in Phuket, Thailand - in between, couldn’t find them)

COMPUTER - Is there a cruiser nowadays that doesn’t have a computer on board? Hooked up to a shortwave (HF) radio, can receive weather faxes or can send and receive e-mail, faxes. There are several worldwide perpetual tide table programs available for computers. Hints: learn how to set “sleep” or “Suspend” mode; an inverter is a boon. We believe that a 12-volt adapter is better for the computer and its internal battery than plugging it into an inverter on the boat. (see also, "E-mail", “References” [for internet sites]; “Weather Fax”; “Tide Tables”)

COOKWARE - Handles on stainless steel pots & pans are usually not screwed on with stainless steel screws; they will rust and the handles fall off. If you decide to remove long handles and have ear handles welded on, do it before you leave the States. Another option: often you can buy small handles and screw them on in place of the long handles. Try Salvation Army or such for cheap pots with handles or lids you want.

- Pressure cooker - a very useful pot. Good for home canning; fast preparation of meats and stews, thereby saving fuel; lock on cover, good for nasty rough passages; and is usually the largest pot carried. Have only found one model (European) that had absolutely no aluminum on it (if yours has an aluminum pressure valve, check frequently and clean oxidation off before using it or it might clog and not work properly). Be sure you carry a spare gasket for your particular model if you plan to travel far from your origin point, or you might find it impossible to replace the gasket when it fails.

- Stove. Be sure your stove has pot holders to prevent pots from sliding around and jumping off the stove when cooking while under way. Not all stove are fitted with them.

CORN - Corn Meal is available in Australia as “Polenta”.

- Real Corn Flour is nonexistent outside of US (except a few places in S. America). Most places, “Corn Flour” means cornstarch.

- Cornstarch is called Corn Flour in many places. Be careful.

COUNTRIES: We have visited the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,
Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium (via 747), Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Chile (Easter Island), Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, France (including French Polynesia and its Caribbean islands), Grenada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Netherlands (via 747), New Caledonia, Niue, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Western Samoa 

CREDIT CARDS - an easier and safer way for cruisers to obtain money than traveler’s checks. Little cash needs to be carried on board, very few places where they are not accepted, and one gets a better exchange rate than either cash or traveler’s checks, and they’re waterproof. Contrary to information we received, we were able to obtain cash from ATM's using our US VISA and MasterCard in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

CULTURE SHOCK - The rest of the world isn’t as particular as Western Europe and the US. Sanitation, food and fuel quality, services, are not up to standards we have come to expect. In addition to a sense of humor, one must be on guard to prevent problems caused by our expectations being higher than local conditions provide. ] 

CYBERCAFES: Clumsy and paranoid, I will not carry my precious computer ashore in the dinghy for fear of dropping it overboard. With Internet cafes becoming so prevalent, under most circumstances it is easier and safer to use their facilities rather than our own computer. To save time I write most of my messages on the computer and carry a floppy disk with me to the Internet center, and copy messages received onto the disk for reading and replying at my leisure back at the boat. WARNINGS: Not all cybercafes are diligent about running their antivirus software and updating it. In Malaysia, I have experienced virus-infected computers in practically every cybercafe I visited; caught another one in Maryland cybercafe. In self-defense I have taken to checking their antivirus software, and how recently it's been updated, before I download anything, though that's cumbersome. But a great many viruses hide in Microsoft Word programs, to infect your floppy disk when you open a MS Word file to copy it to your e-mail program. There are a few precautions to take that will make it a bit safer. Write protect the disk you are using to store letters you will be sending. This prevents the virus from infecting your floppy disk, but still enables you to open and read the file. You might also save your MS Word files for transfer to your e-mail at the cybercafe, in "Rich Text Format", or simply in "Text" format. When you copy files to the disk you are bringing back to the boat, save the files in ".txt" format, which has no room to hide most viruses. When you get back to the boat, scan that floppy disk for viruses before opening anything that you have downloaded. Of course, this requires that you have an antivirus program and have been diligent in updating it.

I download updates to my antivirus program frequently (every 7 to 14 days if at all possible).