Cruising and sailing Faq's and information

1) What is your background and how did you collect all this information?

So you plan to go cruising, and are reading everything you can get your hands on to prepare yourself. So did I. Some of the information I found is included here. Some of it came about through trial and error. My husband Peter’s father was a chemical engineer with an exceptionally down-to-earth approach to chemistry - he called his formulas “recipes”, and he provided me with invaluable information, some of which I have included here.

Some brief information about us and WATERMELON. She is a Jeanneau Sun Fizz, originally 38.5’ long, but we added 3 feet to her one year when we were in Australia and a bit bored. Although we love her, and she has been our home since 1986 when we left Boston for a (possibly) two-year hiatus from the rat-race, a Sun Fizz with a displacement of about 7.5 tons, is not your usual idea of a blue-water cruiser. Yet she has been good to us, taking us through a wide variety of weather including three hurricanes, three cyclones, and a bunch of gales and other such storms, over more than 15,000 miles of ocean. Although Peter spent many years in the US Coast Guard, and has owned boats for most of his life, I did not learn how to sail until shortly after the day in 1980 when Peter came home to announce that when we retired we were going to live on a boat. And I didn’t start seriously accumulating information on cruising until 1985, when we bought WATERMELON and Peter said we were going, soon. From the day of his announcement in 1980, I embraced the idea of living and cruising on a boat, and that enthusiasm has been the most important reason why I have adjusted so well, and love this life so much, even though I lacked so much in the way of experience. Two or three days of riding out a gale is just an uncomfortable glitch in what is otherwise a glorious passage. Nasty weather goes away and is forgotten, but the friends we have made, the experiences we have had, are with us always.

Although there is a lot of good advice out there, accumulating it isn’t always easy. This Hints book started out when I received a letter from friends who were planning on going cruising, with a wide variety of questions. I sent them an abbreviated version of these hints. As the years passed, I added to it as a result of questions and hints from other cruisers, or as we encountered new situations requiring unique solutions. I hate the idea of “reinventing the wheel”, and so have kept up these hints. Many cruisers have contributed to this book, though often they didn’t even realize that what was simple and commonplace to them was unheard of by others.

I hope that you find them helpful. I am always looking for more to include in this list, so if you've got one, please pass it on. You will notice that there's a lot of health information, and entries on some nasty infections, but don't consider it a definitive list. I am not a doctor, and the information is a guide only, but most of the entries were prompted by unpleasant experiences by us or as related to us by other cruisers. In “BOOKS” I suggest some medical references - I suggest you carry as many of them as possible, particularly if you are planning any long-distance cruising to third-world countries. My primary source of information on infectious diseases and parasites is CONTROL OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN MAN, An official report of the American Public Health Association, Fifteenth Edition; American Public Health Association, 1015 Fifteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Although written for health professionals and thus a bit difficult to work with, it corrects a lot of misinformation that circulates in the cruising community. I just discovered that it is out of print. Somebody once commented, however, that if you took everything you read in this book seriously, and were timid, you would never leave home. It isn’t as dangerous out here as you might fear, but it is better to be warned and cautious than ignorant and sick. All the treatments under the heading FIRST AID (unless indicated as “unverified”) I have tried out on myself. To my family’s occasional dismay, I have no fear of acting as a guinea pig for new treatments.

Chances are you’re not going to read this from cover to cover before you set out. So. Go -

Here's to safe sailing. May you have fair winds as you sail to your heart's content.

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2) With only two hands on board what is the best (by experience) watch-keeping system over 24hrs while underway?

I think this is a good topic for the Forum as well, particularly since I think our system is quite idiosyncratic.

Peter is a day person who needs between six and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. I am a night person, and function much better with several catnaps during the day. We also have both an autopilot and a wind vane to steer the boat, so that under normal circumstances we do not have to hand steer, which reduces fatigue and stress significantly.

During the day I catnap, putter, feed us both, stand one or two short watches while Peter goes below to nap or just rest out of the sun. After the evening meal is done and cleaned up I "sleep" until somewhere around midnight, when Peter goes to sleep and I stand watch until sunrise or Peter wakes up, whichever comes first. Because the vane or the autopilot is steering, we can walk around, go below for short stretches, keep moving to keep awake and alert.

That is in calm conditions. When the weather kicks up and sailing conditions require more of our attention, we change to a more rigid watch schedule of anywhere between two and three hours, with the off watch crew sleeping, or at least lying down in the bunk to conserve energy. Only once did we have to stand one-hour watches, and while off-watch remained harnessed and sleeping in the cockpit. That was a not-nice time, though it fortunately only lasted about 12 or 18 hours.

One other thing about our system. WATERMELON does not heave-to very well, and so we avoid that maneuver. We have a series drogue so we can run off if necessary, deploying the drogue from the stern to slow us down and ease steering srain. But that has only been necessary once so far.

Other cruisers might disagree with us, and each couple needs to find a system that is most comfortable for them. I love long passages a lot more than Peter does, and it is probably because I function best with lots of short naps rather than long slumbers. People are all different, and you have to take their physical and psychological strengths and weaknesses into account when you set up any system for cruising.

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3) How long does the galvanizing last on an anchor chain in constant use? Is re-galvanizing really successful?

My husband is a "prissy fanatic" about maintenance, so our chain was not really, really bad the first time we re-galvanized, when the chain had been in used about 6 years or so, anchored mostly in coral sand, etc. - more abrasive than mud, though don't know if that really has an effect. The first re-galvanizing was done in Vanuatu and was not hot dip galvanizing - electrolytic of some sort, using a type of powdered zinc. It worked well, but after about five years we had it done again in Malaysia, this time a true hot dip galvanizing job. That was only a year or two ago, so hard to say how long this will last. But yes, it is successful, and considering the cost of buying and having new chain shipped out here, it was well worth the effort, since the chain was still in excellent condition, just bleeding rust, and left alone it would have started to deteriorate more than we could consider safe.

Our friend on Il Silenzio says that after ten years his chain no longer has any galvanizing - his anchoring was pretty much equally cold New Zealand waters and warm tropical waters in coral.

So I would say that you should probably budget for re-galvanizing after about six years, new chain after about 10.

Good ground tackle is what keeps you off the rocks, so do not economize here.

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4) When you're underway (short-handed) do you reef down at dusk as a matter of course or do you take the decisions when necessary during the night?

Yes, we usually do reef our sails at dusk. As we get older and less agile we become more cautious. We do not care to struggle to reef sails at night in boisterous conditions. On one passage we had a knowledgeable young fellow come along as crew which meant we could be less conservative, though we still kept out a weather eye and reefed down rather quickly when things piped up. On a fifteen-plus day passage, a day or two makes little difference, but as far as we are concerned sailing in comfort for fifteen days is preferable to living on the hairy edge for twelve.

Our friend, Ron Mac on Il Silenzio reminded me that although we reef down the main, our headsails are roller-furling, so we do not reef those down as it does not require anybody going forward and can be done quite easily.

We also have a rule that neither one of us leave the cockpit while underway unless the other one is in the cockpit to keep watch. This means when we are off watch we are able to sleep without worrying about our partner.

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5) How have your sails (and stitching) stood up to the ravages of the tropical sun?

Danny North, formerly of North Sails, says that the greatest damage to sails is caused by UV light and flogging of the sails. To protect the sails as much as possible from the sun we have a good sail cover for the mainsail, and sun protection strips on the roller-reefing headsails. If we are in port for more than a month we usually take the sails down and store them below, extending the life of the sails and the sun covers. The stitching does seem to suffer, both from UV and also from chafe, though most sail thread nowadays has a UV protector. We regularly check the stitching for wear and weakness, and re-stitch the sails when necessary to try to prevent the stitching giving out while we are underway and doing greater damage to the sail.

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6) Does anyone have any advice of fishing whilst on ocean passage?

Chris, I've posted your question onto the Forum, to get some ideas other than my own. For our part, we always fish while underway. We just love fresh fish, and we almost never eat reef fish (see Ciguatera). When possible, local knowledge can help with what lures you tow. You want a sturdy rod, reel and line. We've learned that in the tropics fish don't normally go for a lure that is moving at less than 6 knots (absolutely contrary to our experience as sports fishermen in New England), and that's a lot of strain on your fishing rig. This is meat fishing, not sport fishing, so wire leader and heavy test line is preferable. An old cruiser trick to subdue a landed fish is to pour a bit of rum (or other alcohol) in its mouth - usually stops the thrashing immediately. We have a bottle of some sort of booze labeled "possibly vodka, probably gin" that is too nasty to offer to guests, but is fine for fish. And you should carry a gaff, which is a better way to bring the fish aboard if it's sizeable. If you catch a really big one, bite the bullet and cut it loose rather than kill it for the relatively small amount of meat you might keep.

Caution. See "Scombroid Poisoning" in the "Cruising Dictionary"

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7) I need to leave my yacht in safe hands for about 2 weeks next year in the Cyclades. Can you recomend any marinas who could look after my yacht?

Can't give you great information, but here are a few hints.

Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA, website www.ssca.org ) has lots of members cruising the Med, and there is lots of information about marinas for leaving boats in the Med various places. You could probably go to Website, check the indexes of letters, and find what you want. Also check the forum there.

Another try. website: http://www.at-sea.cc/ has articles by various boats. sv PILGRIM is in their second year in Greek/Turkey area, have left their boat in marinas there. Their site: www.at-sea.cc/boats/pilgrim/index.shtml Hope this is some help.

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8) What is the cost to port in Australia and other ports like Cebu City Philippines.
what is the average daily expense of living and traveling on a conservative budget ?

Entry into a country may or may not incur some expenses. Australia requires that you obtain a visa before arriving in their country, and I believe the cost for an American is about (AUD)$45.00. The Philippines also requires that you pay for your visa, though from all we have heard, the price depends on where you enter the country. All visas are for a limited time (Australia is/was 6 months, Philippines is 59 days) after which time you either leave the country or extend your visa for some period of time. Last time we were in Australia (1996/7) it cost about (AUD)$120 to extend our visas.

If by port you mean anchoring/mooring/marina fees, that's a bit different. To my knowledge there is no charge for anchoring in either country. Marinas in Australia are, in general, considerably less expensive than in the U.S.. I have no experience with the Philippines, so cannot say, though there do not appear to be many marinas there.

Please check the Cruiser Log Forum about discussions regarding average expenses for cruising. The forum web address is: http://www.cruiser.co.za/forum.asp

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9) Do you cruise with a drogue on board and have you ever had to use it or does it just take up space?

When we set out cruising we did not carry a drogue, thinking that trailing a rope warp with weight on the end would suffice in an emergency. Several rather nasty storms made us reconsider this idea, and when our friends survived the Queen’s Birthday Storm sailing between New Zealand and Tonga with much thanks to their drogue, we started looking for something better. A careful reading of Tony Farrington’s “Rescue in the Pacific” made us doubt that the traditional parachute drogue was what we wanted.

Around the same time we had read in the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association) Commodore’s Bulletin of a Jordan Series Drogue, and the more we read about it, the more we believed that this was the right gear to carry. We made our own from scrap sail cloth out of the local sailmaker’s scrap box. The pattern can be bought from the SSCA as an Extra Publication. ( http://www.ssca.org )

It seems to be a rule of cruising that as soon as you acquire a piece of emergency gear the emergency never arises again. We have deployed the drogue only once and that was to test it more than because we needed it. But as I’ve said to others: if you cross oceans carrying a drogue and never have to use it, good for you! If you do not have one and are unlucky enough to be the path of one of those big storms, good luck!

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10) As a couple on board, who would go up the mast if necessary at sea. Would you go up or would you have the strength (and confidence) to get your husband up?

Only once have we felt that it was necessary for someone to go up the mast while we were at sea. I manned the winch and hauled Peter up the mast. I had hauled him up the mast many times while the ‘Melon was at anchor, so we were confident that I could do it, and we knew the potential risks, and the routine.

We rigged the topping lift back to our self-tailing primary winch (rather than the winch on the mast) to pull him up. In order to reduce the boat’s motion as much as possible we dropped the sails, ran the engine under our electric autopilot, and turned downwind running as slowly as possible during this effort. The motion of the boat was minimized, but it was still a risky operation that I would not recommend unless it was absolutely necessary. Another reason for using the primary winch is that it has a self-jamming cleat for tying off jib sheets, so that I could secure the line securely very quickly.

Our reason for sending Peter up the mast is sensible to us. He has the technical skills to fix the problem. He is stronger than I am so he was better able to hold on through the boat’s motion and he could help himself up the mast. Using the two-speed primary winch doesn’t require extraordinary strength if you take it slowly, though the slower you are the longer your partner is being banged around up the mast. Even at anchor, whoever is up the mast should be careful to have a harness on that he can tie to the mast when he lets go to work. Do not trust halyard, bosun's chair, or anything else.

If you’ve never winched somebody up the mast before, don’t try doing it for the first time in such a risky situation. You must know how everything works in getting the person safely up and back down the mast. The proper techniques are not instinctive, so you should learn in calm and safe conditions, preferably with somebody knowledgeable helping you. If there is any possibility at all that you can avoid sending anybody up the mast until you reach a safe harbor, you should wait. And having somebody knowledgeable the first time is important. We almost lost a friend because his partner was totally clueless when she hauled him up the mast. she didn't know to cleat him off. She didn't know how to get him down, almost just threw off the lines! Yikes!

If you know what you're doing, this is tiring, but safe.

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11) What is the average in years that people go cruising for?

I've put off answering until I heard from more of our cruising friends.

Anyway, I'd say that for the go-go, determined to circumnavigate, the average looks to be about 5 to 7 years. For the more laid-back cruiser, no real destination, just enjoy what comes, the time seems to be longer - 8 to 15 years.

Why do people stop cruising? Money, age, or health. For the younger cruiser, money for their old age seems to be the biggest concern. And we lose several friends a year to health problems or just getting old. We suggest you just do it.

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12) What information should a sailboat's log book contain?

Good question. My coast guard husband says "everything". He's a big help, eh? We put in date, time, lat long, weather, speed, distance to go. And - weather conditions if significant. Any unusual occurrences, injuries, reasons for slowing down, defensive measures taken, etc.. It's a diary, of sorts. You will find that generally, on a boring passage, that so little happens that the entries are pretty terse - lat long, date, time, distance to go and vmg. But at the end of the day it's nice to put in a little bit about how the day went. You'll look back over it and sometimes be surprised at the difference between your memories of a passage and the actual passage.

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13) What would be a good source of info for availability of food provisions in the Caribbean, esp. Bahamas, ie. what's readily avail. there and what should we stock up on before leaving the states?

A person after my own heart. In one of my letters to the SSCA I commented that "obviously, food is very important to us." The problem I had when I was planning a passage, and one that most cruisers I've met complain about, is that there is no single source of "local knowledge" that covers all aspects of cruising. I am working with the webmaster on setting up such a "local knowledge" section in the Cruiser Log, but it will be a slow process and isn't going to help you if you're heading out real soon.

Some information can be had from SSCA bulletins. If you aren't a member, you might consider joining, both for the information you can glean from their Commodore's Bulletins, and for the camaraderie that such a large association offers, especially in the Caribbean, where there are so many members cruising around.

Usually we beg information from friends and acquaintances who have gone before us. Not only doesn't it always work, but unless the people you are talking to are from the same country, and preferably the same region, as you are, there are going to be misunderstandings.

This is possibly going to descend into a treatise on "Zen and the Art of Provisioning", so please bear with me.

Bahamas. I haven't been there in years and years, though I consider it one to have some of the most beautiful water's we've ever seen. I've put in a "help" call to friends who are cruising there now, and if they can, they'll help with this request. But I don't know how long that will take, so here's my take on things.

Nassau. Not my favorite place, but you can get just about anything you want there. Prices are going to be higher than the States, of course, but not horrendously so. But local tastes will dictate what you can and cannot find. New England Baked Beans? I doubt it. Heinz Pork and Beans? probably not. I suggest that you stock up on luxury items, or those food items you cannot find acceptable substitutes for. (New England Baked Beans is one for me). Cheese was pretty basic.

Bahamas Out Islands. Practically nothing. Even difficult to get fresh vegetables. The very basics until you get to Georgetown.

Above subject to new information from our friends.

Caribbean. American tourists are so pervasive in the Caribbean that you can find practically anything you want. Fruit and vegetable markets are generally very good on every island. Going down the chain (this is not going to be an exhaustive run-down, but since the Lesser Antilles are generally just a day sail apart, missing an island or three won't mean a lot).

Dominican Republic: canned stuff, local brands, often pretty terrible, so don't stock up unless you've tried it first. Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant, cheap, and good. Meat is iffy. Good source of cheese if you know where to look, or are lucky.

Puerto Rico. Cheap U.S. prices, anything and everything, including Dunkin' Donuts! Plus fantastic fresh fruits. If you've gone from the Bahamas to Puerto Rico without re-provisioning, load up here. It won't get better or cheaper further on. Good fresh meat, American cheeses.

Virgin Islands. U.S. Virgins are very good. British Virgin Islands are nicer to cruise in, but food is much, much more expensive. U.S. Virgins are easy cruising, but they are not my favorite place.

St. Martin/Sint Maarten. Duty free island, half Dutch, half French. Dutch side food has always been very cheap, almost exclusively U.S. brands. Used to be cheaper than the Virgin Islands, but not cheaper than Puerto Rico. French side food is more expensive, but French brands that were wonderful. Superb pates, cheeses, and French convenience foods that I still yearn for. Meat is excellent. I would stock up here with cheese if going down island. You won't find better or cheaper as you go.

Antigua. Basic provisions, though things might have changed. But a good cruising island, worth more time than most cruisers spend there. Meat is probably questionable.

St. Kitts/Nevis. Basic provisions. They used to be a tourist backwater, and I doubt that things have improved a lot. Meat used to be questionable.

Guadeloupe. French. Expensive, but good, almost exclusively French, products. Mostly in Pointe-a-Pitre. Deshaies is a great place to anchor, but basic provisions. But easy to take a bus to PaP. Good fresh meat.

Dominica. We never went here. Dominica was always the island that provided fresh fruits and vegetables to the other islands, so they are abundant and cheap. The island is poor, though, so I doubt that canned goods are very good, nor would I expect meat to be much more than local.

Martinique. French. Cosmopolitan. Expensive. Anything and everything European. One of my favorite islands.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent is better than the Grenadines, but might not have much of what you are looking for. Grenadines are beautiful, so you should spend time cruising them, but provisions are difficult. But only about 18 hours to Grenada, so how bad can it be? Meat used to be very iffy.

Grenada. This is my least favorite island in the Caribbean, but it is surprisingly well-stocked with goods. Tastes lean to the British type of foodstuff. Meat used to be very iffy.

Trinidad. Trinidad probably is well-stocked nowadays because it is so popular with cruising yachts nowadays. Tobago, one of my two most favorite islands in the Caribbean, is the vacation destination for Trinidadians, sees few tourists and fewer yachts, and has basic foodstuffs.

Venezuela. Locally produced U.S. brands, such as Kraft, Best Foods, Maggi, so be very careful. They are not the same. But food was exceptionally cheap in VZ, and most cruisers, after testing the local items, would stock up on what they liked. Coffee is produced in VZ and is so much cheaper than anywhere else in the Caribbean (and so much better than U.S. brands you usually can find) that yachts were buying in quantity to sell back up the chain. Venezuela took a dim view of that, and restricted the amount of coffee you could buy. I don't hear of the large quantity of cruisers going to VZ the way they did in the early '90's, so things have probably changed a bit - certainly VZ is poorer than they used to be, and so quality probably has suffered. But when we were there in the 80's, many locally produced products were superior to comparable U.S. and French products.

Jamaica and Barbados. Do not know, but I assume that supplies would be basic.

Central America. Locally produced under U.S. brands are again not quite the same thing, so you need to check first. The wealthier the country, the better the availability of goods.

A hint for anyplace you travel. Look for the markets that cater to the expats. They exist most places in the world, and although probably more expensive than local brands, might be what you want.

I tend to over-provision. That isn't really a problem, but it means that I have to manage my food lockers a bit more carefully, and rotate the cans and jars to be sure that the oldest stuff gets used before newer items. I "can" meat (meatballs, ground beef, stew beef, chicken breasts for stir-fry and salad). I'm in a part of the world where I can't get much in the way of canned meats, except for pork luncheon meat (not as good as SPAM) and occasionally other items. Peter has to have his spaghetti with MEAT sauce. Easier to can it when the quality is good, then I don't worry in the places where refrigeration is suspect.

A good rule of thumb is that if you see something you need or want, buy it immediately because you might not find it again.

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14) Have you ever tried a vacuum sealer for anything? My Dad gave me one before I was a boat bum. Since then, I seal everything from flares to spare parts to medications.

Vacuum sealer. We have one, and love it. Never again will we have to discard our fuel or oil filters because the locker filled up with salt water due to a freak wave over the bow with the hatch open! (experience doesn't count in those circumstances). I use paper coffee filters. Vacuum sealed, they take up 1/4 the space (a real boon on the 'melon), and stay clean and fresh. And on, and on. Absolutely. The only problem we've had has been power supply, but we manage.

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15) Has anyone had problems filling U.S. propane bottles in the South Pacific?. I did hear that in French Polynesia the filling stations use metric threads.

In Papeete Tahiti there is a large propane plant, and filling U.S. bottles is a snap. Not so in the Marquesas or Tuomotus, where there are no filling stations, you need to transfer from their bottles to yours. We bought a connector to their bottles, attached it to an adapter that we had fabricated, so we could fill our bottles by connecting the two bottles via hose and adapters, inverting the full bottle, and filling ours.

No problem getting tanks filled in American Samoa (though it was expensive and a hassle). New Caledonia no problem. Fiji no problem that I can remember. Tonga probably is a problem, though we didn't try to fill ours there.

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16) Some info on cruising in SE Asia please.

Because my husband and I are Americans, we are often treated better than we deserve. Americans need not apply in advance for a visa for most countries, so if you are not an American citizen, some of the information I provide will not be relevant.

I have collated some cruising information about various places. I can probably format it into one of several formats, particularly the various MS Word formats (please let me know the version), and I will send whatever I have to you. The following are just general comments about the various SE Asian countries.

PHILIPPINES
We have not been to the Philippines, and thus we cannot speak with any authority about them. What we have been told is that the West coast of Palawan and the small islands just North of it are lovely. AsiaWeek Magazine (I believe) rated the Philippines second only to Indonesia as the most corrupt country in SE Asia. The officials make things a bit more difficult for cruisers than most anyplace else, we understand. You must pay to extend your visa (again, I do not know if this applies to all nationalities, so you should check this out beforehand) - upon entering the country Americans are given 59 days. Each extension costs, and it's a sliding scale upwards. I have collated some information about various islands in the Philippines which I will be happy to send you. Since I am sending from a "public" computer, I would like to be reassured that you have good antivirus protection before I send it. I will zip it with WinZip, which helps, and the particular computer I'm using ! doesn't seem to be infected, but I would prefer warning you anyway.

KOREA
Again, we haven't been there, but (American) friends of ours spent several years cruising Korea and the Philippines, and loved Korea. They are happy to be out of that area because they finally got tired of dodging typhoons. Their comments were that they always had to have a "Plan B" - every passage had to be planned with alternate escape routes and safe anchorages in case a storm was brewing. They had to monitor the weather on a daily basis. All the time. The NW Pacific is, I believe, the only place where this is true - typhoons can come any month of the year. Most other places there is a definite typhoon/cyclone/hurricane season, which makes cruising a bit easier. They are very busy fixing their boat right now, but I'll try to get them to prepare some notes.

MALAYSIA
Malaysia makes it very, very easy for most nationalities to cruise their country. Americans are allowed a 90-day stay when they first check into the country. Extending beyond the 90 days is possible, but there are fees to pay, and I've been told that not all officials are familiar with the law. However, it is so easy to take a day trip outside of Malaysia (Brunei, Singapore, Thailand) and when you return you get another 90 days.
NOTE: I believe that Philippine nationals and Chinese nationals are issued only a 30-day visa. So depending on your nationality, you should verify before you check in. We like Malaysia a lot. The officials are probably the nicest we have ever encountered. The people are pleasant,
friendly, and interesting. English is generally spoken everywhere. Most cruisers head up the Malacca Strait to Penang, Langkawi, and on up to Thailand. The West coast of peninsular Malaysia is well developed and the waters are not particularly clear. We have found the East Coast of peninsular Malaysia to be lovelier for cruising, but because it is less developed, one must provision a bit more carefully. I have fairly extensive cruising notes for the East coast, up to Bangkok. And don't forget Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo. Borneo is fascinating and we spent six months there this year, comfortably puttering around. I haven't put together a lot of notes about Borneo, but I heartily encourage people to visit there, especially the river system in Sarawak.

THAILAND
Back in 1998 Thailand issued new regulations concerning foreign yachts. Thailand has much stricter requirements for the stay of the yacht, requiring you to post a significant bond if you plan to leave the boat in Thailand for longer than (6?) months. Phuket, Thailand and the islands around there remain very popular, with good reason. Thailand is inexpensive, the people are exceedingly friendly, and on the West coast the water is relatively clean and clear. People arrive in Phuket after stopping at Ko Rok Nok (national park), and Phi Phi Don (super touristy and busy and noisy, but still a must-see stop), and some NEVER leave.

Overall, this area of SE Asia is a place you can happily get lost in. The one drawback for a sailboat is that there is not enough wind, or it's blowing from the wrong way. But when the weather is cooperating the sailing can be beautiful.

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17) Could you please tell me all about the necessities/requirements of/for single handed ocean cruising, including self furlers etc.

This requires a long answer, and I'm not sure I'm the most qualified to answer. Let me give it a shot, then if I haven't posted it to the forum in the next two days, I suggest you post it there and see what answers you get.

I don't know of any web sites catering to single-handers. We meet very few of them.

List of gear.

1. Jack lines. I consider them important on any blue-water cruiser. For a single-hander, imperative. New Zealand requires them to be installed on any NZ boat that checks out of the country. They also require that they be flat so they don't roll under foot and cause you to trip.

2. Roller furler on headsail. Again, for any short-handed cruising yacht we feel this is important. Who wants to go forward to reduce sail in the middle of the night in a torrential rainstorm, or worse? We also have an inner forestay, and that also has a roller furled sail. Instant reefing. Wind pipes up, we furl headsail, let out the inner forestay sail.

3. Self-tailing winches. self-explanatory, I think.

4. Alarm clock. To wake you up to look around. I have a cute little timer that keeps the time set - I push "start" and it counts down the number of minutes I've set - when time is up, it reverts to the original setting. When I'm on watch and puttering around when it's very quiet, I set the alarm when I go below so I don't forget to poke my head up for a look around after 15 or 20 minutes. Alarm goes off, I check, then go below and push the button again. Works for me.

5. Radar detector with audible alarm. We have been relatively happy with ours, though it is not 100% reliable (so many variables, including the failure of ships to have their radar on). But I still think it is worth having because it is a passive alarm - you don't have to be looking at it for an alarm to sound. Radar is pretty great (we don't have it) but it consumes a lot of electricity so it's turned on when you want a look-see. Too often it's not turned on because batteries are low, whatever. Then a radar detector is better than nothing.

I'll try to think of some more. Our favorite single-hander isn't connected to the Internet yet, so replies from him take forever.

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18) I have heard about cardboard boxes and cockroaches before but I am wondering if it is all boxes, or just food items. Do you even remove non-perishable/non-food items such as tissues, batteries, ziplocs, etc. from the cardboard when restocking?

I once read that a cockroach could survive for more than a year on the glue on an envelope. So yes, we pretty much remove all cardboard boxes. It is also to reduce the amount of garbage we will have to dispose of when we are anchored in one of the out-of-the-way places that we favor. And just to consolidate and pack down supplies to increase space on the boat. Also, cardboard absorbs so much moisture that things packed in them won't stay dry for a terribly long time. I buy tissues in purse-pack dispenser sizes - in SE Asia and Central America there is rarely toilet paper in public facilities so you must carry your own supply, and that is kept in their dispenser packaging. Rice and sugar go into gasketed bottles, everything else goes into some sort of sealed and often waterproof bottle/box/canister. Often batteries stay in their bubble packs, but all the excess cardboard is cut away and disposed, but if we're going to be out for a long time and we have lots of batteries, we remove all cardboard because it is something that acts as a sponge and will keep moisture close to the batteries.

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19) Without any prior sailing experience or training, is it common to find short-term (1-6 months) seasonal work as a crew member aboard a charter or private sailboat or yacht? I have heard one source say that it is very difficult to find a paid job aboard a boat without any experience, and I have also heard that if you just show up at the right marina or yacht club and ask around, you are sure to find someone who needs some help and is willing to pay you (as opposed to you paying them for food, etc, to learn how to sail and gain experience). I know there are sailing seasons (winter Carib., summer Med.), and I would be looking to crew anytime between Jan/Feb. and mid Aug.

The sailing community is pretty well-connected. It's a rare skipper who would take on an unknown person as crew, paid or not, so you should be prepared with references. The small yacht with just owner and spouse aboard is not likely to pay for inexperienced crew, although sometimes it happens. So you would be looking at the larger charter yacht, though pay is pretty poor for deck hands or deck stewards. I would suggest you try by listing yourself on various crew lists. Cruiser Log has a crew finder http://www.cruiser.co.za/crewfinder.asp Our friend's daughter went to St. Martin, which has lots of charter boats, picked out a boat, and offered to work as deck crew (but she had been a lifelong sailor). You might try various sites in the Caribbean - St. Thomas, St. Martin are the busiest, I think. By January, most boats going to the Caribbean are already there. Good luck.

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20) I hope to go to the US next year, buy a used yacht (about 28') & sail her back to my home in the UK. I live in Japan at the moment & their authorities have endless red tape to stop people getting near blue water & living the ocean life they crave (like me). Would you know anything about US laws or regulations that would stop or hinder me from doing what I plan?

The US has very little in the way of regulations of the sale (or sailing) of yachts, including evaluations of its seaworthiness (except in the most extreme circumstances). The state in which you plan to register the boat wants its fair share of sales tax. I do not think that you have to pay the sales tax if you are going to immediately export the boat to another country and register it there. I am pretty sure that each US state has its own web site, as does the U.S. Coast Guard, where you can get a lot of information. If you go through a broker in the States, you should be able to get a fair amount of information from him/her (well, maybe, maybe not). There are also a lot of web sites that list boats for sale, which is a pretty good way to familiarize yourself with current market values. Do be aware that you should have any boat you wish to buy surveyed by a competent and independent boat surveyor. They should tell you, in a written report, whether the buying price for the boat is a fair market price, as well as note any and all problems or areas that need improvement on the yacht. Do not accept a survey done for the owner one or two years earlier, though such a survey is a good starting place for your own surveyor. If nothing else, things are forever breaking on a yacht, and long-festering problems can suddenly show up after years of no problems whatsoever. Even the most house-proud yacht owner will have problems surface during a survey. In the U.S., Florida seems to be where there are a lot of boats listed for sale. The New England states (Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut) have a reputation for having boats in the best condition, primarily because the boating season is so short and the boats are hauled out and stored on the hard every winter, so a ten year old boat has probably only gotten about 3 or 4 years of use. California boats are usually stored in the water year 'round. Good luck in your search, and fair winds, Jeanne

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21) Hi - I am a cruiser who took a couple years off from cruising and I am planning on returning to the high seas very soon. I am living in Phoenix and my boat is in Florida and my lists of recommended medicines to bring along are on the boat, so I was hoping if you have any lists that indicated suggested medicines to take along on a long term cruise that you could forward them to me so that when I visit my doctor I have a list of items to ask for.

The following web site has a long, long medical kit. Prepared by a doctor.
http://www.riparia.org/cruising_medical_kit.html

WATERMELON's comments: You should have at least 3 levels of pain killers -

1. Moderate pain: anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, aspirin, (or Tylenol - acetominophen/paracetamol for children. it is not an anti-inflammatory, though). I have personally found that one of the newest - VIOXX - works extremely well on most types of pain, though it is very expensive, and for me, at least, worked about as well as the next level, "2." below.
2. Very strong, such as a time-release morphine, like MS-Contin
3. Injectable for extreme pain, such as kidney stones, broken bones needing setting, etc.: injectable morphine or a non-opiate such as injectable Toradol (in my case and for some others it worked better than morphine). You must carry the prescription information with you in the med kit for morphine. We have never declared it on a customs form, and never been questioned or searched.

Anti-allergy: We carry a liquid Benadryl (children's) because it can be taken even when
swallowing is difficult, and because it works so much faster than a pill.
And as is mentioned in the medical kit, an Epi-pen just might save somebody's
life.

Antibiotics: You should know your own personal medical history. I, for example, don't
take any penicillin ('illin) drugs. Some people are allergic to any drug containing sulfa, though I personally have found Bactrim DS to be most useful to me for pretty nasty infections.

I would also suggest that you obtain "WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR" from the Hesperian Foundation: http://www.hesperian.org/ Check out their web site for other books that you might carry. You can never have enough reference books.

If you are going to be going to S. Pacific and SE Asia, consider getting a polio immunization booster and Hepatitis shots (latter most critical wherever you go nowadays, I think).
And check out the Center for Disease Control site for traveler's health information: http://www.cdc.gov/

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22) While scrubbing the hull of our yacht about 150 miles out to sea I was bitten by the little creatures that were coming off the hull. For the past 5 years I have been getting a terrible itch which lasts about a month all over my body. Nothing seems to help. A doctor told me it was a salt water parasite, but said I would always have it. Have you heard of this, and is there any treatment. It drives me mad.

Peter and I have experienced those little "bugs" when we've cleaned the 'Melon's hull. Peter thought they were shrimp larvae - they probably are some sort of larvae, I guess. We've felt itchy with them, but not once we'd rinsed off with fresh water. I've never heard of a salt water parasite, so I'm just guessing. I've just started itching from a mild case of sunburn - more like a mild sun poisoning. This is most common if you've been taking an antibiotic such as doxycyline or tetracyline. A steroid anti-itch cream usually helps. Since you've seen a doctor, I suppose we can rule out a fungus infection, though that is usually the problem in the tropics. But why didn't he give you something for the itching? I'm not a doctor, so the following suggestions are more trial and error and past experiences, and might not help at all, but they are low-tech.

Could it be an allergy to the beasties? Or to the sun? (yeah, my nephew is allergic to sun). You might try taking an antihistamine to see if it helps. If it does, you then have to find out what exactly you are allergic to. Try bathing with Selsun™) - the golden antifungal soap, not the blue shampoo (though the shampoo is better than nothing). After bathing, take a clean cotton ball and clean the areas that are most itchy. If the itching stops in a few days, it could very well have been a fungus infection (in my case, they look like patches of uneven tan). Fungus infections take many forms and appearances. I'd see another doctor, if I were you. Nowadays you can take medicine orally that will clear the fungus out of your system.

Opposite tack - use a cotton ball moistened with vinegar or lime juice and see if that helps. These are just guesses, sorry. I'll try to do some research and see if I can come up with some more ideas.

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23) With sufficient Solar Panels and a big bank of golf cart batteries, why would you need a wind generator or towed generator?

We have become very extravagant with our electrical usage. A laptop computer that consumes a WHOLE LOT of electricity compared to my old MS-DOS 3.1 black and white one. A refrigerator. A TV (small, but a TV nonetheless) with which we can view those cheap video CDs that one gets in SE Asia. Too many gadgets that are not necessarily needed (per our "advanced cruiser" friend) but which we like. Anyway, we have three banks of 6V batteries, about 225 AH each bank. That's 675 AH, 50% of which is available. We consume that in about three days, give or take. Our solar panels are 100W total, or about 8 amps max. that's only for the two hours the sun is at its zenith on a cloudless day - we average about 4 amps/hour on even the best day. 12 hours sunlight per day max in the tropics, we just can't generate enough electricity with solar panels to cover all our electricity needs.

When we were in the Caribbean our wind generator gave us all the electricity we needed (but then, it always blows hard in the Carib., and sometimes it blows harder!). Closer to the equator, as we are in SE Asia, we need all the help we can get - not a lot of wind, sun is quite a bit more variable - lots of hazy and cloudy days. But so far, solar panels are not nearly efficient enough, so one needs to carry a lot, high up (which we don't like), and they're terribly expensive for what you get. A wind generator is a better deal even in the light airs of the tropics.

Now, our minimalist friend doesn't need any of that. See "Advanced Cruiser" in the dictionary (if it wasn't in there before, I've just added it).

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24) Can you tell me what the water temperature and wind conditions are in a typical year from mid April-on around the island of st.Martin.

St. Martin is like all the caribbean - it blows hard, and sometimes it blows harder. Hard - pretty steady 15 knots. harder - 20 to 30. April it starts getting a bit warmer, but still windy. Water temp? 78 degrees F? Not bathwater warm, but nice. (hurricanes need 79-degree F water to start - usually doesn't get to that temperature until August/September).

No need for a wet suit most of the time. June/July the summer weather changes. You get lots of tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes. Summer is the wet season in the tropics, including the Caribbean, though it is extremely variable. The winds are supposed to calm down, and generally they do, but when a tropical depression hums through, it can get quite rough. The Caribbean has entered into a period of increased hurricane activity - started about 1995, doesn't seem to be ended yet, though 2001 hurricane season was quite calm, nothing hit St. Martin. By July 1 you should be in Trinidad or Venezuela, but still keeping posted on weather developments. Hurricanes DO hit both these places, though very rarely. September or October the hurricanes start developing in the Caribbean itself so you might not get as much notice (earlier hurricanes are more likely to have their start off the West coast of Africa). Good suggestion is "Heavy Weather Guide" by Rear Admiral William J. Kotsch, USN (Ret.) and Richard Henderson. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. See "Books" in FAQs. See "Misinformation" in FAQ.

St. Martin has been hit by too many killer hurricanes recently, most notably Louis in 1995, Lenny in 1999 (?) - "wrong way Lenny" - it traveled SE to hit St. Martin! There are a lot of boat yards in St. Martin that will haul your boat and bury its keel so you're not on a hard stand. But I don't see many of these boats removing their masts, and I don't think that's such a good idea. A bad hurricane hasn't hit since they started doing this.

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25) We are thinking of taking a bareboat charter in St Martins/St Maartens in mid-April. Do you know where we can find reliable information on (a) wind conditions and (b) water temperature at that time of year? We bareboat charter quite regularly and these sorts of questions often come up as we plan a trip.

St. Martin is like all the caribbean - it blows hard, and sometimes it blows harder. Hard - pretty steady 15 knots. harder - 20 to 30. April it starts getting a bit warmer and milder, but it is still windy. Water temp? 78 degrees F? Not bathwater warm, but nice. (hurricanes need 79-degree F water to start - usually doesn't get to that temperature until August/September). No need for a wet suit most of the time. You will find during the day it's warm but not hot. Evenings you would probably need a light shawl or sweater to keep the chill off from the breeze. I like Caribbean sailing because the wind is so steady and consistent.

There are lots of anchorages in St. Martin/St. Maarten itself, and St. Barts is only a day sail away from Philipsburg or Orient Bay (but leave early in the morning because it's a windward beat). There are lots of catamarans offered for charter there now.

I hope you enjoy the island. It's still home to us.

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26) I am planning to sail from the UK to Australia via Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Cape Town and then onto Perth. Do you have any advice for passage planning or know of anyone who has done this who can share their experiences?

This is the race route around the globe, somewhat, West to East. All the sailing is in the Southern Ocean where they can catch the Westerlies. Check out the Vendee Globe site: http://www.vendeeglobe2000.com - and try to find Ellen MacArthur's site, she's got lots of good sailing information.

Before setting out: buy the "British Admiralty Sailing Directions for the World". Or Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes". If you're not doing this for a year or more, join the Seven Seas Cruising Association: http://www.ssca.org , which publishes a monthly Commodore's Bulletin full of sailing information from around the world by the people who are doing it.

In general: this is not the way cruising yachts do it, West to East, because you usually have to go too far into the Southern Ocean where it's cold, the winds can be furious, the seas pretty terrible. HOWEVER. With long detours it isn't so awful. South Africans have done circuits of the Indian Ocean, but it is done in season. January to May, East to West, July or so West to East.

Here are some more sites: http://www.cruiser.co.za/tony.asp - large stocks of used and new charts, pilots, cruising guides, courtesy flags, etc,. for Indian Ocean (& worldwide) - sent all over the world. And http://www.cruiser.co.za/africa.asp - Passage planning for the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town) route.

This requires a lot of preparation, but it is not impossible. Just a bit more work.

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27) We are considering having a firearm on board when we go off cruising. Any comments?

My attitude towards firearms aboard is a pretty firm "no!". See Watermelon's Web Page, www:cruiser.co.za/hostmelon.asp There's a short article on Piracy in "General Bits and Pieces" (or you can go directly to it: www.cruiser.co.za/hostmelon2.asp If you ask ten people thinking of going cruising, probably 5 would suggest carrying firearms. If you ask twenty cruisers already cruising, you might find one who carries firearms.

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