Cruising and sailing Faq's and information, page 4

1) Second question first. A good choice of a boat would be a sturdy proven blue water sailing boat. There are dozens of makes and models that could be considered blue water. And some that aren't have successfully completed a circumnavigation.

Smallest sailboat? I've read of a Russian fellow who circumnavigated on a 17-foot boat, and I've met people cruising on 23-foot boats, but I wouldn't want to be on one. The smaller the boat the slower it's going to sail (speed is a function of sail area and waterline). Slower passages mean you are more likely to be caught by bad weather while on a passage, and the smaller the boat the more uncomfortable it's going to be in rough weather.

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2) Do either of you really want to deal with diapers on the boat? And a 1-year old is a bit unsteady on her feet - perhaps the extra year might make the first few months a bit less stressful.

But that's my only comment one way or another. I've known couples who have dealt very well with infants on their boat - at least two couples I know had their children while cruising, and raised them on their boat, so it's certainly doable.

Regardless of what you decide, I think you are right to take it slow the first year, as you all get used to such a dramatic change in your lives.

Why not post your question to the Cruiser Log discussion forum for other viewpoints? http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
Also see other cruisers with children http://www.cruiser.co.za/hostcat.asp

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3) I take a dim view of homeopathy, but feel it is up to the individual to choose whether this is a route that could be taken. Choice is the operative word here, and a person should know that his doctor eschews conventional medicine and medications in favor of homeopathic remedies so that he can make an informed choice.

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4) Thanks for the compliment. Here's what we did. It's not the only way, but we found that it worked for us no matter how far we traveled.

The nitty-gritty of mail, money, bills, and so forth is often a sticking point for so many people. We've found that no matter how generous friends and family are, they all fall down on the job at some point - after all, they're doing it for free, and when family or other distractions interfere, the week's delay in sending out your mail isn't that bad, is it? Yikes is how we felt all too often.

Money. I could write a small book about the problems we've had with banks over the years as we cruised. After being left moneyless on a Friday afternoon in Venezuela due to an uncaring bank employee and a ridiculous bank-generated mix-up, we came back to the U.S. and "interviewed" various money management firms to find a better way of handling our money. Peter wandered into Merrill Lynch offices and after talking with a financial advisor we decided to go with them. We use Merrill Lynch to handle our money and VISA card. Merrill Lynch pays the credit card bill in full each month, so there is never a late charge, never any interest charges, and getting money anywhere in the world is easy. We have a wonderful financial advisor, who has set up our account so that use of the credit card in the "wrong" place (for example, charges in the same week made in both Australia and New Caledonia - can't happen) prompts an inquiry from her. For a small fee, other bills can also be paid by Merrill Lynch, but for all the years we've cruised we have never had "other bills". Nowadays access to the Internet makes a lot of these chores so much easier. I can take my laptop ashore practically anywhere in the world and dial-up access to the Internet and get my bank statements and other personal information safely. (America On Line and Compuserve have dial up access in most countries of the world - it costs an additional $6.00 an hour, but for secure communications it is far better than using an Internet Cafe's computer). I assume that other brokerage houses will do the same, but I have yet to find a bank that offers such good service.

If you'd like to speak with her, her name is Margaret Chiang at Merrill Lynch in Boston. Her telephone number is: 1-800-846-1912, her email address is: pei-rong_chiang@ml.com I have not told her that I've given her name to you, so you need not feel bad that you have to contact her.

Registering the boat. If your boat is federally documented you do not need to register it in any state. For a start, here's the U.S. Coast Guard site of frequently asked questions regarding vessel documentation. http://www.uscg.mil/hq/gm/vdoc/faq.htm Although you can do it yourself, and most of the forms can be obtained from the Coast Guard web site, we chose to use a private documentation firm - less stress. We used Atlantic Boat Documentation, Inc. in Annapolis, MD (http://www.abdoc.com/). There are also firms in most other major port cities.

Taxes. No, you can't escape them. If you don't have an accountant, it might be worthwhile for you to consult with one with regard to paying quarterly estimated taxes and filing tax returns. The IRS office to which you will send payments and returns depends on your mailing address. While we were on the other side of the world we used an accountant to prepare our tax returns. When outside the U.S. you are allowed until June 15 to file federal income tax returns with no penalty, provided you do not owe any taxes. This is one time when erring on the side of paying a bit too much is prudent. All countries have some sort of certified mail receipt to prove when/to whom you mailed your tax return - I suggest that you take advantage of this wherever you may be when you send estimated tax payments and your tax returns.

Last and, in my opinion, most important.
Mail. Family and friends just don't care about it as much as you do. They usually haven't a clue about the problems elsewhere in the world and send stuff that should not be sent in packages that are so large that they become a target for dishonest people. In all the time we traveled, only once did our mail get lost, though several times it was terribly delayed and once it almost didn't reach me (see my "Vanuatu observations, http://www.cruiser.co.za/hostmelon49.asp). Professional mail forwarders make it all much easier and they have better resources. We use St. Brendan's Isle in Green Cove Springs, Florida and are extremely happy with them (http://www.boatmail.net/index.php), though there are others elsewhere in the U.S. that I am not familiar with.

Have you visited my Cruising Dictionary site? http://www.cruiser.co.za/faq.asp

I LOVE answering questions, and any excuse to talk about cruising pleases me, so if you have more questions, fire away!

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5) I don't know the answer for you. Yes, it is do-able to buy a boat and sail the world. Plenty of people, including Eric and Susan Hiscock, and Larry & Lin Pardy, have done it. I can't say if it's possible to do so without financial resources - some people are able to work their way around, but since they are generally working illegally they can't command top dollar and are usually limited to services provided to the cruising community.

I think that you might consider trying this life before selling everything and buying a boat. Fortunately you are in a country where there are a lot of people sailing up to Mazambique and Madagascar every year, and some of them are looking for crew. As wonderful a life as ocean cruising is, it is not paradise. The same problems you find at home exist just about everywhere, with some places worse than others. And as a foreigner you are more vulnerable to petty thieves almost everywhere you go.

Have you visited the various cruising discussion forums? Try Cruiser Log, http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums

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6) I have a hard time on this issue. We had a Recovery Systems PUR watermaker that produced only 4 liters per hour, and the power draw was excessive. We did not have a generator on Watermelon, and so unless we were running our engine it was tough to keep our batteries up enough to run the watermaker, and so we rarely used it. We just didn't run our engine enough to make running the watermaker practical.

In hindsight, we would have been better off getting a larger, more robust watermaker that could have produced 10 gallons or more an hour. Then we could have filled our water tanks without running the engine more than we normally did.

Maintenance is fairly stringent - without proper care of the membrane you will ruin it rather quickly, as our friends on their 62' Cheoy Lee motorsailor did - two days into a 15-day Pacific crossing. They used fresh water for everything, and suddenly had to figure out how to flush the head with salt water, how to keep water consumption during showers down, etc.

We have since bought a power catamaran, which we will be commissioning next Spring. I considered a watermaker because we plan to spend a great deal of time in the Exumas - Bahamas - where water is a precious commodity, and we will have pretty much unlimited electricity. Peter is resisting mightily, and so we will postpone a decision for a year. With the exception of the truly out-of-the-way places, such as Papua New Guinea out islands, and the Solomon Islands where potable water is sometimes not available, we rarely have had trouble obtaining water, though jerry-jugging it can get tiresome. And for doing laundry, my 5-gallon bucket still works, and I can bring the bucket and laundry ashore when a nice stream presents itself. We treat our water and filter it aggressively so that even marginal water quality is not a problem for us.

I guess this is a bit of a non-answer. I'm sure that for some people a watermaker is a necessity, whereas for us it is a luxury.

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7) I have never seen a web site that covers this information. It's discussed infrequently on the various cruising BBs (try this one: http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums ). Basically, the European Union countries, the Caribbean, and S. America will allow dogs ashore provided they have the proper documentation and proof of rabies vaccination and all other pertinent shots. Since you are from Australia, I assume that the first places you would visit would be Indonesia and Malaysia where your dog would be considered unclean and if not stoned, at least shunned if it went ashore, though I know of one cruiser who had a dog on board in Malaysia, though I never saw the dog brought ashore. You should check each country's web page for further information regarding rules and regulations relating to animals on board.

I love dogs but I would not take them cruising with me. It seems unreasonably cruel to limit a dog to such a small space for extended periods of time and then bring them ashore in the tropics where they are exposed to so many nasties, particularly various parasites. However, should your cruising be limited to Australia, then I see no reason why not, though you might find some places where they are not allowed ashore (Lizard Island, perhaps?) And have you inquired as to what Australia's position would be should you leave the country with your dog and return with him? I would assume that the same 6-month quarantine would apply to your dog as to any dog arriving from another country.

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8) Health insurance is a horror. Until I am 65 I carry International Health Insurance/danmark, but they will cover permanent US residents only under special circumstances - here's their web site, you could contact them directly - http://www.ihi.com/english.asp

I know of no inexpensive healthcare insurance, though I would think that your insurance agent could help you - that's how we found our health insurance carriers. I certainly do not recommend that you do without health insurance.

Your boat insurance quote, at less than 1% of insured value, is a bargain by our standards. We paid in the neighborhood of 2% (2.5% when we were in SE Asia) of insured value because we sailed offshore to foreign countries. You might check with Boat/US, and your homeowner insurance company - I used to see various insurance companies, such as Prudential and Allstate, at the various boat shows hawking marine insurance. If you have a long relationship with an insurance agent I would work with that person first, both for health and boat insurance.

Your boat cost is too high to go bare, particularly in the first few years, and would expose you to too great a liability risk in the US. It is possible that you would be best served with a higher deductible to lower your premium.

Health and boat insurance, the two greatest expenses you will have while cruising - unless, of course, you spend most of your time in marinas.

Let me know how you fare.

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