casefortrawlers » Page 2 of 5

But, extended cruising isn’t for everyone and you can stop reading if you have aversions to being organized, hands on maintenance and lots of pre-cruise preparation. Lets put extended cruising in perspective. A two-month trip to the Bahamas requires only modest preparation beyond that which is needed for cruising the ICW. There you can usually get by even with poor preparation. However, a one or two year trip to the far corners of the Caribbean or beyond is quite a different animal and the happiest, most successful cruisers do their homework before they leave the dock.
Where do you start? First, get a broad picture of your cruising options. How much time do you have? Where do your interests lie? What’s the condition of your boat and, in that regard, what’s the condition of your budget? What’s your experience level?

For most of the places you might like to visit, cruising guides are available. They are invaluable as an aid in answering many of your questions as well as providing information about weather, sea conditions, safe anchorages, etc. Purchase a selection of cruising guides to start building a knowledge base.

Once you have made some initial cruising decisions, the real work begins. Obviously you want a properly equipped and seaworthy vessel. Clean up that discrepancy list and add needed hardware. For ranging beyond the Bahamas, a single sideband radio (ssb) with a weatherfax modem is almost a necessity. There are many times when you will be at anchor alone and well beyond VHF range to the nearest boat. You need reliable weather and communications. On our first cruise to Central America we did without ssb and paid the price with a couple of rough passages. Also, the camaraderie of the cruising community often begins with the SSB cruisers nets of which there are many.

You can do without RADAR, but it is very helpful for: collision avoidance during night passages in the shipping lanes, to avoid some squalls and for anchor watches during heavy weather. At a minimum have binoculars with a built in compass to aid in collision avoidance. The range of goodies goes on forever, but if your budget won’t allow it, you can do without the autopilot, watermaker, freezer, etc. They make cruising more pleasant, but can be added later as your priorities and budget dictate.

It is impossible to cover these topics in a short article, but here are some ideas about things that
are necessary. They include: a good GPS and backup, a good supply of spare parts, tools, food stocks, a good dinghy and outboard motor, a clear understanding of your boat systems and an extensive maintenance check-list,. Let’s take these one at a time.