"The Right Stuff..Don't Leave Home Without It "
By Tori Smith
From the May 1995 issue of TellTales Magazine
For most of us, getting ready to go cruising is a time of difficult decision-making. Few boats have the space to accommodate all the electronics, hardware, spares, comestibles and fishing gear we may want to take along, nor are many boaters' bank accounts grand enough to afford them. So how does one determine what to include as an absolute must and what to do without? Over the years Keith and I have frequently revised our list, depending on where we are going and for how long. We have sought the advice of those who have gone before us and also have learned from that famous academy - the school of hard knocks. The following are some items we would not ever want to be without during a passage or when away from our home port. It was early days during our outfitting when the surveyor came aboard after checking out some corrosion on our keel bolts. I offered him some coffee. "What do you take in it?" I queried. "Hell, he said, ..a self-respecting sailor drinks his java black." Well, I thought, this saucy fellow might have an invaluable tip or two to impart. Guess I'll pick his mind a little. "What bit of advice would you give a first-time cruiser?" I asked him. Without hesitation he told me to "get a set of splash curtains and a cockpit awning." This made perfect sense to Keith and myself, and we've silently blessed him often since then. The curtains, laced taut along our lifelines, have meant the difference between cold, damp discomfort and being warm and dry. A cockpit awning is no luxury, it's a health necessity. Old sol's rays may feel good on a coolish day but more than half an- hour of those UVs can give you an expensive and often painful case of skin cancer. If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can easily make both of these items yourself. We also advocate plenty of sunblock, UV-treated sun-glasses and, as added protection, a hat that fits snugly and has a 2-inch brim. Get a serviceable dinghy. Your dinghy is your ship-to-shore transportation. What kind of dinghy you carry can make the difference between optimum pleasure and miserable deprivation. Many cruisers we know prefer an inflatable, but this was not an option for us when we set out for Baja, Mexico. The good ones were too costly and those we could afford were too flimsy. We purchased a lightweight 6-foot glass boat with a flat bottom because it was easy for the two of us to deploy and it fit nicely over our skylight, underneath the main boom, while we were under way Our problems began in the outer harbor of Cabo San Lucas where the seas rolled almost constantly. Rowing to shore was a real chore. Sometimes making headway was truly impossible, and we had to spend days on board unless we could catch a ride e with someone going by. One morning we had progressed as far as the entrance to the inner harbor when a speeding boat zoomed by, swamping us in its huge wake, Our little coffee-can bailer was grossly inadequate. "Bail faster!" my skipper implored as he struggled with the oars. "It'll be better if we both bail," I urged. "Use your shoe!" The farcical sight of this dignified fellow seriously scooping tidbits of sea water over the side with his left Sebago while the entire ocean cascaded into our teensy craft was too much for me to contain. I burst into a laughing fit. Keith was quick to join me and, of course, we sank. Clearly we needed to replace our dinghy. Luck was with us. The Baja cruising "fleet" conducted an informal VHF net each morning at 0900. New arrivals reported in, boats needing assistance and those with goods for sale or trade called in. A dinghy was advertised for $100. We rowed over to lbezia to view this answer to our prayers. It had the appearance of a bathtub, round-bottomed and heavy, but it solved our problem. It just naturally follows that a reliable VHF radio and antenna are must-haves on our boat. Weather reports from the National Weather Service, Coast Guard warnings, and the ability to call for assistance in an emergency are just a few of the reasons to include this in your budget. Besides the practicalities, listening to VHF conversations can be wonderful entertainment. One Monday evening a commercial fisherman who had been at sea for weeks called his girlfriend to ask if she would meet him at a part in Northern California the coming Thursday. He told her, "I'm really lonesome for you, darlin'." She was hesitant. Heavy rain had been reported and some of the roads were closed. She would have to take a detour. She was afraid of getting lost. Like a teetering top, she vacillated and we held our breath, waiting for her final decision. "Call me tomorrow night at eight," she told her smitten swain. "Then I'll know for sure." For the next 24 hours Keith and I went back and forth, guessing and second-guessing the outcome of this ship-to-shore romance. Promptly at 8 p.m. we turned on the VHF, conjecturing "Will she or won't she?" The marine operator made the connection, the eager suitor repeated his heartfelt request and once more the woman wavered. "Oh, for Pete's sake tell him yes!" Keith and I chorused, but she could not or would not make. a choice and they agreed to talk again the next evening. This was far better drama than any TV soap. We lustily cheered when the lady finally agreed to meet her man, and have wondered ever since how the assignation turned out. Cruising is supposed to be fun, relaxing, an adventure. So you don't want a lot of pressure, except in one vein - a 6-quart pressure cooker for the galley. You'll use it for canning meat, vegetables and fruits, and all those fresh fish you plan to catch. Food, as you can imagine, is of major importance to everyone aboard. Meals are probably the most looked-forward-to events of the day while you are at sea, and the chef has to make do with what foodstuffs are available. Commercially canned meats generally have all the flavor of tenderized shoe soles. Sure, you can add a bay leaf and some dried chopped onion to your Dinty Moore beef, but it really doesn't compare to your mom's choice pot roast recipe. Whenever we find a fresh meat market in port, Keith and I buy 10 pounds of pork or beef or poultry. Then we spend the remainder of the day cutting it up, browning it, and packing it into mason jars with some spiced-up broth before processing the jars in our pressure cooker. We also put up jars of browned ground beef and keep an ample supply of mixes such as taco, spaghetti sauce and chili, to combine for quickie meals. We're the envy of the fleet with our savory fare when nearly everyone else is reduced to Spam. But the most compelling reason for having a pressure cooker on board is stove-top bread baking, especially for boats like ours that have no oven. We've successfully baked -old-fashioned white bread, multigrain, herb loaves, and even an interesting beer bread. The only difference is that the bottom, not the top, of the loaf will be browned. Note: Be sure to sprinkle some cornmeal inside the pot before you put your dough in. Also, try raising your breads in the engine room - works like a charm! Few cruisers have cars available to them, so transporting groceries, laundry, or a picnic lunch to a secluded beach will rest upon your shoulders if you provide backpacks, one for each crew member. The even distribution promotes good posture and is much kinder to your back than hoisting a large duffle on one side or dragging along bags that pull on your elbow joints. We prefer the kind without metal supports - easier to stow flat and machine wash. Also, no rust problems. Prepare for pests. When Herb and Nancy Payson returned to their boat Seafoam in Tahiti after several months' absence, they were surprised and dismayed to discover that rats had chewed through EVERYTHING! We saw their slides of plastic jugs and boxes of staples, all with sizable holes gnawed and their contents strewn about. While the Paysons' experience may seem a rarity, other cruisers have had infestations of mice and cockroaches even while living aboard. Are there precautions you can take? Indeed there are. Do not permit any cardboard boxes or paper bags aboard your vessel. Roaches can survive for months on these materials alone and we all know they breed like ... well, like rabbits! We use Roach Prufe powder, tamping it in corners, especially around the galley, and in 15 years have only seen three of these critters on Three Passions. The most common way mice and rats gain access to your boat is along the docklines. Make deflectors from metal pie tins by drilling a hole to thread your line through. Should you discover a rodent stowaway, the best method for ridding your boat of this uninvited pest is with D-Con bait pellets. We keep several boxes of this aboard. No sound is so sweet as the midnight snacking of the unwanted guest(s). What actually happens is the stuff thins the blood, the critter gets thirsty, it jumps overboard and is never- heard from again. To sleep, perchance to dream. Not if you aren't prepared to discourage the mosquito population. Mosquito coils and screens for your ports and hatches are musts for most cruising boats. We use velcro to fasten netting to all our openings, and light a coil right on the dot of twilight. Containerize everything you possibly can. We use plastic fishing tackle boxes to house our medical supplies, diesel spares, tools, screws and nails, spare cleats and blocks. We give each box a number, painting it on the box with green glow-in-the-dark paint, then log the contents in a notebook. This makes for great efficiency and keeps frustration at a very low level when you need something and need it FAST! For staples such as rice, flour, split peas, instant potatoes, oatmeal and the like, we've found that widemouth 1-gallon plastic bottles work well. To keep the food fresh and to prevent mealy bugs from developing during storage, we put in a piece of dry ice the size of a silver dollar after filling each jug. Tighten the cap and dip the top into hot paraffin to seal. This works so wonderfully that we were able to use some (unopened) brown rice and pinto beans two years later! Athletic roll bags make perfect clothing organizers, Separate into categories such as underwear and socks, T-shirts and sweaters, jeans and shorts, putting each group into a different-colored bag and logging the color and contents in your "Stowed" notebook. These bags are also useful for towels and bedding and can double as extra pillows when needed. Veteran sailor Hal Roth suggests making three lists: Want, Need, Can Afford. With space on a small boat at a premium, Keith and I have added a fourth: Have Room For. It does take discipline and a certain amount of practical-mindedness to make hard choices about what to include and what to leave off your outfitting list. When Keith and I are deliberating "Do we really have to have this?", we've found that asking a last-ditch question, "Compared to what?", makes the decision just a bit easier. Wisdom of the ages reminds us that experience is a good teacher, and we also know that we learn from our mistakes ... so you can expect to find yourselves missing the one thing you really wish you had. You'll also look at some other item and wonder why on Earth you thought you needed it. But for gosh sakes, be sure to take enough toilet paper! Biodegradable, of course.
