The Voyager's Handbook

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Second Edition by Herb McCormick

Foreword to the First Edition by George Day


Preface


Acknowledgments


Introduction

Part I: The Essential Ingredients


Chapter 1. Committed Crew


WHAT MAKES FOR SUCCESSFUL CREWS? • Composition of Successful Crews • Cruising with Kids: What Age Is Best? • Characteristics of Successful Crews • BUILDING VOYAGING PARTNERSHIPS • Critical Elements • Tips for Cruising with Kids • Laying the Groundwork • DECIDING WHEN TO GO • Timing Issues • Timing Options • THREE VOYAGING CREWS


Chapter 2. Adequate Financing


ALTERNATIVES FOR FINANCING THE DREAM • Precareer: Earn as You Go • Sabbatical: Save Enough to Finance Several Years • Early Retirement: Stretching the Retirement Income • Part-Time Voyaging or Working Aboard: Continuing Your Career • HOW MUCH DOES VOYAGING REALLY COST? • Living Expenses • Avoiding Budget Busters • Annual Boat Expenses • Capital Costs: Two Case Studies • Discretionary and One-Off Expenses • The Cost of Two Cruises • HOW MUCH BOAT CAN YOU AFFORD? • Refit Costs: Some Rough Figures


Chapter 3. A Bluewater-Capable Yacht


NARROWING THE FIELD • What Type of Boat Do You Want? • Steve Dashew’s Hybrid Designs • Where Do You Intend to Cruise? • What Size Boat Will Suit You? • The “Average” Bluewater Voyager • What Age Boat Will Suit Your Budget? • EVALUATING INDIVIDUAL BOATS • Screening Criteria: Stability and Durability • Common Structural Problems in Older Boats • Bluewater Survey • Second Boats • The Test Sail • One Couple's Search • THE SEARCH PROCESS FOR THREE CREWS • Two Boats, Two Voyages

Part II: Refitting and Equipping the Yacht for Bluewater Voyaging


Chapter 4. Upgrading for Offshore


COMMON UPGRADES TO OLDER PRODUCTION BOATS • Make Your Boat Watertight • The Ins and Outs of Stainless Steel • Improve Your Boat's Ventilation • Improve the Anchoring Arrangements • Revitalize the Rig • Preventing Corrosion between Dissimilar Metals • Problem-Proof the Engine and Propulsion System • Modify Your Boat's Interior • Common Electrical and Plumbing System Upgrades • Increase Safety Above- and Belowdecks • UPGRADING THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS


Chapter 5. Sails and Sail Handling


OFFSHORE SAILING REALITIES • Offshore Sailing Conditions • Crew Size • Boat Size • OFFSHORE SAILS AND SAIL HANDLING • Temperate and High-Latitude Passagemaking: Managing Variability • Modern Sail Materials and Their Uses • Modern Line Materials and Their Uses • Trade Wind Passagemaking: Maximizing Downwind Performance • SAIL INVENTORY FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS • Additional Pretrip Preparations


Chapter 6. Anchors, Anchoring, and Mooring


ANCHORING BASICS • Ground Tackle for the Bluewater Voyager • Beyond Anchors and Rodes: Additional Anchoring Equipment • Anchoring Technique • Raising a Fouled Anchor • Real-World Situations • MOORING AND BERTHING BASICS • Lines, Fenders, and More • Real-World Situations • GROUND TACKLE AND MOORING EQUIPMENT FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS


Chapter 7. On-Deck Essentials: Dinghies, Self-Steering, and Safety Gear


DINGHIES AND OUTBOARDS • Choosing a Dinghy • Selecting an Outboard • Equipping Your Tender • Tender Choices for Three Offshore Voyagers • SELF-STEERING • Wind Vanes • Electric Autopilots • Self-Steering Options and Solutions for Three Offshore Voyagers • ON-DECK SAFETY EQUIPMENT • Preventing Collisions • Preventing Crew Overboard • Abandoning Ship • On-Deck Safety Solutions for Three Offshore Voyagers


Chapter 8. Other Equipment: Navigation, Communications, and Comforts and Conveniences


NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT • Position Finding • Beyond the Depth Sounder: Additional Instruments • Charting Options • The Cruiser’s Laptop • HIGH-SEAS COMMUNICATIONS • The Ship’s Barometer • Radio-Based Systems • Satellite-Based Systems • COMFORTS AND CONVENIENCES • Refrigerators/Freezers • Watermakers • Heating and Cooling Systems • Other Goodies and Gadgets • EQUIPMENT CHOICES FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS


Chapter 9. Configuring Your Electrical System


ANALYZING ELECTRICAL NEEDS • A Back-of-the-Envelope Calculation for Daily Energy Usage • Calculating Loads • A Few Useful Electrical Notes • Generating Options • Stowing Electricity • An Alternative Approach to Balancing the Electrical System • Optimizing Charging • Battery-Down Exercise • ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS • How Long Can You Leave the Boat?


Chapter 10. Putting It All Together: From Refit Plan to Balanced Boat


A REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: REINVENTING GINNY • A Sensible Four-Year Refit Plan • Executing the Plan • Tallying the Bottom Line • REFIT PLANS FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS • Refit Plans and Time Frames • Why Weight-Carrying Ability Matters • Comparison of Three Balanced Boats • What We Left Off . . . and Why

Part III: Liveaboard Skills

Chapter 11. Liveaboard Essentials: What to Bring and How to Stow It


MANAGING SPACE • Maximizing Stowage Space • Organizing Stowage Areas • The Stowage Plan • ALLOCATING SPACE: THE ESSENTIALS FOR LIFE ABOARD • Deck Gear • Navigation Needs and Ship’s References • Galley Equipment • What Not to Bring • Linens and Bedding • Clothing • Electronics • The Most Personal of Decisions: Firearms Aboard • Miscellany • LIVING WITHIN YOUR SPACE


Chapter 12. Managing Life Afloat


BUSINESS AND BUREAUCRACY • Communications • Pretrip Preparations: Setting Up for Remote Management • Money Matters • Ship’s Papers and Other Documents • TRANSITIONING TO LIFE AFLOAT


Chapter 13. Better Boatkeeping


MAINTENANCE MIND-SET • Day-to-Day Proactive Maintenance: Looking for Trouble • Preventive Maintenance Schedules: Preventing Trouble • Troubleshooting: 90 Percent Solutions • The Annual Haulout • Minimizing Maintenance: Avoiding Trouble • ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND SPARES • The Voyager’s Toolbox • The Spares Locker


Chapter 14. Galleywise


FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT • Assessing Needs • Do You Need a Watermaker? • Getting It Aboard • Keeping It Potable • FOOD AND STORES MANAGEMENT • Provisioning Basics • Obtaining Propane • Provisioning Tips and Tricks • Galley Skills


Chapter 15. Staying Safe: Lessons Learned Over 90,000 Nautical Miles


EIGHT DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AND WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THEM • On the Rocks in Iceland • Night Reef Entrance • Close Encounters with Ships • Close Encounters with Hard Objects • Close Encounter with a Hurricane • Fire On Board • Pinned on a Fuel Dock • GPS Waypoint Mistake • SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED


Chapter 16. Staying Healthy: Being Your Own Doctor


PREPARATION: BEFORE YOU LEAVE • Know Thyself • Children and Older Voyagers: Special Considerations • Know the Basics • Know Thy Medical Kit • PREVENTION: MANAGING DAY-TO-DAY HEALTH • Seasickness • Infections and Serious Illnesses • Allergic Reactions • Emergencies and Traumatic Injuries • PROTECTION: ENSURING LONG-TERM HEALTH • Sun Protection • Nutrition • Exercise • Managing Major Health Concerns


Chapter 17. Staying Challenged: Following Your Heart


SHIP-SUITABLE ACTIVITIES • Water Time • Learning Time • Social Time • Quiet Time • SHIP-ADAPTABLE ACTIVITIES • Photography • Other Arts

Part IV: Shorthanded Passagemaking Skills

Chapter 18. Global Weather Patterns and Voyage Planning


GLOBAL WEATHER PATTERNS • Prevailing Winds • Ocean Currents • Weather Disturbances • Planning Tools: Pilot Charts • VOYAGE PLANNING • One Year, One Ocean • Around the World in Eighteen Months • Circumnavigating in Two or More Years • Eastabout Circumnavigations


Chapter 19. Weather Basics and Onboard Forecasting


WEATHER BASICS • Temperate and High Latitudes • Two Weather Phenomena to Watch For • What the Barometer Really Tells You • Tropical Latitudes • ONBOARD WEATHER RESOURCES • Weather Fax • Weather Charts and Their Uses • High Seas Radio Nets and Forecasts • Inmarsat-C Forecasts • Downloadable Weather Files • Weather Routers • USING WEATHER INFORMATION • Departure Window • Routing Decisions • Sail Handling Decisions • Lessons Learned


Chapter 20. Preparing for Passage


PASSAGE PLANNING • Prepassage Bureaucracy: Obtaining Visas • Wind Strengths • Ocean Currents • Other Hazards • PASSAGE PREPARATIONS • Provision Planning • Picking Your Weather Window • Final Shoreside Preparations • The Last Few Hours


Chapter 21. Basic Passage Routines


TAKING CARE OF THE BOAT • Doublehanded Watchkeeping • Duties of the Watchkeeper • TAKING CARE OF THE CREW • Cooking • Sleeping • Hygiene • Managing Garbage at Sea • Diversions • Morale and Safety


Chapter 22. Heavy Weather


HEAVY-WEATHER BASICS • (In)frequency and Severity • Breaking Waves and Rogue Waves • The Golden Rules • GALE AND STORM TACTICS • Heaving-To and Forereaching • Lying Ahull • Running Off • Hawk vs. Silk: An Example of How Boat Design Impacts Tactics • SURVIVAL STORM TACTICS • Southern Ocean Storm Tactics • Running Off with a Drogue • Lying To a Sea Anchor • Motoring or Sailing into the Weather • 1998 Sydney-to-Hobart Race: A Postmortem • HEAVY-WEATHER STRATEGIES FOR THREE OFFSHORE VOYAGERS


Chapter 23. Toward Self-Reliance: Managing Emergencies at Sea


EMERGENCY PREVENTION • Going Aloft at Sea • EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT • Taking on Water • Failure of Structural Openings • Collision • Steering Failures • Rigging Failures • Piracy • SURVIVING AN EMERGENCY


Chapter 24. Toward Seamanship: Efficient Passagemaking


KEEPING THE BOAT MOVING SAFELY AND WELL • Learning the Language • Making Miles in Light Air • Single-Handed Jibe • When Canvas Fails: Minimizing Motoring • Shorthanded Safety Tips • ADAPTING THE PASSAGE PLAN • Developing an Initial Passage Plan • Modifying the Plan Based on Actual Conditions • MAKING A SUCCESSFUL LANDFALL

Part V: Foreign Savvy

Chapter 25. Upon Arrival


BUREAUCRACY REVISITED • Clearing In • Managing Bureaucratic Hassles • Burgeoning Bureaucracy • GETTING YOUR BEARINGS • Returning the Boat to Normal • When in Rome . . . • Avoiding Pests and Plagues


Chapter 26. Enjoying Being There


ASSIMILATING • Finding the Way In • Respecting Local Laws and Customs • Saying “Thank You” • SIGHTSEEING • ENTERTAINING • MANAGING LOCAL RISKS • Volatile Political Situations • Theft


Chapter 27. The Voyaging Life: Keeping the Faith


THE FIRST YEAR: RECONCILING THE DREAM WITH THE REALITY • The Two Sides of the Voyaging Coin • Changing Gears • JOINING THE CRUISING COMMUNITY • Voyaging Values • Voyaging Customs • Sea Superstitions • Voyaging Etiquette • LONG-TERM SATISFACTION • SURVIVING REENTRY


Appendices


Appendix 1. Additional Resources


Appendix 2. Conversions


Appendix 3. Performance Measurements Explained


Appendix 4. Upgrades for Boats of Different Ages


Appendix 5. Galley Substitutes and Equivalents


Appendix 6. Offshore Medical Kit


Index