Underway - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 98

Fringe Benefits
Our initial aim in creating a net was to be able to report our position to an outside source
daily so that we wouldn't disappear unnoticed into the depths of the Pacific in the event of
some disaster. However, we soon discovered a number of practical advantages to our net,
such as hearing local weather and sea conditions observed by other boats. For example,
when the first crews to depart ran into a powerful contrary current, those behind knew to
follow a more southerly course. It proved extremely valuable to have a real-time picture of
what might be developing ahead or behind throughout the passage. Similarly, the first boats
could also inform the others about what to expect once they had made landfall.
Another advantage of the net was the ability to solicit technical advice. Astarte's steering
problem was discussed and correctly diagnosed, and Mary Madeleine's seemingly serious
gearbox problem was resolved by advice from Adventure Bound . This extended to discus-
sions about sail configurations, both for immediate need and for future reference. How
were those under twizzle rig coping with the rolling swell, in comparison with a prevented
main and poled-out genoa? Was the money invested in a pricey lightweight sail paying off?
Members of the net also pooled resources. For instance, when Adventure Bound couldn't
make contact with a radio ham on Pitcairn Island, Astarte stepped in to help, using on-
board Sail Mail to contact the islander. Another instance concerned the guessing game
among Marquesas-bound cruisers about arrival procedures: would there be dire conse-
quences to visiting spectacular Fatu Hiva before officially clearing in on Hiva Oa? Several
boats emailed ahead for the latest update, which they then shared through the net.
Several members tuned into one of several other radio nets as well, creating a tangled web
of cross-alliances. We on Namani had two appointments each day, including the POST net
and a German-speaking “Funkrunde.” Greg and Danielle, Francophone Canadians aboard
Mary Madeleine , also tuned in to the evening French-speaking net. Several of our members
likewise reported to the Pacific Seafarer's Net. By connecting with a variety of nets, each
crew could filter and pass on pertinent information to our small group, thus keeping us con-
nected to a much wider network - a global village, if you will, united by the sea and boun-
cing radio waves. Once, a mysterious flare was reported on a different net; This informa-
tion was passed on to us, and thus twelve more crews were alerted to a potential vessel in
distress (happily, it turned out to be a false alarm). As Barbara of Astarte aptly put it, our
net was like Facebook on the ocean.