Overview - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 3

2. Overview
We'll open this topic with an overview: a chart of the journey ahead, so to speak. Pacific
Crossing Notes is organized into sections with overarching themes such as Preparation ,
Safety , and Underway , as well as location-specific sections. Be warned: headers such as
East, Central , or West Pacific are more relative than absolute; they divide the journey into
the same chunks most cruisers use to divide their sailing seasons. That's why you'll find
the Galapagos Islands together with French Polynesia in the East Pacific, while the Cook
Islands, Niue, and Tonga are lassoed together in the Central Pacific.
Each section is subdivided into chapters that break that subject into manageable bits. For
example, in the Preparation section, you'll find sub-chapters on building up experience for
an ocean voyage, outfitting a cruising boat, choosing a sail inventory, and calculating solar
power. Similarly, the West Pacific section includes full-length chapters on Fiji, Vanuatu,
and New Caledonia, along with shorter sections that vary in tone and subject. Some are en-
tertaining anecdotes we call “The Spice of Life” while others are Fact Files that list practic-
al information (currency, fees, shopping, cruising guides).
Throughout, we strive to balance facts with flavors, making this a book to keep you com-
pany during the countdown to your trip as well as a pragmatic guide to pull out as you face
each successive landfall in the voyage of a lifetime. Admittedly, we can't cover everything
without having crossed the Pacific a few more times - but give us time for additional “re-
search” and we'll be happy to get back to you in a future edition of this topic.
In the meantime, you'll find plenty of bang for your buck in the information and tales with-
in these pages. There's something for the planner, the voyager, and the armchair adventurer.
Enjoy reading, and above all, enjoy sailing!