Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3. Preparation
Getting ready to cross an ocean can often seem like harder work than the crossing itself.
Buying and fitting out a cruising boat present exhausting choices, and the effort it takes to
put land life on hold can be overwhelming. That may be why so many dreamers stay on the
wrong side of the starting line. But across those mental barriers lies the voyage of a lifetime
and the type of cruising that will make you wonder why you didn't go sooner.
While we drew heavily from our Atlantic crossing experience when we set off across the
Pacific, we knew that the challenges would be very different. For one thing, the overall dis-
tance is far greater and supplies are correspondingly fewer and farther between. And while
sailing across the Atlantic boils down to a single three-week hop with good services on
either side, the Pacific is an entirely different kettle of fish. Most cruisers take at least one
season (while many others take several years) to island-hop across the world's biggest body
of water. As rewarding as the voyage is for a sailor, it can be punishing for a boat. You can
never have too many tools, spare parts, or radio conversations about how to overcome the
challenge of the week, whether that's something as mundane as goose-neck barnacles
sprouting in mid-passage or as worrisome as a fraying shroud.
This section covers various preparatory topics, from working your way up to blue water
passages to buying and equipping a boat. Daunting as it all may seem, the anticipation can
provide its own high. You're on the cusp of achieving the dream of a lifetime - a period in
your life you'll eventually look back on as fondly as you do the trip itself.
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