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LESSONS LEARNED WHILE CRUISING Jamie & Behan Gifford


Things We Wish We’d Known “Being bitten by a catfish in Mexico


was quite an experience,” says our six year old with an impish smile. Siobhan then clarifies that toe-nibbling crayfish in Nuka Hiva were even better. Who knew that Siobhan’s fear of sharks would be forgotten, replaced with happy memories of exfoliation by a crustacean? For new cruisers there is often a preoccupation with worst case scenarios. There should be more time given to the less tangible, the things we wish we’d known. The wisdom of cruising icons


should be a stepping stone to finding your own style, not a shadow dimming it. It’s fine to be inspired by a particular cruising philosophy; but think about how the practical reality of it fits your style. For example, we’ve met many cruisers that choose to row instead of using an outboard with the dinghy. It’s the epitome of a simple cruising style. Most later regretted the choice. Rowing was too limiting for getting to/from shore in wind or waves, and limited the areas they could explore. The best snorkeling usually isn’t right next to the boat.


Patience is the most


undervalued trait of successful cruising. Patience, as we know it now, was hard to come by when we began cruising. We were so conditioned to a fast paced life. While cruising motivation is often about freedom and independence, many elements remain beyond your control. Learning to slow down can take months, even a year. Cruising on a schedule is an oxymoron. With patience, you tend to wait out bad weather. With patience, boat project lists seem less daunting. With patience, the customs officials really aren’t as bad as the reputation that precedes them.


Repeat, customs officials really aren’t as bad as their reputation.


48° NORTH, JANUARY 2011 PAGE 38


As prevailing rumors tend toward the worst case, customs officials don’t fare well at all in the cruising rumor mill. It turns out that entry for foreign vessels like us was never scary and often easy. Further still, many of those officials were even really nice. For Mexico, we heard about tales of bribery and endless bureaucracy. In reality we were done so quickly, we wondered if we missed a step. For French Polynesia, there was the bond issue that turned out to be easily dealt with. Fiji required a two day advance notice of arrival. Vanuatu seemed to want to ensure fitness because quarantine, customs, and immigration were miles apart. Australia wanted 96 hours notice and the position at which you crossed their 200 mile boundary. Some countries have food or alcohol restrictions. The lesson is that while each country is a little different, it’s a minor bit of homework to be prepared. Between the internet, cruising guides, and the coconut telegraph (ignoring


horror stories) there shouldn’t be any surprises.


Newness has little to do with


reliability. It stands to reason that new items, installed and used properly, will be more reliable than older items. Unfortunately, we’ve found this to be a false assumption. Our own experience of new item failures include: handheld VHF radios, transducers, autopilot parts, and even some safety gear. We’ve seen cruiser friends frustrated with new outboards that don’t work and new electronics that failed. Very often, new cruisers are buying and stowing gear as they cast off the lines. We recommend a “use early and use often, before you go” approach. If something proves unreliable you can deal with it before heading off. We’ve found some reliability issues are in fact known design problems, such as the burner ignition feature on a brand of marine stoves. Everyone we know of with this brand has problems. Perhaps it’s a safety feature intended to reduce how much you cook so the lack of oven insulation that makes cooking in the tropics unbearably hot is less of a liability issue. Humans


everywhere


Jamie gets up close to a giant manta: Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. Quality gear means better experiences in your destination.


produce, prepare, and eat food. For some reason, this is a lesson we seem to require learning over and over again. We provisioned


an insane amount of food in San Diego before jumping off to Mexico in 2008.


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