We too have been away from Internet connections for the past four months (over in remoter Baja, Mexico) and have returned to 400 messages, so we will take the reply to "BVI Bermuda" to comment on some of the topics.
First: to go anywhere you want a sound vessal. Very prosaic, very dull stuff like a fair bottom (stuff grows FAST in warm water), decent rigging (we have seen the leftovers that were dragged into a yard w/o masts, and they were the lucky ones), an engine which can be relied upon, and a solid anchoring system. With these things you get safety and from safety can come enjoyment. The boat is supposed to be tougher than its occupants, everything else is convenience.
For the short term you don't have to worry about the barrier coat, but you should check those thru-hulls! It's a bummer to sink, even in clear warm water. See if there is still some metal to them and that they close w/o using a hammer. Also a good idea to have some spare zincs as you usually can't find the right ones in a shop when you need them.
Carry a spare bit of rigging wire, a turnbuckle, and some mechanical swages (the kind you can make up anywhere). Wire usually fails at the swage, so we carry long-stud and long-eye Sta-Loks, as well as a couple of Sta-Lok connectors for the middle of lines. Note that when one breaks, usually a whole bunch break. We accompanied one boat across the Sea of Cortez to La Paz which broke all four of his lower spreaders in one night. (It was a Hans Christian...)
Don't expect to do an engine overhaul, but you should carry a bunch of spare fuel filters. When the seas start dislodging some of the residue in your tanks, it clogs filters up fast. (And/or consider getting your fuel polished.) Also good to have a couple of spare fan belts. We have a Yanmar 4JH3 and, on a dark and stormy night, seized the bearings on the alternator. That's when we found out that on those type engines (and others) you need something to put in the old alternator's place just to keep the belt tight so that the water pump can work. If you have a spare alternator, you also get electricity!
We meet many people down here who never anchored before they left on the Baja Ha-Ha, and we got to participate in their education. If you haven't anchored much, do yourselves and the folks downwind of you a favor and practice the anchor drill. In and out. Even better if you do it in really bad weather. We use a 60 pound CQR with 400 feet of 3/8 high-test chain. Sounds like overkill until you've gone through some Chubascos and tropical storms. We've been in Mexico continuously for six years and have anchored (not moored) for about 3 and 1/2 years through all sorts of conditions, many of them unexpected. We use a chain hook in the middle of a 125 foot long 3/4 inch thick nylon 3 strand line for a snubber. The ends on either side can be led aft, or around so both are on one side, to warp the boat into the seas. The long length takes up a lot of shock and gives you something to play out when you start getting chafe. It is really nice to know you don't have to go out on the bow in the middle of the (dark stormy)
night to do something about your set or re-anchor. For hurricanes we do go to a marina when possible.
For convenience (since we live aboard) we have a Spectra watermaker, the simple kind that we turn on and off and where we set the valves. It still breaks but is easier to fix than the automatic types. For third world countries it has been great since we can't measure the colloidal count of water out of taps and we got tired of mucking out the scale from mineral deposits in our s/s tank. And frequently water just isn't available or it's a long slog with the jerry cans through a (hot humid hilly) dirt road to the nearest well. We also installed a one cylindar (sp?) Kubota diesel engine in the lazarette. It's sole job at present is to recharge our four banks of batteries directly with a 150 amp alternator. Saves a lot on main engine use.
Lastly (less this go on forever) think of shade. It gets HOT down south and you will want something to use to hide from the sun. Easy to get down when the wind picks up. Probably not really important in the winter, but... And as a corollary, DC fans. We have seven mounted and two clip-on movable fans 'cuz it's nice to get a breeze down below, especially when you're cooking. We even use them in the cockpit.
Good luck, fair winds, have fun.

Michael and Elizabeth Kramer
S/V Cambria Panda 40
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

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Received on Wed Oct 05 17:00:14 2005