Radio and Weather Guru Don Anderson

This weekend, Don Anderson's ashes are being scattered in his home waters near Oxnard, California. Don analyzed weather data and shared the information via radio "nets" to cruisers around the north Pacific, particularly Mexico. Our introduction to Don was through the Amigo net, a daily marine maritime net we participated in for the better part of two years. We were dedicated listeners and participants from the days before we first entered Mexico, in late 2008, through our departure in early 2010.


La Gringa, one of many anchorages where we listened to Don's forecast

Don didn't just bring dependable interpretation of weather data. He seemed to take his role as an educator of newbie cruisers to both radio and to the real (and unpleasant) possibilities of weather seriously, to the benefit of all. Nobody would ever tell you that Don held back when offering his analysis. He also didn't let proper radio handling protocol slide.

This wasn't just edifying, it was refreshing. Cruisers on radio nets tend to "go with the flow" rather than voice disagreement or challenge the view of another. It's a gross generalization, but I can't think of any instances from the Nets to the contrary. The truth is, these things are extremely important. It wasn't a picnic to be the target of his ire, but Don's frank corrections helped many cruisers get over the hurdle of participating and figure it out. I remember thinking it felt a little bit like a badge of honor to be taken to task by Don for a lapse in my radio handling (the particular infraction was using Ham jargon on a marine SSB frequency).

With many cruising miles under his own keel, I think Don understood better than most just how critical his information was to boats "out there," especially those getting their cruising feet wet in Mexico- a common first stop (and for many, the last one as well).  The schedule of nets he participated in attest to the many hours he gave to his volunteer role - as much one would give to a full time job. He did this year in, year out, with few breaks. If you asked for his help, he gave it, and offered support outside the schedule for cruisers needing different tuning and timing to make a connection. His volunteerism is admirable, and it's inspiring.

For someone who we never met, his personality loomed large for us as it did for many others. Don's  forecasts were often shared in a way that could be particularly...enthusiastic, especially when severe weather loomed. I'll confess that we let the tone of Don's delivery color our conversations long after the Net was over. Can he have any idea how many times his name was invoked over a few Pacifico ballenas in a Baja cockpit? During the 2009 hurricane season we spent up in the Gulf of California, one member of the fleet even composed a song in his honor: the Don Anderson Rag could be heard at cruiser potlucks and floating sundowners all season. Jamie (who has a similar propensity to be energized by the delivery of severe weather information... I may have referred to him as Calamity Jamie before) took to using deliberately Don-like tone and cadence to share his own weather opinions. 

If someday we can give back to the cruising community at a fraction of the level Don achieved, I'd be very proud. I wish we could have told him in person how much he gave to our little floating family on Totem, but it's some comfort to share that with his family. He leaves some big shoes indeed.

Did you benefit from Don's contributions? His family set up an email address to share your thoughts with them. It would mean a lot for him to hear from cruisers who have benefitted from his knowledge over the years. Send yours to SummerPassage@gmail.com. 

Keeping holidays: and island style Easter

A future cruiser had asked recently about celebrating holidays after you've left behind the familiar traditions at home. Was it good to plan ahead and bring packages with those unique specialties that are in tune with memories of how you usually celebrate?


Mairen hunting for Easter eggs - Moreton Island, Australia

We've had the chance to do a little of both, and with time and perspective, have found that what works for us is not to import the familiar (or dig it up from locker stash) but to create what is meaningful for you from what's available.

At departure, our children's ages (4, 6 and 9) put them smack in the heart of egg-hunting-chocolate-bunny-eating-Easter-basket-madness. We had some very specific rituals and accessories. But when we left, we didn't bring any of the usual Easter accoutrements with us, in part because we assumed the basics would be available in Mexico. Not so much, as it turned out!

Our first Mexican Easter was in the coastal town of San Blas. Few gringos and definitely no Paas dye kits. We found veggies in town to make our own dyes with, Mexican chocolate treats, held an egg hunt on board and didn't feel the least bit deprived.

The second year, friends brought good ol' bright colored store-bought kits down from the States. We were in the marina in La Cruz with a herd of other prospective "jumpers," getting ready to take off for our Pacific crossing. Easter would actually fall a few days after cast off, so there was a celebration for the kids during the week prior to departure. Lots of fun, to be sure. More familiar, more like Easter at home.

It sounded like such a great idea at the time. But- it missed something. In hindsight, I realized how much I loved our previous improvised holiday. Learning to appreciate how much we could make our own fun by working with what was on hand, to give a holiday the color and vibration of the place we find ourselves.

Our Australian Easters have been on the theme. Our first Aussie Easter was among our marina friends from Sydney. Let me tell you: Oz Easter is all about the chocolate bunnies. Forget the peeps and the jellybeans. It's CHOCOLATE. I think every one of the half dozen boats brought our children chocolate bunnies. No deprivation there!

This year we anchored off Moreton Island with our friends on Ceilydh and Oso Blanco. There aren't egg dye kits in Oz, either, so we're back to the purple cabbage, tumeric, and onion skins to color ours. Our "dinosaur" eggs were hidden in the scrub of the island nearby, in a sandy saddle that felt like a tropical fairy dell. And we had chocolate bunnies... lots of bunnies. That evening, a combined feast brought together our traditions...roasted leg of lamb, and a big wreath of Italian egg bread.


Keeping it simple... still plenty of fun, without all the Stuff.



Sitting back with our cruising friends, we came up with a rough rule of thumb. Sabbatical cruisers, who are working in a finite window of time for their adventures afloat, are more likely to have a Paas kit in the bilge, a favorite flavor of cake mix stashed in the provisions. On a more open ended path like ours, that planning and stowing isn't practical and falls to the side compared with other priorities. I think it's a gift: we open our selves to find the core of the holiday from our own traditions, and the best of what ever country we claim guest status has to share to broaden our experience...

...like dune surfing. Happy Easter, all, from Totem!


Easter weekend on Moreton Island: boogie boarding down the monster sand dunes

What do you need to go cruising? Part 3: water games.

Continuing the theme: if you don't have a boat yet, are there cruising essentials you can buy in advance?

We covered books, and some ideas for personal gear. All very practical. But there's more to cruising than pure practicality, so think about those things which will be part of your everyday enjoyment. For us, most of those relate to spending time in the water. With the opportunity to swim in warm, tropical seawater just steps away, there weren't many days we stayed out of the water.


Niall diving in French Polynesia

Snorkel gear: we picked up gear at yard sales and rummage sales over the course of a couple of years. Average price: ridiculously cheap. It wasn't high end gear, and many were lost to leaks, but it met our needs really well for the first 1-2 years of cruising. There was something for everyone, and that meant it wasn't a tragedy if a mask was lost overboard or left on the beach (not that we know any children *cough* who would do such a thing *cough*). We started replacing gear around the 2 year mark, partly because our own standards were increasing and partly because what we had on board was finally wearing out. We're now systematically replacing everyone's gear, and wow, it's pricey- easily over $100 per kid and several hundred per adult. Deals are sweet if you can find them.

Wetsuits. Just because it's the tropics doesn't mean you won't get cold in the water...it's still well below your body temp. A thin wetsuit will help extend your time in the water. We wore them extensively all through the tropics.

Rashguards. These are primarily for sun protection, but also protect you from jellyfish. This isn't idle cruising FUD: poor Mairen was stung by jellies on one of her first swims in Mexico. We were able to get inexpensive, custom rashguards for full body coverage in La Paz, Mexico. Almost every cruiser there can direct you to the lady who makes them in town! The kids loved their "jellysuits" at least in part because they could pick their own material out. The sun rots them, so have backups for when your working set finally falls apart.  Union suits or two-piece top/bottom sets are a matter of preference.

Beyond snorkeling: if you dive, this is another obvious area to source gear. We're considering dive gear, and weighing it against getting a hookah rig. Not knowing just how much time we'd spend with our heads underwater when we left to go cruising, we didn't consider the high cost of equipment (not to mention allocating space for the gear on board). It was far to expensive to acquire either of these in Mexico or the Pacific.

Kayak. These are great backup tenders or transportation and entertainment in their own right. I have spent many happy mornings gliding over a lagoon, solo or getting some 1:1 child time... looking at fish and coral and talking about the day. For many reasons, I love our kayak. It was a Craigslist special that lived in the garage before it lived on the bow of Totem. Nothing fancy, but pennies on the dollar of new- especially after leaving the US. Kayak paddles were harder to find, and we ended up paying retail for those in California. As a result, our two paddles cost more than the kayak!


Puget Sound, with our friends from Koi- before we had a proper paddle

Surfboard. Ours was a gift from my aunt, Julie. I love it somewhat irrationally- because of the connection, no doubt. It's something we wouldn't have spent the money on to buy for ourselves before we left, not knowing how much enjoyment it would bring. Many waves (and many afternoons of kid-floating) later, it's hard to imagine being without a surfboard! Now we're looking at adding a stand up paddleboard and possibly a second surfboard (because it's always more fun with a friend!).


Floating in the lagoon, Makemo, French Polynesia


Speargun. We got into spearfishing more than we ever expected, due in great part to two folks: the example and support from our friend Ethan on Eyoni (the guy who speared a fish so big, Latitude 38 thought it was photoshopped!), and the support and advice of our "home island"er Robert, who emailed tips and ideas while we were getting started. If you think you will too, it's another somewhat pricey item that's unlikely to come on your boat and good to shop for bargains or second hand. If you'll buy one online, try to get your hands on one first so you have a feel for a length that works: something you can easily reload in the water, in full gear. Don’t get the type with a screw-on tip. Tips come off too easily, and those spears weren't replaceable in the Pacific (the integrated type was readily available).

As long as we're talking about playing in and around the water, here a few more things that come in very handy.

Lifejackets. We have both inflatable (for comfort in most conditions) and not (for when it's really wet and you don't want an accidental inflation). If your boats comes with PFDs, they will be the bulky Mae West style that helps meet USCG regulations when you have extra bodies on board, but which nobody wants to wear, ever. Children grow and need additional sizes in waiting. If you generally use inflatables, have lots of spare kits for re-arming: label them clearly before stowing so there's no problem matching the right kit to the right PFD later. We could not find these in Mexico, they cannot be shipped, and I'm not sure they can be carried on airplanes either.

Dry bags. When (not if) you flip your dinghy: having your fancy camera safely stowed in a dry bag will suddenly make that $15 investment invaluable. We have a waterproof backpack, but it's not comfortable for any meaningful weight/distance. This may sound crazy, but there were even times we were swimming to shore instead of taking the dinghy. It might have been the heat. It might have been the surf, and not wanting to roll the dinghy. It may simply have stemmed from being stranded because a  partner/guest/child has taken the last of the tenders to shore already. Whatever the reason, but you can throw stuff- like a change of clothes!- in a dry bag, swim in, and carry on.

Next in the series: boatliving daily basics.

What do you need to go cruising? Part 2: personal gear.

Continuing the theme: what "stuff" makes sense to acquire before you even have a boat, but actively anticipate cruising? The last post on books was the most obvious one to me, because (as a committed bookworm) there's so much to gain from them and feed the dream while you're still in the early stages.

Buying ahead can help future cruisers score big bargains, or at least avoid paying full retail in the frantic months prior to departure. It's highly unlikely that higher value items that aren't installed/wired into the boat will be included in a purchase, so this is the perfect category to scope. What have we found most useful that fits into that description?

Handheld boat equipment

VHF. You may not realize it now, but your life will be coordinated by VHF. I consider two handheld units to be a practical minimum, so you have a backup when (not if) your primary fails you in an inconvenient location (ours chose Tonga). If you have a family, consider having more so you can keep track of children.


Omnipresent VHF clipped in for an early morning hike: Agua Verde, Mexico.

GPS. Let's face it. We have fun practicing with a sextant, but we are not going to use it in more than a novelty and educational capacity. There: I said it. Having multiple backup GPS units is good. Besides backing up (in multiple...at least two) the possibility of failure with our primary GPS on board, they're fun. We've been geocaching in Mexico with the Don Quixotes, and it was a blast. A handheld can be handy for land-based travels, too: that path up the volcano seems really obvious on the way up, but perhaps not so obvious on the way down.

Night vision monocle. The use may seem too small to bother with, but it can be indispensable at times of stress for understanding what is around you. At those times, whatever it costs feels like enough...better yet, source with patience and a discount.

Other handheld equipment that we don't have on board (but wish we did): these qualify as very nice boat jewelry that I would love to have scored a deal on before we left. My opinion isn't quite based on direct experience, but 20/20 hindsight.

Satellite phone. To date, we have been 100% radio centric. I still expect to be radio centric in our cruising communication, but having had our SSB fail- not once, but twice, at critical points in our Pacific crossing- I want backup. It would have been stupidly expensive to source a sat phone in the islands. We expect to have one on board when we leave Australia.

Range finder. How many times have we been at anchor in a blow and thought...I wonder how close we're getting to that cliff? I'll tell you: ENOUGH! Once would probably be enough, frankly. And it's been more than once. I am debating one of these for Jamie's birthday... ssshhhhh... maybe he won't read this far.

Handheld watermaker. This is a high-end ditch kit item, the kind of thing you never hope to need. Yes, we could build a solar still and yes, we hope we never need to. But if we hadn't been hemorraging money just before we cut the docklines, we would have gotten one. And then there was that day, a week out of Mexico heading for the Marquesas, when our watermaker failed and contaminated every drop in our tanks. We had nearly  two weeks until landfall, and that day would have been a lot less stressful with a backup aboard.

Personal  electronics

eReaders for everybody! We now have five of these on board, because we couldn't share. Totem has a mix of nooks and Kindles, but frankly, I don't think the brand matters as long as 1) it is e-ink based (not backlit, like a tablet: power pig, harder on eyes, and not so hot in bright sunlight) and 2) it can read the popular ePub file format. That describes almost every ereader on the market.

Tablet- iPad or Android. Yes, in addition to the ereaders. No, we are not digital junkies. Honestly? We haven't crossed this bridge yet and are getting by fine, but like the sat phone- we won't leave Australia without one (and probably two) on board. I'm leaning towards Android. It would be good enough as a media device, but they offer benefits for navigation as well - thank you, Navionics. I'm convinced that we could have navigated better through the reefs in Fiji with a tablet than we did with our sets of (extremely inaccurate) paper charts plus chartplotter.

Cameras. Even if you're not a big shutterbug, you'll probably want good images of your travels. If you are a serious photo fiend, get a nice DSLR. We didn't get one until after Year 2 (thanks to my awesome brother. Very timely that he was expecting a kid and decided to upgrade, and passed us his old Nikon body). Also- at least one underwater camera, for a few reasons. The basic one is that they are the ultimate durable pocket-sized camera: they won’t die when (again, not if) the dinghy flips, and they will help you remember those pretty fish you saw so you can ID them when you're back on the boat. Besides, they just keep getting more affordable. We had a cr@ppy camera that made it only about one year (possibly because it had a 3 meter rating, but I routinely snorkeled with it to 6+ meters), but it's easy to find cameras rated to 10 meters now. I'd shop for this, but not buy until you know you're in the home stretch- technology just changes too quickly. I've got my eye on this nice Lumix.


Some of our best memories are captured by basic point-n-shoot underwater camera. Vava'u, Tonga.

Personal gear / soft stuff

Foul weather gear. Good gear is stupidly expensive. It's also an excellent item to score on eBay. We have foulies (and backups / crew spares) purchased for a fraction of retail. My best score was a top end Henri Lloyd jacket for Jamie, $800 tags still attached, <$200 on eBay. That said, these just don’t get worn very much in lower latitudes… but when you need them… they are worth their weight in gold.

Sun protective clothing. In lower latitudes, the fancypants SPF rated stuff does make a difference. If  you are super white, and genetically disposed to melanoma like us, it's important to take seriously. Big hats, swimming skins, and ventilated clothes with good protection values are worth it...and, expensive at retail. Solumbra and Coolibar are good providers... I personally troll the semi-annual Patagonia sales.

Niall and Mairen sporting serious sun protection. Isla Isabel, Mexico.

Sunglasses. Not so much a "buy ahead" as a "plan ahead." Do you have optical insurance that will cover your sunglasses? Make sure you maximize the benefit and get new pairs as soon as you are eligible, so you have plenty of spares for later. Not helpful if your prescription is changing, of course, but mine wasn't. Especially after the LASIK!

First books... then personal gear... up next in the ruminations on useful cruising "stuff" you can source in advance: the fun stuff.

What do you need to go cruising? Start with books.

In the theme of the last post: what "stuff" is helpful to acquire before you even have a boat, but actively anticipate cruising?

One area that makes a lot of sense (and not just to us- thanks for the comment, Carolyn!) is to pick up the books that are staples of a cruising boat's bookshelf. It’s possible some will come with the boat you purchase, but there’s likely to be minimal overlap. They can get very expensive if you pay full retail at the last minute. And besides, sinking into the pleasure of reading books that are part of your pending adventures can help keep you motivated and focused on reaching the goal of actually leaving and going cruising.

We put these into three general categories:  references, regional guides, and local literature.

I think I'd actually wait to get this book. Taken on "cut the lines" day in 2008.

Essential References

A general cruising guide. There are a number of solid cruising guides available, and they generally come down to different points of view on how to do the same thing. The different philosophies or approaches to cruising will make one resonate for you. My pick is Voyager’s Handbook by Beth Leonard. It is comprehensive, clearly written, well organized, and thinks through topics from several angles or budget levels. If you're not sure, the library is a great way to try a few out.

Nautical references. Two which we think are imperative, but which in all honesty are rarely cracked, are Chapman's and Bowditch. These aren't just books, they're institutions! When you really need them, there's not a substitute...and they get expensive at retail.

Medical references. There are a lot to choose from. Like cruising guides, pick those that work best for you. We acquired ours during our advanced first aid course, which gave us the advantage of familiarity with them from the training.

Mechanical references. Two words to cover this: Nigel Calder! We swear by his Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. Not realizing we had a copy, a commercial fisherman friend gave us another as a departure gift. Tells you something, right?

“Nice to Have” References

World cruising overview. I really like having Jimmy Cornell’s 2-book set, covering major seasonal cruising routes and country basics, as a handy reference. Reading through these helped think about top level route planning and the basics of what to expect in countries along the way.

Knots and splicing guide. If you’re into knots and splicing at any level beyond the basics,  The Ashley Book of Knots is the one to have. Jamie learned from this as a teenager at the Mystic Seaport, and always wanted a copy. I’m not sure how but our crew to the Marquesas, Ty, also knew it was the perfect gift and hole on our bookshelf to fill.

Fishing guide. The Cruisers Guide to Fishing is full of practical information. My personal favourite: tips on filleting different species. We didn't catch the variety of pelagic fish we would have liked, but found a lot of helpful information here.

Selected cookbooks. We have a lot, because we love to cook, but I think most boats can use two: all-purpose cookbook (which you probably already have) and a cruising-specific cookbook. For covering the bases and including a lot of really great tips on provisioning, I really think Amanda Swan-Neal's The Essential Galley Companion is just that. Essential. For everything else, I love Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything.

Regional guides

We did not anticipate how important regional guides would be, and departed with too few on board. Sure, we left with plenty books for Mexico, but that left us facing the difficult and expensive acquisition of books for the South Pacific after we had left easy access behind at home.

Regional cruising guides change infrequently, and can often be quite expensive. Find out which books you want for your anticipated cruising areas, and start trolling eBay for deals. For boats on the Pacific side of Mexico, Shawn and Heather's awesome cruising guides are excellent dream fodder, even if you won't need them for practical use for a couple of years. If you're planning to head across the Pacific, many of the Pacific Island guides can be hard to acquire. It can be really hard to visualize what you need.The year before we left, I couldn't have picked more than a couple of island nations out on a map, and that's probably being generous.

Country travel guides change a little more often, but the core content that I find most useful- historical overview, local maps, information on cultural norms- stay the same. Lonely Planet, Moon, Rough Guides... whatver you like: these are great to troll for 2nd hand from another traveler. Our guide to Fiji had years/miles but will still extremely useful.

Field guides to regional flora or fauna are even less prone to change. We get huge enjoyment from identifying what's around us and they can be hard (or expensive) to acquire after you depart. Bird guides, reef life and fish identification, plant life, marine mammals, etc. These are ideal to scope out at garage sales or thrift stores.

Local literature

It's hard to beat the incredible feeling of reading Melville's Typee when you're in the Marquesas, anchored at the very bay where he writes about being held as a captive in 1842. Reading literature tied to the areas you visit adds so much to what you can learn and enjoy about the places visited cruising. You appreciate culture in new ways, and see places you visit in new dimensions.

For a great list of titles for crossing the Pacific, our friends on Galactic wrote about their favorites. It seems we have a pretty good mind meld going there. Just read their list!

A note on digital

It should go without saying, but many of these are available digitally. Totem has been modified to add many (many) linear feet of bookshelves: we do love our books! Now that everyone aboard has a reader of some sort, I'll be happy to reclaim a few of those feet for other storage purposes. But... maybe this will someday seem old fashioned to the digital natives we're raising, but I find it hard to beat the hard copies for the majority of books listed here. I'm not going to be tucking my e-reader into a backpack to take into town, like I would with a travel or field guide. It's too flashy, and too subject to being broken / drowned / stolen. I'll keep my dog-eared paperback, thanks.

The  biggest exception here are the local literature. These are books I'll be reading in the shade of the cockpit or on a soft evening at anchor. As much as I thought I'd mourn the tactile loss of a Book, it's not come to pass. One great advantage with many of the classic books is that they're available for free. It makes building this aspect of your library one of the really great areas you can put time and energy into before buying that boat, much less sailing off into the (low bandwidth) sunset.

Books: the first installment in useful cruising "stuff" I think you can reasonably acquire before you have a boat. The next installment... is percolating.

What do you need to go cruising?

We got an email recently from a cruising buddy, who had been in touch with a family planning to go cruising. They don't have a boat yet, but were actively looking and trying to get ahead in anticipating the cruising life.

The fundamental question they wanted to ask was this: how can you start acquiring essentials for long term cruising before you have a boat? The underlying concept: while you have time (and an income), attempt source the essentials by trolling eBay and Craigslist so you minimize paying retail at the last minute.

My gut reaction was that accumulating stuff at that stage was a little premature. The kneejerk response was rooted in two parts. First, after four years of living aboard, I pretty much think of "stuff" as the enemy. Second, I remember how hard it was getting rid of too much stuff when we moved out of our house in 2008. And besides... there are so very many things that could come with the boat you purchase, why put time and effort (and cash) into it now? Overwhelmingly, cruisers have at least a year with a boat before they take off. Isn't' that enough? This acquiring-in-advance just felt like a distraction, and a reversal of the simple life cruising idealizes.


Dinghy on the Beach, Baja


But then I started to think about it some more...and Jamie and I started ruminating...and brainstorming...and the list of things you could reasonably acquire in advance started to grow.

It's not just about the stuff you need (which is highly subject to individual interpretation, anyway). It's about the dream of cruising: of keeping it present, and doing little things every day which bring it closer to reality.

It's also about saving money. With time and patience, there really are quite a few things which are generally essential to have, and if you can score a fantastic deal, the worst case is that you end up having to resell one later. This is potentially a hassle (not to be underestimated in the chaos of trying to cut docklines at last!) but not going to literally cost much. I think it's fair to say that almost every cruiser we know- ourselves included-  hemorrhaged cash as their anticipated departure date loomed. Much of this is due to unknowns (we really did not plan to buy that autopilot THE DAY BEFORE WE LEFT, but when the one on the boat died, we didn't exactly want to hand-steer from Puget Sound to San Francisco either).

So stay tuned. Lists o' Stuff are coming.


Sunset, Sea of Cortez

Mementos from Marquesas

I can't help revisiting the sailor's tradition of picking up a tattoo in the South Pacific. Our friend from the former FlyAweigh (now "out there" as Water Music), Alison, shared more pictures on one of her trips to Sydney. Thanks to her, I've got an image of Hyo's to post.

This is on the inside of her forearm, so when she's standing, arms at her sides, you just see the tiniest tip of the gecko's tail curling around to the front of her arm. I think it's subtle perfection and absolutely gorgeous. On the inside is this cute snappy critter.

It's freshly inked here.



Then, there's this. Alison's cool ankle gecko drew in a small friend. Was it natural attraction?



The best part of this whole getting inked thing is that I love, love, love my tattoo. Irrationally, somewhat unexpectedly...well and truly love it. My own little vanity at fortysomething.

But what's been really fun and a little surprising is how to someone in the know, the design is instantly recognizable as Marquesan. The circle of people for whom that has meaning isn't very big, and it's a group I'm proud to be a part of. It's like our own private signal- "hey- you too?"

I crossed an ocean. I traveled to islands on the far side of the world. And every day now, I've got a tangible reminder of an achievement that will mark my life: to remind me to be strong, to have perspective, and be proud of what I can do.