Downsizing Everything

Somehow over the long years the Can Opener has accumulated insane amounts of stuff. And it's gotta go.

It's mostly books, clothes, CDs, sports equipment and a few sticks of furniture. 

And paper records - records that stretch from here to forever: taxes, bank statements, photos, more photos... The kind of stuff that takes forever to go through, page by page.

Over the next year I will be (ruthlessly) paring all this down... until it's reduced enough to fit inside a 30 foot boat.

The amazing thing about minimising everything you own is that after it's gone, you can't even remember what you had. (Yeah Furrball, if it's my stuff, you aren't going to notice that it's gone. No point in asking if I get any say in this?... Thought not.)

Of course, I am perfectly positioned to pare down the Can Opener's stuff. It's always easier to organise someone else's.

I will, however, also be organising my own assortment of things. Because I'm that dedicated.

I plan for a lazarette or two as shrines to the necessaries - my regal trappings, the smoked oyster collection, my colour-coded frillies... A few banks of my favourite snoozing books. The collapsible karate/yoga platform. There will only be room for basics. 

We're on our way...

--Captain Cat


(transcribed by the Can Opener)


Downsizing
Next: Downsizing Paper

Passage Treats

Celebrating Passage Milestones


We are looking forward to the upcoming Spain-Greece yacht delivery. Time to plan for success!

Three weeks is great, it'll be a chance to really get a feel for long passages. It's also a looooong time for a small group of people to be in constant contact with each other in a constricted space.

So the Cruising Kitty is planning ahead with crew building treats and activities.

I've been researching online, on sailing forums and putting my thinking cap on (the one with the feathers). 


Here are the highlights of my favourite ideas so far...

Treats 

• 'weekly snack bag'* - filled with junk food, candy, savory treats, catnip, etc for the week... for indulging as needed
• drinks or a meal from the cuisine of an upcoming destination 
• balloons, (reusable) streamers and silly hats for celebration meals (see below)
• chocolate always
• cookie mixes*
• cake mixes
• jerk beef, chorizo and sausage sticks
• cheese and crackers

Activities

• cocktail hour - team drinks (which may or may not be alcoholic). One hour each day when the whole crew is together. Even a two-person crew may not see much of each other when running watches. A cruising tradition
• tea hour - a non-alcoholic version of the above
  

• water guns*
• magnetic travel games*
• peg board games*
• temporary tattoos*
• nautical crosswords - still looking for adult level examples of this
• movie night with popcorn
• theme music day* - 50's, Beachboys/Beach Music, Mariachi, Polka, James Bond theme songs -- with coordinating accessories: eg Beachboys with Hawaiian leis, Mariachi with maracas, Polka with polka dots (the Captain's personal favourite)...
• silly hat day
• holiday celebration meals - any events happening during your passage? Birthdays? Half-Birthdays? Boat anniversary? Valentine's Day? April Fools Day?
• milestone meals

Timing

• daily for 'cocktail hour' 
• weekly for special treats and activities - probably best brought out on the same day each week at cocktail hour
• milestones - holidays, mid-trip and end-of-trip for special meals

'Course not every crew is going to go wild for the same treats and activities, every group being different and all. But I hope to build up a time tested bank of 'passage treat' ideas to draw on. I'll be testing and having the Can Opener taking my notes as we go.

What passage treats have you tried? Or what great ones have you heard of? How'd it go?

We're looking for suggestions - the wackier and more creative, the better!

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Special thanks for these great suggestions to 'The Cruising Couple', 'Ex-Calif' and 'drew23' on Cruisers Forum

Team Building

Next: Delivery Crew Team Building

Piracy - The Chandlers' Somalia Excursion

Last Wednesday at Limehouse, Paul and Rachel Chandler presented a narrative of their experience of being captured by pirates near the Seychelles and held hostage for 388 days. They refer to this dryly as their 'Somalia Excursion'.

Paul, a civil engineer, and his wife Rachel, an economist, decided to retire early and go cruising in 2005. By the end of 2007, they had done enough shakedown cruises in the Med and headed for the Red Sea.  

After sailing around the Indian Ocean, they headed back towards Africa and in October 2009... the Seychelles.



What was unusual about the Chandlers' capture at the time is that 

• it happened 600+miles offshore and
• normally pirates don't target small yachts. Cargo ships are more lucrative targets.

Organisation of Pirates
Previously pirates had not been seen so far offshore (usually they were limited by the amount of food and ammo their tiny boats can carry.) These pirates were able to overcome these limits by using an (often captured) 'mother ship' to launch smaller boats from to look for targets.

Pirates were:

• heavily armed - with AK47's, grenades, etc
• in boats packed with food, gas and people - little room, little shelter
• with very basic means of communication - had handheld GPS, no radar, no satellite phone...

And in general, pirates are:

• desperate 
• with a short expected lifespan
• usually not experienced and are on their first (and only) mission. Most that go out do not succeed and do not come back alive. The goal/dream is to do one mission and make enough money to set them up for life.

The Chandlers' pirates were no exception.

When the Chandlers' were taken to Somalia where they were held for 382 days

• they were guarded by 5 to 20 men at all times who carried machine guns
• they were fed 3 times a day and given water, but ultimately experienced malnutrition as it was all carbs and goat liver
• moved repeatedly
• sometimes separated
• housed in tents and mud huts
• not beaten, except once when they tried to refuse to be separated

Government positions on negotiating with pirates:

• France & USA: have made active attempts to rescue their citizens taken hostage with varying success rates
• Italy: flatly refuses to negotiate with pirates for hostage release (do not pay ransoms). They further freeze the accounts of hostages so that their family cannot pay ransoms either.
• UK: flatly refuses to negotiate with pirates for hostage release (do not pay ransoms).
• The Chandlers are British. The only rescue attempts made were by their family who ultimately negotiated and paid £600,000 for their release. Also a Somali-born London taxi driver was also involved in helping ensure their release. 
• (The UK Foreign Office claimed they were 'doing everything within their power to effect their safe release'. According to the Chandlers, there's no clear insight on what actual action this might have been, if any.)

 Lessons learned

• First 6 days (or so?) after capture are critical - news blackout recommended (while negotiations/ rescue attempts made).
• Pirates want to ensure publicity and world awareness to drive up 'the value' of the hostages. 
• (Unfortunately, the Chandlers' family were not given this advice when the Foreign Office spoke to them.)

• Have an EPIRB or a way to make distress signals. 
• Paul did manage to set off their EPIRB. It was only on for 30 minutes (until the pirates found it.) 
• However, this did get the message out that they were in distress and their family were informed. 

• Carrying guns or grenades is not going to help you out against what the pirates are carrying. And there's an excellent chance that it will aggravate/escalate the situation. 
•  If you are in business, a foreign aid worker, journalist or perhaps a celebrity you would have access to insurance to pay ransoms and other support.  

• This is helpful once you are captured - but also can serve to make you a target in the first place. 
• The Chandlers' did not have insurance or backing and the pirates refused to believe that a rich country like the UK wouldn't pay for them. 
• Therefore they continued to hold them hostage waiting for 'the big prize' money to arrive. 

• It may be a helpful strategy for hostages to make a connection/ relationship with the pirates 
• so they will treat them better. 
• This is not realistic/feasible for women hostages due to the status of women in countries that pirates come from.

Controversy

• The Chandlers say they had no idea of the pirate risk in the area. 
• They say they had researched this online and talked to yachts that had recently come through the area. 
• They note that while in undeveloped areas of the world it is difficult to get online to get up-to-date info.
• They did most of their research while on trips to the UK, so research was not done at exactly the time they were leaving to sail the Seychelles.
• They say no one checking them out of the country (the Victoria Coastguard at the Port of Victoria) as they left mentioned anything about pirate risk.  
  
• Media reports and yacht forums cast doubt on whether they really could not have known about the risks.
• The UK Foreign Office confirms their site had an online warning of pirates in the Northwest Seychelles at the time.

Final Outcome

• The Chandlers' were released unharmed after 388 days. 
• They did/do not seem to have long term mental or physical problems as a result of their experience.
• Their family paid about £600,000 in ransom.
• They are rebuilding their boat. It was recovered by an Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship - a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence - and brought to Portland UK for them.
• They wrote a book about their experience.
• They are going sailing again. This time to Brazil.

Conclusion 

Prevention is the best answer
Find recent reliable knowledge on where pirates have been reported is your best planning preparation. Then avoid these areas completely.
 

• The Can Opener and I will check every site and other info sources we can find before we go anywhere, to make sure of the areas we are sailing in. 
• We will avoid anything with even a hint of warnings against it. It's just not worth it. There are too many beautiful areas to explore where the odds are so much better.
• There must be more detailed info on how to survive a hostage taking. This research is on our ongoing 'research to do' list. 
• It would be tempting just to blame the Chandlers - but it's also true that sometimes sh*t happens no matter how much you prepare.  
• Most importantly, prevention is better than cure.

• Here the link to the noonsite.com pages with piracy info on it.

Definitely a lot to think about and digest here. Everything has good and bad sides. Piracy is an extremely big 'down' side. 

It's a serious topic to weigh/research/prepare/inform oneself about that sits on the other side of the beauty and dreams of paradise. 

Paradise is worth it. But best be prepared.

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Lectures 

Next: Cruising in Oceania 

Previously: La Dolce Vita

Coastal Skipper Training

Captains’ Log

Stardate: 2012224

Gloomy days. Just as we approach the much anticipated acceleration point of our Get Cruising Now Plan... I learn of proof beyond doubt that the First Mate has lost all marbles. 

Turns out this cruising crew the Can Opener has been invited to join - they specifically want to practice Crew Over Board training and anchoring... over and over and over again.. for days! 

The Can Opener is practically skipping with joy - when he should be filleting my Sunday night's prime haddock!

Granted this will be the perfect chance to prep him for the RYA Coastal Skipper exam that I have decreed he will get this year. 

And also granted that being invited to test on the boat with a familiar crew is a boon. Not only will he be familiar with the boat and crew before the test - but it will be quite cost effective. But honestly - COB drills??  

(That's not Crew Over Board - that's Cat Over Board drills, Furrball. We can skip this part if you reeeeeeally want us to...) 

Hmm... But......with all this training going on... how will the Can Opener find time to stand over me waving palm fronds as I snooze? ('Twas never likely, my friend...) 

How will he eke out sufficient time to dust my orb, polish my feather cap and rinse my frillies? (I'll do it before we go out.)

Ah. Hmm... okay. If you erect a properly sized yoga platform across the foredeck - it's a done deal. 

(Right-ho, Captain. I'm on it.)

--Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

 

Bryan Willis, The Rules in Practice - Reviewed

 

Links at bottom below post

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on: The Rules in Practice 2009-2012 by Bryan Willis

How have the racing rules of sailing changed since the 2005-2008 version?

What are the new rules and how are they used in a racing?

A truly dense book that I had to snooze devotedly to get through. It’s not the volume of pages that takes time – it’s actually a pretty thin book. It’s the fact that the analysis of each rule takes time to really sink in as you consider the situations from each angle. 

I set myself 15 pages a night to digest and got through it in a week.

Bryan Willis, world championship umpire and judge, IYRU committee member and Olympic jury member, explains how the new racing rules work…

The Best Parts

• good intro comparing key changes for the 2009-2012 rules versus those from 2005-2008
• clearly drawn diagrams – made even very complicated multi-boat situations clear
• well laid out
• every rule methodically covered from every angle

Wishes

I was hoping for more useful hints on how to use the rules well to gain tactical advantage. The constant exhortation to err on the side of caution is commendable. But there’s no redress given that will make up for being badly fouled by another competitor.

More emphasis on how tactics are being successfully used with the revised 2009~2012 sailing racing rules would have made this book even more helpful.

Conclusion

This book is a good investment for any racer. The rules were clearly illustrated and analysed as he considered each one in detail and from the perspective of every boat involved.

I’m going to check out Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing next.

Ever read Bryan Willis’ The Rules in Practice? How did you find it?

Any good recommendations for books on tactics and use of the sailing racing rules?

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book Reviews
Next: World Cruising Survey - Reviewed

Previously: Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew - Reviewed

Mallorca - Destination Dreamin'

We're Destination Dreamin' of Mallorca

Mallorca is on our route from mainland Spain to Greece on the upcoming boat delivery. 

The Can Opener is about to begin studying exceptionally hard and all good Can Openers deserve an extra bit of start-up motivation. 

We're gonna take a moment to relax, put the paws up, crack open the smoked oysters, and picture the future… in Mallorca.  We can hardly wait!!

 

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin'
Next: Cruising in Oceania
Next: Menorca - Destination Dreamin' 
Previously: More Destination Dreamin' of Spain

Study Time

Captain Cat: What d'ya mean, another sailing dinner this week? You've been cocktailing and dining up a storm at the Red Tabby! 

When are you going to hunker down and start reviewing tide and current calculations? Apparent wind? Charts and plotting? Distances from dock to the local exotic fish market?

Can Opener: Pretty hard to miss the Team Racing Dinner, Furrball, but... I was thinking the same thing meself...

Captain Cat: (shocked silence)...

Captain Cat: (continued shock)...

Captain Cat: (more shock)...

Captain Cat:  ...Right. So... next week's a study week? You can study while I practice my karate moves on you - all the karate chops across your back'll be like a luxury massage...

Can Opener: That sounds incredibly painful.

Captain Cat: I'll only screech 'Haaaaiiiiiiiiii-YAh!' and karate chop you when you get an answer wrong.

Can Opener: Hm.........  Righty-ho.

 --transcribed by the Can Opener

Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew - Reviewed

Links below at bottom of post

Book the Captain just finished for the third time: The Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew, by Lin Pardey


On a 49 day voyage (49 days!), from Yokohama, Japan to Victoria, Canada, Lin Pardey wrote down just about everything you could want to know about food and crew care on a boat.


The stuff we loved

• specific info on how long each kind of fruit, vegetable, dairy, meat, whatever, lasts in a boat without refridgeration
• how to store food so it lasts as long as possible
• how to get the right kind of food in the first place
• how to track what you've got
• managing the galley organisation and layout
• planning meals for voyages
• how to cook with salt water - adapting recipes to make use of ocean water (and save your fresh water supplies)!
• managing meal prep and crew care across a variety of weather conditions...
• Actually, we loved it all.
  

Wishes

We wish this could be provided in digital form with spreadsheets for tracking inventory and how long each type of foodstuff probably lasts riiiight in that spreadsheet.

Conclusion

We loved every bit of this book without reservation. Heck, we'd buy two copies if it meant we could get even more info out of it! But Lin seems to have already covered it all.

Any other crew care/provisioning/cookbooks you would recommend for cruising? 

I am always researching the next round of additions for our sea library...

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book Reviews
Next: Bryan Willis, The Rules in Practice - Reviewed 
Previously: Psychology of Sailing

  
 

MORE Cocktails!

More Cocktails at the Red Tabby!

Another swell evening was had by all. Naturally. It was a party to give longtime club members a chance to honour the new member... me! (There were actually quite a few other new members being welcomed to the club there last night, Furrball.)

However, as I'm of the feline persuasion and hence a habitual teetotaler, I was more than bemused at the bizarre choice of lubricants on offer. (Yep, bud, they were honouring you, but topping me and so many others up with the bubbly. Pretty mysterious, huh?) 

I did note with regret the absence of my old friend and singing companion, Prince A. (And you cared not a mote for the non-appearance of Pussy Galore as you told me, oh, I don't know, about two hundred times...) 

No matter. The lovely Mia Meow was a feast for the eyes and I got to hang out with Eksil, my new buddy from Sweden. Eksil can hold a fair tune too. (Your combined prowess did not go unnoticed...)

All in all, a great night.

--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

The Red Tabby Yacht Club
Next: It's Official!

Previously: Cruising Crew!

La Dolce Vita

Just back from another lecture at Limehouse... La Dolce Vita: Cruising the Islands of the Central Mediterranean, presented by Kath Stott. 


About 10 years ago, Kath and her husband joined and enjoyed a great flotilla vacation with Neilson Holidays. They were so taken with the experience that when they (shortly thereafter) retired, they sold their house and with the proceeds bought a flat... and a Hallberg-Rassy 43. 

This was their first boat and they have been sailing ever since.

Along with some stellar photos, Kath presented an overview of their experience and learnings from a three-month exploration of Corsica and the Italian Islands of Elba, Sardinia, and Sicily...


Highlights

• Islio Giglio and exporing the interior of Isola d'Elba (the island where Napolean was exiled)
• Girolata and Bonifacio
• La Maddelina Archipelago
• Sardinia: Santa Maria Navarese
• Sicily: Castellsmmave del Golfo
• motorbikes to Segesta
• Cefalu with excited shouting greeters
• The Aeolian Islands
• Strait of Messina - with swordfish harpooning ships
• buying pizza - sold by the metre (1 metre = 1.0936133 yards)!

Pluses 

• super value wine at €2 for 1.5 litres ($2.60 for 1.32 quarts)!
• fresh food at farmers' markets, great cuisine
• easy to provision
• lots of anchorages - for free!
• scenery
• lots of historical sites
• challenging sailing

Minuses

• high season costs - so plan ahead to avoid expensive areas
• macho men who shout at docks
• a lot of prices are not set - so you have to negotiate... in Italian

Tips 

Sail Training 

• Kath noted the offshore training course they took with John and Amanda Neal at Mahina was their best training investment to date.
• Taking a 1 day course on how to park your boat - over and over and over again - is also great tuition spent.

Touring in Italy... 

• A 'marina' in Italian just means a place to rest by the sea side - it could just be a good place for anchoring.
• Avoid Naples and the west Italian coast as it is very expensive, especially during high season. 
• Unlike Greece not much English is spoken, so it is helpful to learn some Italian if you can.

Anchoring is the way to go!

• 50 nights at anchor, 4 at mooring buoys (total cost €40 /$52 - so mostly free! But sometimes there are anchor charges.)
• 20 nights at marinas (total cost €680 /$884) 

 
Sailing in general... and Fishing

• A sports whistle is a good way to get other boats' attention (for example if one boat is dragging down on another).
• Pour a little gin into the gills of caught fish before you kill them - it's a sedative and 'works a treat'.

Our Conclusion?

We actually didn't need any persuading to check out Italy... but this was a fact-filled and very useful lecture. 

We are definitely destination dreamin’ of Corsica and the Italian Islands!


Ever cruised in Corsica, or the Italian Islands of Elba, Sardinia or Sicily?

Which islands did you visit?

What do you recommend as must-sees and don’t-forgets?



--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Cruising Lectures

Next: Piracy - The Chandlers' Somalia Excursion
Previously: Sail Away Presentation  

Destination Dreamin'

Next: Mallorca - Destination Dreamin'  
Previously: More Destination Dreamin' of Spain

 

Psychology of Sailing - Reviewed

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on: Psychology of Sailing, by Michael Stadler 


Trolling the internet for books on improved First Mate management and motivation, I found Psychology of Sailing, by Michael Stadler, and decided to give it a whirl.

Since this is an out-of-print book, the used prices range from nearly free to seriously insane. By checking Amazon weekly, we finally found an offer for less than £7, shipping included. 


Topics covered

• sensory illusions at sea - what sights and sounds can 'trick you' at sea and why this happens
• how seasickness happens and why
• crew psychology - interactions of crews on ships, leadership and motivation

The best part 
For us, it was the crew psychology - interactions of crews on yachts, leadership and motivation. That's why we bought it. 


Wishes 
We were hoping that the whole book would be about crew interaction on yachts and long distance passages - and how to optimize that. Unfortunately, only 45 pages (out of 120 pages) covered this. 

While this section was interesting, I'd like to find a much deeper and lengthy analysis of crew psychology. But this book is the best ( - and the only - one specifically focused on voyaging) that  we can find so far. 

Maybe analyses of parallel or similar situations would be helpful? For example, analyses of interaction of crews on submarines? Or other groups in confined spaces? 


Conclusion 
So - it's still a good add to the sea library. 

It gives a bit of insight on what I'm doing right in Can Opener management and some ideas about where to investigate to improve even further. I'd really like to find more expert coverage of this topic, however. 


Got any good recommendations on 'crew psychology' for the sea library? 
What other books are a must for the cruising life? 



--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Book Reviews
Previously: How to Sail Around the World - Book Review

I Love Sailing!

Here's an RYA 'I love Sailing' video competition entry that the First Mate and I just LOVE!

Enjoy - 
and 
Happy Valentine's Day to all!

a big paws-up from,

Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

How Much Does 'Cruising' Fitness Cost?

How Much Does 'Cruising' Fitness Equipment Cost? 


How much will it cost to keep the Can Opener in fine form? The First Mate and I industriously researched a few items of interest along 'Cruising' Fitness Equipment lines. 

Here's a sampling of prices for some popular on-board fitness items we found at the websites of a few big retailers. 

Of course, caveat emptor and prices change all the time. This is just a baseline price trawl for rough budget estimating purposes.

 
Here we go…  

Some Ballpark Prices in the USA  

• resistance tubing ($5-15 at Walmart)
• yoga DVD ($7-20 at Amazon depending which one you buy, $5 if you buy used)
• snorkeling gear (about $30 at Amazon for a medium quality set)
• skipping rope ($5-10 at Amazon, you can spend $40 if you want somebody's idea of the 'Olympic' version...)
• Mini Stepper, Stairmaster-type equipment ($40-70 at Walmart depending on what brand you buy) 
• TRX Suspension Trainer ($150-200 at Amazon depending on what package you buy)
• folding bike - good for getting to the store and back ($140-260 at Amazon) and bike repair kit ($25-38 at Amazon)

Some Ballpark Prices in the UK

• resistance tubing (£9-12 at Sports Direct)
• yoga DVD (£2-10 at Amazon UK depending which one you buy)
• snorkeling gear (£18-26 at Sports Direct for just a 'fun set')
• skipping rope (£5-14 at Sports Direct) 
• Mini Stepper, Stairmaster-type equipment (£35-120 at Amazon UK depending on what brand you buy)
• TRX Suspension Trainer (£160-200 at Amazon UK depending on what package you buy)
• folding bike - good for getting to the store and back (£100-210 at Amazon UK) and bike repair kit (£10-15 at Amazon UK)

 
Observed  

Above samples are for 'new' prices. eBay pros and secondhand treasure-hunters, of course, can drive great bargains.

If you're into scuba, kayaking or high end bikes and boards, you could spend a bundle. 

But if you're like us, you can stay in shape with a pair of running shoes, a swimsuit and some pretty nominal purchases. And... no more gym fees! Which is good news for the budget-conscious crowd.


Conclusion
We will probably choose get most of the above - except for the Mini Stepper and the TRX. We're not yet convinced.  I'd like to investigate more to see if the TRX really adds that much value beyond what the resistance tubing provides.

The folding bike, on the other hand, will probably pay for itself pronto by getting us past the tourist-priced areas near marinas and out to the food and shopping markets used by locals. 

Where did you buy your play/exercise stuff? Would you buy it there again? Any recommendations for good price-value brands?



--Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Life Aboard 
Previously: Fitness on Boats