Being self sufficient

[EO32]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

If you're planning on cruising long-term or long distances... having the skills and ability to go up the mast yourself, with or without crew is a good idea. In many areas, you are going to be the only plumber, electrician, diesel mechanic, and rigger around.

This is a very interesting point. As my friend Steve Roberts says "Fixing Your Boat in Exotic Ports" being able to be self sufficient is very important.

My very first overnighter with my wife and I in our 30 year old, 1 year old to us, sailboat, my wife came up and said the toilet pump was broken.

We had just arrived at our first stop. Hooked to a mooring buoy, before dinner, I field striped our 30 year old Greco. The shaft key on the pump had worked out.

I had a great dinner and sunset knowing that this was under control. We didn’t have to bail on our 4 day trip, due to a system failure.

This is why I like the sailing community, because they seem to be more self sufficient.

Chris

[sailingdog]

Basically, long-distance cruising is a series of voyages with stops to fix stuff in exotic places—where parts and skilled repair people are usually not available.