On long passages (for me 10-12 days) we use the IridiumGo to call our weather router for updates and just jot down the information.

 

Hello,

Great topic!

I am not a super experienced long distance sailor but I have done a number of offshore trips including Bermuda to New York - 5 days, Florida (West Palm) to New York - 4 days, etc.

For me personally, if the trip will be longer than 3 days I would want offshore communication ability. On the trip back from Bermuda we had Iridium Go, which worked fine. It was slow but the weather doesn't change that quickly. As long as you can receive a weather report each day you should be fine.

The trip from Florida to New York was complicated because it was a new boat for the owner (and a 20 year old boat), the distance to travel, and the gulfstream current. We had limited time to travel and wanted to make the trip as quickly as possible. For that trip we hired a weather router so we needed communication ability. The boat owner bought a Starlink system, and it worked fine in port but was not usable off shore. Fortunately I had a SPOT Satellite Communicator which really helped but was a sub par experience. After that trip I bought a Garmin Inreach unit which worked great.

Knowing what I know now, I would be comfortable going on a 10 day (or longer) passage with Inreach. I would NOT go offshore for longer than 4 days without a way of receiving weather forecasts.

Barry

 

...
so, "to IridiumGo, or not to IridiumGo?"

I now have a Starlink, which is a game-changer for offshore passages. But my backup is a SSB with a Pactor modem. I've got both voice-comms as well as data (text emails and grib files). Since you've got the IridiumGo already, your choice is easy. The slow data rates make no difference offshore since you'll be limiting yourself to grib files and the like. We used the IridiumGo for one Newport-Bermuda passage and it was more than sufficient. There's no reason not to get advanced satellite comms in this day and age.

(p.s. This was sent using StarLink exactly halfway between St. Kitts and Antigua )

 

I started sailing in 1985. Bought the 36' Contest that I still own. I sailed as often as I could from early Spring to late Fall.... from LIS to Maine. I did the Marion Bermuda race not to race but to sailed with a slew of other boats. We were 4 on board. I single hand or sailed with non sailors who don't do more than meal prep and clean up. That helps! As I single hand my car.... so I single hand my boat. I don't want to depend on anyone else to use my boat. Southern NE is a wonderful cruising ground. I got lucky. There is even a bus from NYC to Greenport. Parking a car is always a concern.
I've sailed in the Canaries and did a delivery from CT to Brazil. I have no interest in a circum. I also lived on a GF's boat in the Canaries. I prefer cruising to offshore... and NE is perfect cruising grounds. I suppose I was lucky.... where I lived... lower Manhattan... and where I kept the boat for years... LIS East End. Loved working on the boat. Best thing I did in my life and I started at 40!

 

I’d say three days is the furthest limit I would be comfortable without access to updated weather. However, not all three day forecasts are equal. One with a stalled high pressure system is probably just fine. One with a cold front passing may or may not happen on time, as forecast. One with a stationary front is just guessing. I’d get whatever access I could to updated weather, either via download or a call to a router.

 

Weather forecasts, satellite communication and the idea of calling for help are things most will want to discuss, so I'll chip in on the really important stuff.
Food, beverages, and comfort.
A dry bunk! Some of you may find there is a leak over your comfortable bunk, after a few days of continuous water on deck. The simple solution to any leaks, large or small, was a roll of heavy duty plastic sheet and, of course, duct tape.
Food! Hardtack pizzas as you make a notable moment, such as crossing the equator. Don't forget the sparkling cider! At sea, with the continual repetition, meals quickly become a high point of the crew's day. A time, if a watch isn't necessary for an hour or so, for the whole crew to get together. Depending on your watch schedule (I liked 4 on 8 off), it could be any meal. And keep the meals fun and interesting.
No matter how reliable you believe your fridge to be, carry imperishable food. Back when, that meant cans, but lately the supermarkets are selling things like meatballs and beef in packets. How cool! I'm sure there are more I haven't found. Spices help keep things interesting. In heavy weather, a good warm meal (I used a pressure cooker) such as a stew, can brighten the crew's morale amazingly. Hot coffee and cocoa are also winners. A hidden can of whipped cream is a great party starter.
Booze has been a huge subject on these sites, and I never understood why. In all my voyages, quite often with a bar on the larger yachts, it just wasn't something that came up frequently.

 

Lash one of those gas station coffee pumps in the galley and keep it filled with boiled water. Makes it quick and easy for any crew to make instant coffee, tea, hot cocoa, ramen, soup, etc. Keep those options in a basket next to the pump.

Showers are often impossible and going full homeless will cause other issues over a number of days. You can try to sponge bathe, but I find unscented bath wipes to get the job done pretty easily. There is a brand called Dude Wipes that are larger. If you prefer scented, they make those too.

Then go full middle ages with powder over shower! I hate the body powders that have menthol (like goldbond) or have an scent. Choose your own preference, but powdering up the hot spots makes living in your bibs a whole lot more comfortable.

Good idea to have one meal and some drinks stored in the cockpit. It may be as easy as a sandwich, but there are times that going below isn't very desirable. A good bag of snacks is important for crew morale and every crew member will have a different preference. Have them all.

 

I also thought of food and drink and my suggestion is a large block or two of ice in refer with an ice pick to reduce electric load and provide plentiful ice for afternoon cooling drinks.

 

T Mobile claims to having Starlink services. I have not vetted or researched it it depth for comparison with other services. May be more economical though.

 

It’s available through Verizon and AT&T as well now. $10/mo. I’m pretty sure you must have Starlink active on your boat, for it to work, along with a phone that accepts eSIM cards.

I believe not having Starlink (or maybe a competitor in time) will become like not having a VHF radio aboard. Of course, you have to pay, unlike VHF. However, you can turn it on and off a needed/wanted, no subscriptions.

 

For passages... have frozen meals prepared which can be heated in boiling water. Portion sized packets.

 

The longest passage we've done is three days, so I'd listen to the wisdom of more experienced others. But for us, it was always important to settle into our watch routine as quickly as possible. This included insisting that the off-watch person actually rested, and slept. This can be a challenge when there is only two.

Food wise, I can't say we changed much from our normal patterns. We still cooked in the galley, unless it was very lumpy. I believe in delivering hot, yummy meals. Nothing raises the spirits of the crew than eating something warm on a cold shift. And remember, most of my sailing has been in colder waters. Even in the summer, overnight passages are chilly.

 

I think you want to make the best speed possible, but there is a balance to be struck between speed and fatigue when you're solo or shorthanded. There's nothing wrong with slowing down a little to keep the energy expenditure manageable. IOW, don't overstress the boat or yourself.

 

For a transatlantic trip in June we carried a crate of cabbages lashed to the cabintop. They held up for more than two weeks.
Snacks for the night watches are also a good idea. We leave out bread and Pb&J in the galley so crew can make a sandwich if they get hungry. Soup in a thermos also works well. That keeps people from messing up the cook's arrangement of the icebox or other stores and from ruining the planned menu by snarfing down a tasty item that was supposed to be the next day's lunch.

 

I deliver boats for a living and I have been glad of Starlink recently. It’s very handy. IridiumGo is good but slow nd expensive. I subscribe to Predict Wind for their forecasts.
The point made about a dry bunk is well-taken. On my own boat we sail with very comfortable sheets, blanket, and pillows. Good meals are essential. We do at least a hot evening meal and if it’s cold maybe breakfast and lunch, too. A good autopilot is key for passages. All the other electronics are useful, too: plotter, radar, AIS, wind instruments, etc.

 

He’s something I wrote a few years ago that is still pretty pertinent for this discussion:

Advice to a First Time Offshore Sailor | Cruising Club of America

For years, Nick Thornton and I sailed together. We went through the junior sailing program at Royal Victoria Yacht Club in British Columbia, we raced against and cruised with each other in dinghies and keelboats, and as adults we sailed many miles offshore together. During the spring of 2007, he...

cruisingclub.org

 

that was a great read.

“you ***** and moan about how terrible the situation is, you’ll just bring everyone on board down. They already know things are bad; they don’t need you to tell them”

I wonder what’s worse- complaining about how bad it is, or expressing optimistic amazement that it’s really horrible but look at us go! Not everyone jumps in with the same enthusiasm…huh.

 

I just spent 2 days provisioning for a trip from St. Martin to the Azores. We are just 2 people on a Leopard 4600 catamaran and with a minimum of 18 days we paid careful attention to our food choices. All the rest of preparations are mechanical and there are checklists galore out there. But food isn't there just for sustenance (I've got MREs for that), but makes a highlight in an otherwise lacklustre day offshore.
We just changed our departure date from tomorrow morning to later, as we'd need to get 100% of the published polar for the boat to keep ahead of a weather system - if we don't then we get gusts of 2-3 knots in 1 knot of wind for a while. And although we've sufficient fuel reserves to motor the 10 days of motoring (to keep up 4 knots of boat speed), it is better to wait a bit and get better wind conditions.

 

Emergency water rations. My current boat has a single fresh water tank, but I strongly prefer two. If it were accidentally contaminated or damaged and leaked, I’d have a problem. I have a watermaker, so my first plan would be to repair and make more. However, I have a few 5 gallon collapsible water jugs and I’ll fill one or more prior to departure. They can be tough to find room to store, when full, but running out of drinking water is far worse than running out of food. When sailing near shore, they easily flatten and store aboard.

 

Emergency water rations.

Its a good one. I was on a boat, 100nm offshore, and it leaking all of it's freshwater into the bilge (and promptly pumped it overboard)

where does everyone store the spare jugs when full? storage on my little double ender is at a real premium and I am loathe to strap them on deck (I don't want to start that debate, but lets say my choice is to keep the decks clear)

 

Water security is a really good point. I too have one large water tank on our boat. We too carry a couple of jerry cans of water. Where we cruise, we can easily be many days away from a secure water source, so we always carry extra water jugs.

We also carry our camping manual water filter. It will remove any biological, and most other mineral and physical contaminants. But it wouldn’t be any use if the contaminant was salt water, or diesel.

 

One thing I’m blessed with an old double-ender that has lots of storage space. Living space is cramped by modern standards, but we have tons of places to store things. So our extra water gets stored in one of the under-sole spaces.

This discussion reminds me that I’d like to have a better setup to collect rain water. I set up our solar panels with the idea of being able to funnel and collect rain. It works, but in an ad-hoc sort of way right now. I should really think about setting up a better system.

 

Here's a question for an ocean passage. Do you keep your anchor on the bow or do you secure it in the anchor locker?

 

Mine stays secure on the bow -- always. Partly this is because it is difficult to remove from the deck. But there's no more secure place for my anchor than snugged into its roller/holder on the bow.

 

Lately I have been double handling on offshore trips. Three on with three off, with one four hour shift during the day. Being able to sleep when you are off is critical. To assist I use earplugs and eye covers. I can still hear my surroundings with the earplugs (so could hear crew mate yelling from on deck), but the noise is muffled enough not to disturb sleep. The eye cover needs no explanations. Also I always have a flashlight by my side when sleeping or in my pocket when awake.

Smartly passing time on a longer voyage makes for a good trip. You often come across no vessels night after night, which can make for a long watch. But when one pops up you can easily pass an hour or more tracking the hell out of it (sad to say its a a bit exciting). Determine its direction visually; I use binoculars to pick up the lights when at a distance. Figure out its bearing visually. Then go to radar and AIS to confirm, get CPA, etc. (use whatever order you like). If it looks like it's close keep checking the CPA. Then dig into the details such as port of origin, destination, size, speed, name. And before you know it the vessel has sailed past you and over the horizon as has an hour or so of your watch.

To kill time and add to the pantry I fish with a Cuban YoYo. Always catch one or two mahi on the way. They like to hide in the shade under patches of Sargassum Weeds. Spotty patches of the weed aren't bad, but if the surface is blanketed with them might as well put the fishing gear away. We always meet for supper. My shipmate cooks and I clean. If weather is calm we have one or two beers with dinner, depending on who gets to go to sleep after dinner. No need to debate this ritual, just a personal choice. Also love playing Yahtzee: we are both very competitive.

Usually after three days you get into the "Zen" of the watch cycle: real time seems to fade away and you are always in the moment. Can't explain it very well. And for some reason, even after a lousy passage, as we approach our destination I feel the urge to turn around and head back out.

 

I'm on a long passage right now, on day 5 with 2 people aboard. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in the thread is to have a good watch schedule and rotation. This keeps people from getting too tired due to lack of deep sleep and is fair to everyone aboard. Create a schedule, post it, and keep to it. Things are a bit different when I singlehand, but that is a special case.

We've not seen a single boat since departing from St. Kitts, although AIS gave us a couple of hits in the 20-30nm range.

 

I'm on a long passage right now, on day 5 with 2 people aboard. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in the thread is to have a good watch schedule and rotation. This keeps people from getting too tired due to lack of deep sleep and is fair to everyone aboard. Create a schedule, post it, and keep to it. Things are a bit different when I singlehand, but that is a special case.

What schedule do you keep Zan? We only sail with two on board. We've done lots of overnighters, and a few longer passages, but none more than three days. Our watch schedule is four hours. This is not ideal for me, but she prefers shorter. It has worked, but I wonder about how we'd do over longer passages.

 

We are using the watch schedule from Mark, an erstwhile member here

00:00	04:00
04:00	08:00
08:00	13:00
13:00	18:00
18:00	00:00

The long 6-hour shift from 6pm to midnight allows a full 6-hours sleep for the off-watch crewmember. Meals are cooked by the on-watch crewmember. With 5 watches per day, it allows a rotation. Offshore there's little going on, so naps are allowed during watch. We have both radar and AIS with a 20NM guard zone and it has only gone off twice. 30 minute or even 60 minute naps in the cockpit area are allowed.

 

I've done several long passages with two people aboard and with three people aboard.

I personally like 4 hour watches but it depends on the individuals onboard. The schedule you are following is a good one. Id have to look at it to see if it rotates watches for each person. Some people like mixing up their watch schedule, i personally don't. I prefer to just get into the rhythm of my watch schedule. But some folks prefer to switch it around.

There is no one system that works best. It depends upon the individuals on board and how best their bodies respond to a given schedule.

dj

 

We just had three aboard and did 4 hr watches. That did bake in the same routine each day. Mine was 2-6, both am and pm. Worked well. We’ve done 3 hr watches as well. They are better if it’s cold, which I’m getting less tolerant of every year.