FOOD FOR THOUGHT — After a decade of doublehanded cruising around the world aboard their Deerfoot 74 Interlude, Alameda-based sailors Kurt and Katie Braun have plenty of time-proven advice to share. And while we're not completely sold on all of the opinions stated here, their ideas certainly offer worthwhile food for thought. (Look for a second installment of this series next month.)
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY INTERLUDE
Helpful Concepts Conventional Travel vs. Cruising: We suggest taking a hard look at your goals in life and the best ways to achieve them. Fun, adventure, camaraderie, experiencing new places and cultures, helping people, personal growth, etc. are all cited
Not every cruiser has a boat as large and luxurious as the Brauns' Deerfoot, but their advice is applicable to boats and budgets of any size.
as reasons for going cruising. But life is short and maintaining a yacht and floating from place to place may not be the most effective use of your time. If your idea of cruising is not sitting in a marina and you want to experience remote and exotic places, use your boat to do it while you can. ‘Time and tide wait for no man’ so when physical challenges begin to mount, we suggest using airplanes and hotels. Use your boat primarily to get to places not easily visited by conventional means, and do so while you are healthy. For example, don’t sail to Thailand just to lay your boat up for a season while visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and China, or spend time on mainland Italy, France and Spain while sailing the Med (less expensive and easier seen by land). But if you enjoy diving atoll passes in the Tuamotus, exploring coves and remote ruins on the Turquoise Coast of Turkey, or spending a couple of months helping kids learn English in a Kiribati village, you can only have those experiences by sailing your own boat there while you are healthy. Page 102 •
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• October, 2013
Chartering vs. Owning: Boats are like spouses; they like time, attention and money. If you want the cruising lifestyle, but not the time spent crossing oceans or performing maintenance, consider chartering. We have found that maintaining the value of a boat requires spending roughly ten percent of the purchase price annually. Some items will be amortized over ten or more years (sails, rigging, engines, paint, etc.). But it all averages out to about five to fifteen percent depending on how handy you are. Factoring in the cost of capital, insurance and marina fees, pretty soon even a $10,000-a-week charter is more cost effective, enjoyable and less trying on your marriage than owning your own yacht. Power Requirements: Too often we see ‘green’ boats with solar panels and/or wind generators running engines for hours at anchor to keep up with power usage while clogging their exhaust systems with incomplete combustion, or polluting the anchorage with a noisy portable generator. Although boats can be run solely on alternative energy sources, power consumption must be balanced accordingly. This is best worked out with real-world tests in a location with resources (i.e. before you are halfway to the Marquesas). While Interlude is considered by some to be a ‘power-hungry boat’ with her 70-gallon-per -hour watermaker, household-sized washer and separate dryer, 110-volt audio/video surroundsound system, dive compressor, A/C and heaters, three refrigerator/freezers, autopilot, radar, chartplotter, etc., she was built with a 12kW generator and battery bank designed to keep up with her needs by running efficiently two hours a day. If your boat is not big enough to have a dedicated generator or you don't have the real estate to safely accommodate enough solar/wind/tow power, you will have to cut back on usage. The Pardeys and many other cruisers including Kurt (during previous voyages) have sailed the world in modern times without electronics (use sextant & leadline), a water-
maker (use a raincatcher), refrigeration (use fresh, pickled, tinned and dried food), autopilot (use a wind vane), or an electric windlass (use a hand crank). Boats of all levels of complexity arrive at the same anchorages and if you can avoid being a slave to your systems you may find yourself having more fun. Motoring vs. Sailing: While we prefer to sail rather than motor, a greater priority is extending our cruising budget. Know the math on sailing vs. motoring and understand the speed and conditions at which the cost of UV damage and wear and tear on your sails and running rigging is greater than that of using the engine. When we decided we wanted to see this summer’s America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay, we calculated it was cheaper to motor 3,000 miles from Panama than sail the 6,000 miles via Hawaii. Motoring can also be a safer option limiting your time on the open ocean or allowing you to make landfall during daylight hours. Just as most musicians have day jobs, most sailors will find a use for motoring. Realistic Provisioning: In almost every nook of the world, beer, flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, some fresh veggies and eggs can be found. Carry only one month's supply of these items and use the rest of your storage space for spare parts and fancy treats like fine chocolate, dill pickles and gourmet olives. If you see something that you may want, buy it then and there; other wise it will most likely be gone if you come back later. Cash is king. The availability of ATMs as a reliable means of obtaining spending money while cruising is spotty. In Vanuatu, we loaned $300 to a crew of young cruisers who were going to miss out on an experience of a lifetime — viewing
