Healthy Cruising In The Tropical Pacific Islands.

"Smart people learn from their mistakes, smarter people learn from other peoples' mistakes."

BY RICHARD CHESHER, PH.D.

This is the first instalment in an AHOY Sailing News series for 2023 written by Richard Chesher about critical health issues you can easily avoid when cruising the tropics–IF you learn from other cruisers' mistakes and get serious about protecting yourself and your crew.

Every cruiser knows they will face dangers from the weather, equipment failure, collisions with other vessels, and accidents.

A sensible captain takes precautions to prevent these accidents by getting good weather forecasts, maintaining the vessel’s equipment, using lights and AIS and keeping watch at sea, having a good medical kit and safety equipment aboard, etc. And most cruisers know what to do if these dangers surprise them at sea.

But an amazing number of cruisers have no idea how to defend against the health dangers lying in wait for them when they arrive in remote tropical areas far from medical care.

If you get sick from contaminated water, attacked by malaria, a deadly blood virus-like dengue fever, parasites, fish poisoning or a flesh-eating microbe, it will be a long and expensive ordeal and may cause permanent disabilities or even kill you or one of your crew.

Health issues are serious dangers for mariners, but few cruisers take elementary precautions to protect themselves and their crew.

Disease organisms kill more people every year than all the maritime and diving accidents, shark, sea serpent, crocodile, sea wasp, or even pirate attacks combined.

You and your crew truly want to avoid getting sick or injured anywhere, especially when cruising far from medical support.

The good news is that most cruisers avoid serious health issues either through luck or prudence. To be sure the good news applies to you and your crew, be sure to read the series 'Healthy Cruising In The Tropical Pacific Islands in the AHOY Sailing News.