Circumnavigation Top 20 List

[theway]

If you were sailing around the world, the trade wind route, what are the Top 20 items you would make sure to have?
Certain things can be grouped together like "tools". Food and Water are a given and don't need to be listed.

The first three items must be:
1: Boat (includes engine and batteries)
2: Mainsail (includes rigging)
3: Headsail (includes rigging, winches, and handle)

My List
1: Boat
2: Mainsail
3: Headsail
4: Life raft and ditch kit
5: EPIRB
6: GPS Chart plotter
7: SAT phone (SAT communication of some sort)
8: Self steering vane
9: First aid kit
10: Dingy (Inflatable with motor)
11: Solar Panels
12: Spare Mainsail
13: Genoa
14: Storm Jib
15: Tools
16: Paper Charts
17: Laptop
18: Anchors and Rode
19: Life jacket and Harness
20: VHF (with AIS)

If this thread has already been done, please just post the link, if not, show me your list!

[garrobito]

21: My girlfriend
22: A six pack my favorite beer (medicinal use only..)
23: Books, music and movies...

[Normanby]

24: Jordan Series Drogue

[Rubikoop]

A watermaker

[TeddyDiver]

My List
1: Boat
2: Working sails
3: Storm sails
4: AddItional sails (chute, yankee etc)
5: Engine driven AC /DC /Hydraulics
6: GPS Chart plotter
7: Weather fax
8: Self steering vane
9: First aid kit
10: Dingy (hard with motor, oars and sail)
11: Anchors and rodes
12: Pfd's and harnesses
13: VHF
14: Paper charts
15: Tools
16: Watermaker
17: Series drogue
18: Dive gear
19: Lot of reading

[Philip St1]

I would have to add to this list with a parachute anchor (para-anchor). It must be one designed to meet the displacement and aero-dynamics of the boat (catamarans require a bigger anchor due to the larger area they present to the wind). With enough line (up to 600 feet), these essential anchors let you sit almost still, facing the wind (and usually the waves as well), and let the storm pass right over you. People who have used one say it is like 'putting the brakes on' as boat motion gets slower and easier to allow sea conditions to improve to where you can sail again. Chris White won't go to sea without one (boat designer and writer of what I call the Bible for catamaran sailors). One tale he recounts in 'The Cruising Catamaran' s of a large wave breaking over a tri in a storm in the southern ocean that just washes over the boat while the crew sits nervously inside amazed that the boat just shrugs it off. One of the advantages over a drogue is that the crew can go inside and wait it out. It seems to me that boats have been lost because they have tried to keep sailing when they should let the storm pass quickly overhead. Crew can be swept overboard, too. Tired and wet crew can make poor sailing decisions. My quick Google search show only pictures of monohulls, so it is not just for multis. Comments?

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by Philip St1

I would have to add to this list with a parachute anchor (para-anchor). ... Comments?

Would just say that the Jordan Series Drogue has been shown in tests to be the better choice over a para-anchor. But either would be good to have on your top 20 list.

(happy holiday )

[Pauline SA]

Originally Posted by theway

If you were sailing around the world, the trade wind route, what are the Top 20 items you would make sure to have?
Certain things can be grouped together like "tools". Food and Water are a given and don't need to be listed.

The first three items must be:
1: Boat (includes engine and batteries)
2: Mainsail (includes rigging)
3: Headsail (includes rigging, winches, and handle)

My List
1: Boat
2: Mainsail
3: Headsail
4: Life raft and ditch kit
5: EPIRB
6: GPS Chart plotter
7: SAT phone (SAT communication of some sort)
8: Self steering vane
9: First aid kit
10: Dingy (Inflatable with motor)
11: Solar Panels
12: Spare Mainsail
13: Genoa
14: Storm Jib
15: Tools
16: Paper Charts
17: Laptop
18: Anchors and Rode
19: Life jacket and Harness
20: VHF (with AIS)

If this thread has already been done, please just post the link, if not, show me your list!

About 8 TB of movies. Full Breaking Bad Series. Kindle with 2,000 movies. Sat Phone. Slabs of beer.

[barnakiel]

I will slash you somewhat, no harm meant.

0: What it takes (skills, stamina, money, etc.)
1.0: Boat (essential)
1.1: Mainsail (forms part of 1.0)
1.2: Headsail (see above)
1.3: Spare Mainsail (optional extra)
1.4: Genoa (optional extra)
1.5: Storm Jib (optional extra)
: Life raft and ditch kit (irrelevant, not a must)
: EPIRB (see above)
2: GPS Chart plotter

: SAT phone (irrelevant)
3: Self steering vane (or an AP, or both)
4: First aid kit
5: Dinghy (Inflatable with motor)
: Solar Panels (irrelevant)
6: Tools (definitely)
7: Paper Charts (I too like paper)
: Laptop (irrelevant)
8: Anchors and Rode
9: Life jacket and Harness (and tether)
10: VHF (with AIS)

With your 20 list only 10 long (11, if you allowed for skills, guts and luck), you can start anew with a half clean sheet.

You gave yourself an impossible task, mate.

b.

[DumnMad]

Crew that can get you home with no engine and no batteries.
Ample food and water.

[Pelagic]

Don't forget to put yourself on that list..

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by theway

If you were sailing around the world, the trade wind route, what are the Top 20 items you would make sure to have?
Certain things can be grouped together like "tools". Food and Water are a given and don't need to be listed.

The first three items must be:
1: Boat (includes engine and batteries)
2: Mainsail (includes rigging)
3: Headsail (includes rigging, winches, and handle)

My List
1: Boat
2: Mainsail
3: Headsail
4: Life raft and ditch kit
5: EPIRB
6: GPS Chart plotter
7: SAT phone (SAT communication of some sort)
8: Self steering vane
9: First aid kit
10: Dingy (Inflatable with motor)
11: Solar Panels
12: Spare Mainsail
13: Genoa
14: Storm Jib
15: Tools
16: Paper Charts
17: Laptop
18: Anchors and Rode
19: Life jacket and Harness
20: VHF (with AIS)

If this thread has already been done, please just post the link, if not, show me your list!

I like lists, and if lists are intended to show the priority of items needed to accomplish some task or to reach a goal, they can be instructive, but....

If food and water are "a given" then shouldn't the boat and sails and much of your list also be assumed or "a given?"

I really think this list is much too short and too basic. I mean you can't go far without a boat or sails if you are talking about sailing anywhere at all.

And I think putting a SAT phone before an anchor is not a good order, unless you plan on doing your circumnavigation without stopping, which could be done, but is very rare.

And I think one could do it without a spare mainsail. I would.

If you are planning to go around without stopping or anchoring, you could do without an engine.

Anyway, those are a few quick thoughts.

Merry Christmas and good luck on your planning and your future voyages.

[gjordan]

Needed are the bits and pieces to make the boat functional at sea if the whole electrical system crashes. A wind vane if your crew is small, the parts to bypass the electric solenoid for the gas stove. A one burner backup stove. A way to get drinking water out of your tanks if the pressure water system is down. Enough kerosene lamps below to be able to function. A head that doesnt require electricity, and if you dont have direct overboard, a way to manually pump the holding tank overboard. Paper charts , and in this day and age, a couple of cheap hand held GPSs in seal-a-meal bags. I have recommended many times that if you want to know if your boat is ready to cruise, go out and anchor for several days and turn your main battery switch off. You should still be able to get drinking water, make hot food, have enough light below to navigate and safely maneuver below, and a head that works. Try living for a few days like that, and it will show up the deficiency in your boat, or in you. Good cruising and Merry Christmas. ______Grant.

[theway]

Really good thoughts, thanks for sharing...

The goal of this is to find out which 20 things come to mind or are the most obvious. I will definitely be taking more, but I wouldn't want to leave without something that would be on somebody's top 20. In other words, if you think it's a top 20 I should probably have it, or at least thought about it and have a good reason not to have it

My list is not ordered by priority.

Please keep the lists coming, it's very enlightening.

[Octopus]

All very subjective, but I would add:

• 2 hand-held VHF (one for grab-bag, one for communicating with shore party)
• Spinnaker
• 2nd EPIRB (one with automatic hydrostatic release)
• Very sharp knife with serrated edge, for cutting ropes in an emergency
• Large (LiPO4) battery bank
• Powerful Sinewave Inverter/Charger
• Powerful generator matched to a powerful high-output AC watermaker, to minimise the time spent making water and running generator
• AC appliances/devices (12v and battery-powered appliances/devices just don't cut the mustard), including

  • washing machine
  • electric drill
  • jig saw
  • soldering iron
  • vaccuum cleaner
  • toaster
  • electric kettle
  • refrigerator
  • freezer
  • angle grinder (for cutting away rigging after a dismasting - far more effective than bolt-cutters)
  • induction hob
  • breadmaker
  • fan-assisted electric oven
  • microwave oven
    

I would remove paper charts from your list, as they are expensive, unnecessary and potentially dangerous

I would also qualify your existing list:
1. boat - 40-50ft catamaran - for comfort at anchor, safety and sheer liveability (and accepting that it will look less lovely than a monohull and generally gives less sailing pleasure)
10. Dinghy - Biggest RIB that your boat can comfortably and safely carry and that the crew can drag through surf up a (possibly abrasive) beach
18. Anchor - modern performance anchor (take your pick) at least two sizes bigger than recommended for your boat (to help you sleep soundly at night), plus two spare anchors (for difficult anchorages).
20. DSC VHF with built-in AIS 2 professionally installed with good-quality masthead antennas + emergency antenna