Sailing Buddies

The Sailing Buddies are those special people willing to donate to our cruising fund. Members are responsible for helping to keep us afloat so that we may write blogs and record videos during our lengthy time at sea.    

Though we plan on working as often as we can along the way, there will be countries that do not allow this. Contributions from Sailing Buddies allow us to pay for food, maintenance, and fees while we are traveling in these countries.

Joining the sailing buddies also brings you closer to the action! When we are sailing, the lack of wifi will cause a significant delay between writing and posting. There will be a new post every morning at 9am EST, but some posts will have been written prior to the actual posting date.  Posts will be scheduled far out in advance before we leave each destination to make up for the travel time between ports when we will not have internet access.  Our website will therefore show you where we have been, but not our current location.    

When you join the Sailing Buddies, however, you will be granted access to the locked part of the website where you can see a live map of where we are at each moment.  Higher ranks will even give you the ability to correspond with Wisdom directly from anywhere in the world! This gives you the opportunity to ask us questions and suggest new places for us to visit.   

The password to the locked part of the website will reset each month. When a password resets, we will inform those in the higher ranks what the new password is. 

You will receive your new password instantly when you complete the donation through Squarespace or Patreon, even if we do not currently have access to wifi. Once you have gained the password, you will have full access to the locked portion of the website for the allotted time that your rank allows! (Scroll down below rank descriptions for important information about becoming a Sailing Buddy.)

The different ranks are as follows:

Buy me a drink!

For $7 you get the password to the locked part of the site until the password is reset. The password resets monthly, but you don't know what day it will occur. It is a bit of a gamble since the password could reset tomorrow! That $7 goes directly towards buying us dinner ashore and we thank you very much for our meal! 

• You can view the live tracking map.
• Your name will appear under Buy Me A Drink!

Sailing Buddy

For $10, you get access to the locked part of the site for a full month. If the password resets within your month, you will receive the new password to complete that month of access. With this, you will have access to the live tracking map where you can watch as we voyage the ocean for an entire month! 

• You get access to the locked part of the website for 1 month. 
• You can view the live tracking map.
• Your name will appear under Sailing Buddy.

Skipper

For $125, you get access to the locked part of the site for 3 months! We will send you the new password for 3 months, each time it resets. Your very generous donation will help us sail further, especially in countries where we are not allowed to work. Your donation will go directly into the cruising fund which will feed us and keep us going while we work to bring you new and exciting stories.

• You get access to the locked part of the website for 3 months.
• You can view the live tracking map.
• Your name will appear under Skipper.

Captain

For $250, you get access to the locked part of the site for 6 months! Each time the password resets, we will email you the new one so that you won't miss a thing as we venture off over the horizon. You will also get to correspond with us while we are out at sea and sailing the ocean! Your very generous donation will help cover the costs of our monthly expenses which will let us spend more time sailing and working to bring you stories instead of attempting to find odd jobs as we cruise.

• You get access to the locked part of the website for 6 months.
• You can view the live tracking map.
• You can message us on Wisdom while we are sailing and cruising.
• Your name will appear under Captain.

Admiral

For $500, you get almost everything! You will gain access to the locked part of the website for a full year which will let you track us as we voyage all over the place! You will also get to message us while we are sailing, and you will get a post card from us from each country we visit. That's right, each time we make landfall in a new country we will send you a cool postcard! This is a great way to see different stamps of the world as they arrive in your mailbox.

• You get access to the locked part of the website for 12 months.
• You can view the live tracking map.
• You can message us on Wisdom while we are sailing and cruising
• You will receive a postcard from each country we visit.
• Your name will appear under Admiral.

Morty's Best Friend

For $1,000, you get it all; even Morty's friendship! You will get everything that all the other ranks get, plus the ability to come spend a day on Wisdom in any port that we are visiting. Your password will never expire and you will get it all!

• You get access to the locked part of the website forever!
• You can view the live tracking map forever!
• You can message us on Wisdom while we are sailing and cruising forever!
• You will receive a postcard from each country we visit.
• You can come spend a day on Wisdom in any port that we are visiting.
• Your name will appear under Morty's Best Friend.

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When joining the Sailing Buddies, you will be asked for your name, email address, and for (Admiral and Morty's Best Friend) your mailing address. Please don't feel obligated to provide us this information, it is completely optional. The reason we ask for this information is:

• We need your name to properly thank you by placing your name in its appropriate rank.
• We need your email to send you the new password when the password resets.
• We need your mailing address to send you your postcards as we venture out and explore new lands.

Another way to help us out is to support us on Patreon where you can join the ranks of the Sailing Buddies by pledging a certain amount per month. If you subscribe through Patreon, the password will appear as a post visible only to those who have a rank of Skipper or higher. Your name will also be listed with all the other sailing buddies at the bottom of the webpages.

Become a Patron!

Upgrading the Bow Anchor

A while back, the various types of anchors carried on Wisdom was discussed here. In that article, we talked about our primary bow anchor being the Bruce anchor. The bow anchor is a very special anchor because it is the go to anchor. This anchor is the first to go down and needs to work perfectly in the typical conditions where you will be anchoring. 

The Primary Bow Anchor lives in the bow roller and is always connected to the all chain rode. Accessory anchors are attached to supplemental anchor rodes, typically being made of all rope or chain and rope combinations. For years, the Bruce was the primary bow anchor on Wisdom as it has always held us well in the Chesapeake Bay. This anchor has held without fault during gales in unprotected anchorages and let us sleep peacefully night after night. 

You might be wondering why I would swap out a perfectly good anchor for a different anchor that needs to be purchased? The answer lies in the rode. I always let out an excessive amount of chain when we anchor.  The typical night time hook will be 7:1, and a storm anchoring will be 10:1 or greater! We were once in a gale with 290 feet of chain in 10 feet of water. 

Yes, the Bruce held fine, but it was more likely that the chain held fine and the Bruce was an ornament at the end of the line. Since we carry 300 feet of chain, anchoring with lots of chain is possible for us, we simply let it run out when we arrive in the anchorage for longer. The problem comes in the morning.

We have a manual windlass which means that I need to crank all that chain up every morning. If we let out 200 feet of chain, I now need to crank in 200 feet of chain! While morning exercise is always good, Maddie is usually sleeping right under the windlass and the 200 feet of chain being cranked in is anything but peaceful. 

We were talking with a friend who has a modern anchor and usually anchors with 3:1 scope for a night time hook. If we were in 18 feet of water, 10:1 is 180 feet of chain, 3:1 is only 54 feet. The thought of cranking in an extra 130 feet of chain made Maddie and I consider modern anchors and so began the search for an upgraded anchor.

I came across the YouTube channel SV Panope which brilliantly demonstrates how different anchors perform. The creator attached a GoPro to the anchor and then did various tests to see how the anchors behaved. Instead of testing the anchors in an appropriate method, the creator tested the anchors in the most abusive way possible (on purpose).

He would set the anchor with a very short scope and then pull hard on them with the engine. Then he would move directly over the anchor with considerable speed and see if he could get the anchor to reset or drag. He also did an interesting test called "Reducing Scope" where he would anchor, test, shorten the scope, re-test, shorten the scope, re-test, etc., until the anchor fails to reset. 

This sort of abusive test will reveal any short comings in the anchor and make the true champions shine! The old style anchors performed well, but failed under the torture tests; the modern anchors, on the other hand, managed to work in these harsh testing conditions. 

Finally, my favorite part of the anchor tests is he is not sponsored by any anchor company. This helps reduce bias on his part and ensure a more even testing of the anchors. The anchor tests performed by the companies are horrible tests engineered to showcase their product. Rocna tests always show Rocna as the best, Mantus tests always show Mantus as the best, Manson tests always show Manson as the best, etc. SV Panope tests are unbiased and truly showcase the abilities of the different anchors.

In the videos, it appeared that Manson had some trouble resetting, while Rocna and Mantus performed rather well in the reducing scope and reset tests. Both Rocna and Mantus anchors have the undesirable ability to bend their shank. This occurs because the anchor sets so deeply that the fluke will not rotate on a tide reversal. The fluke remains steady while the boat swings by and the shank bends from the force. This is more common in aluminum anchors, such as Fortress brand anchors, but it can still happen to galvanized steel anchors. Rocna anchors are welded together where Mantus are bolted together.

The difference comes down to service-ability. Should the shank bend while cruising, welded anchors can not be repaired, they must be replaced. If we chose a Rocna and the shank bent, we would need to purchase a new anchor. If the shank on a Mantus were to bend, all we would need to do is contact the manufacturer and have a new shank sent to us! The ability to repair the anchor while cruising is a very appealing feature that the Mantus anchor affords us.  

Looking at the two anchors, you can see the sharp demarcation in size between the two. The Mantus offers significantly more surface area in the fluke to hold the bottom when compared to the Bruce. The tip of the Mantus is also weighted to help drive it deep under the seabed. 

The Bruce tends to lay on its side, so only half of the flukes are under the seabed, while the Mantus is designed to bury the entire fluke and hold with all its might. 

This comparison is not completely fair though. The Bruce is 20kg, and the Mantus is 30kg. Naturally, the Mantus is going to be larger as it has 33% more mass. When we chose to upgrade the primary bow anchor, we also chose to upgrade the weight of the anchor at the same time. The mantra: "No one ever slept poorly because their anchor was too heavy" kept our minds determined to purchase a heavier anchor, as well as a modern design.

Note how much more expensive the Stainless Steel anchor is compared to the same size Galvanized anchor.

Larger anchors come at a price, they are bigger! The chain chock is located on the bow at the length of the old 20kg Bruce's shank. This means that the 30kg Mantus's shank is too long. Our options were simple, relocate the chain chock or tie the shank to the toe rail.

Being how the chain chock is a block of teak through bolted to the deck and does not leak, we opted to tie the shank to the toe rail and keep it running along side the chain chock. When we go to anchor, the Mantus is simply slid out on the roller and released when the time is right. Until then, it remains tied to the bow awaiting deployment.

It's a bit of a tight squeeze, but we managed to get the 30kg Mantus to fit on the bow roller without much movement. Retrieval will be a bit more complicated as we need to tie the lashing and pull the anchor into position each time it is raised, but this is only to bring the anchor further into the bow. It can just as well hang out further on the roller awaiting its next deployment.

You might be wondering what will become of the old Bruce? It will live out the rest of its life as our secondary anchor. Should the Mantus shank bend, we will switch to the Bruce as we await the delivery of the new shank. In the meantime, the Bruce will continued to be cared for as a supplemental anchor aboard Wisdom.

Towing Windpuff

In preparation for going cruising, we needed to get Windpuff out of the water and onto the hard. Windpuff lives near us in the marina, so we check on him all the time to make sure that none of the scuppers are covered with leaves that would cause rain to back up and make a mess. Since we are going cruising, we won't be around to check on him as often as we currently do, so we decided to pull Windpuff out and shrink wrap him. 

Windpuff will remain on land while we are away, safe and protected from the elements until we return.

Peoples Reactions to our Planned Trip

When people find out that we are planning to sail to the Caribbean, we are faced with some repeat questions. These questions are different from the common questions we are asked when people learn that we liveaboard. Liveaboard questions are merely routine for us as we have been doing it for years and consider all the unknowns they could as as ordinary parts of everyday life.

Liveaboard questions tend to be:

How do you get to your car?
What do you do when it rains?
Are you cold during the winter?
What if there is flooding, are you worried about your boat sinking?

These questions are all too common for us and we have carefully prepared answers for them:

Walk down the pier to the car.
Go inside and keep dry.
No, we turn on the heat.
We float. (this one is one of my personal favorites)

Our planned trip is just that, a plan. We have not done it before, so we don't have definitive answers based on years of experience. Instead, we have thoughts formed from reading books and talking with other sailors. There are a lot of unknowns involved with this trip and we don't have all the answers. 

I have taken to playing the role of the happy go lucky fool when I get asked the same questions, because it makes the conversation proceed quicker and easier. They either think I am kidding or that I am going to die and there is no helping the helpless, so they change the subject. I would rather get on to another subject as I grow tired of the same doubtful questions. 

Aren't you scared about a storm out in the ocean?
What if a hurricane comes?
What if a sea monster eats your boat?
What if you get sick?
What if you get lost?
Aren't you afraid of pirates?

Storms are a concern, which is why we have practiced heaving-to. We also carry a parachute anchor to set in addition to heaving-to to help steady the ship as we ride out the storm in the protection of the slick. We haven't tested this out on the high seas, but we have had some horrible squalls in the Chesapeake Bay and other storms close to the Atlantic Coast. We know how to manage storms, and we know how to stay safe, but we have always been close to land. We do have a slight uneasy feeling in our stomach when we think about setting off to distant lands and getting hit by a storm in the night hundreds of miles from shore where no one can assist us should something catastrophic happen.

Hurricanes are a concern, they are incredibly powerful and their paths can change in an instant. When we are far offshore, we won't have the best of weather updates and a hurricane could theoretically slip through our weather forecast electronics. The reason I am not as concerned is hurricanes send a large swell out into the ocean radiating away from its center. By noticing this swell, we can begin to monitor the weather and figure out where the center of the storm is and what its route is. With this knowledge, we can plot a course away from the storm and into safer water. Worst case scenario, heave-to with the parachute anchor and ride out the hurricane. By choosing our cruising course carefully, we hope to avoid hurricanes and negate the issue all together.

"Sea monsters" always makes me chuckle. Whales on the other hand are not as funny. Running into a sleeping whale is an actual concern. The collision would not cause that much damage to our full keel sailboat, but it could piss off the whale that just got struck by 17 tons of boat! Angered whales can retaliate and sink a sailboat if they are in the mood and there is little you can do to stop them. In most cases, the whale will simply swim off and leave you be; with both parties a little shaken up from the whole ordeal.

Sickness at sea is a concern. We can get injured and there is no hospital to run to. If we are a week from shore, that means we are a week from any medical care. I am a dentist (and not a physician) so I can do minor procedures such as debride a wound or suture a laceration, but I can't take out an appendix! Being a dentist does make me well versed in dealing with infections and surgical procedures, but working on a moving vessel with bad lighting doesn't make me a skilled surgeon. Our first line of defense against sickness is to avoid injury in the first place. By playing it safe, we stay healthy and well. Keeping up on our sleep and eating well will keep us well nourished and strong, warding off the illnesses that come from malnutrition and stress.

Getting lost is a very real problem at sea where there is no landmarks in sight. We have paper charts, we have electronic charts, we have three GPS units, we have a compass, and we have a sextant! In the worst case scenario where the sextant falls overboard, all the GPS units die, the compass breaks, and we loose all our charts; we still have one trick up our sleeve: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If we lost everything and had no clue where we were, we could simply sail west to return to the Americas. This may sound over simplified, but if we are lost in the Atlantic, the Americas are to the West and Europe/Africa is to the East. Should I find myself in total confusion, I would personally rather make landfall on my home continent. As far fetched as this scenario may sound, people actually ask me what I would do if everything failed. The truth is, we take care of the sextant and the compass is mounted to the binnacle. Using these two instruments, we can plot our position and find our way through the ocean. Knowing how to use the world around you to navigate is a very important skill. It goes much further than knowing how to read a map or looking at your electronics. Navigation is just that, navigating. It is a process that requires practice to hone your skills and find your way through. 

Piracy is an issue, but not as big as you might think it is. There are no pirates on the high seas that are boarding sailboats in the middle of the ocean. Pirates are interested in large cargo ships that carry a lot of valuables. Sailboats tend to be filled with poor cruisers. Old sailboats tend to be filled with poorer cruisers. Our sailboat is from 1968 and looks nothing like the sleek yachts of the global elite. Piracy around islands tends to involve theft of your belongings, particularly your inflatable dinghy and outboard motor. We don't have an inflatable, or an outboard; instead we have an undesirable wooden row boat. As far as being boarded, we feel strongly in choosing where to anchor based on current crime reports and talking with other cruisers about which islands to visit and which harbors to avoid.

In short, we don't have the experience under out belts like we do with living aboard and coastal cruising, but we do have the drive and the desire to go the distance. It just feels frustrating that every person we meet questions us and wants us to prove to them that we are capable seamen, even though the people who are judging our capabilities have never been sailing nor have any idea what we actually need to know. We are literally trying to impress blind people with pretty colors, they can never see what we are showing yet they will judge us harshly and cast a verdict without remorse.

The conversation usually ends with an uplifting: "Just don't die."

After the first go about with this conversation, you brush it off. After the tenth, you begin to question peoples intentions in asking. After the fiftieth, you begin to question yourself. After you question yourself, you then realize that you are ready and you are prepared. Why even entertain these questions? 

Stretching Your Dollar

When your funds are limited, you will make every effort to stretch out how far your money can go. Maddie and I have a few major items to purchase to finish outfitting Wisdom for our trip, and we have found ways to make minimize the expense of these items.

I worked at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October and took great advantage of the discounts involved. Boat shows are excellent places to make large purchases as the vendors are all trying to get you to buy their product and the prices can become negotiable. Add to this that the prices start off at a discounted level and you have a recipe for savings!

We picked up the Monitor Windvane at the 2016 Sailboat Show for a significant discount. I purchased the unit over the phone while I was in Maryland and the company was in California. This purchase happened across state lines so no sales taxes were needed. Then, my unit was used as the display model which I picked up at the end of the show, saving me the cost of shipping! Since I technically purchased the unit at the boat show, they extended the boat show discount to me as well!

Aside from this much anticipated purchase, we also picked up some other needed items. On the shopping list was a 65 pound Mantus anchor, four person life raft, a sea anchor,  a very small inflatable raft, and a 2.5hp propane outboard.

While I personally don't want the inflatable or outboard, Maddie does. Almost everyone we encounter has told us that we need to have an inflatable raft and outboard if we want to go to the Caribbean. Then they begin to tell us about all the issues they have had with their inflatable and outboard. 

I think this is the worst idea for the tropics where the sun is strong and the sand is abrasive on the inflatable. The salt air will also wreck havoc on any engine parts made of cheap pot metals. We have agreed that the engine and inflatable will remain in the lazarette unless absolutely needed, out of sight of thrives and the sun.

The reason we are going with a propane outboard is it runs on the same fuel source we use for our grill. I don't want to carry gasoline on Wisdom because I feel that is an absolute hazard. If we had a small gas outboard, we would then need to carry a can of gas. By using a propane outboard, we we can carry cans of propane as our cooking fuel knowing that it can also be used to power our outboard if we so desire.

Cruising and marriage are a series of compromise, and if having an inflatable and outboard makes Maddie happy, we will carry just that and go cruising!