FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Got a burning question? E-mail us at wyattsailing@yahoo.com!
What
about Pirates?? (5/08)
The most frequent question we are asked is "Aren't you worried about pirates?". Well, the sailing world is full of pirates, but most of them are in Jimmy Buffett songs and Johnny Depp videos. That's not the kind of pirate that people are asking about though..they want to know about the pirates-as-muggers/murderers sort. Most people envision cruising sailors as vulnerable, sailing all alone to parts unknown. Although bad things do happen in this world, they happen very rarely...far less often than what happens to those who live on land. Do you think about car-jackings, robbery, and murder every time you get in your car? Yes, there is a chance it could happen, but you take basic precautions to make sure you are not vulnerable. That's the same things cruisers do. The easiest way to prevent problems is to avoid areas known to be troubled areas. Cruisers have resources to keep up to date such as the US government's website www.travel.state.gov and more specific websites for cruisers such as Jimmy Cornell's www.noonsite.com or Seven Seas Cruising Association's www.ssca.org. There are also Ham and SSB radio nets which cruisers can share information about areas most recently traveled. Theft and burglary at anchor anywhere are realistic worries, though. Cruisers take basic precautions to lock their boats securely, lock anything that is stowed on deck, and use street smarts when traveling in countries...don't flash cash around, leave jewelry at home, keep expensive cameras out of sight, and dress down to blend in.
Do
you carry a gun on board? (5/08)
Most cruisers don't carry guns on board. The red tape for declaring guns in foreign ports is way too complicated and inconvenient for traveling boats. Often, guns must be locked up upon arrival and must be collected (if they can find them) upon departure. The penalties for carrying undeclared weapons is high (as in, you may lose your boat!). Instead, most cruisers use alternative defense methods such as flare guns, pepper spray, spear guns. (Mama told me to get some wasp spray that sprays 10 feet, so of course I did...sounded like a good idea to me!). The key to safe cruising is to use caution just as one does when they are at home. Back home, there are muggings in every city, but yet we go freely to work, to stores, to the movie.. We lock our cars and our house and know not to go in certain areas at some hours. It's no different on a boat. Although the world is becoming more dangerous, we think it would be terrible to live in fear and worry all the time and not be able to get out and explore the beautiful places on this earth. We plan to do this by sailboat and meet many of the wonderful people who live here.
Are you going to be gone forever? (5/08)
Well, forever, is certainly a long time, and although we plan to travel on our boat for a long time (health permitting), no, we won't be gone forever. We just don't happen to know right now when we will return to the States. We are going to Central America in May 2008 and plan to be there until hurricane season is over. We will travel to Panama in late 2008, explore the San Blas islands and then travel through the Panama Canal in February or March 2009. Next, we will visit the Galapagos Islands for three weeks before heading off across the South Pacific to the Marquesas Islands, making landfall in Fatu Iva 30 days later. We will travel the South Pacific for about six months, and will leave when cyclone season begins at the end of October 2009. We will travel for 10-12 days to reach New Zealand and plan to stay at least a year, maybe longer.
Will
you ever come home to visit?
(5/08)
Of course, we will come home to visit. We will miss our family and friends (and kitties) and will want to come back for visits when we can. We will have limited access to airports while we cruise the far flung islands of the South Pacific, so we will probably fly home when we reach New Zealand.
Got a burning question? E-mail us at wyattsailing@yahoo.com!