By Danny Taddei

Though I’m sure most people planning a voyage on a small sailboat are aware that there trip will be a bit of work, I’m also sure that the fist time out can be a much better experience with a little foresight.  After more than 10,000 miles in the tropical paint fading sun, my wife korin and I have developed perfect hindsight.  It is my hope that my hindsight can become your foresight so that in the near future I can make friends with a few more happy faces while anchored out in the playgrounds.

Korin and I started our journey by purchasing a race rigged 1974 Cal 30-3.  She was a beautiful boat with nearly everything my heart desired.  Korin had little to say about the decision because she trusted me completely.  She had sailed with me for eight years in Santa Monica Bay, made numerous passages to Catalina Island with me and had flown all over the north and southwest with me as the pilot.  She knew that I knew all and who was I to correct her.  I did a few smart thing such as rebuilding the main salon area, adding a pressure water system and installing a 110 inverter, but there were a few things I forgot. The latitude changed and the sun grew stronger as we drifted southeast along the Mexican pacific I began to realize that Korins’ fair skin was getting sunburned allot, our non-refrigerated water was tasting rather dull and the time we spent hugging was decreased to a extreme minimum.  Also our V-berth had two triangle cushions with definite ownership to each and the crack down the middle became a well guarded boarder.  By the time we reached Z-town Korin had pretty well figured out how smart I really was

Cabo San Lucas gave us our first experience at ordering parts from the states with a speedy three week delivery of a 100 amp alternator to replace our slacking 35 amp unit that came as original equipment.  We wouldn’t have needed it if our foretriangle, halyard suspended wind generator hadn’t tried to eat our forestay...but it did.  Overall things weren’t that bad because now we had ample juice to run just about anything.  (wish we had a couple more fans!)  As we pushed on the chore of finding and retrieving ice became more work than we had (I had) anticipated.  In Puerto Escondido we traveled 14 miles to get ice.  We decided we didn’t like cold drinks anymore. 

I’m not a fiar skin guy, infact most Latin-American countries except me to one of countrymen, but, anyone traveling in the tropics without a bimin should get there head checked.  My appointment went well and I am the proud new owner of a very strong bimini.  The addition happened in miami when all sun and no shade made Danny a very angry man.  Instead of useing the tipical Y shaped brace that comes premade, I used two straight bars with one on either end.  It wasn’t a hinderance to all my winches or the profomance  of my boat as I thought it  might have been.  Besides, the relief it brought made me wounder how I could have ever lived without one.

Our january departure from Miami southward to the windwards will be a little more fun then our Los Angeles departure because