August 2010 – From New Zealand

Dear Friends:

Water fills my view as I write this newsletter, the leaden grey waters of the bay which reaches within 20 feet of my office window, slanting rain that makes me wonder how I will get from my office across the 40 feet of open air that separates it from the house. Winter in the northern part of New Zealand is not severe, we have only seen frost here once, spring weather usually arrives by late September. But Larry has just come in from checking the boats stored in our little boatyard and reports it is too muddy, too soggy to start the repair work he’s taken on. And I am looking out at where Taleisin sits looking neglected and soggy. It all makes me restless and more than a bit nostalgic. Part of my nostalgia probably comes from using this wintery time to sort through some of our very oldest photos as we begin work on an interesting new writing project.

Questions Cruisers Ask

We received a letter from Livia Gilstrap who retired from being a college professor to set off cruising with her partner before they reached 40.  She felt she had a lot of questions about cruising and decided to create a blog to encourage other cruisers to provide unbiased answers. The folks she questioned are a diverse lot, ranging from relative youngsters on minimalist small boats, to retirees on luxurious 48 footers. The questions asked vary.  What follows are the questions she asked us and our answers.  These will soon be posted with the others on her site at www.interviewwithacruiser.blogspot.com..

Drifters and Light Air Headsails – Is Roller Furling Gear Necessary?

One of our website readers sent us the following email which reinforces our desire to keep writing and also emphasizes several points about using a nylon headsail to keep moving in light winds. (Light winds are a common problem in the South Pacific.) It also shows that sail makers will try to sell you sails and equipment such as roller furling gear that give them the highest profit not, as Ian’s letter shows, what you prefer or even what you need!

Storm Tactics DVD	Cruising Has No Limits	Tip: Bow Roller	Tip: Kedging Out

Pardey Videos

Storm Tactics DVD "One of the reasons I wanted to sail east-to-west around Cape Horn was to take video shots proving that small vessels can safely weather storms if they are well outfitted and efficiently handled," Larry Pardey stated after his record-breaking voyage.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Get Ready to CRUISE Join Lin and Larry Pardey at their home base in New Zealand as they share ideas and hints to make your boat safer, easier to handle, and more enjoyable to use.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Get Ready to CROSS OCEANS So you feel confident with cruising local waters and are thinking of setting off across an ocean . . .Before you start planning, join Lin and Larry Pardey on board Taleisin in Fremantle, Australia, as they demonstrate gear storage for offshore voyaging, dinghy choices, warping out a stern anchor, proper life-raft storage, storm trysails, sail repairs, and other valuable hints to help you prepare.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Cruising has NO LIMITS Skimming before caressing tradewinds, savoring NO LIMITS tropical landfalls, evading stormy seas—such is the image of the cruising life under sail. It is all this, but it can be so much more.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Get Ready To... Pardey DVD Set Order Both Get Ready to CRUISE and Get Ready to CROSS OCEANS at a discounted price. >>READ MORE Comment on this title

Pardey Books

Capable Cruiser, 3rd Ed. **NEW** This revised and expanded third edition of a cruising classic includes 9 completely new chapters with such advice as: sixteen ways to encourage your lover (partner) to share your dream; strategies for turning sudden engine failure into a minor incident; choosing safety equipment; repairing rigging at sea. All of the original chapters have been updated and many are expanded to ensure that the information will be helpful for everyone who dreams of cruising—whether now or soon.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Storm Tactics Handbook, 3rd Ed. “In a storm at sea, luck is highly biased toward the sailor who has a plan.” So write Lin and Larry Pardey in this, the third edition of their highly regarded Storm Tactics Handbook. As in the first two editions of this book, they describe their concerns about the tendency of modern sailors to discard the classic methods used to bring sailing vessels of all sizes—from vast clipper ships to tiny yachts—through amazingly strong winds and heavy seas.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Self Sufficient Sailor Full of ideas and wisdom on how to sail in comfort and safety without large cash outlays. Every sailor, whether or not they plan to sail over the horizon, should read the Pardeys. This book is what the title says. >>READ MORE Comment on this title

Details of Classic Boat Construction: The Hull Updated and expanded to include an important new appendix on the mis-advertising of epoxy adhesives and an introduction to superior, though less expensive glues. This book is used by boatbuilding schools around the world to explain the elements of classic craftsmanship and make these skills accessible to beginning woodworkers.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Cruising in Seraffyn 25th Anniversary Ed. “Go small, go simple, go now, say the Pardey’s.” This message has inspired three generations of sailors and kept Cruising in Seraffyn consistently near the top of nautical best seller lists for over two decades. This new edition, with its exciting 16 page spread of full-color photos, new forward and two new appendices, will appeal to anyone who has an adventuresome spirit.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Cost Conscious Cruiser The pleasures and adventures of cruising under sail are amazingly affordable, say Lin and Larry Pardey. But to keep your dreams on budget, financially, emotionally, and timewise, you have to decide - are you a cruiser or a consumer? Topics covered include making your getaway plans to finding a truly affordable boat, keeping your outfitting costs and maintenance time in control, then learning to feel confident as you cruise farther ahead. >>READ MORE Comment on this title

The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew 3rd Ed. The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew has become the preferred resource for cruisingand racing sailors—whether they’re planninga weekend afloat or a round-the-world voy-age.This unique volume covers everythingfrom outfitting a galley to organizing mealssafely in rough weather; from controllingseasickness to creating the right conditionsfor a well-rested crew >>READ MORE Comment on this title

Seraffyn's Oriental Adventure A tale of adventures, as two young dreamers continue their voyaging on board their self-built 24'4" cutter. They cross the exotic sea that spawned Homer’s tales of Ulysses’ Odyssey, then sail through the strife torn Red Sea and across the typhoon tossed waters of the Bay of Bengal. >>READ MORE Comment on this title

Seraffyn's Mediterranean Adventure Covers three adventurous years in the Pardey's circumnavigation with stops in Spain, North Africa, Crete, Malta, the Adriatic, Turkey and the Greek Isles.>>READ MORE Comment on this title

Seraffyn's European Adventure Join Lin and Larry while they winter in England working to pay for the next leg of their journey into the Baltic, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany. They dealt with armed guards on the Polish waterfront who watched while the people greeted them with flowers and fruit. They weathered a fierce mast-under broach in a Baltic gale. This story ends at the gateway to the Mediterranean to be continued in Seraffyn’s Mediterranean Adventure.>>READ MORE Comment on this title