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We
circumnavigated the world aboard our 33 foot Prout catamaran between 1992 and 1996.
It was an amazing experience full of crazy adventures,
beautiful seascapes, utterly dull periods, fascinating
wildlife and glorious sailing, all punctuated by moments
of intense panic. Alec claims he was never scared for his
life, but if you read Alayne's book, you'll see she had a
different experience. Check it out! To see great pictures
not included in the book, click here!How do you prepare
for medical emergencies at sea? Alayne's medical
page is very popular and give the list of what she packed in her
medical kit
Read which cruising guides we recommend.
During our travels we
found visitors asked the same standard questions and
expected quick pat answers. The first question was,
"How's the trip?" The correct answer was,
"Good." The second question was, "What is
your favorite place?", or "Did you have any
storms?" Since we were much more laid back (after
four years of sailing) and had the time for long
conversations, we found this very unsatisfying. In our
last newsletter home we compiled the following list of
serious and not-so-serious answers in an attempt to
pre-empt the onslaught of questions. Enjoy!
Number of
Countries Visited: 40
Total Distance Traveled: 32,000 nautical miles (60,000 kilometers)
Longest Passage in Days: Canary Islands to Grenada, Atlantic
Ocean, 24 days
Longest Passage in Miles: Galapagos to Marquesas Islands,
Pacific Ocean, 2965 nautical miles
Most Pleasant Long Passage: Maldives to Djibouti, Indian Ocean,
15 days, 1896 nautical miles
Roughest Passage: Both going to and leaving from New Zealand
Fastest Recorded Speed: 13.4 knots (24.8 km/hr), the Tasman
Sea
Best View From a Shower: Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands
Biggest Fish Landed: 70 lb (30 kg) yellow fin tuna, east
of Tonga
Longest Fish Landed: 6 ft (183 cm) blue marlin, Great
Barrier Reef
Most Fish Eaten by Sharks: The Red Sea
Most Lobster: The Bahamas
Best Native Cuisine: Thailand
Cheapest Meal: Eritrea, 9 people and many beer, US$14
Most Expensive Harbor: Galapagos
Most Beautiful Island: Bora Bora
Worst Equipment Failure: Broken forestay en route to the
Marquesas
Deepest Anchorage: 92 ft (28 m), Fesdu Atoll, Maldives Islands
Best Snorkeling/Diving: The Maldives (Alec's vote), The Red
Sea (Alayne's vote)
Most Embarrassing Docking: Brisbane, entering a slip
across the current, hit 3 boats
Worst Night at Sea: Mallorca, escaped anchorage in a 50-knot
thunderstorm
Greatest Sigh of Relief: After hitting a whale in the Indian
Ocean, no damage
Best Laundry: Larnaca Marina, Cyprus
Worst Laundry: Derawan Island, Indonesia, US$1.50, but got
bed bugs
Nights Spent at Sea: 1993-24%, 1994-18%,1995-24%,1996-8%
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