Category: ASK YOUR QUESTIONS

Provisioning-Cooking Q&A, Sailing Green, TIPS & IDEAS

Slow Cooking (with a Solar Oven) on a Slow Boat

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Heather McCarthy has been sailing with her husband, Dan, and their three daughters, the “McMermaids” since 2011. They are currently cruising the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, and the Bahamas onboard s/v Jullanar.

Here, Heather answers a few questions about how solar cooking has opened up a whole new suite of cruising food options for …Read more

Fears and Worries, Finances Q&A, The Big Decision Q&A

Cruising kitty: Will I have enough money?

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My biggest fear and concern about dropping everything and taking my wife (who is more enthusiastic than I am) and three kids cruising is $.
•Will I have enough?
•How much is enough?
•Will I be able to earn anything underway with dive gear and being a licensed captain with systems …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Finances Q&A, The Big Decision Q&A

Searching for a new way of life in the boating industry

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Amanda’s question

I am a single, laid back, 34 yr old female, that is physically fit, a college grad, and currently living in Florida. I’m seeking a life change and am considering a career in the sailing/boating industry.

I have been sailing most of my life…attended sailing camps in the summer as a kid, and then instructed …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Outfitting Q&A, TIPS & IDEAS

Storage: Any organizing tips and tricks for us?

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We recently purchased a Com-Pac 23 (an upgrade from a Com-Pac 19). We take many extended stays on the water throughout the summer, hoping to someday take off for the big blue waters.

My question, as we start to stock our boat, is:

What organizing tips and tricks do your contributors have for us rookies?

I always thought …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, The Big Decision Q&A

How to best tell our family we are sailing away?

How to tell the family you are sailing away?

Sabrina writes

We will be headed to my parent’s home next week. While we are there we will be telling them as well as my brother’s family that we are sailing away in 2013 (finally – yay!).

I have been surfing the internet looking for ideas and suggestions on how to best tell them and have not …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Fears and Worries, Safety & Security Q&A

I am afraid of going up the mast. How do I deal with this?

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Sherri’s question

One of the things I want to ask other women about is going up the mast.I feel silly about it because twenty years ago I was adventurous and really liked heights and was into rock climbing! But over the past few years I have become fearful of heights and no matter how much …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Outfitting Q&A

Dinghy choice: RIB or hard dinghy?

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Paul writes

I’m “right in the middle” on whether I want to take a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) or hard dinghy to the Bahamas and Caribbean.What do you recommend?

Kathy Parsons and Gwen Hamlin answer.

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Outfitting Q&A

Any recommendations on outfitting a boat for scuba diving?

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Mizzy asks

I need your advice about outfitting to scuba dive. We plan to dive a lot. Neither of us does a lot of deep dives. I do have a collection of tanks.

What to do? Like all of the outfitting choices we have to make this one will require evaluation of the options.

If you could point …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Finances Q&A

How do we earn money while sailing? Is going into the charter business a good option?

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Amy has more questions:

How do we earn money while sailing? Is going into the charter business a good option?

Do you have to have a special license to do daysails or charters?

I am not a writer or a journalist, which it seems, most of the people who contribute to Women and Cruising are. I do …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, The Big Decision Q&A

Where to begin?

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Amy’s questions

My husband and I are very serious about eventually enjoying the cruising lifestyle.

• We are presently up against many challenges, least of those is not having any experience sailing. We live in central Ohio, therefore our opportunities to learn to sail are fairly limited.  I have done some extensive research about sailing …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Beauty-Health-Fitness Q&A, TIPS & IDEAS

How to cope with seasickness? Here’s what works for Lynn Terwoerds

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I was wondering if you have any thoughts/comments on how to deal with and cope with seasickness. I have tried the scopolamine patch, ginger, the wrist band w/ electrical pulses, and now stugeron. We sail our boat on the Puget Sound, and when on our boat I never get sick. However, when I have been on a …Read more

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, Provisioning-Cooking Q&A

Is it worth it to get a pressure cooker?

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Gwen Hamlin, Beth Leonard, Kathy Parsons and Lisa Schofield answer this question:
I don’t have a pressure cooker and have never used one. Do you think it’s worth it to get one?

We will be sailing in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. I love to cook but currently cook most things at home and then freeze them for longer vacations or bring them to the boat for the weekend. We tend to eat on the boat primarily. I am a bit concerned about having the oven running all of the time to cook in the heat of the Caribbean. Just curious about what you think are the biggest advantages to having …Read more