Ocean Cruising Seminar

Our tailbones are still sore after the weekend. We have been sitting on some rather uncomfortable chairs in many hours from Friday noon until Sunday afternoon. We did it voluntarily and with great interest in the subject of the weekend, in excellent company, and serviced with delicious meals without having to do anything in return. So, it was all worth it. Of course, we also had a wonderful view of the bay at Ebeltoft.

The subject of the weekend seminar was “Planning and Preparing your Ocean Cruising”. The participants were all people who were dreaming of sailing to distant shores, which includes everything from cruising the beautiful waters of Denmark, or a full circumnavigation. Like ourselves, some had moved on from dreams to actual plans. A number of experienced sailors shared their knowledge through presentations and discussions, the amount of knowledge within DOCA is quite substantial.

We were obtaining knowledge within safety at sea, medicine, crew handling, electronic equipment, children and education, law, inner seaways of Europe, storm tactics, and cooking on board. There were plenty of opportunity to ask questions and share knowledge across the participants as well.

And as a bonus, most of the subjects were wrapped in exciting stories of adventurous cruising. As an example, a fantastic presentation on crew management made it clear to us, that our route from Tobago to Panama has to include a visit to Cuba (see Planning Our Route).

As take away, we have a good deal of knowledge. A few examples: A list of important initiatives to increase safety on the boat. We have seen how to use a pressure cooker to can fresh meat so we can use it after many months without a fridge (well, June had already practiced this). What are the challenges switching to Lithium (LiFePo4) batteries, and what are the benefits. What are the requirements for sailing the Standing Mast route in the Netherlands. And a lot more. Just as important, we now have more contacts who are willing to share their knowledge, and we have talked with others planning to cross the Atlantic ocean next winter.

In less than 5 minutes after arrival, the chatting across the room was quite loud. Dreams and actual plans where shared and discussed. The atmosphere was fantastic and openminded.

Now we are back in the treadmill, but with a lot more knowledge and extra motivation to continue our plans. Our adventure begins in 150 days.