Last year as we crossed the Pacific, we and lots of other members of the 2019 Pacific Puddle Jump Fleet learned plenty, especially about what breaks! I’ve pulled our learnings together in Part Two of my three-part series on lessons learned last year. Here’s an excerpt:
“For many Puddle Jumpers, the voyage across the Pacific to French Polynesia will be the longest they’ve ever made, landing them in remote places for many months. Some of the most remarkable islands along the Coconut Milk Run are in the first archipelagos visited in this east-to-west passage: the Gambiers, Marquesas, and Tuamotus. But these islands are isolated and offer limited access to parts and provisions, making planning and self-sufficiency imperative. The cruisers who don’t have the spare parts they need (or an unstoppable boat) may get stuck in one place while their 90-day visa ticks away, or have to rush downwind to well-stocked Tahiti, and they may never get a chance to return to these jewels of the South Pacific.
While it can be difficult to know which spares to bring, Cody Heath of Zoe from Houston, Texas, summed it up nicely: “Have anything you need that’s unique and essential.” For example, Bruce Toal of Wild Orchid, from San Diego, noted that he and many friend boats went through far more tricuspid joker valves than expected: “Some of the new ones are bad straight out of the package, so bring plenty of spares.”
While a working head definitely improves the quality of life aboard, there are other, far more important systems to prepare before departure. Your engine is more critical than ever when you’re navigating long, windless days and tricky atoll passes, so keeping it purring nicely becomes a borderline obsession.”