Cruising World - February 2016

THE ETERNAL TWO-YEAR PLAN

de Chiloé, where oxen dragged

loads of kelp on the beaches and

aquaculture floats filled every bay.

Alisa and I took stock of how

much fun we were having living

on the boat, and how much the

boys seemed to enjoy it, and re-

considered our plan. Two more years, we

decided, would allow us to go to the Falk-

lands and then north up the Atlantic, and

would get us back to Alaska by the sum-

mer of 2017.

A look of comprehension crossed Al-

isa’s face. “Don’t you remember?” she

asked. “When we left Alaska, we were on-

ly planning on a two-year sail to Austra-

lia.”

And so we realized, as our eighth an-

niversary as full-time sailors approached,

that we had spent all of that time on dif-

ferent two-year plans.

That recurring two-year time frame

is more than an accident. All voyaging

sailors play the game their own way, and

for us, having a goal is important. Our

personalities don’t lend themselves to sail-

ing aimlessly. So when we first left home,

it was with a very firm objective in mind:

We would sail to Australia, and then get to

know that country where I had been born

but never lived. Conveniently, that would

take about two years, and saving the

money needed for two years aboard was a

reasonable pre-departure target.

After we arrived in Australia and real-

ized how much we loved the sailing life,

we started to think about other plans. I

discovered that I could earn enough to

pay our way by working as a marine biol-

ogist on the boat, so we were in the lucky

position of being able to go for as long

as we wanted, rather than being forced

to stop and get jobs. Leafing through the

possibilities of season and ocean basin

spelled out in World Cruising Routes, we

sketched out itineraries that would carry

us through years and years of adventure.

But these longer plans, five-year chunks

of our life spoken for on the back of an

envelope in a late-night “what if ” session,

didn’t survive the cold-eyed scrutiny of

the following morning. They were nice ex-

pressions of a future that we hoped for,

but we had already seen too many exam-

ples of how life’s changes could frustrate

a sailor’s dreams. Life is fluid — it is a su-

premely unplanned series of events, and

any plan can only strive for the sweet spot

between being a constructive guide and

wishful thinking.

For us, those five-year itineraries have

felt too much like the latter. So we’ve

kept our goals concrete, and no more

than two years out. When we sold our

first traveling boat in Tasmania and

bought Galactic in California, our aim

was to spend a year preparing the ves-

sel and sailing her back to Tasmania, and

then spend another year in Australia for

Alisa to qualify for citizenship. Then we

embarked on our most ambitious two-

year plan: visiting the New Zealand sub-

antarctic as a way of testing the waters

for sailing in higher latitudes, and then

sailing on to the grand challenges of Pa-

tagonia, with side trips to Tonga and

French Polynesia to sweeten the deal.

These goals have felt like enough to

ask of fate and the fickle ocean. Our firm

intention is still to sail back to Alaska

someday. We’ll take on all the sailing be-

tween here and there two years at a time.

Mike Litzow is the author of South from

Alaska: Sailing to Australia with a Baby

for Crew. Get in touch with Mike at his blog,

the lifegalactic.blogspot.com. At press time,

Mike and family were exploring the canals of

Patagonia on Galactic.

When Mike (above) and Alisa

(right, center) started sailing, it

was just the two of them. They

lived aboard Pelagic with their

first son, Elias (near right), then

bought Galactic when their

second son, Eric (far right),

arrived.

PROTECTING YOUR SAILS &

RIGGING WHILE IN PORT

You might be prepared for rough weather

at sea, but is your boat ready for high winds

and storms that blow through the harbor?

Here are a few tips for protecting your sails

and rig when you’re not out sailing.

DROP AND FLAKE YOUR SAILS

Roller-furling sails should not be left

on the headstay during threatening

storms, especially if the boat is on

the hard. Drop and fl ake your sails to

stow them during the big blow. While

doing so, check and address items

that may need attention such as loose

points, discoloration, small tears or

wear spots.

INSPECT ALL SHACKLES,

LINES, AND SWIVELS

At the same time, inspect all

elements of your furling system to

make sure everything is properly

fastened and in good, working

condition. Give a thorough once-over

to the standing rigging, checking

all halyards, lines, sheets, and

clutches for wear and tear; address

any weaknesses. Harden up on

the backstay to keep the rig from

bouncing around in heavy weather.

PROPERLY STORE YOUR SAILS

Mainsails fl aked and covered

on the boom should be fi ne; but

if you don’t have a cover or your

boat is on the hard, the main

should be stored down below.

GET A DEHUMIDIFIER

Storms can cause excess moisture

inside the cabin leading to possible

mildew on stowed sails and cabin

furnishings. A small dehumidifi er

will prevent these issues and

keep your cabin smelling fresh.

WANT MORE?

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ALISA ABOOKIRE (TOP); MIKE LITZOW