Sea  Bag  List

Tropical  Legs - Mahina Expeditions

2007: Legs  2-5             2008: Legs 7-9          2009:  Legs 1-5

 

Please go through this sheet twice carefully. Once when you first receive it and the second time three weeks before the expedition.

All of the gear you'll need on our sailing expeditions must fit in two bags: a soft-sided duffel bag no larger than West Marine’s Chattanooga Duffel (6894174) (max. length 30”, max. girth 60”) and a medium knapsack. The knapsack is important as a daypack for hiking and snorkeling trips.

No suitcases, camera bags that don’t fit in your duffel, bags with wheels, metal framed backpacks, folding luggage carts or guitars, please. Nearly everyone brings more gear than necessary. Each person has a small private locker for clothes and toiletries and shared lockers for shoes and foul weather gear. Folding or rolling gear and organizing it in Eagle Creek Cubes or zip-loc bags saves space.

You must be able to easily carry your duffel and knapsack by yourself: Total maximum weight allowance for all of your gear is 30 Ibs. for tropical legs.  We will ask you to weigh your bag on the dock and to leave ashore anything over the 30lb allowance. The following list is a guideline; other brands and sources are available.  The gear listed here is available from a combination of these sources:

¨       West Marine: 800.538.0775

¨       Patagonia: 800.638.6464, product numbers are listed (eg. #47720)

¨       REI Co-Op: 800.426.4840, product numbers are listed (#409-158-0011)

¨       InSport: 800.652.5200,  www.insport.com

 

Foul Weather Gear

 We recommend West Marine’s Equator Lightweight gear for tropical legs. At $135 for breathable jacket, (foulie pants are optional), this is hard to beat! Past expedition members have found that foulies over four years old or hiking/skiing gear does not stand up to the rigors of ocean passage making. Any foulie jacket that you bring must have a hood. Individual PFD's are provided. We request that you bring your own safety harness and non-elastic tether with a bag to stow them in. You can bring either a standard safety harness, or an inflatable vest/harness. The best tether is a WM 7810682: single, non-elastic snap shackle and Gibb safety hook, $94.99.

 

Tropical Clothing

£      3 nylon lightweight running shorts; comfortable, loose-fitting and quick-drying. InSports running shorts are our favorites.

£      1 pair Patagonia Baggies (55025) shorts.

£      1 pair long nylon pants, light color and quick drying. Patagonia Gi II Pants, (55025) are our favorite. Please do not bring jeans or cotton sweat pants.

£      1 lightweight collared short-sleeve casual shirt. Both West Marine and Patagonia have good selections. This style of shirt is considerably cooler than a t-shirt in the tropics and respectable when clearing customs.

£      1 lightweight, long-sleeved, ventilated, collared sun protection shirt: Columbia Sportswear Bahama II is tops.

£      2 t-shirts plus 2 loose-fitting, quick-drying lightweight CoolMax-type running shirts. InSport shirts work well.

£      Light-colored, lightweight long-sleeve shirt for sun protection.

£      Sun cap with tie down. Patagonia and West Marine have many styles.

£      Lightweight modest skirt or dress for women for cultural sensitivity. This is important in smaller countries.

£      Underwear, suggest 3 sports bras for women

£      Swimsuit (running shorts work well for guys)

£      Sleepwear (T-shirt and shorts, listed above)

 

Footwear

£      1 pair of NEW, never worn on the street, white or tan soled boat shoes or sandals for boat use only. Not to be worn ashore. IMPORTANT! Athletic-style boat shoes provide better support than traditional boat shoes.

£      Comfortable, sturdy, lightweight, and fast drying non-leather running or walking shoes or sandals.

£      Waterproof non-leather sandals to wear on the beach or in showers ashore. West Marine’s Sperry Thongs or Teva’s would be a good choice, but make sure to “break them in” first to avoid blisters when hiking.

 

Miscellaneous Gear

£      2 medium flat sheets (not sleeping sacks) and two pillowcases (pillows are provided).

£      2 small MSR PackTowl towels (REI 686888) or small hand towels, maximum size: 16” x 30” (large bath towels are not desirable on boats in the tropics) and one wash cloth.

£      Waterproof watch with light.

£      Alarm clock. Alarms in wrist watches are rarely loud enough to wake a person when we’re underway.

£      Waterproof flashlight with red lens, spare batteries & bulb. West Marine’s Pelican Mitylite (388488), $17.99.

£      Waterproof sun and lip screen.

£      Polarized sailing sunglasses with keeper strap.

£      Passport. Please ensure that we have a photocopy of your latest passport three months before joining us.

£      A PIN number for your Visa or Mastercard so that you’ll be able to get cash advances in the local currency upon arrival at your destination airport. This is easier than traveler’s checks which we don’t recommend.

¨       110-volt power is available through an inverter for shavers and recharging camcorder batteries.

 

Seasickness: Many of us are queasy, if not seasick for the first 24-48 hours of any ocean passage. We have found that eliminating coffee and increasing water intake to two liters daily for two weeks before joining the expedition greatly reduces the chance of seasickness and dehydration. We recommend the following:

 

Antibiotics: As with any expedition-type adventure in an isolated area we ask that you consult your doctor and obtain a broad-spectrum oral antibiotic for treating skin, throat, and eye or ear infections before joining us.

 

Optional: Camera, mask and snorkel, walkman, journal, 3 books, running shoes (if you’re a runner). We have loaner masks, snorkels and fins aboard.

 

Scuba Diving: Although we don’t carry additional scuba gear aboard, we can recommend a dive operator at the beginning or end of the expedition.

 

Airline Connections: Michael Henrichs at Doug Fox Travel, 1-877-429-5787, email: Michael.henrichs@dougfoxtravel.com can book the least expensive and most efficient air connections and hotel accommodations for our expeditions members.

 

Expedition Timing: Each leg begins and ends promptly at 12 noon on the day stated in the brochure. Our arrival in the port of destination is generally one day early to allow time for customs clearance and time to reconfirm airline tickets, pack up, and help clean the boat. It is not possible to board the boat earlier than 12 noon, or to stay aboard later as the time between expeditions is needed for maintenance and provisioning.

 

Arrival: Please plan on arriving at least 24 hours (48 hours if you are coming from a high-stress environment) before the start of your passage, spending the night(s) in a hotel, so that you'll have a chance to get over jet lag and be well rested and acclimatized when you come aboard.  THIS IS NOT AN OPTION. This extra day(s) mean less chance of holding up the start of the passage because of late flights or baggage.

 

Departure: Do not book your return flight before 2pm on the final day of the expedition. Many expedition members plan a night or more ashore after the expedition. Roberta can recommend hotels within your budget.

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL TO BRING WITH YOU: a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn not only about sailing and navigation, but to learn from fascinating people of different cultures, and from your fellow expedition members. You are about to take part in an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experience!