Roger and Frank are instructors with the Darien Sail & Power Squadron. This is a good chance to "Practice What We Teach!"
The boats are well equipped - and ready for their "Vessel Safety Check."
We are carrying ample amounts of fuel - plus spare tanks - and will refill at every opportunity. Owl is carrying 15 gallons, and Lovinde is carrying 18 gallons. These engines burn about a gallon per hour - which will provide more than a full day of power, should the conditions require it. But, it should be noted, these are SAIL boats, after all.
Each boat has two VHF Marine Radios. On each boat, one of the two VHF radios are equipped with the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) feature. These DSC devices have emergency data embedded in their memories, so that a press of the emergency "Red Button" will supply the Coast Guard with GPS coordinates as well as essential descriptive information provided by the MMSI coding.
One of the speakers at a recent Power Squadron event asked the group: "What is the most dangerous thing to have on board a cruising boat?" After hearing answers about flares, sharp objects, hot stoves, etc. etc. - he declared that the answer was: "A Schedule." Accordingly - we have no schedule - except to get around the island, safely, and to have some fun along the way. We are not bound by any directive to get home by a date-certain - and therefore we are not inclined to take risks to keep up with "The Schedule."