DR - 3/13/15 (Friday)

è We sailed from Samana Bay to south of the Bay (called Haitises)

• Navigating the dinghy (our inflatable motorboat) was awesome. It felt like I jumped into one of my favorite adventure video games. We saw several of these types of islands. Some had a colony of birds' nests. Some of us had spotted vultures, cormorants and pelicans.

• Our crew also got to dock our boats next to some big caverns. After exploring one of the caves, we started speculate that it may have once been underwater. Evidence? Jen had found some fossils of boulder corals

• "Mangrove Kingdom" was a challenging place to maneuver the dinghy, but exhilarating at the same time. I'd like to think that Southeast Florida used to look like this back in its pre-industrial times.

"Things for an Expedition"

è Talk given by Shanley

-        Customs/ immigration/ permits

-        Distance (how long will it take)

-        Weather (short vs. long term)

-        Logistics: ports, anchorages, safe havens

-        Supplies: fuel (diesel/gas), water, spares, science gear

-        Travel to and from location

You know what you need, How do you get it?

-        Cruising guide, government websites, calls, Noonsite, agencies, local contacts (permits)

-        Charts (paper/ electronic), google Earth

-        Passage weather, weather underground, pilot charts, CG, local VHF radio/ newspapers

-        Charts, Noonsite, CG, blogs, local partners, port authorities, marinas

-        Based on distance/ time:

o   How much day you need to carry

o   Where can you top up?

o   What can’t you live without?

-        Closest airports, visas, public transit or prearranged, accessibility

Provisioning

-        Number of people

-        Number of days (plan for 2x as long)

-        Dietary requirements

-        How long will “fresh” things last?

-        Re-provision along the way

-        Ratios of food amount per person

-        Protein, vegetarian, grain

-        Snacks and tea / coffee

Toilet paper, clean supplies, soup