But in the past few years since we've had kids, Michael has done much more of the sailing than I have, so that I sense an imbalance in our skill level, or perhaps in our confidence level. She applied for a crew position on a cruise from Fiji with Mahina Expeditions of Friday Harbor, Washington. The business, run by John Neal and Amanda Swan, has conducted sail training expeditions for nine years. Neal, whose background includes logging more than 157,000 miles of Pacific Basin cruising, focuses on men and women with intermediate skills who want to become serious passagemakers. The expeditions which take a maximum of six crew, are preceded by thoroughly laid-out objectives, a suggested reading list, and a hefty softbound cruising companion, all sent to successful applicants before departure.
Training is in boat and safety systems.
During the trip, Ginny consulted cruising guides, checked currents and set her course. She prepared charts, made log entries hourly, took and plotted bearings and calculated a 24 hour noon to noon run. She cooked and cleaned, learned splicing and knots and checked rigging. On the last day of the trip everyone was given another chance to practice a skill of her choice. Ginny picked man-overboard.