When I began preparing Minx, my 1987 Pearson 39-2, for extended Caribbean cruising, I had to balance my champagne wish list against my beer budget. Every buck spent on the boat before leaving would be one less frosty can of Carib down in the islands. On the other hand, I had to ensure the boat was properly prepared for the 2,500-mile journey from Marblehead, Massachusetts, to my first destination: Guatemala’s Rio Dulce.
I’ve sailed in the Caribbean plenty of times, so I had a good idea what to expect weather-wise. I’ve also done enough bluewater cruising to have a solid idea of how to prepare my own boat. The mission was to get her equipped for safe, comfortable cruising and be able to spend a week or three off the grid, without wasting money on nonessentials.
I almost got there. Here’s how I prepared the boat, over a three-year period. Some of the upgrades were carried out before I sailed the boat down to Florida in 2018. The rest were completed in the first half of 2021.
THE RIG
You would be foolish to go undertake a venture of this nature unless you have total faith in your rig. At the very least, go over it scrupulously yourself, assuming you have faith in your own abilities. If you don’t, engage a rigger (one with good references) to inspect it. A rigger’s written report would be something to show your insurance company in the event of a dismasting.
What I did: The standing rigging on my boat was less than three years old, but I went over every turnbuckle to make sure there were no signs of cracks or damaged or missing cotter pins. I also took a magnifying glass to the wires where they entered the Sta-Lok terminals and hoisted a trusted friend aloft to inspect the masthead fittings. The only problems I had en route were with the Dyneema mainsail and genoa
