Crewing the ARC - what to pack (and not to take)?

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dunedin

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Hoping to do the ARC later this month - but as crew on another boat. Hence everything taken will need to be prioritised to fit into a flight hold bag.

Not sailed these waters, so what is the experience of those that have been there before? What key things to take - and equally importantly what not to take?

Clearly hoping for quite a bit of fair weather sailing - so (quick dry) shorts and short sleeve shirts, plus sun hat obvious essentials.
Good life jackets are on the boat (I will add my own PLB etc). Kindle and USB chargers on the list already.

But in an ocean crossing the weather wont necessarily always be favourable.
- Are oilskins needed in case of an upwind bash for a period?
- Dubarry boots would be very heavy, can these be safely left behind?
Is a thin sleeping bag necessary for colder nights, or a waste of weight and space?

What other packing tips from the experts?
 
dunedin said:
Hoping to do the ARC later this month - but as crew on another boat. Hence everything taken will need to be prioritised to fit into a flight hold bag.

Not sailed these waters, so what is the experience of those that have been there before? What key things to take - and equally importantly what not to take?

Clearly hoping for quite a bit of fair weather sailing - so (quick dry) shorts and short sleeve shirts, plus sun hat obvious essentials.
Good life jackets are on the boat (I will add my own PLB etc). Kindle and USB chargers on the list already.

But in an ocean crossing the weather wont necessarily always be favourable.
- Are oilskins needed in case of an upwind bash for a period?
- Dubarry boots would be very heavy, can these be safely left behind?
Is a thin sleeping bag necessary for colder nights, or a waste of weight and space?

What other packing tips from the experts?
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Suntan lotion, headgear & shades.
 
Did it as crew last year (from Cape Verde’s) and brought way too much. It was 25-30+ degrees the whole way across, downwind all the time, and when it rained in squalls it was far too hot for foulies (light packamac was about right).

Nights were cooler but not cold.

We spent the whole time in flip flops or sandals or bare feet.
 
It's a long time since I did it but I just took lightweight clothing including a showerproof jacket and trousers. I never wore the showerproof trousers because the only time I got seriously wet was in the sudden squalls that occasionally hit us and you would be soaked before getting them on so I just took most of my clothes off and put them under the sprayhood to keep dry and then put them on again when the squall passed. I had no boots and was barefoot most of the time anyway.

I also took a lifejacket, sleeping bag, books (there were no Kindles or tablets then), usual toiletries, a camera, a couple of bags of sweets and two tubes of anchovy paste.

The boat's owners had provisioned very well (except for anchovy paste!) so we wanted for nothing.

One thing I didn't have, and could have done with, was a contoured sleep mask. I'd strongly recommend getting one.
 
Not quite sailing gear but maybe get a revolut card before you go?
https://www.revolut.com

Only a fiver then if a cash machine eats it it's not the end of the world, plus only transfer the cash you want to spend onto the card.

Also, a laminated photocopy or 2 of the main passport page is handy so you have some ID to carry around without having your actual passport.
 
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Thin thermals. The first few nights can be a bit chilly. Oilskins are a must, squalls have very cold rain. You can get away without boots.

Turn up on watch 5 minutes early and you'll be the most popular guy on board.
 
Best thing I took was oilskin shorts (they were musto br1)

That combined with sailing sandals (keen or similar) and oilskin jacket was perfect for squalls
 
Don't underestimate the number of books you will read (albeit on a kindle). Some secret favourite food item for when you get cravings mid way across. I became addicted to barley sugars and butterscotch sweets on the long night watches. Not even sure you can get them now!
 
You don't need sleeping bag, oillies or boots. Take thermal top and legs for the chilly nights...I didn't need them last time. A Buff is handy as a neck warmer, hat and eyemask in one. A few hundred Gb of audio books, iplayer radio etc. helps while away the time. Only extra I'm taking this year (NARC) is a decent hand line, wire traces and lures for fishing. Couldn't believe the zero fish count in 2016.
 
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Mmmm, most advice seems good from what Ive seen. Waterproof top, suncream all make life more comfortable, plus a shedload of books (loaded kindle).

When you get to St Lucia you will get eaten alive by mossies so take spray DEET for your first run ashore, everyone else will be in the itchy queue to buy it next day and you can gloat.
 
capnsensible said:
...take spray DEET for your first run ashore...
Click to expand...

That's a good one, we've never found anything anywhere that works quite so well as the 'Jungle Formula' sprays from Boot's.

Take a spare sun hat & sunglasses, choice is fairly limited in the mid-Atlantic shopping mall and its prices outrageous; other than the sail-through McDonald's restaurant of course, but I think that's subsidised like the ones in central London, Rome & New York
If you've got it right, then all your needs will comfortably fit into a airline carry-on/cabin bag, but be sure to take it in a soft one, not one of the solid wheely jobs.
 
Hand line with wire trace and squid lures. A head torch with a red light option is handy. A small teach yourself sun sights book with tables, I assume every boat will have its own sextant? I've had full ocean oilies on at times.
 
I would agree with all the suggestions about entertainment. Clothing/gear is fairly easy as shorts and tee shirt will do 99% of the time. Do not underestimate how much free time you will have. There is very little sailing (apart from helming if you feel like it but pilot will do most of that as well) to do and so a kindle with plenty of books and an extensive source of music are, in my opinion, invaluable.

I always suggest to people to leave a few boat jobs to do during the crossing as well to help pass the time.
 
Personal stereo with headphones. Kindle DON'T FORGET THE CHARGERS!

Handline with spare lures pink squids worked for me.

If the boat does not have a sextant a trawl on Ebay should find an Ebco sextant for little money and you can print off the relevant pages for the crossing from here. https://www.thenauticalalmanac.com/ not essential but very satisfying when you get a cocked hat that matches the GPS position.
 
It's also worth considering how well you are going to get on with your fellow crewmen (and/or women) and whether you have confidence in them. If you don't know them it's worth arranging a short cruise beforehand if possible.
 
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