The Link to Shore

Much has been said and written about preparing your vessel for an off shore passage, but few think about the importance of having good shoreside support set up before heading out to sea. Almost all off shore racing teams have sophisticated onshore support teams providing them with weather routing, sea conditions and critical equipment data to keep the boat running smoothly. Granted, few cruisers have the same resources available, but all it takes to get a degree of shoreside support is some pre-planning and the right communications equipment.

A land-based support team, for example, can supply weather information, assist with repairs by providing technical data, relay progress information to loved ones and help pass on