Adventure sailing is a great way

• to have an incredibly good time on the water
• to see new landfalls sometimes only accessible by boat
• to renew creativity and rejuvenate one's the joie de vivre
• to improve sailing skills in an open ocean cruising environment
• to connect with like minded others for friendship and networking

Here are some adventure sailing charters of note which are based from the West Coast of North America.

I will be heading to the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland, California (April 15-18). Will be screening the final cut of my first sailing documentary project, "Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha" (Waterfront Hotel, Portside auditorium, April 15 2:00PM, April 18 10:30AM).

The show shifts to an improved four-day format and the majority of the booth exhibitors will be housed in a 30,000 square foot ‘Exhibit Hall’ – site of the former Barnes & Noble bookstore.  lso new for 2010 is the addition of premium pre-owned boats in the in-water section of the show which is designed to enhance the show by providing attendees with a wider selection of boats to view.

The show's venue, Jack London Square, has undergone massive re-development since 1980s but the original "First and Last Chance" saloon, where authtor Jack London hung out while writing his books, still stands . The saloon is quite funky, more like a big tool shed, and the floor is so slanted that it is not recommended for persons with vertigo.

Both of these videos put a smile on my face.

In the first video, a vessel in distress is calling the German Coast Guard. The rookie the in training does not quite understand the skipper's pronouciation of "sinking."

In the second, the captain of the navy ship ends up with egg on his face afer demanding that the "Lighthouse" change course.

 
The unexpected happens sometimes during a cruise. The sailor is far from shore and his sailboat begins to take on water. In most cases, it is not because of a catastrophic incident, such as, collision with a hard object. The odds are that the water ingress is due to a split hose, a broken thru-hull fitting, or a leaking shaft log. Immediate action is necessary to locate the source of water and to stop the ingress.

Any water coming into the vessel needs immediate attention. Just a 2-inch hole below the water line allows 79 gallons of water inflow per minute. In a typical 30-foot sailboat, the hull fill up with 2,000 gallons of water in about 30 minutes.

  
This pictorial shows how the components of the rescue system interact with each other.

COSPAS: Cosmicheskaya Systyema Polska Aariynyich Sudov (Russian)
SARSAT: Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking

Founded in 1982 by USA, Canada, Russia, and France.  Currently 38 nations are participating. The system only receives 406 MHz signals.

Due to lack of space, bring items on board with forethought. If the item you bring on board has at least two uses, it is even better. For example, this rubber strap wrench has multiple uses:

1. opening jar lids
2. remove oil/fuel filters
3. open raw water filters, lids
4. drinking water filter removal
5. twist pipes, other