I expect the biggest problem to be seasickness and fatigue among the
beginners. Any advice on managing that?

Regards,
Sail

TransDermScop are the scopolamine patches that you put behind your
ear to prevent seasickness. They do take a doctor's perscription but
that is very easy to get. They are wonderful. I would not sail
without them.

They were taken off the market briefly because some people were
getting double vision. It turned out that folks were handling the
patches and not washing their hands afterwards. (After all, they do
work by going throught the skin.) Then they would rub their eyes,
getting the scopolomine into their eyes.

The patches are put on an hour or more before you depart. They work
for several days. By that time your body will have adjusted to the
sea motion. They make you a little dry mouthed but they do not put
you to sleep as many of the other medications do.

By all means do get good seasickness medicine and let everyone test it
on themselves a week before departing. If someone reacts poorly to
the mediicine, they will have time to get a substitute medicine.
Seasickness is not just an extreme discomfort. It can render you and
your crew dangerously ineffective at the worst possible time.

Rent an EPIRB and a liferaft. Then GO !! If you wait until
everything is perfect you will never get out there. Don't be cowed by
thoughts of liability. Just fully inform your crew well in advance
what they are getting into. Adults have a right to make choices and
take risks. As long as they understand that you do not have a certain
piece of equipment, they have assumed the risk. Sailors have been
sailing for a long time without most of the equipment you named.
Occasionally they died; but the statistics say that the chances are
very slim. You are probably safer sailing than staying home. Also,
these days the risks (assuming that you have a reasonably well found
vessel and some experienced crew), are more running into a container
or being run down by a large ship.

And do go out 200 miles. There is something psychological about doing
that. Sure, you might die, but, then again, you might live -- really
live.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
lying Sea Gate Marina
Beaufort, NC