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  • About Us
    • Work With Us
    • Our Location
    • Our Plans
    • Our Boat
  • Catamarans & Sailing
    • Buying a Boat
    • Cruising Costs
    • Sailing Tips & Tricks
    • Catamaran Brands & Model Reviews
  • Boat Gear & Outfitting
    • Boat Gear
    • Outfitting a Boat for Cruising
    • Maintenance
    • Offshore Emergency Medicine
  • Travel & Sailing Blog
    • Our First Post
    • Europe
      • France
      • The Netherlands
    • Americas
      • Bermuda
      • Canada
      • Panama
      • The Caribbean
      • United States
    • Pacific Islands
      • French Polynesia
      • Fiji
      • Galapagos
      • Hawaii
      • New Caledonia
      • Niue
      • Tonga
      • Vanuatu
    • New Zealand
    • Australia
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
    • Africa
      • Chagos
      • Seychelles
      • Madagascar
      • South Africa
    • Travel Tips
    • Cruising Lifestyle

Boat Gear & Outfitting

Outfitting a boat to cruise – or circumnavigate – is really hard work. We’ll finish our circumnavigation in 2020, and have learned what works on a cruising boat – and what doesn’t.

The number of items you can order for your boat off Amazon is amazing.  Many of the best items on our boat are ordered from Amazon.


Boat Gear

  • Using the Marie Kondo Method to Tidy Our Boat
  • Snorkeling Off Your Cruising Boat
  • Cruise RO Watermaker Review
  • Exercising While Cruising
  • Magma Pots & Pans
  • Tools for Cruising Boats
  • Reducing Disposable Plastics in the Galley
  • Video Gear & Cameras for Sailing Videos
  • A Year with our Drift Paddleboards
  • Liferafts
  • iPaddleboards v iKayaks
  • Fishing Gear for Cruisers
  • Communications While Cruising
  • Marriage Saver Headsets
  • Set Up and Review of Sea Eagle Inflatable Kayak
  • Five of our Favorite Things
  • What’s In My Galley
  • Offshore Medical Kit Contents
  • Books for Cruisers
  • Foul Weather Gear
  • Our Mantus Anchor Unboxing
  • Man Overboard
  • Book Review:  Care & Feeding of Sailing Crew
  • Boat Cards
  • Our First Christmas Gifts as Cruisers

Boat Outfitting

Our boat outfitting was a 3-step process.  We started in La Rochelle, where we picked up our new Fountaine Pajot Helia 44.  We did the barebones work needed to make us comfortable bringing her across the Atlantic double-handed, working with Uchimata.  When we arrived in Miami, our broker completed the commissioning and we did some projects there.  Then, we sailed around to Palmetto, Florida, where we spent three months getting the final big projects done.

  • How to Set Up a Catamaran to Sail Around the World
  • Work in La Rochelle
  • Work in Miami
  • Palmetto Projects 1
  • Palmetto Projects 2
  • Palmetto Projects 3: Enclosure and Hardtop
  • Palmetto Projects 4: Solar
  • Dropping the Temperature
  • Anchor Chain Upgrade
  • Custom Silverware Organizer
  • Headsails
  • Selecting Factory Options
  • Choosing our Trampoline
  • Our Dinghy

Haul Outs

  1. November 2015:  BVIs – at Nanny Cay
  2. February 2016:  Grenada Marine
  3. December 2016: Whangarei, New Zealand at Norsand Marine
  4. June 2017:  Vava’u, Tonga
  5. January – March 2017:  The Boat Works, Australia
  6. January 2019: PSS, Thailand
  7. February 2019:  G&T Boat Yard

Boat Projects

  • Running Lines Through the Mast
  • Swapping and Cleaning a Transducer
  • Converting Heads to Freshwater
  • Swapping a Windlass Gypsy
  • Re-bedding Deck Hatches
  • Resizing Battens
  • A Perfectly Executed Boat Project
  • DIY Bottom Job
  • Repairing our Quick Chain Counter Sensor
  • DIY Dyneema Lifelines
  • Replacing our AGM Batteries with Lithium-Ion
  • Three-Year Maintenance

Offshore Medical Care

  • Medical Books to Keep On Board
  • Offshore Emergency Medicine Course
  • Vaccines for Cruisers
  • Offshore Medical Kit Contents

Using the Marie Kondo Method to Tidy Our Boat

14 Aug 2019
7 Comments
Amy
cleaning, cruising
About Marie Kondo & Tidying Up Marie Kondo is a Japanese woman who has been obsessed with tidying up her whole life.  She’s sold millions of copies of her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and is an organization consultant. What spurred us to read her...
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Exercising While Cruising

22 May 2019
3 Comments
Amy
Exercise has always been a part of our lives so it would make sense that we would exercise onboard Starry Horizons.  However, it’s taken over four years to develop some good habits and settle into an exercise routine. Before Cruising Back in land life, David and I both...
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Snorkeling Off Your Cruising Boat

08 May 2019
2 Comments
Amy
boat gear and outfitting, gear, snorkeling
Snorkeling is one of our absolute favorite activities when we are cruising.  When the water is clear, I like to get in at least every other day for a snorkel.  It’s great exercise and exposes us to the marine wildlife around us.  Since we’ve been...
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A Year with Our Drift Paddleboards

01 May 2019
1 Comment
Amy
boat gear and outfitting, drift paddleboards, paddleboarding
I wrote a while back about unboxing my new Drift Paddleboards I got in Australia and taking them for a spin.  Since then, I’ve had a blast paddleboarding with the Gemini Twins (or the singular, Lord and Lady Gemini) all over Southeast Asia. However, after my first few...
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Magma Products Nesting Pots and Pans Review

24 Apr 2019
3 Comments
Amy
boat gear and outfitting, galley
I was already a huge fan of my Magma Products nesting cookware set.  I had brought a set over to France when we moved aboard the boat and easily fell in love with them.  However, after four years and some mistreatment on my part, my pans were not doing so well. ...
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Haul Out at G&T Boat Yard in Phuket, Thailand

20 Feb 2019
5 Comments
Amy
boatyard, haul out, thailand
“Actually, maybe let’s go to that mooring ball instead.” David points off to the starboard side of the boat, towards Ko Rok Yai. “Ok,” I say into my marriage saver headset.  I shift the throttles and turn the helm to head over to the other...
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Haul Out at Phithak Shipyard & Services

09 Jan 2019
6 Comments
Amy
haul out, satun, shipyard, thailand
Back in Indonesia, we discovered a leaking thru-hull. The water exhaust for the generator was leaking into our main cabin, and we needed to haul out to fix it. Shipyard options for a cruising boat are rather limited. We were working with a schedule; we wanted to haul out after...
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Tools for Cruising Boats Sailing Around the World

19 Dec 2018
6 Comments
Amy
boat gear and outfitting, main, maintenance, repairs, tools
One of the things David and I love about cruising is being out in remote locations, away from cities and towns.  For the last four years, we’ve been able to go to some amazing places like the Lau group of Fiji and the Ha’apai group of Tonga.  This also means...
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Reducing Disposable Plastics

01 Dec 2018
4 Comments
Amy
boat gear and outfitting, galley, gift ideas, plastics, trash
Cruising Southeast Asia has made me so angry about plastics. It’s horribly depressing to realize that while plastics and waste, in general, are an issue in the United States, it’s nothing compared to the issues in countries like Indonesia. The prevalence of single-use...
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outchasingstars

#sailing around the world on our #fountainepajot #catamaran we will finish our #circumnavigation in 2020!
See our latest posts about #Seychelles

Instagram post 2180308010394517870_7313427715 These little yellow weavers build their nests on the reeds.  Unfortunately, due to the high rains, many of the weaver nests in the St Lucia river were lost as they were built too low.#zululand #southafrica #stluciaestuary #girlslovetravel
Instagram post 2178603744034361862_7313427715 Today was hippo day!  We took a two-hour cruise out of St Lucia, just an hour north of Richard's Bay.  The water was high due to all the rain we've had, but we saw dozens of hippos out enjoying the flood. #africa #richardsbay #zululand #hippo #riverboat #womenwhosail #girlslovetravel #nikond750
Instagram post 2158262367006248793_7313427715 We made new friends today!!!! 😍This was our THIRD paid tour to swim with whale sharks (1 - Australia, 2-Maldives), but the first time we got the amazing experience we were looking for!With @22.south and @sakalav.diving, we went out bright and early this morning to look for whale sharks.  There were just six of us on board and we had so many sightings!  The whale sharks were feeding off the plankton that congregates in the waters of the Mozambique channel.#whalesharks #madagascar #sailingaroundtheworld #nosybe
Instagram post 2156638820001579500_7313427715 The Malagasy people are astounding sailors. Hundreds of local boats pass us by every day. Some motor loud engines, or paddle by with gentle splashes, but most glide by on the barest whisper of winds. It might be a skiff with a lone man and a fishing line, or a beamy vessel weighed down with building supplies.We have learned to recognize many of the boats by their sails; patchwork in various colors and patterns distinguish each boat. The boats feel ancient to us; archaic; prehistoric; timeless. They humble us. Thank you to our friend Lars for the picture. #fountainepajot #helia44 #madagascar #womenwhosail #sailingaroundtheworld #circumnavigation #nosybe #traditionalsailing #outrigger
Instagram post 2154685123105284888_7313427715 I sssssssssssssee you. Madagascar tree boa we spotted at Lokobe. #madagascar #nosybe #lokobe
Instagram post 2154227047520655230_7313427715 Yesterday was one of those days where you find yourself doing something ridiculous and think 'geez....this is my life???'. We'd booked a full day with Nosy Be Adventures, recommended to us by another cruiser.  That's how, at about 9 am in the morning, David, Kimi, and I found ourselves paddling a canoe out to a remote village in Lokobe Reserve.  Inaccessible by car, our guides had an outrigger canoe ready for us.  Audience participation required!This was just the start of the day.  We hiked, saw lemurs and snakes, ate Malagasy food, and watched a stunning sunset.Madagascar certainly requires an adventurous spirit!@achimasrak_94 #madagascar #lokobe #nosybe
Instagram post 2150293593687001113_7313427715 More local critters at Nosy Komba. Madagascar is home to half the 150 species of chameleons in the world. We saw dozens on our hike. #madagascar #nosykomba #chameleon #wildlifephotography #nikond750
Instagram post 2150212853578217420_7313427715 More lemur fun on Nosy Komba!#lemur #madagascar #nosykomba
Instagram post 2148414005268648278_7313427715 Hello you!  We got to meet Madagascar's famous resident yesterday. This one is a male black lemur on Nosy Komba, watching us with his big orange eyes!#madagascar #nosykomba #lemur #girlslovetravel #nikond750
Instagram post 2120416049550607018_7313427715 Good morning to you!! 🌅🧘🏻‍♀️ #yoga #sunsalutation #sunrise#seychellesislands#edenisland#marinalife #cruising #sailingaroundtheworld #cruisinglife #sailboatlife #girlslovetravel #sailboat #fountainepajot #helia44 #catamaran #womenwhosail #share_your_emotions_2019 #starryhorizons #womenwhotravel#googlepixel2
Instagram post 2105306088692937562_7313427715 Our first night in the Pacific Ocean!  After two days transiting the canal, it was surreal to watch the sunset in Panama City. #throwback #panama #panamacanal #betweentwooceans#cruising #sailingaroundtheworld #cruisinglife #sailboatlife #girlslovetravel #sailboat #fountainepajot #helia44 #catamaran #womenwhosail #share_your_emotions_2019 #starryhorizons #sailinganddroning#dji #phantom3 #drone
Instagram post 2104620789918648932_7313427715 Throwback to entering the pass in Fulaga, Fiji. Still one of our favorite islands. #cruising #sailingaroundtheworld #cruisinglife #sailboatlife #girlslovetravel #sailboat #fountainepajot #helia44 #catamaran #womenwhosail #share_your_emotions_2019 #starryhorizons #sailinganddroning#fiji #bula#dji #phantom3 #drone
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