Cruising Update from Whiskey Soul

I am Devin Jones, and I was a member of the VI Fleet of 2024. I received my Leaver Package from Chapter Vice Commodore Scott Crawshaw in June and then set sail south aboard Whiskey Soul, an Alberg 37, in October.  Here is a recent update and a few recommendations for BCA members who are thinking about heading offshore.

Since leaving North Saanich Marina in Sidney on October 6, I’ve had an absolute blast sailing south in a whole host of conditions with a rotating cast of friends and random crew from Facebook crew groups. We’ve seen everything from the ocean looking like a glassy lake, to riding the 4m swells that trashed Santa Cruz Harbour. We faced our first low pressure system and warm front off Cape Mendocino with winds nearing 40 knots and enjoyed it all on our way south in this phase of the journey. In 2025 the goal is to cross the Pacific via the Hawaiian islands and South Pacific, and to continue to share the journey with as many friends and family members as possible.

Whiskey Soul at North Saanich Marina

I’ve definitely been learning a lot along the way, and can share a few recommendations based on my experience:

• Join the Weather & Fleet groups a few years before you intend to leave. There is a lot you can learn and participating a few times will give you time to practice things and get comfortable before leaving.
• Do as many boat projects as you can by yourself versus calling in the professionals. This will give you the ability to know when something is wrong, result in you having the right tools and parts to fix things, and give you the confidence and knowledge to figure it out (or fudge it until it can be fixed!)
• Take the time to use YouTube tutorials and online users manual to learn how to use OpenCPN and its GRIB, Weather Routing, and Weatherfax plugins while in the Weather Group and use this to do all your Virtual Passages as if you are at sea. The few hours I spent learning this has allowed me to sail confidently without professional weather routing and to be able to safely cruise without the costs of StarLink.
• I have exclusively used an Iridium GO versus StarLink. It is a bit cheaper, can provide free GPS tracking when linked with noforeignland, and is an effective item for your ditch kit in an emergency.
• Rig and try all your sail arrangements in benign conditions (and first at the dock) before they are needed so you are ready when inclement weather is approaching.
• Purchase a self-steering windvane early and learn to love using it. It is far more reliable than an autopilot and doesn’t require any power. It will hold the boat in irons for you while you raise the sails better than most autopilots ever could!
• Be ready to spend a lot of your time maintaining the boat, running around doing administration activities such as customs/marina registration, reprovisioning, and if you’ve got a rotating cast of crew members like me, coordinating people coming and going!
• eSIMs work well to get cell phone data wherever you are (e.g. Airolo is a good App), and you can use an app called TextNow to text/call using data when Facetime or Whatsapp can’t be used.
• Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. You will never see so much beauty in your life as when cruising abroad. The sunrises, sunsets, stars and marine life alone will blow your mind!
• Lean into the BCA. The members are incredible people and such great resources!

You can follow my journey @whiskeysoul_sailing on Instagram or Whiskey Soul Sailing on Facebook if anyone is keen.

Back to…coordinating crew! Cheers and all the best in 2025 to everyone in the BCA!