We are in the final year of a 3-year plan to head out on our voyage. Our plan is to get as far as Oz and then decide if we want to keep going. We expect to keep going but, in addition to my wife and I, we have 2 very young children and a Jack Russell Terrier (Harley) we want to make sure all is OK. Anyway, now that you have the brief intro to who we are and what our plan is I have a few questions. Any thoughts comments or suggested readings would be very helpful.
1. Piracy during our trip. As I mentioned we will have 2 small children and I'm not sure what to expect or what the best plan is to avoid problems.
2. Harley. How do we best prepare for bringing a pet into foreign countries?
3. Your opinion on cruising rallies to hook up with throughout our voyage? That's it for now. Cheers, Tom
Hi Tom: Piracy–This is an ever-changing issue and one which needs to be addressed as you cruise. Our own philosophy has been to avoid areas with known problems such as some parts of SE Asia or the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula. If you join SCCA you will rarely find any comments. I think the risk of crime in general is typically far lower cruising than when you live in any large US city.
Dogs–A bit of a problem down under in both NZ and Australia. Check with their consuls to get the latest, but they do not have rabies and understandably do not want to get it. The last time I heard anything, both countries had tightened their regulations, and you need to either have the dog in a kennel or arrange to be visited periodically by quarantine folks–expensive and a hassle.
Cruising Rallies–Expensive and a bit of a turnoff with locals as you descend on a given area in a pack. One of the complaints I have heard is that participants rarely have time to meet other cruisers or locals. On the other hand, they do provide a built-in group within which to travel. I think in the end it becomes a cruising lifestyle issue. Not our cup of tea, but they obviously serve a function for some people.
Good luck with your plans!
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
