This post is a rambling account of my experience sailing my H340 to Mexico from Galveston, Texas as a participant in the Regatta de Amigos. Beware, this story is long but largely true. My purpose in sharing this adventure is not to prescribe how this trip should be done, but to relate my experience for whatever value it might hold for those who yearn, as I do, to sail off into the sunset in an H340. This installment of the story is about what I did to prepare the boat and crew for a 1,500 mile offshore round trip to Mexico. To enjoy the story, simply add beer....lotsa beer....Tecate, Pacifico, Dos Equis...mmmmmmmm, Mexican beer. The Regatta de Amigos is one of the premier offshore racing events in Texas. The race begins in late May/early June just off the pier of the Flagship Hotel in Galveston and ends about 630 n.m. due south in Veracruz, Mexico (more or less, at the bottom of the Bay of Campeche). The prevailing winds are from the southeast and generally clock to the east below the Texas border. The race has been held each even-numbered year since the 1960s. The participants can elect a generous number of cruising and PHRF classes as well as a motoring/autopilot class. The motoring/autopilot class allows the entrant to use an autopilot for all but the first 30 minutes of the race, and to use the ship’s motor for up to 36 hours. In any of the classes, an entrant can run the motor to his/her heart’s desire for the purpose of charging batteries so long as the transmission is not engaged. I purchased Cut I (I as in eye, not 1 as in one), an H340, in 1999 and wanted to enter the race in 2000, but could not manage all the boat preparations and the time away from work. But, I did mentally commit to enter the race in 2002. Although I’m not a sailboat-race enthusiast or regular race participant (in fact, I have never participated in a triangular course race), I have enjoyed the offshore point-to-point races. The reader may be interested to know that before buying Cut I in 1999, I owned a 1996 H280, Shazaam, and before that a 1993 26’ MacGregor, Taxman. I sailed Shazaam offshore up and down the Texas coast for two years before buying Cut I. I never sailed Taxman outside of protected waters. I was born and reared in Nebraska and never contemplated sailing before moving to Texas in 1989. Taxman was the first boat I sailed or owned. Lakewood Yacht Club and Galveston Bay Cruising Association jointly sponsor the Regatta de Amigos and conduct several informative sessions during the spring to educate the participants on the nuances of Veracruz and (historical) prevailing wind and weather conditions for the course. I found this information to be valuable as I prepared for the 2002 edition of the race. Early in 2002, I gained the commitment of my best sailing buddy, Ed, to crew for the race. Ed and I share the occupational hazards of university professors and also share a passion for sailing. We both reside in College Station, Texas. Later, I also gained the commitment of a fellow Matagorda Bay (middle of the Texas coast) sailor, Nic, who has experience cruising the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Prior to entering the Regatta de Amigos, I had logged about 4,000 nm on Cut I. Most of those miles were in the Gulf of Mexico on overnight trips between Matagorda Bay and points on the Texas coast both north and south. I had also enjoyed sailing overnight to a point about 30 miles offshore of Matagorda Bay, heaving to over a structure, and fishing for Red Snapper. The other entrants in the race included several larger Hunters and one of my College Station sailing buddies—and fellow Matagorda Bay sailor—driving a 27’ trimaran...and y’all were thinking I’m crazy! Original Equipment I purchased Cut I from Ship and Sail in Kemah, Texas. I ordered her with some dealer and factory options including radar, refrigeration, GPS, dodger & bimini & connector, macerator, four 12 volt cabin fans (this is Texas), 2nd propane tank, solid boom vang, and Autohelm 4000 autopilot. Later I added a 406 EPIRB, 35 pound Delta anchor, cockpit cushions, MOB device, medical kit, dinghy & motor, three batteries, a 100 amp alternator with multistage “smart” regulator, and a barbecue grill (this is Texas). Upgrades In preparing for the race, my two biggest fears were running out of water and running out of batteries. The H340 brochure specifies a water capacity of 75 gallons; I assumed this included the capacity of the water heater. Usable gallons are probably no more than 65. As an ample-bodied Nebraska boy, I have always enjoyed fairly luxurious showers on Cut I. However, my showers have often consumed 25% or so of the water tank. Such opulence we could not afford on the Regatta de Amigos. Our expectation was that the trip would take six days each way, with an opportunity to replenish water supplies in Mexico. To assure that we would have drinking water for the complete trip, I purchased four, five-gallon collapsible water tanks. These I filled with water treated by reverse osmosis and stored them beneath the settees. I also purchased four, one gallon plastic bottles with insulated covers (Wal-Mart special). Each was identical to the others. I discarded three of the plastic insulating covers and kept the four containers. My plan was to have one container in the cockpit in insulating cover, one in the refrigerator awaiting movement to the cockpit, and two others awaiting deposit in the refrigerator. These four containers would be replenished from the four, five-gallon collapsible containers. Thus, when the race began, we had 24 gallons of reverse osmosis water plus the water in the ship’s tanks. One very cold gallon was in the cockpit, one was in the refrigerator, two were in gallon containers beneath the galley sink and 20 gallons were in the four, five-gallon containers beneath the settees. My second major fear was running out of batteries. I wanted my crew (and me) to make this trip with as much comfort and safety as possible. Therefore, running the refrigerator continuously (in 90 plus degree heat) and running the radar all night were mandatory needs. Adding the other demands on the batteries (e.g., fans, lights, instruments, CD player, etc.), I estimated the total electrical consumption would be 250 amp hours per day. Because we were entered in the motoring/autopilot class, we would have ample opportunity to recharge batteries. However, we needed to conserve available motoring time for appropriate occasions, e.g., when the wind was light. Thus, I added additional battery capacity to bring the total up to 560 amp hours. This capacity would allow us to go up to 24 hours or more without running the motor to recharge. On the other hand, if the wind didn’t blow at all, I wanted to have enough fuel on board to motor at least half the distance, even in adverse currents. To allow for this possibility, I placed four, five-gallon diesel jugs on deck and tied them securely on the windward rail. This increased our total fuel capacity to 50 gallons. My working assumption was that of the 50 gallons, 45 were usable. 45 gallons, consumed at a rate of .67 gallons per hour, allowed for total motoring time of 67 hours. 67 hours of motoring at an average of 5 knots would take us 335 miles toward Veracruz. Safety Concerns There are plenty of things that can go wrong offshore. The worst of these is physical injury or death. We added a more complete medical kit to address the eventuality of injuries. We discussed how we would dispose of the body in event of death (in 17 days together, this was one of the most interesting dialogues). Comfort Concerns Next to safety, was the issue of comfort. Because Cut I is equipped with an excellent dodger and bimini, I wasn’t worried about protection from the sun or storms. Most prominent among my worries was how two crew and a captain would get quality sleep during the trip. The concern stems from the simple fact that the Hunter 340 has no quality sea berths. The aft cabin is spacious, but has no features to prevent the occupant from bouncing from one beam to the other. The main cabin has two potential berths, one on either side and the v-berth is unusable because rough seas tend to cause the occupant’s body to become airborne. In the final plan, I decided to make a lee cloth for the starboard settee and a lee board that fit the port settee. (I have pictures of these installations for any interested party.) Each settees would serve as a crew’s personal, private bunk. I would occupy the aft cabin along with enough gear to dampen the pinball-like movement between the port and starboard sides of the bunk. The rest of the personal gear would be stowed in the v-berth. What else? Well, what would we do if a sail ripped or blew out? To address that eventuality, I purchased a new main and jib from Hunter Marine’s excess inventory. These sails were kept in their factory bags and stowed in the aft cabin along with me. Although we weren’t entered in a spinnaker class, I purchased a used spinnaker, complete with sheets, from a friend for the long downwind trip back to Texas. We practiced launching and dousing the sail a few times before the race. I was surprised how significantly the spinnaker increased boat speed in light air. This sail was also stowed in the aft cabin. Miscellaneous Other preparations included filling the propane tanks; purchasing spare light bulbs, impellers, head parts (I have another relevant, intimate story); changing oil, oil filters, fuel filters; cleaning raw water intakes; buying a Mexican flag and quarantine flag; purchasing and installing a spinnaker halyard and all blocks necessary to fly a spinnaker. Also, I purchased many paper charts for the trip as well as several cruising guides and pilot charts. Beyond studying the charts, I assigned one crew member, Ed, to learn conversational Spanish. After eight weeks of intense study, Ed could speak Spanish as fluently as a typical Nebraska infant. So much for delegating communication skills 
One final hassle before departure was finding boat insurance. My existing policy was with Boat US. Boat US never returned my phone calls enquiring about a rider to cover this trip. Frustrated with the poor service, I dropped Boat US and purchased a policy from West Marine. The West Marine policy was more expensive, but covered Cut I in Mexico so long as she was within 30 miles of shore. The rider for coverage in Mexico cost a mere $50. There are so many other dimensions to the challenge of cruising long distances. For example, food selection and offshore food preparation, crew equipment, weather, responding to unexpected events, watch rotation, crew duties, beer & wine selection, navigation, race tactics, personal hygiene, and entertainment present challenges to be resolved. These issues I’ll address in the next installment.
One final hassle before departure was finding boat insurance. My existing policy was with Boat US. Boat US never returned my phone calls enquiring about a rider to cover this trip. Frustrated with the poor service, I dropped Boat US and purchased a policy from West Marine. The West Marine policy was more expensive, but covered Cut I in Mexico so long as she was within 30 miles of shore. The rider for coverage in Mexico cost a mere $50. There are so many other dimensions to the challenge of cruising long distances. For example, food selection and offshore food preparation, crew equipment, weather, responding to unexpected events, watch rotation, crew duties, beer & wine selection, navigation, race tactics, personal hygiene, and entertainment present challenges to be resolved. These issues I’ll address in the next installment.