While I was getting ready to take my watch on schooner Issuma today, I was surprised to be strongly reminded of home. Crew on Issuma have come from all around the world. I come from New York City, where I've been lucky enough to work sailing on NY Harbor. A number of items I pulled out to use sailing the Pacific came from those boats -

It's nice to have a light top in the sun on deck, and I had a very special one. The design features the oldest boat now sailing in NY Harbor, the 1885 schooner Pioneer, part of South Street Seaport Museum. Yes, that ship's turning 140 years old! My Pioneer crewmate, Jennifer Primosch, hand screened "Schooner Love" tops to show how the ship's crew feels about her. You are viscerally connected in a chain of generations of mariners when you sail on Pioneer.

A good hat is needed in the tropics. Luckily, I have a a shady wide brimmed hat with a lanyard from the elegant yachts of Classic Harbor Line. Their schooners Adirondack and America 2.0 have modern ammenities combined with traditional gaff sails. All these ships are native New Yorkers, built at the Scarano Brothers Shipyard on the Hudson River, and so graceful as they cruise the harbor.

I like to bring my own water bottle along, and I have a great one from New York Harbor School. Aluminum is preferred to plastic in the sun, and the wide mouth makes cleanng easier. New York Harbor School is an innovative public high school where students apply what they're learning out on the water, operating boats and restorng the marine environment. Every moment I've spent with the students and staff of Harbor School has been inspirational.

But wait, there's more... One can't forget sunscreen and a safety harness. I like to have a knife on my belt just in case, and the real watchkeeping essential--plenty of coffee! Now, with some help from home, I'm ready to take responsibility for the ship while others sleep. It feels good to be prepared. At two thousand miles into the Pacific, Issuma is the most adventurous boat I know!