We are really looking forward to receiving the family and friends who have promised to come sailing with us at various stages of our circumnavigation. Without wanting to sound too prescriptive, here are some suggestions on what to bring and what should preferably stay at home (some of these may be obvious, but some I had to learn the hard way!).

What to bring
- Sunscreen!!! And sunhats.
- Any prescription medication you might need, as well as the prescription itself.
- Seasickness tablets - we have found the best are Stugeron and Motillium. Seasickness affects most people only for 2 or 3 days.
- Leave-in hair conditioner - we have a water-maker, but water supplies will still be limited.
- Shorts, T-shirts, cossies and sarongs.
- One or two fleecys for cooler evenings.
- Mask and snorkel if required.
- Couple of paperbacks for lazy afternoons (preferably donate to crew afterwards).
- Anything else we might ask you to bring due to local unavailability.
- Your sense of humour and willingness to go with the flow!

What not to bring
- Suitcases (not a suggestion - captain's orders!!). Please bring soft-sided luggage (like duffel bags) which can be folded up. There is literally no space to store suitcases.
- Dark-soled shoes/sandals (and please no heeled shoes) - these wreak havoc on teak decks.
- Too much clothing. Almost half the clothes I had initially brought to the US, got sent back to SA before we set sail!
- Leather jackets, handbags etc.
- Your computer - we have one on board for sending emails, and downloading and burning pics.
- Hair dryers, expensive jewellery etc. The idea is to get back to nature!

Finally, please bear in mind that tight time schedules may pose a problem. We can in no way guarantee that we will arrive at or depart from a particular destination on a particular day. It depends on the weather, Strider's maintenance needs, and the crew's preferences. Try to allow a week's leeway either side of planned arrivals or departures.