What’s in my sea bag? Part IV
Our fourth installment of this series focuses on Jeff Jordan and his trip to the Heineken Regatta in Sint Maarten.
Jeff and his team of J World clients walked away with the gold in their bareboat division last year. The program is a unique mix of cruising and racing so we are curious what he’ll bring this year.
So Jeff… In addition to your 2013 first place flag, engraved telescope and signed Commodore’s record what’s in the bag, man?
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Well Kristen, typically I wait to the last minute and take way more gear than I need. My desire this year is to take only what I need and not a stitch more. The Heineken Regatta is an interesting event for several reasons, one we are on big, dry boats, two the weather is normally fantastic, and three the social aspect is a big part of this regatta. Another thing to consider is the fact that J World will likely be giving me a crew shirt, and Sunsail typically gives participants an oversized cotton shirt. That’s two shirts I do not need to pack. Last year they gave us one pair of sunglasses, that I ended up wearing, but I would recommend bringing your own. So here is what’s in my bag, again I am trying to take as little as possible.
- passport plus copy, store in seperate places. Although telling JT that they will not let me leave might work but I doubt it.
- toiletery kit, nothing unuusal here; except I would add aloe or some other post sun exposure product and for this year, mosquitto repellent
- 2 or 3 pairs of board shorts. Best multi-pupose short available, quick drying and crazy comfortable
- 2 or 3 long sleeve tech shirts. Has SPF and works great in a variety of conditions
- 1 pair sweat pants or light fleece pants. I dislike being cold on boats and at night the R1 pants are a close friend. Though I think some might find this unnecessary.
- 1 sweatshirt, or light fleece. Last year I discovered the Sun Hoody, perfect evening pullover.
- 1 or 2 casual shorts. Nice to have something dry with pockets for dinner
- white long sleeve linen shirt. Standard uniform shirt of the Carib, thanks Ricardo Montalbán, Jimmy Buffet and Capt. Ron.
- 1 additional collared shirt. Red wine never comes out of linen.
- seersucker suit. You never know when the gates of St. Barts Yacht Club may open or you are invited to dinner by the Mayor of St. Georges, Bermuda (that has happened to me, but a story for another time).
- flip flops. For me only Rainbows will do.
- 2 or 3 cotton t-shirts (one maize and blue). No good reason to include except I find cotton comforting, probably 2 short sleeve and one long sleeve, old habits die hard.
- micro fiber towel. I have taken showers in some strange places and being able to dry off is useful.
- sailing shoes. Heineken can be a windy event and shoes would help. Wear them on the plane and you won’t have to take an extra pair.
- sailing gloves. Once again it may be windy and you probably haven’t sailed for a couple of months and those hands may be tender.
- foul weather gear. I am not taking any, that said a spray top would be really handy if the weather gets blustery.
- 1 sarong. Don’t ask.
- dc charger for phone. Better yet turn your phone off for a week, trust me it will be there when you get home.
- sunglasses
- mp3 player with a carefully crafted playlist
- hat, sunscreen, zinc nose coat and lip balm. I typically use only the lip balm and nose coat, but all are good to have.
- first place flag from last year. Not everyone will have one to bring.
- Angostura aromatic bitters. For the Ting.
Please be aware that this is what I am going to bring, it is an experiment to see how little I can pack to be prepared for both the sailing and the social aspects of this regatta. Unlike other regattas, weight is not a concern and you should bring whatever you need to be comfortable, keeping in mind that there is a limited amount of space to be shared by the entire crew.