• Sites of cruisers we know
• Other Cruisers' sites that I've read, getting information before we left
• Sailing-related, marine supply equipment or things that we use aboard Eleytheria
• Non Sailing Related - General Links and/or companies we like

• Leslie and Philip of Carina were a boat that we'd heard long before we met them. Leslie is a net controller for the Amigo net, but it's so nice to put a face with a voice. Carina is one of those boats that had planned on Central America for along time - they're so prepared with charts and country flags and knowledge. They've been a great resource for us in Zihuat.
• Pat & Geno of Chalet Mer were our dock mates in Oyster Cove.
• We met Mike and Nancy and kids of Desiderata in the local hardware store in La Paz. Mike was looking for a water filter; we noticed what he had and offered our extra. That's the cruising community. We saw them one other time before we all parted ways. But I'm sure we'll see them somewhere along the way.
• John & Judy Amber of Encanto were at our old dock in San Francisco, but left to go cruising just prior to us moving in. We met them in La Paz and have gotten to know them along the coast of Mexico. They're heading south in 2005 as are we.
• We briefly met Doug and Kumi of Kanaloa when delivering a box of seasickness medicine. They also took Dickie Hill's Emergency Medicine Class and have a boat like ours. Obviously good taste!
• Mary and Bill of Raptor Dance have the most creative boat name. They explain that two Type A personalities coming home from work each day was like two velco-raptors trying to dance. They've mellowed a bit since the Baja Ha Ha, or so they say!
• We met Solace II in Huatulco, Mexico waiting out Hurricane Adrian. They have a 100 year old wooden boat, built in Pru's home country in England. Collin and Pru are cruisng without refrigeration and with two small kids, Rowan and Ella.
• Stargazer is proof that you can cruise at any time in your life. Nick and Nic are somewhere in their twenties (it's not polite to ask!), and are cruising for a year or so before starting a family. They are a hoot! We met them through the Baja Ha Ha and spent some fun time with them on our way to La Paz.
• The Lockards of Sula were a boat on the Baja Ha Ha. We didn't meet them until Zihuat during the Southbound group meetings.
• We heard Sun Break's name during the Baja Ha Ha, but didn't meet David and Leslie until the marina in Ixtapa. They were leaving for a trip back to the States as we were coming in so we didn't get to talk with them too much.
• We met only briefly Kevin and Cathy of Tao Min when Abe picked up some stainless steel tubing that Kevin had in Zihuat. They're heading north from Zihuat in 2005.
• Pam & Scott of Tournesol will be the first legally blind couple when they complete their circumnavigation. They've become great friends along the way.
• The Swensons of Trinity were also part of the Baja Ha Ha in 2005, but we didn't meet them until Zihuatanejo as part of the Southbound group.
• Frank and Shirley of Windsong were another that we'd heard long before we met them. Frank is a SSB net controller as well as the local net controller. We'd also heard loads of stories of Windsong from a mutual friend, Soy Libre.

Some other cruisers' sites that we've never met, but the likes of which I read profusely while preparing and dreaming of this trip:

• Atom Voyages has provisioning lists, recipes, and photos
• Henry & Glenys of Dreamcatcher were actually from our old marina, but had departed before we moved in
• Felicity was one of the sites that I really enjoyed. They put a lot of work into the site layout and loads of info on cruising.
• Ithaka is the boat owned by former editor of Cruising World. Experienced cruisers with great writing.
• Jenn & Harley of Manu Kai are actually friends of Pam & Scott's. We found their site just before we left, and try to keep up with them whenever we're near internet
• Maverick out of San Francisco has a really neat map showing his course. We're working towards something like that for ours!
• Amanda & John Neal on Mahina are well known in the sailing community. They give classes where you are able to sail with them for a week or two to try out cruising or to learn about passage making prior to your first trip. They also give seminars. We've not been to any of their presentations, but they have been out there doing it for years.
  
• Watermelon was another I visited.
  

Sailing-related, marine supply equipment or things that we use aboard Eleytheria- sites of companies or businesses that we really like (in alphabetical order):

• Abandon Ship Bag list of what to pack
• Boat US list of cruising logs
• Business Cards - almost all cruisers have some form of a business card to give to others. Pat & Gene of Chalet Mer told us of this company. Great cards (even a bit water-resistant), cheap and a quick turnaround time.
• Charts on-line from Bellingham, WA. Great reproductions at a low cost. Great quality.
• Cruising Life has all sorts of info on living and cruising aboard.
• Cruising Medical Kit was a site used by one of our dock mates leaving in 2004. The kit list was created by a doctor. We got our complete medical kit through our Emergency Medicine Class, but this is a nice alternative.
• Cruising World magazine
• Cyclone WashMate is an electrical clothes washer, and also an item used by one of our dock mates. She loves it.
• Downwind Marine was a great resource in San Diego. They are a chandlery, but also have so many other services for cruisers.
• E-Dictionary is a great alternative to carrying a large volume onboard. And the words I always need to seem to look up never appear in the small dictionaries.
• Flashlights that need no batteries are a very good thing to have. Batteries have a nasty habit of corroding inside flashlights. This is something we have for our ditch bag.
• IAMAT - International Association of Medical Assistance for Travelers is a free service and resource. They can provide a list of doctors that speak English, doctors other travelers have used and can recommend, etc. Very helpful.
  
• Katadyn watermakers was another great customer service experience.
• The Kelly Peterson website. We've been so very pleased with our choice of boats.
• Landfall Navigation has general boating stuff on-line. An alternative to West Marine.
• Monitor Windvane is another company with great customer service. With good customer service and a great product you'll have a customer for life.
• NOAA is a great resource for weather information. I have two links for them. This is the second.
• Noonsite was setup by Jimmy Corrnell, author of World Cruising Routes and World Cruising Handbook. Noonsite gives all sorts of details on each country, major ports of call that cruisers need. The books
• Olympic Circle Sailing Club (OCSC) is a phenomenal example of a well-run business. Their customer service is bar none, their "product" is well-presented, the instructors very consistent in standards and requirements. Without reservation, we absolutely recommend this school.
• Orca Green Marine has LED tri-lights/anchor lights with an optional photocell to allow turning on of anchor light during the day and it will automatically turn on at dusk. Thinking that we would be back on the boat before dark, we kept on coming back to a boat without an anchor light late in the evening. The LED's utilize such low power that we believe the cost is well worth it.
• Pelican Cases have been helping us keep the laptop safe from moisture. We have a laptop case, a couple of camera cases and some tiny cases for trips to shore. They are waterproof, crush-proof and very durable.
• Prescription drugs on-line at cheap prices. We haven't used this site ourselves, but many of the boats leaving from our dock in 2004 said they'd had great luck with these folks.
• Raymarine has all sorts of marine electronics. We've been so pleased with our radar, autopilot, wind/depth/speed indicators. Great products, and again, great customer service.
• Relief Band for seasickness works wonders. It works with electrical pulses on your wrist. I've been able to use this in lieu of medicine so far.
• Sailnet is another on-line boating supply store. Another alternative to West Marine.
• Sailrite is an on-line sail making and canvas supplier.
• Seven Seas Cruising Association is a useful resource for information. We are not members of SSCA, but have visited their website often. My favorite link within the site was all the links to individual cruisers' sites.
• Watershed Dry Bags - Abe swims to shore with our DryBag. We put electronics, clothes and the likes - it doesn't leak a bit! Thanks to Jan for turning us onto these guys.
• West Marine - we love these guys. Yes, they tend to have higher prices, but the customer service is phenomenal. We can have them send us any of their products anywhere in the world. And they have a very nice website - complete with an on-line catalog.
• Winlink - our free e-mail service used with our single sideband radio.
• Winslow life raft was the raft we chose to install on our boat. We could have purchased a different brand at a very reduced cost with Abe's West Marine discount, but felt that all the standard equipment on the Winslow made it worth the extra price. They are highly rated by Practical Sailor (independent testers of all things marine), and have great customer service. We were also told that if we ever had to use our life raft Winslow would give us a replacement for free. Not that we'd have a boat to put it on, but it's a nice gesture! The salesman told us we could sell it on e-Bay.
• WonderWash washing machine. It's hand-cranked so doesn't use any power.
  

Non Sailing Related sites of companies or businesses that we really like (in alphabetical order):

• AMAS Karate was a very good karate school. Abe and I took Shotokan Karate for a little over a year until the boat and work became too time intensive. The senseis are wonderful gentlemen. Again, a wonderful business, highly recommended. Great for kids, too.
• Berry College is my alma mater. It's a wonderful small school where the students can really get to know professors (even in non-major classes). The campus is gorgeous.
• Boca Divers was the business we used to go diving in Puerto Vallarta. Karla was recommended to us by a previous customer and friend of Pam & Scott's. Karla runs a wonderful business with small (4 people or less) dive groups, going to the major sites while the big dive boats aren't there. Highly recommend her to anyone wanting a guided dive in Puerto Vallarta.
• Dell computers were recommended to us by Waypoint in Alameda. The biggest reason was that you can still order serial ports on Dell computers whereas most others have only USB ports. Since we link to our SSB modem through serial port, this was vital. So far, the Dell has held up extremely well in our marine environment.
• e-Bay was a great resource for some of our equipment. We also sold lots of our household goods that we didn't want to give away at a garage sale. We paid attention to sellers feedback rating, and never had any problems. I bought a pressure cooker (yes, I use it!), our single sideband and antenna tuner, our hand-pumped water maker (for the liferaft), a wireless network card, and some other small items. We sold our old single sideband (not capable of e-mail), radar, furniture from the house, old 8mm video camera, washer & dryer, and other electronics. You can find ANYTHING on e-Bay!
• Cut down on Junk Mail. It won't stop it 100%, but it does cut down greatly. It's a nice gesture for those having to go through your mail back home.
• Kabuto Sushi in San Francisco is the best sushi we've ever found. We so miss it! It's on Geary in between 15th & 16th Avenues.
• Skydive Salado remains our favorite drop zone. Rich and Saeko Worrell create a fun and wonderful atmosphere. They're our family to this day!
• Kristin Nettle of Style by Kristin DuPrey does fabulous embroidery work. I worked with her during my stint as ship's store person, but got a lot of nice things with the Eleytheria logo on it. I found her on the net actually, and worked with her via phone and e-mail from CA to OH.
• Tucker's Ice Cream - oh my gosh, the best ever, in this entire world ice cream! And a warm and wonderful staff to boot. They are in Alameda and so very worth the trip across, down, or around the Bay for a scoop or two of incredible ice cream.
• University of Oregon - Go Ducks! Abe's alma mater.
• Voice of America - our news and entertainment through our Single Sideband radio.