So you’ve decided to organize a multi-day river trip with some friends. You’ve all decided what stretch of river you’ll be doing. So what’s next? The key to any successful river trip is in the pre-trip planning. The more you can do ahead of time, the smoother the trip will go, and the more time you will have in camp to explore or relax. After all, this is why you are going on the trip.

There are lots of aspects to the pre-planning. And since you are going with a group of friends, not a guide service someone has to do the job of the guide service. However, this doesn’t mean that one person needs to be saddled with the whole job. Instead use the strengths of group and divide and conquer. Pick one or two people with the most familiarity or the most experience to be your group leaders. These people are then responsible for planning the trip itself. They are responsible for getting the maps, planning put ins and take outs, transportation, campsites, number of miles traveled per day, etc. They need to make sure you have all the permits necessary for using land along the river’s edge. The trip leaders also need to check on current river conditions, especially any rapids.

It’s always a good idea to contact state and federal agencies that manage land along the river corridor. They often have free maps and information for the public. They’ll need to check with any private land owners as well. Local knowledge is also very valuable. Local outfitters will have the most current information on river conditions, and will know land ownership along the river.

You will need a gear coordinator. Someone in the group needs to take charge of getting together a list of what gear the group has collectively, and make sure you have everything you need without over doing it! The gear coordinator needs to make sure there are enough boats for the group size as well as personal floatation devices for all. Camp equipment should include the camp kitchen, tents, group shelters etc. Some river trips require you to pack out all human waste, so a camp latrine will be part of your gear list. Safety equipment is a must and should include throw bags, bow lines, and hardware such as carabineers at a minimum. There should be a good first aid kit in at least one of the boats and some sort of communication device (i.e. VHF radio, cell phone, sat phone, etc.).

There should be a safety coordinator in the group as well. This person will work with the gear coordinator to make sure the safety equipment is in working order and that at least a couple of people in the group know how to use it. If only one person knows how to use rescue throw bags and that person is the one needing to be rescued, you’re in trouble. The safety coordinator will also develop standard hand or whistle signals so that you can communicate quickly between boats. This really needs to be established before the trip begins, not when you’re in the middle of the big rapids and voices are lost in the roar of the river.

And finally you’ll want a camp chef. This person is not necessarily in charge of all the cooking. Rather they are in charge of planning the menu, buying food, and packing it for the trip. They are also in charge of developing the sign up sheet for kitchen duties. The camp chef will poll the group for food likes and dislikes, food allergies and any budget concerns. Also there may be some members of your group that have food to donate to the trip. Once the information is gathered the chef can plan a menu that will work well on the river. The chef should come up with an estimated budget and present it to the group before finalizing the menu.

Packing food is really important, especially in warm weather when spoilage is a concern. Pack one cooler for each day on the river with dinner on the bottom and breakfast on top of the cooler. The most perishable foods should be used first, and the least perishable foods used toward the end of a trip. Each cooler should be labeled and sealed. Let the group know that it is taboo to open any cooler before the day it is labeled for. This will insure that the cold stays in as long as possible. You should pack lunch coolers separately. Lunch coolers will contain 2-3 days worth of lunches as well as snack foods while on the river. Also, when packing the coolers into rafts, try to keep the lunch coolers accessible. You don’t want to have to unpack the whole boat when you stop for lunch.

With a little pre-planning and division of labor you can plan a trip that you and your friends will remember for a lifetime. You’ll be talking about the river trip for years!

Alaska River Expeditions and specializes in Alaska Vacation, Lodging and Vacation Packages in Cordova Alaska.

Robin Irving is a naturalist, environmental educator and co-owner of Alaska River Expeditions which has specialized in 1 to 10-day multi-sport eco-adventures, and wilderness voyages. They are based in Cordova, Alaska, located only 3 hours south of Anchorage by scenic ferry ride. She enjoys sharing information about great eco-tour destinations especially in Alaska. For free Alaska Nature Adventures newsletter with tips and Alaska travel specials, go to: [http://www.alaskarfters.com]

Author: Robin Irving
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Whether your sitting at the dock or floating in your favorite anchorage, there may actually come a time when your bored with reading the latest great paperback while sipping those boat drinks down. What to do then? Well, your on a boat, and as all boat owners know, there’s always plenty to do. Starting with keeping the boat clean, here’s a few tips, tricks, and handy nautical hints for keeping your SS —insert boat name— sparkling like new.

One very natural cleanser, that dose a multitude of boat cleaning jobs is baking-soda. A solution of baking-soda can be used onfiberglass, chrome, counter tops and sinks. It’s great for cleaning out the fridge or cooler, and also does a wonder on stoves, pans and cutting boards.

Ever left an old pair of pliers on the boat deck all winter under the tarp? I did. Leaves a nice little rust stain on the fiberglass deck for you to clean in the spring. Fantastik, Bon Ami, or Soft Scrub will get rid of it. Or, I’ve even heard that cream of tartar mixed with some cola should do the trick. Haven’t tried that one yet.

If you’ve been cruising the Intercoastal Waterway, and have grown an ICW mustache, there are a couple of cleaning solutions. Apparently Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami will come in quite handy here.

Everybody loves cleaning out the boat bilge. Especially those hard to reach little crevices way down low. Try fastening a sponge or very absorbent rag to the end of a long stick. Much better then sticking your hand down into that mixture of stale water, slime, and dead bugs.

Copper and brass, which can be found on many boats, and is notoriously getting dirty, can be cleaned with a simple solution of vinegar and salt.

Bimini tops, dodgers, and other canvas are pretty simple to keep clean, and there are a number of choices in this category. A concoction of mild soap (Ivory), water and a little bit of Clorox (for those nasty mildewvillains ) will do the trick. Be sure to rinse well with cold water. Waterproofing is always a good little piece of maintenance to do while your at it. Check with your manufacturer for this. The ever popular Sunbrellasuggests Aquaseal No. 3.

And finally for those of you anal enough to worry about cleaning your through hulls, try using wire coat hangers. Very simple, and effective.

Well, after all that hard work, must be time to get back to those boat drinks. Those are of course a concoction for another article.

Read more great information on your Hunter 29.5 and sail boats for sale, visit these websites.

Author: Chris Campbell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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We departed Kholmsk, Russia this morning after six days alongside and I think everybody was happy to be on the move again! It is a two day run to the location so apart from a little rough weather and a noticeable drop in temperature nothing should have disturbed us. Yet there I was, brought back to reality by the rattle of the anchor chain in the hawse pipe and no earthly reason that I could think of why this should be happening unless it had come loose all by itself!

I sauntered (ran) up to the bridge to find out what was going on and there, right outside the window not half a mile away was the port of Kholmsk! Further enquiries produced the fact that somewhere around lunch time an email had come in telling us to return to port! Strangely, I was the last to know! I recalled having looked out of the port hole late afternoon and subconsciously noting that the land mass was on the wrong side but it just didn’t click!

Life follows a certain pattern for me on here! A pattern that consists mainly of irregularity, unknowns and imminent change should I spend longer than ten minutes on any single job! The only real known routine is to get up in the morning, a coffee is usually next if we have not run out of milk yet again but after that anything goes. This morning I started in all earnestness to make headway with some defect reports, unfortunately the Bosun had also decided to make similar headway with his tasks by securing my computer monitor to the desk! The securing of monitors is of course extremely important as no-one wishes to see them crashing to the floor as a big wave rocks the boat but with the input of three persons to the project, the endless rotation of the screen as ideas were formed as to a suitable fastening arrangement and as my workplace rapidly turned itself into a carpenters workshop and machine shop I decided to find solace on another project in the engine room.

Half way down stairs I was accosted by the Chief Officer who asked me to help with printing some documents out on the network so off we toddled back upstairs. It was only when I tripped over the cable of the jigsaw and pierced my knee with a carelessly discarded and broken drill bit that I remembered that my office was not a good place to be at this exact moment. So off I toddled back down stairs!

I was three quarters of the way down when the mess boy decided to explain why he had entered my cabin at the unearthly hour of 5am and although I nodded my head I did not understand a word that was said as it was all in Russian. I was still nodding my head when I eventually reached the bridge door!

I didn’t really know what to do on the bridge! I was not really sure how or why I had ended up there! Never-the-less I took the opportunity to check the emails that had just come in that morning, found about three that needed answering (the information required for the answers being in other parts of the ship) so I printed them out for future reference, made myself a coffee and had a chat with the Captain. As I was busy explaining the benefits of keeping an orderly system for the filing of emails the engine room phone rang, the Chief Engineer requiring my attendance to a rather sticky problem they were having down in the bowels of the vessel.

Ten minutes later I was covered from head to toe in oil! It was an unfortunate occurrence, the fact that I was under the engine trying to tighten up some self-loosening bolts with only my right foot showing to the world as proof of my existence led the third engineer to trip over it. He was at the time carrying a bucket filled with prime used LO from the main engine sump and as he tripped he let it go, right over me. Not a problem, a quick wipe with an oily rag and I was away again, up to the control room to start the project of listing all the manuals on the vessel! This project never really gained headway as my boots were starting to squelch as the oil dripped into them so I headed back upstairs.

To summarize the first hour of the day, I had a cup of cold coffee awaiting me in the office upstairs (it was probably filled with sawdust by now), another on the bridge that I had hardly sipped for the effort of making it, printed out emails on the bridge that I needed in the engine room, I was now covered in oil and to beat it all I found out a bit later that the key to my cabin was missing from my pocket – I found it eventually underneath the engine, this time I took my feet with me when I went under.

Eating on here is a strange deal! The food is of course very Russia orientated and seems to consist of far more fatty foods than one would expect. It has been suggested that this is to build up the fat for the winter months but I find it very hard to digest! I am also not a fan of strange foods, I like my basic chicken or beef and when I take what looks like a beef stew and then find out that it is in fact tongue, I sort of well…can’t eat anymore. I do though like some things, I find solace in the potato or cabbage filled ravioli (I decline the extra helping of olive oil as a condiment), I like the salads if the mayonnaise has run out as it is typically used with everything and I love the bread. Today was liver burgers!

By two o’clock I was starving and couldn’t concentrate on anything! I drank some of the coffee that I had left in the office that morning and it was not filled with sawdust but metal shavings and the rest of the broken drill bit. The Bosun was still busy, the initial design had failed miserably and now the electrician, the second mate and the chief engineer were all there to help. Up on the bridge life was normal, more emails had come in and the printouts from my endeavors that morning had been used as a used T-bag resting place. My coffee was still there though!

So when that anchor went down it was unexpected but I suppose expected! I will have to cancel all those jobs I had planned for when at sea; we are going into port tomorrow!

Ieuan Dolby is the Author and Webmaster of SeaDolby.com. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for twenty years on a variety of rust buckets and state of the art vessels. Now living in Taiwan with his wife and son he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it; a seafarers escapades with a few tall tales thrown in!

Author: Ieuan Dolby
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are many cruise ships now that have Freestyle Dining (Norwegian Cruises) or Choice Dining (Prince Cruise line) available. Or on Disney Cruise Lines they have what is called “Rotational Dining”. They have you and your tablemates rotate through the three restaurants each evening.

CRUISE TIPS: There is usually open seating for breakfast and lunch in the main dining room. Be adventurous with the menu because if you don’t like something you can send it back for a replacement. And if they have two things on the menu that you like ask for both of them. My husband, John, always orders the Filet Mignon and the Lobster Tail when they are served on the same night. Many times he tells the waiter to bring what the waiter recommends for that evening.

This means you don’t have to choose first or second seating. (First seating is 6:00 to 6:30 and Second seating is usually 8:00-8:30). There can be more than one restaurant where you just walk in when you are ready to dine. Every ship will ask for your dining preference when you book your cruise. You can indicate first, second or flexible dining, whichever will make you more comfortable. The newer ships have a 24 hour dining spot which is always casual so if you don’t want to do the formal nights you don’t have to, although I find dressing up to be quite fun.

You will have many options for each meal. You may have any meal delivered to your room, taken in the buffet restaurant or in the dining room. There is usually outdoor dining around the pool with hot dogs and hamburgers, pizza, salads, even Tacos.

There are also alternative dining rooms available on some ships that require an additional fee but the service and food are generally 4 to 5 star and worth it if you want to splurge.

In my experience families with young children and people who go to bed early usually dine in first seating. But if you don’t want to be on a schedule or want to meet new people every night, go for the alternative dining option. Of course you can always ask for a table for two, but be aware that there are only a few of them.

If you make a special request one night, John always asks for blue cheese, your waiter will bring it every night. They pride themselves on remembering your tastes. (This only happens when you choose traditional dining). On one cruise we asked for Melba toast, and you bet, every night we had Melba toast. There is one thing I always make clear to the waiter. I am not a big eater but I like to taste everything. I tell this to them the first night so they don’t think I am unhappy with the food. It is their job to keep you happy and they take it very seriously.

If you don’t want to eat in the main dining room almost all ships have a Lido café where it is casual but you order from a menu and are served by a waiter. It’s one of the many choices if you don’t want to participate in a formal night or if you just want to eat by yourselves. On Carnivals single cruises they encourage this style of dining so the singles can meet more people. There are exceptions to this but not many. On some of the newer ships the Lido is open 24 hours a day.

On most of the cruise lines they offer the food of the region that you are visiting. While on Hawaiian cruises expect to be served Hawaiian food. When on an Alaskan cruise you will be given the choices of salmon and Alaskan king crab legs. It makes more fun to dine on the local cuisine.

All of the cruise lines offer healthy alternative menus or what they call spa menus. So if you want low-fat, low-salt, low cholesterol, vegetarian or any other type of diet, they are available. It is best however to inform your travel agent of any special needs so they can notify the cruise line ahead of time. If you have special dietary needs make sure the cruise lines knows before hand. For example, Royal Caribbean cruises cater to food allergy, Kosher, Indian, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Diets.

To be really safe read all of the cruise reviews and cruise critics sites for each ships food and service ratings.

Happy Cruising, enjoy it, we do!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com, http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com, and http://www.CruisingTips.com or contact her at mhanna@cruisepublishing.co

Author: Mary Hanna
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Consistency is Princess’s strength. With new, large premium ships joining its fleet, the company’s major challenge now has been to maintain the service standards that passengers have come to expect, an effort in which it has generally succeeded.

If you were to put Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America in a big bowl and mix them all together, you’d come up with Princess Cruises’ megas. The Coral, Island, Diamond, and Sapphire Princesses, its latest creations, are less glitzy and frenzied than the ships of, say, Carnival and Royal Caribbean; not quite as cutting-edge as Celebrity’s Infinity and Summit; and more exciting, youthful, and entertaining than Holland America’s near megas.

The Princess fleet appeals to a wider cross section of cruisers by offering loads of choices and activities, plus touches of big ship glamour, along with plenty of the private balconies, quiet nooks, and calm spaces that characterize smaller, more intimate size vessels.

Pros

- Good service.

- The warm-hearted Italian, British, and Filipino service crew do a great job.

- Crew makes passengers feel welcome without being overly familiar.

- Private verandas. Virtually all of the line’s Alaska ships have scads and scads of verandas, some of them in as many as 75% of the cabins.

Cons

- Average food. The ships’ cuisine is perfectly fine if you’re not a gourmet, but if you are, you’ll find it’s pretty banquet hall is not as good as, say, Crystal’s or Celebrity’s.

Princess offers an array of land packages this year that can be used in more than 50 different cruise tour itineraries in Alaska in conjunction with its Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage voyages (not to mention another dozen or so options in the Canadian Rockies). Virtually every part of the state is covered, from the Kenai Peninsula to the Interior to the Far North. The land portions come in 4- to 7-night segments, all combinable with a 7-night cruise.

For more information visit Alaska Cruise Vacation

Author: Victor Anicama
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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