planning your trip
SAFETY
First things first-safety is our first priority and it should be yours too!
The best way to ensure your well-being is to build in a healthy buffer into the plan just in case conditions or circumstances shift and come prepared for a variety of scenarios that you may encounter. That buffer will be especially helpful as you get used to towing a bag behind you which tends to add 30-50% more time to our pace, and as you get your gear dialed in.
In the following sections you will find that safety continues as a theme weaved throughout along with links to resources to help guide you. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out and we will try to point you in the right direction.
Plotting your route
We use google earth since it allows us to zoom in on satellite imagery and get a sense of what the coast is like and to calculate distances for the purpose of estimating time in the water and number of days on the trip. It’s not a perfect system and all of our trips feel like scouting missions but it works and in time we hope to put out a guidebook to make this whole process a lot easier.
Feel free to check out our recent journeys section to get intel on how to replicate those trips or if you want to try out a new route break out the map and get started with the following:
Be safe out there and enjoy!
Map out the access points for the start, end, campsites, noting distances between them, road accessibility, and general area characteristics
Research the tide and weather to identify ideal time/date windows for swimming
Based upon the distances and your adjusted swimming speed calculate the amount of time you will be on the water
With the information gathered establish an itinerary with a conservative buffer and contingency/emergency plans and share that with everyone on the trip and a trustworthy shore contact
Generate a communication plan with your shore contact so they know when to expect to hear from you and what to do if they don’t
Create a packing list to support that itinerary and bring extras just in case
Assess all the risks involved-the decision to go is yours and yours only
Reassess those risks and don’t hesitate to cancel the trip if something doesn’t feel right
