: . . . My family is about to leave
: Michigan on a cruising trimaran, headed for Florida, the Bahamas, and
: eventually California. (not to mention bankruptcy)

Find the time to read this book before you go:

'Survive the Savage Sea', by Dougal Robertson. A search on amazon.com led to links that had used copies for $3, and new copies for under $12. I read it almost 30 years ago and it has remained in my mind ever since.

You may get some tips on equipment to carry with. Some items may be, umm, rather unconventional.

Perhaps you might consider an inflatable for your tender. Once you are underway you can deflate it and have more space. When you approach a port where youwould need this, an electric pump fills them in 4to 5 minutes, and a foot pump takes 15 or so. That's not a lot of time. Just get decent oars. The plastic ones that come with most inflatables are not very efficient, and frequently won't even fit the oarlocks.

For that matter, Sevylor makes a rather nice inflatable kayak which is more for river running than ocean crossing, but it is small, light, and maneuverable -- and easy to stow if you want to take it with you.

PGJ