[Rhodes22-list] Bill's Bahama Adventure -- Some more random thoughts

[William E. Wickman]

I would like to thank everyone for all the kind words.  It is fun to be
able to share my story with people of like minds.  Whenever I start to talk
to non-sailors about my experiences their eyes start to glaze over after
about 5 minutes.  I am working on putting my memoirs and pictues into pdf
format for easier reading.  In the meantime, I thought you might be
interested in some more random thoughts about some of the extra equipment
and accessories that I was especially glad I brought on the trip.

Auto pilot.  I installed it just before the trip and it was worth its
weight in gold.  Even with three of us to share duty at the helm, having
the autopilot made our long 8-12 hour passages soooo much easier.

Mapping GPS.  I used the Garmin 76CSx with Bluecharts.  Even though it was
fun to plot our course on the charts using traditional methods, it was
absolutely wonderful to be able to look at the GPS and know exactly where
we were at all times.  I had wired the GPS into my autopilot so was also
able to have the autopilot steer to a waypoint instead of just a compass
bearing; great for everywhere except the Gulf Stream crossing where we had
to compensate for the current.

A good reliable outboard.  Actually not an “extra” accessory, but worth
commenting about.  I have the 9.9hp Yamaha high thrust and was very happy
with it.  I hate to admit it, but we motor sailed or just purely motored in
excess of 80+% of the time.  This was due either to the wind being directly
on our nose, or the necessity to make as good a time as possible to get
across large expanses of water (Gulf Stream, Great Bahama Bank).
Generally, I could run at a high idle or half throttle and be at hull speed
for hours on end.  I found that the engine could run 12+ hours on 6.5 gal
of fuel (equal to around 70-75 nautical miles).  I might have been able to
get better mileage had I backed down a little more, but there were times
that I wanted speed and power much more than fuel efficiency.  Of course,
the power of the 9.9hp was more than enough to overcome any
wind/wave/current conditions that we faced.  Also, I had heard that fuel in
the Bahamas was bad and tended to gunk up engines.  I didn't find this to
be the case, but then we were not there for an extended time and I did
change the upper and lower unit oil as soon as I got home.

Pop-Top Enclosure.  It really is multi-functional.  In addition to being
used at night (although we didn't use it every night), it provided shelter
from the rain; protection from mosquitos; and acted as a dodger from time
to time.  When crossing the Great Bahama Banks, we had a 10kt wind with a
steep chop right on our nose.  It took over 12 hours of motoring to get
across and we kept the enclosure up the whole time.  It not only shielded
us from the wind, but also blocked the spray that flew over the bow
whenever we crashed through a wave.  Yes, the windage cost us fuel, but the
comfort was worth it.  I had also brought a nylon tarp to use as a large
sunshade and nighttime enclosure for the cockpit for rain protection.  We
found that it was a real pain to set up and tie off.  The bimini with
improvised side curtains gave enough sun shade, and the boys finally gave
up trying to use the tarp and just tucked it around themselves on the
couple of occasions when it rained at night.

Mosquito Netting.  I bought a very large piece from just before leaving
even though no one really talked about bugs in the Bahamas.  Well let me
tell you, when the wind stops blowing and you are anchored close to shore,
they will find you.  We would tie the top to the boom and simply drape it
over the cockpit, tucking it under seat cushions and using towels to seal
gaps near the cabin door.  A screened in boom room would have been better,
but this was a cheap and compact solution.

Bimini.  It was essential protection from the mid-day sun and of some use
in the rain (although we put it down when we were hit with gusty squalls).

Cockpit filler cushions.  Being able to convert the cockpit to a full sized
bed was essential to the comfort for three; one in the cabin (me) and two
full sized boys in the cockpit.  We didn’t even attempt to use the V-berth
as it was filled with provisions and it would have been too hot in the
Bahamas.  I kept quite comfortable in the cabin with the poptop windows
rolled up and a small 12v fan (the one with the suction cup on the bottom).
Again, a boom room would have been nice but the evenings were comfortable
and the need for privacy was never an issue.

Spare Parts:  I chipped the prop on my motor during one harry moment and
having a replacement prop made it a non-event.  I brought all kinds of
spare parts that I never used, but it was sure nice to know that they were
there.

I am sure there were other items, but I can’t think of them right now.