A Sail of Two Idiots (57 page)

www.stormcarib.com
—This site was exceptionally informative and had good tools to use during hurricane season.

www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html
—For more in-depth discussions about weather events, Jeff Masters was interesting.

www.crownweather.com
—This site also had in-depth explanations of what weather was happening or coming.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAOFFNT3.shtml
—This site had a more concise and technical version of what was happening with seas and wind.

http://www.caribwx.com
—Many boaters listen to Chris Parker on their SSBs. We were able to pick him up in the Bahamas, but we lost him farther south. A paid subscription to his website will provide more personalized weather information.

There are many other websites that other boaters swear by, and there are other weather reporters you can listen to on your SSB. In some anchorages, other boaters used the VHF to provide the whole harbor with the weather reports they received. It's all good, and you should take advantage of as many sources as you can. If things don't add up, be wary!

SPARES.
As LESSON 16A tells you, you cannot have too many spares. At the very minimum, I would have a spare alternator, starter, alternator voltage regulator, battery, and propeller. Then I'd keep plenty of spares of every belt, bolt, bulb, and filter (oil, fuel, and water) used on the boat. Composing this list is a long and drawn-out process but a necessary one. Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Martinique, and Grenada will likely have what you need when something breaks, but don't count on it (and expect to pay more for it).

TOOLS.
This list could go on forever, but we found these tools to be the most used: fixed wrenches, flathead screwdriver, Phillips-head screwdriver, metric and standard socket sets, rubber oil-filter remover, Oil Boy fluid extractor (to remove oil from engine and saildrive), sail sewing kit/awl/palm (for little sail tears), electrical multitester/meter, and bolt cutter (in case the worst happens and you have to cut through the shrouds due to a dismasting). Don't forget a gas/diesel funnel filter (such as Mr. Funnel) to save you from heartache over bad fuel.

WHAT TO BRING.
We heard many people say you didn't need many clothes on a boat. That may be true if you're chartering for a weekend in the BVIs, but if you're living aboard your boat, you'll need changes of clothes.

Why? Anchorages can be crowded and not everyone will want to look at your bits and pieces. You
will
leave your boat, and the locals of the place you're visiting will not appreciate your nakedness or your skimpy wardrobe (no matter what
they're
wearing). You will need to go to customs and immigration. You will need to go grocery shopping. You might want to eat out every once in a while. You will tour the island and might even go hiking.

At least have a wardrobe that can take you until the next washing. Plus, you will be surprised at how nippy 25 knot winds, spraying seas, and 80 degree temperatures on a cloudy day can be. Rain is cold.

Here's what I recommend for Caribbean sailing: foul-weather gear, lots of bathing suits, cover-ups, sundresses, long skirts, shorts, canvas slacks, pajamas, and as many quick-dry pieces of clothing as you can afford. Workout wear is perfect. T-shirts, underwear (at least a couple of pairs), tank tops with built-in bras, a few belts, a cozy fleece sweatshirt (as opposed to cotton, which can get clammy and take forever to dry), and a couple of long-sleeved shirts for cold, wet days.

For shoes you might want nonskid white-soled boat shoes (note that not all boat shoes are nonslip), swim shoes, sandals (for both men and women), flip-flop type shoes, and maybe trail running shoes (which come in nonmolding material and can be used for hiking, walking, and exercise). Michael brought golf shoes and dress shoes and they both rotted in the dampness and humidity. My one pair of shoes with heels also disintegrated.

If you bring too much stuff (even sheets and towels), you will find it getting moldy and smelly and will produce lots of laundry.

LAUNDRY.
Some boats have washing machines, but they're big energy and water guzzlers. We found some harbors with entrepreneurs who would pick up laundry from your boat (or let you take it to them) and return it clean, folded, and smelling nice for a reasonable $30EC (around $15US). We liked those anchorages. Other times we used our bucket method employing water and ammonia for everything but sheets or really filthy clothes. Laundromats could be hard to find and were almost always expensive. We used them at times, but then hung our clothes out to dry on the boat (and hoped that birds didn't poop on them).

ENTERTAINMENT.
We were surprised to discover how much time we spent on our boat just sitting around, usually waiting for weather, which included waiting out five to six months of hurricane season. Books, DVDs, and games were a huge commodity.

Not a game person? You will be! Cards, dominoes, cribbage, Monopoly. Bring 'em all. If you have something unique, you'll be the most popular person in the
anchorage. Having good music will also give you points. Before we left the States, we downloaded a lot of music.
Jacumba
came mp3 player ready, which allowed us to plug an iPod or similar device to the boat's stereo system (including outdoor speakers). We didn't have an mp3 player, but we connected our laptop to a Y-adapter cable (easily found in places such as Radio Shack).

CHORES.
I don't think we need to beat a dead horse, since I told you all we were doing, but let me give you a few tips on cleaning. We cleaned a lot. The exterior fiberglass discolored easily from rust, Saharan dust, ash, island grime, dirt particles in rain, bugs, and sunlight. We worked hard to keep
Jacumba
white and waxed the sections of the hull that were above water, as well as a lot of the fiberglass in the cockpit and the outer main cabin. Footprints showed on the white fiberglass, and the cat's and my hair got everywhere.

We'd use a bucket to throw salt water over the whole boat (outside) and then break out the Simple Green (you cannot have enough of this stuff) and the scrub brush. Then, if possible, we'd wait for rain, put on our foul-weather gear, and scrub the boat clean. When Simple Green didn't work, Top 2 Bottom always did. It's expensive, acidic, and toxic, so try not to use it in pristine areas. If it didn't rain, we used our jerry jug water and gave everything a freshwater rinse.

Keeping the metal clean was important, so after the above water toss, we'd wipe the metal dry and spray it with an anticorrosive spray.

The boat interior would get moldy, so we'd choose an area every few days and spray it with bleach. I tried less toxic stuff (even Simple Green), but the mold came back immediately. Bleach was the only thing that worked. Of course, all my clothes had bleach stains …

BOAT MAINTENANCE.
Maintenance can save you money and frustration, so it's a very important chore. You can find many lists and schedules in books and online to help you remember what you should be checking—things like anchor tackle, rigging, sails, engines, electrical stuff, and safety equipment. Print off some lists and use them. They'll help the next person who buys your boat, as well.

With or without antifouling paint, your boat bottom will need occasional scrubbing. Caribbean waters may be warmer than farther north, but they're still cold in winter, and just a half hour in them would turn us blue, even when we were wearing a thin skin. You might want to invest in a thick wetsuit. While you're in the water, don't forget to check the props and saildrives, if you have them.

COOKING.
Is cooking a chore? I wasn't sure where to put this. It was a chore to me! We had a good setup with a three-burner stovetop, a barbecue grill, and even a small oven. We tried to cook on deck as much as possible to keep the heat out of the boat, but we used all three of our cooking options. Well, Michael did. I washed
dishes. Many boaters become good cooks because there's nothing else to do, and you have to make do with what you have available. Finding food could be a pain in the butt, particularly if we wanted something specific, but we learned to be flexible. Or mooch from others who had what we were looking for.

TAKING OUT THE GARBAGE.
Most islands with large boating populations have trash bins for yachties' garbage. Some islands charge for the service but most don't. The Bahamas presented complications simply because so many of the islands were uninhabited. As I mentioned in LESSON 59, Trash talk, to keep trash to a minimum, we looked for products with the least amount of packaging (such as buying loose local eggs and putting them into our plastic egg containers). We'd then try to get rid of all the remaining unnecessary wrapping (cereal, spaghetti, and toothpaste boxes, for example) at the time of purchase. Cardboard harbors cockroaches, eggs, spiders, and other pests, so it's best to just keep it off your boat. Buy lots of plastic containers and use them to store food (and they keep edibles fresher longer). If you're at sea, toss your food waste. Because we had a filter on our kitchen faucet, we didn't need bottled water (a watermaker also eliminates the need for bottled water), which kept plastic waste to a minimum. Crush your emptied cans; you'll be amazed at how much space this saves. By employing these practices, once under way we generated surprisingly little trash. We took advantage of islands with recycling. We never brought toxic waste (batteries, used oil) to shore unless we knew that the island had a way to dispose of it properly. Remember, many islands don't have endless land for landfills and usually burn (or dump) their garbage. Be a good steward of your resources and theirs.