Top Ten Suggestions for Tropical Sailing

[mike388]

Wow good reply above .
Expect the unexpected !
Getting spare parts can be a problem and will prober ably necessitate importing items .
Now have been sitting out of the water for a month waiting for a replacement gearbox to be sent from USA . The distances tend to be greater and there is not a lot of spares to be had for sail boats .. Just sailed 420 mm with no engine from Borneo to Singapore to a boat yard ..lucky the wind was good .
I am learning the hard way! Make sure maintenance is up to scratch and you know the boats systems .

[mausgras]

You know Goosebumps when I read your list of 3 sonars, GPS, 2 outboards etc. my admiration for the early tall ship explorers grew immensely.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[onestepcsy37]

One word. VENTILATION.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

..., carry three sonars, three gps, laptop computer, dont go without radar, very good waterproof binoculars, good spot lights, under water lighting,...

I assume by sonar you mean a depth finder? Having a spare is good, but 3 might be a bit much. You can get nice ones the size of a flashlight that you can take with you on the dinghy. I often thought this was a nice back-up idea.

And I hope the underwater lighting you're talking about is a waterproof flashlight and not that horrible blue lighting that some powerboaters who think they're stuck in the '80s have in their hulls!

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

I assume by sonar you mean a depth finder? Having a spare is good, but 3 might be a bit much. You can get nice ones the size of a flashlight that you can take with you on the dinghy. I often thought this was a nice back-up idea.

And I hope the underwater lighting you're talking about is a waterproof flashlight and not that horrible blue lighting that some powerboaters who think they're stuck in the '80s have in their hulls!

Sure depth finder, many cruisers swear it is the most important instrument, I tend to agree, depth and bottom info, then you can navigate by the depth contours on your charts, when doing coadtal. I equally abhor the blue lights, vut a good mobile underwater light can be very pleasing! If you got a fast dinghy, like my alu one which planes at 22 knots with its 15hp then you cover lots of distance in short time. Outboards are notorioys to break down, my 5hp allows me, ok slower to cover the distance back against current and wind. I cant emphasise enough learning to anchor, more to it than dropping the hook, is extremely important.

[Bulawayo]

Hi Chris, Until very recently I was also set against the underwater lighting and then two incidents changed my mind......sailing at night through the Gulf of Aden, we and another boat ran into unlit fishing nets. The other boat had the dreaded underwater lights....they flicked them on and were able to unsnag themselves in minutes. In comparison, I used my diving torch which was nowhere as effective.
Soon after that, the other boat used their lighting again when having to re-anchor whilst in a coral field.
I never realised how useful these could be.

[mike388]

Re depth finder ....yes very useful however I find I use the fish Finder more as it it gives a good view of the bottom for anchoring (flat ,rocks or coral) also mine works at a greater depth.
Re use of under water lights wow I thought they were just for finding JAWS ! I can see how useful they could be especially with all the rubbish in the water ...how easy to fit makes etc .... Holes in hull ?

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by mike388

Re depth finder ....yes very useful however I find I use the fish Finder more as it it gives a good view of the bottom for anchoring (flat ,rocks or coral) also mine works at a greater depth.
Re use of under water lights wow I thought they were just for finding JAWS ! I can see how useful they could be especially with all the rubbish in the water ...how easy to fit makes etc .... Holes in hull ?

I hang a 12V led light sealed from the electrical wire in the water were I need the light

[StuM]

Originally Posted by mike388

.
Re use of under water lights wow I thought they were just for finding JAWS ! I can see how useful they could be especially with all the rubbish in the water ...how easy to fit makes etc .... Holes in hull ?

You could use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/406090-1-Porta.../dp/B006ZOVKBS

[a64pilot]

Car head light on a piece of styrofoam if your a budget cruiser, used to use them for Crappie fishing as a kid, really lights up the water around a boat, water diffuses the light

[Captain Golla]

Have cruised extensively in the tropics and also skippered a charter boat in indonesia for many years. Here's my 2 cents:
1. If you have to anchor on a foul bottom or coral (and sometimes you will have no choice), make sure to dive on the anchor to make sure the tackle is not snagged = good set of mask and fins in cockpit.
2. Fishing: you dont need rod and reel for fishing. Rods get in the way and reels dont last. Get a few plastic spools of thick 300pound monofilament, linked to bungees. Use skirt/feather type lures as they can handle higher speed. This allows you to trowl and haul in the fish whilst under sail. "Swimming" or rapala type lures are a pain in the butt as they dont cope with a surge of speed under sail. A good pair of gloves, a hook-out tool, a gaff and a good knife. I also have nice wooden plank at the aft for filleting. When pulling in a fish make sure not to stand in the loose coils of line. Dont forget these lines when approaching your anchorage!
3. Salt water wash down for the aftdeck area. This is a must have. Think blood and fish guts. Make sure you have deckwash for the anchor, the stern area and also by the galley for washup.
4. I like cold beer. I would add a small portable camping style 12v chest fridge/freezer which i find to be more effective than regular fridge, they are cheap and can double as a icebox/coolbox
5. Figure out a way to catch rain water off your awning/bimini.
6. Avoid night sailing due to floating logs etc and 100's of fishing boats/nets in some areas.
7. Dont like watermakers. Our tank fresh water is not for drinking. For drinking water we use the big 20l dispensers, you can stow 5 of them and swop them for full ones at 3rd world tropical villages. We put one upright in a head with a little screw on pump thingy on top. Everyone keeps their own water bottle topped up.
8. The closer you are to the equator the more squally and unreliable the winds become. You will motor a lot. Take spare fuel, make sure your motor is running 100%.
9. Dingy: its good practice to always lift it out at night at anchorage for many reasons. Tropical squalls come unnanounced and not predicted on charts. A spare outboard is awesome. I would buy a new outboard for the start of this new voyage. Make sure its at least 9hp to get you onto a plane.
10. Nav stuff: Radar is great but a lot of smaller radars give a false sense of security. Many charts for remote tropical areas are very bad, old, bad detail etc. When inshore use these items as an aid only.
11. My last great item: a variety of colapseable pvc buckets. Too many uses to mention.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Captain Golla

2. Fishing: you dont need rod and reel for fishing. Rods get in the way and reels dont last. Get a few plastic spools of thick 300pound monofilament, linked to bungees. Use skirt/feather type lures as they can handle higher speed. This allows you to trowl and haul in the fish whilst under sail.

Much better than a "cuban yoyo" and bungee, get an Alvey reel or similar and attach it to the pushpit. With a little care and maintenance, they last for ever.

Product Categories Saltwater Boat Reels

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by StuM

Much better than a "cuban yoyo" and bungee, get an Alvey reel...

Whoa! $200 for the Alvey Reel versus $8 for a Cuban Yoyo. Gonna have to think long and hard about whether or not the reel is "reely" worth that much!

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Whoa! $200 for the Alvey Reel versus $8 for a Cuban Yoyo. Gonna have to think long and hard about whether or not the reel is "reely" worth that much!

Yoyo with bicycle inner tube shock absorber for me.
Or a flea market special Penn

[barnakiel]

1. ventilation (PLENTY)
2. mosquito nets,
3. big water tanks and/or watermaker,
4. shower,
5, bimini,
6. hat,
7. polarized shades,
8. swimming trunks (or not),
9. good company,
10. orange shrubb creole (Clement).

No space left for UV block? Well, forget the trunks!

b.