Top Ten Suggestions for Tropical Sailing

[Littlechay]

Originally Posted by sfoot

Think about the colour of your yacht.

She is all white, including the deck. Steel. I've just increased the deckhead insulation to 72mm so shouldn't be much head radiated inside from the deck. The topsides are insulated too but not as well.

[JPA Cate]

Littlechay,

Fans do help a lot with the air circulation. Plan them so they keep both of your sweat drying off while you sleep. We have a fan that can be aimed at the galley when one is working there, and to blow over the saloon table when you need it there. Such fans make a huge difference when you have adequate ventilation to start with.

A.

[mattnj]

I didn't see if this anti-bug remedy had been posted yet but here in the Sea of Cortez a lot of the cruisers use Skin So Soft by Avon. No chemicals, nice smell, and the mosquitos and no-see-ums hate the stuff. I use it all the time and it works even on my kids that always get bit without it.

Matt

[markpierce]

Between the heat and humidity, one day last month in Cartagena nearly killed me.

[Littlechay]

Originally Posted by mattnj

I didn't see if this anti-bug remedy had been posted yet but here in the Sea of Cortez a lot of the cruisers use Skin So Soft by Avon. No chemicals, nice smell, and the mosquitos and no-see-ums hate the stuff. I use it all the time and it works even on my kids that always get bit without it.

Matt

Will look out for some and try it out.

[SailRedemption]

Originally Posted by mattnj

I didn't see if this anti-bug remedy had been posted yet but here in the Sea of Cortez a lot of the cruisers use Skin So Soft by Avon. No chemicals, nice smell, and the mosquitos and no-see-ums hate the stuff. I use it all the time and it works even on my kids that always get bit without it.

Matt

We use this at our yard in New Orleans, South Lake Pontchartrain to keep the gnats off. Also, Victoria secret love amber or love romance or whatever it's called(it's a gold amber body spray) works well too. These don't work for our mosquitos too much, good ol DEET spray is better.

But Skin so soft is the best! You can get big bottles of it at dollar stores I believe.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk

[mausgras]

The subject of refrigeration in the tropics is a bit like the subject of anchor rodes, you will never get a concensus.
But here's my two cents worth.
First, they are not essential, unless you must have cold beer. They have only been around for what, 150 years or so and we lived before that by drying, pickling, smoking, and fermenting to preserve foods.

Second, unless you have the power to drive a compressor type fridge you will find that small box style evaporative type frosting up very quickly in the humid tropics. I find I have to defrost mine every 2 to 3 days because when the cooling plate is covered in to much ice it becomes very inefficient and next to useless.

[darylat8750]

Good suggestions. I would add that ventilation while it is raining (HARD) is important. If you can arange your shade so it can stay up and protect hatches and companionway from water getting in (Splashing as well as wind blown.) it will make rain a welcome break in the heat instead of needing to jump up and close up the boat and turn it into a sauna.

[Lin Pardey]

Some things we learned about tropic life afloat

1. If you, like most folks, have a dodger, make sure you can open the front panels when you are anchored or sailing in calm conditions, or take the dodger down so air can blow through the cockpit. If you are building a dodger, make sure the front panels can be opened. Side panels too for that matter.

2. Dodger or no dodger you need a big awning, one that let's you lounge outside the cockpit if you wish. Often far nicer movement of air away from the obstructions of the cockpit. The awning should have side panels so the sun can be blocked when it is low in the sky.

3. Make sure there are ventilators at the foot of any enclosed bunk and consider ways to get air down into the bunks when you are under way.

4. Have long sleeve light weight cotton shirts to wear and use as what we call, poor man's air-conditioner - i.e. on hot humid days, wet the shirt down with fresh water. With even the slightest breeze blowing this feels real good.

5. Anchor out rather than tie in a marina, the breezes are far better and the boat will face into the wind letting the hatch windscoop catch more breeze.

6. Figure out ways to get your windscoops can be used while sailing.

7. change your life-style to fit the climate - i.e. get up crack of dawn to use the coolest hours for shopping, boat work. Take a long siesta, then enjoy the cooler evening hours. Avoid alcoholic beverages during heat of the day. Even at sea, we try to do any heavier jobs during coolest hours, including any baking.

[mausgras]

Originally Posted by Lin Pardey

Some things we learned about tropic life afloat

1. If you, like most folks, have a dodger, make sure you can open the front panels when you are anchored or sailing in calm conditions, or take the dodger down so air can blow through the cockpit. If you are building a dodger, make sure the front panels can be opened. Side panels too for that matter.

2. Dodger or no dodger you need a big awning, one that let's you lounge outside the cockpit if you wish. Often far nicer movement of air away from the obstructions of the cockpit. The awning should have side panels so the sun can be blocked when it is low in the sky.

3. Make sure there are ventilators at the foot of any enclosed bunk and consider ways to get air down into the bunks when you are under way.

4. Have long sleeve light weight cotton shirts to wear and use as what we call, poor man's air-conditioner - i.e. on hot humid days, wet the shirt down with fresh water. With even the slightest breeze blowing this feels real good.

5. Anchor out rather than tie in a marina, the breezes are far better and the boat will face into the wind letting the hatch windscoop catch more breeze.

6. Figure out ways to get your windscoops can be used while sailing.

7. change your life-style to fit the climate - i.e. get up crack of dawn to use the coolest hours for shopping, boat work. Take a long siesta, then enjoy the cooler evening hours. Avoid alcoholic beverages during heat of the day. Even at sea, we try to do any heavier jobs during coolest hours, including any baking.

Excellent suggestions .. all relating to the need to live "with" the climate not "against" it.

In tropical waters the water temp, and therefore internal boat temp, can be as high as 33C and it wont change much at night. Internal fans help a bit with evaporative cooling a wet T-shirt but the real solution is to shift that air mass through the boat, not just move it around the saloon.

Marinas are generally located in protected areas with low winds. If I am well stocked and have no need to go ashore for a few days I will often motor down to a nice anchorage a few km away just to catch that cooling breeze.

Other times I just give up and use the air con.

[Littlechay]

Thanks all. I agree on the ventilation most boats are simply not well designed with ventilation to lockers, bilges, behind the head lining etc.. It's not something that is needed in the tropics it is needed in 'all' climates, if not for crew, for the good of the boat.

Sailing is definitely a more humane way to travel I've just flown from 51 degrees south and about 3 degrees C to 24 South and 30 degrees C overnight..... I definitely prefer a pace no faster than a week per 10 degrees of latitude

[kas_1611]

As someone who has lived in the tropics (10ºN) for a few years I can definitely recommend the advice to get up early to make the most of the "cooler" hours. We used to get up at 6am on a Sunday to go for a cycle ride before the heat of the day built up. Also learn the weather patterns for the area you plan to go. In Trinidad during the "wet" season for example it was only really wet for about 90mins a day from about 2pm when it threw it down so hard you couldn't see across the road. Then it cleared, was stinkingly humid for a few hours, before it went back to 32C until about 7pm when the sun set and the bugs came out.

Avon Skin so Soft is actually the preferred bug repellent of HM Royal Marines, if that bunch of hard nutters swear by it then it must be good. However if you are anywhere where there is a risk of Malaria then go with 50% DEET and cover up around dusk and dawn. Malaria can kill in a few days so really it is not worth it. Bug screens on hatches are a must as is anything that will help funnel air flow into the cabins. Keep a can of Raid to hand just in case and use coils or equivalent if you are sat out at night.

As a quieter variation on the usual cabin fan have a look for 12v brushless computer fans in your local electronics shop. These do have a tendency to be much lower volume (dB) in use than the normal fans and generally also draw less power. You should only need them for a few hours anyway and they do help keep the bugs away, mosquitos can't fly in wind speeds above a few knots either. Another thing to consider is your bedding. In high humid areas cotton can be really sticky as it holds moisture but feels damp. Silk or bamboo based fabrics, while expensive, might be worth considering as they don't feel damp but can absorb a large % of moisture (sweat).

If you haven't got a built in fridge then invest in a 220v/12v coolbox to keep stuff fresh in. Some of the good ones will keep food cold for days, especially if you can get it really cold on the 220v mains first. Get some icepacks frozen up and load them at the bottom prior to adding the food. Wrap stuff you want to keep cold in newspaper as it is a remarkably good insulator.

If you haven't already done so add another house battery to your system along with a wind generator and some decent sized solar panels. You do not want to over strain your 12v system and running fridges and fans will put a high drain on a 12v system. LED lights everywhere will reduce that strain somewhat as will making sure any fridge system you have installed is as well insulated as you can. If you can't insulate round the outside consider 2 layers of 5mm closed cell foam on the inside (which is what we have) as it will make a huge difference to performance.

Most of this advice actually comes from someone who lives in the Adriatic but temperatures here can frequently exceed those in the Tropics during summer and at midsummer the sun is as overhead here as it is on the equator. Sunscreen is a given as is a good hat with brim, UV blocking sunglasses and long sleeved shirts and loose trousers can be a god send. Even black, as I found in the Sahara desert, is cooler than the direct sun on your skin. It does not matter how brown you are your skin will still burn, Trini friends can attest to that fact.

Cheers

Keiron

[jhughes]

Install the largest fresh water tank possible, with foot pump. Use for drinking and "rinse only" of dishes and pans.

Also agree with shade tarps, ventilation devises and sunscreen.

[mike388]

Hi . Including all of the above.If you are going to spend a long time in marinas then I would consider a small air con above hatch where you are going to sleep. At anchor a mosquito net with weights on the bottom to cover the entire cockpit area when at anchor this allows you to use the cockpit as room to eat in evenings without having to fend off the bugs or wear lashings of insect repellent and also allows some air below at night if there is no security risks. Fly screens on all hatches and rig sheets above so that hatches can be left open. Wish I had gas BBQ on rail !Cooking : slow cooker rice/ cooker , on long lead to reach into cockpit to prevent below becoming a sauna. Don't under estimate how much room you will need for beer in the fridge!

[Goosebumps]

This topic hasn't been exhausted. I suspect most potential cruisers and dreamers will want to go to the tropics. Many good points made in this thread and the tropical climate dealt with enough. However reading the weather properly, learning to map the hideaway anchor spots, larning to anchor efficiently and safely in all tropical conditions, considering which yacht is best for tropical piloting, the dinghy (rowing and 2 outboards a small one with internal and external fuel tank capacity and a larger one for speed) very important because good to anchor put live on the hook and be able to get to the coast fast in emergency and other needs, learn to fish in the tropics from yacht, carry three sonars, three gps, laptop computer, dont go without radar, very good waterproof binoculars, good spot lights, under water lighting, lots of tools for all purpose repairs, lots of spares for rigging, sails, engines, electrics, ceramic fresh water filter, simple to cook food like couscous, pasta, potatoe puree and veggy canned, ... i will think of more. i can expand on any point made