So hot!

[Emoyeni]

Hello, I have been enjoying my first season on Lake Ontario with my C&C 30 sailboat. I had inclinations to take this boat down to the Carribean when I first bought it, but I am astounded just how hot and uncomfortable it can be to hang out on this boat in the summer, even in temps ranging from the 20's-30's Celsius, humidity in the 70's.

For those who spend much time in the Carribean, how do you deal with the heat? Is a Carribean winter even more unbearable vs what I'm experiencing here in Canada's summer?

[Shrew]

Are you currently describing being in a marina? It tends to be much cooler in the anchorages and mooring fields.

You need to take time to become acclimated. I figure about a year, even if you 'snow bird' and chase summer. Or spend at least one summer in a tropical climate.

If you're acclimated to a Toronto Fall, Winter and Spring, then sit in a marina THIS summer, you're going to be HOT. However, I honestly don't feel like you're comparing apples and apples. The more air conditioning you seek out, the hotter it will feel when you're not in AC.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Emoyeni

For those who spend much time in the Carribean, how do you deal with the heat? Is a Carribean winter even more unbearable vs what I'm experiencing here in Canada's summer?

This is a question that plagues my mind as well. As I inch closer to eventully, maybe, heading south, I worry about the heat, as well as the crowds. I'm used to a HOT day being in the low 20s C.

I'm happy to sail in low teens, but I'm a wilting violet when it comes to heat, and especially high humidity.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Emoyeni

Hello, I have been enjoying my first season on Lake Ontario with my C&C 30 sailboat. I had inclinations to take this boat down to the Carribean when I first bought it, but I am astounded just how hot and uncomfortable it can be to hang out on this boat in the summer, even in temps ranging from the 20's-30's Celsius, humidity in the 70's.

For those who spend much time in the Carribean, how do you deal with the heat? Is a Carribean winter even more unbearable vs what I'm experiencing here in Canada's summer?

It sounds like you haven't quite worked out how to get a breeze through your boat. Most people come up with schemes to maximize the air moving through the cabin when sleeping aboard.

It's usually windier in the Caribbean than in a L Ontario summer. We had 3 couples aboard a chartered 41' monohull in the BVIs, no air-conditionoing, and we mainly had comfortable sleeping conditions.

[dannc]

One can acclimate but it takes time. In my case, a couple of years.

I used to live in South Florida so I was used to the heat and humidity.

When I moved to NC, the natives were complaining about a hot summer. Wimps!

Then winter arrived and I about froze to death! Wimp!

It took me a couple of years acclimate to the NC climate, cold in the winter, we do get down to single digits in F and hot and humid in the summer. Though the last few summers have not been bad. The nice thing about NC is that the really hot or really cold weather does not last long.

I went back to Florida one summer, after living in NC for a few years, and felt like I was going to die. Wimp!

On one of our trips to Ireland, there was a heat wave and the natives were suffering. It was only in the mid 80s. Not a big deal but the natives sound like they were dying. Flip side, on another trip, it was cool in June and the natives were talking about how cold it was and running around with puffy winter jackets. We just had on light jackets and my wife does not like cold.

It is all what you are used too.

Spent a far amount of time in the summer on my dad's boat in South Florida with not enough wind to sail so had to run the engine a lot which heated up the boat. At anchor I was never miserable since we always had a breeze, and at night, was often cold. One thing we got REALLY lucky with is NO rain on the boat. If we had had to close hatches to keep the rain out, it would have been h...ll.

We have stayed on a boat in a marina in SC during the summer. Even with AC it was miserable.

You can, and will, acclimate but it takes time.

Later,
Dan

[chris mac]

We bought our boat on lake ontario(lived in alberta) and sailed south for winter.
It was indeed hot during our summer there. We were in a marina in whitby. Once out on the water it was much cooler.
Now we winter in the bahamas and the temps are great. Mid to high 20's sometimes into 30's and low 20's overnight .(celcius) Almost always a nice breeze though to cool us off, or a dip in the crystal clear water. That said, as summer approaches we move north again. I dont deal well above about 40°c. So Caribbean for summers might be tough

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Emoyeni

Hello, I have been enjoying my first season on Lake Ontario with my C&C 30 sailboat. I had inclinations to take this boat down to the Carribean when I first bought it, but I am astounded just how hot and uncomfortable it can be to hang out on this boat in the summer, even in temps ranging from the 20's-30's Celsius, humidity in the 70's.

For those who spend much time in the Carribean, how do you deal with the heat? Is a Carribean winter even more unbearable vs what I'm experiencing here in Canada's summer?

Hi, Emoyeni,

We've never had air conditioning. We have had many types of wind scoop, though, including one that we could reef down but leave the hatches slightly open in the rain. You need to keep air moving through the boat. In addition, what made sleeping possible for me was to mount a fan in the forepeak well forward, and aimed to hit the bed about at one's waist, with the flow going the, along, past one's head to ultimately escape out the companionway.

In really hot places, a brief washdown with warm water before bed opens your pores and helps me sleep. It only takes about a cup of warm water, just a little duck bath.

Hottest, most humid place we've been was ~ 6 deg. South latitude: the Solomon Islands. The first 6 weeks were tough, and we were tropic acclimatized.

Ann

[thomm225]

Even here we have had temps in the high 90's (35 degrees C and up) for a few weeks.

That is tough on a boat with no AC breeze or not.

[Nicholson58]

We live aboard in the Caribbean heading into year 6. It can be uncomfortable. 2016-17 in the BVI was hot and sweaty in November, December. Even the citizens complained. We arranged to stay off the Bitter End YC and had access to their pool through perks with the Salty Dawgs. That BTW was the big hurricane year. We read 93 F between Grenada and Trinidad in June. That was like our hot tub.

Seasons after that we’re progressively cooler. This last season we needed to warm up after short dives. 2016 we could do a two tank day below 60 feet and stay warm. I Note we have not had nearly the storms in the Caribbean Given the lower temperatures since 2017. 80-82 F in Faulmouth Harbor By June.

Whatever temperature the water is will be the temperature in your cabin. We sometimes sleep on deck. Anchoring out guarantees a breeze. The Caribbean trades are reliably East +/- 10 degrees and 10-20. The marina folks are there for convenience and AC power.

We find that at night we close all cabin top hatches except the aft hatch over our bed. Wind bow to stern pulls a slight negative at the cockpit and main companionway because of the wind screen and Bimini. Thus, we get a nice down draft on the bed. The fringe benefit is we don’t race about the boat closing hatches, doing the rain-dance during the frequent sprinkles.

Last season temperatures were mid to upper 70s night to 85 daytime. Humidity is mostly OK. Do your exercise in the morning very early. Swim/snorkel when the sun is high.

In Antigua we joined the Antigua Yacht Club. Very affordable and helps fund the kids sailing programs. This gives us access to the showers and toilets as well as discounts at the restaurant. We also have use of their numerous small sailboats. In Jolly Harbor there is a restaurant with an Olympic pool. You can usually find some kind of club, spa etc if you check around.

Antigua, You can also visit BOOM for lunch. Order drinks and use the infinity pool overlooking Nelson’s dockyard at English Harbor. Free water shuttle to BOOM from the dockyard.

Get a good broad hat and walk in the shade. Make your social contacts and enjoy sundowners and dinghy drifts. We have stayed members of the Salty Dawgs and enjoy new best friends everywhere.

We started out on Lake Michigan so we know about hot sweaty windless summer days and biting flies. It is seldom windless in the Caribbean and there are no flies or spiders. The mosquitos are quick and tiny but they tend to attack only after dark and only below the knees. Saves on Deet. Staying on anchor makes roaches a very rare occurrence.

Get a good modern anchor as oversized as you can manage. We have 54 kilo Rocna.

We are summering on a fresh water lake near Traverse City, Michigan. It is anything but hot this season. Today sunny and mid 70s. It’s been cool all summer.

[goboatingnow]

I’m not used to AC and hence I don’t like it. I find the transition between temperatures makes everything much worse then simply being at the hotter temp all the time.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I’m not used to AC and hence I don’t like it. I find the transition between temperatures makes everything much worse then simply being at the hotter temp all the time.

You'd learn to like AC pretty fast if you had to endure a few weeks on a boat at 95-102 degrees. (35-38 Plus C)

[Nicholson58]

Well here you go. Current situation in Antigua. This looks remarkably identical to the previous 10 months except it’s not cooling at night. You just don’t get the extremes of the north.

Sailflow - a nice week at a time forecast.

[dwedeking2]

I live on a mooring ball in Key West all year round without AC with the wife and her dog. Here's my $0.02

Plan to spend alot of time in the cockpit (more breeze) so set it up with that in mind. Plenty of shade, comfortable cushions etc.

Maximize the airflow through the cabins with properly placed hatches and fans.

Arrive in the winter to make it easier to acclimate yourself. I moved from the desert (dry) to Jacksonville and the humidity almost killed me, by the following year I was better adjusted.

For the dog we have a cooling pad that we toss in the freezer for her. She loves laying on it. Would probably work for a human.

[Wilyum]

This is one of my highest priorities, to have lots of solar and a 12V AC in the master cabin running off a lithium battery bank all night. I can tolerate the hot sweaty humidity of the day, but not while sleeping at night.

[JPA Cate]

Willyum, it's what fans are for, to blow air over your sweat and it will cool you and make sleep possible...plus, below decks, you can keep out mozzies, or wear gauze to stop no see um's biting you. Truly, it has worked for me, and I am not nearly as heat resistant as Jim.

Ann