I’ve been trying to get Dennis to share his technical expertise on the blog, so here’s the first installment.  I will continue to update on our location/status, so on some days, like today, there may actually be two posts.   

If I Wrote a Book

The thought crossed my mind in the hours out on the water about a book for first time cruisers.  Yes there are probably plenty already out there but my perspective would be things we learned on this trip that are not exactly what you read about.  I will think about it but in the mean time I thought I might write a special blog now and then that would touch on what chapters in the book might address.

One chapter might be on boat data.  Here is some information that we have been questioned about.

Cruising Speed:  Aurora’s 50 HP Yanmar is rated at 3600 RPM max and continuous running rating at 3400 RPM.  Therefore, we should be able to run 3400 RPM all the time.  However, I changed the original 2-blade prop with a folding 3-blade prop.  The result is our maximum RPM is now 3200.  We usually run between 2600 – 2800 rpm which results in a cruising speed between 6.5 – 7.5 knots.  Of course wind and current have a drastic effect on this.

Fuel usage:  I wish they would put flow meters on these engines so you would know exactly your hourly usage.  I figure we burn around 1.25 – 1.5 gals per hour or around 5-6 miles/gal.  This of course assumes running the 2600-2800 RPMs.  If we are motor sailing and reduce RPMS the fuel consumption is different.

Ideal boat size:  I really think a 40’ boat is about right for coastal cruising.  It is not the interior room that is the most important but the water line length that provides the boat speed.  We met a couple sailing a 25 footer from the Bahamas up the east coast.  Each day to go the same amount of miles they are on the water hours longer than us.  That means they are exposed to all the things that can happen for longer periods of time.  I would not venture out on a long cruise in anything less than 37 feet.  Larger is okay to a point.  If you get much bigger than 40 feet the mast starts getting close to the magic 65 foot bridge clearance height which is now standard by the Corp of Engineers.  I was next to a new 49’ Hunter in Jersey City for the week and his mast was right at 65’.  The captain told me his antenna touches the bottom of many bridges.  That is just too close for me.

Important boat features:  This is very subjective but I have my list and it goes hand in hand with what you would normally find on a 40’ sailboat.

a.       Separate shower in the head:  With a shower/head combination the whole compartment gets wet when you shower.  I love our shower and rarely use a marinas shower when we are docked.

b.      In-mast furling:  Either an in-mast or in-boom furling systems is highly desirable.  We take the sails out, in and reef without leaving the cockpit.  This is very important in pitching and rolling seas.

c.       Good chart plotter and autopilot:  I put these two together because they work together.  I could not imagine a trip like this with the original 2000 vintage chart plotter that came with this boat.  The $900 we spent on a new chart plotter with all coastal US waters preloaded was the best investment we made on the boat.  The autopilot I installed cost a lot more than the chart plotter but it is essential as well.

d.      Dingy davit:  It is so nice to be able to carry the dingy high on the back of the boat.  I see guys dragging their dingy behind and can’t imagine doing that for anything more than a weekend cruise.  Further I don’t see how you could pull a dingy in heavy seas.

e.       Air Conditioning and Generator:  I couple these two together because if you don’t have air conditioning you really don’t need a generator.  With the heat in the mid to upper nineties we would not be out here without the air conditioning, period.  You could manage without the generator if you stayed at marinas every night.  But for me, I am glad we installed both.

f.       Inverter:  It is nice to flip the inverter on and have A/C power for small appliances and the microwave.

g.      Freezer and refrigerator:  It is really great to have a decent size freezer where you can keep items frozen and a separate refrigerator for everything else.  Our freezer happens to be water cooled and the refrigerator is air cooled.  The water cooled may be more efficient but we have to watch the strainer on it because it can clog from sea grass and it will shut down.

(to be continued on a later post)