Condensation and portlights
Cruising in the cold (frost warnings one night) wet weather confirmed the wisdom of my decision to stick with my plastic Beckson ports and install storm covers
http://www.rogerlongboats.com/09Portlights.htm
for offshore work. The condensation was incredible. Water poured off of the aluminum skylight frames so fast that I thought the gaskets must have gone. We had to put the wastebasket under one and the stream was like a leaky faucet. I opened them up and the gaskets were dry. It was just the condensation running around the frames to the low point. I'm glad I didn't have metal frame ports doing the same thing over each bunk.
Radar
Less useful than I expected; especially for the single or short handed sailor. To get the full benifit, you need a dedicated radar watch stander playing with the gain, tracking targets, and going through various modes. Out in open water with alarms set, it is a different matter but, when landmass returns are mixed up with traffic, it takes a lot of attention to spot other traffic. Small craft don't show up well enough on the Garmin chart overlay to spot easily. You need to find them on the radar only display and then look for the little red spots. It was great to have in thick calm fog crossing Penobscot Bay when I could turn the steering and navigation over to crew and just focus on the screen but I wouldn't have wanted to be alone on auto pilot with my attention so taken up with the radar display. Very cool to watch boats go by that you never would have known about though.
Many plastic lobster boats without much mast or rigging barely show up on radar at all. The air force should study them for stealth that works in damp wet conditions (unlike the B1 bomber).
Cabin Heat
We were never cold below but, wow, is it wet cruising this time of year. I've cruised in the fall when it is generally colder but the water temperature makes a huge difference. We couldn't have been wetter from condensation if we had taken a hose to the inside of the boat. A diesel cabin heater with a flue may be next winter's big project.
Early cruising
This is a great time of year to cruise. We were in Pulpit Harbor and Somesville with just one other boat each time. We saw just one yacht east of Schoodic and it appeared to be daysailing out of Lubec. Never a problem finding a mooring although I generally anchor. No waits for fuel or to do laundry.
Cruising in the cold (frost warnings one night) wet weather confirmed the wisdom of my decision to stick with my plastic Beckson ports and install storm covers
http://www.rogerlongboats.com/09Portlights.htm
for offshore work. The condensation was incredible. Water poured off of the aluminum skylight frames so fast that I thought the gaskets must have gone. We had to put the wastebasket under one and the stream was like a leaky faucet. I opened them up and the gaskets were dry. It was just the condensation running around the frames to the low point. I'm glad I didn't have metal frame ports doing the same thing over each bunk.
Radar
Less useful than I expected; especially for the single or short handed sailor. To get the full benifit, you need a dedicated radar watch stander playing with the gain, tracking targets, and going through various modes. Out in open water with alarms set, it is a different matter but, when landmass returns are mixed up with traffic, it takes a lot of attention to spot other traffic. Small craft don't show up well enough on the Garmin chart overlay to spot easily. You need to find them on the radar only display and then look for the little red spots. It was great to have in thick calm fog crossing Penobscot Bay when I could turn the steering and navigation over to crew and just focus on the screen but I wouldn't have wanted to be alone on auto pilot with my attention so taken up with the radar display. Very cool to watch boats go by that you never would have known about though.
Many plastic lobster boats without much mast or rigging barely show up on radar at all. The air force should study them for stealth that works in damp wet conditions (unlike the B1 bomber).
Cabin Heat
We were never cold below but, wow, is it wet cruising this time of year. I've cruised in the fall when it is generally colder but the water temperature makes a huge difference. We couldn't have been wetter from condensation if we had taken a hose to the inside of the boat. A diesel cabin heater with a flue may be next winter's big project.
Early cruising
This is a great time of year to cruise. We were in Pulpit Harbor and Somesville with just one other boat each time. We saw just one yacht east of Schoodic and it appeared to be daysailing out of Lubec. Never a problem finding a mooring although I generally anchor. No waits for fuel or to do laundry.
