" Nice to haves " for 6mos. in Caribbean ?

[Cheechako]

You could get by with none of it, but....

RADAR: Although the whole trip from Florida to Trinidad can be accomplished with only overnight passages, the radar is very high on my list. Examples of where it helped a lot:

• Crossing the Gulfstream I was able to see waterspouts several miles out and avoid there course.
• Crossing the Mona passage, the thunderstorms off the end of PR are HUGE. I was able to monitor their activity and locations etc from 50-80 miles away.
• of course freighter traffic.
• Slow progress resulted in having to make port at night several times in dicey depths and locations. The radar saved the day.... or I should say the cap'ns sleep schedule..

WATERMAKER: Dont know how many people you are taking, but water can be a hassle in the Carribean for sure. Very high on the list.
If your tanks are huge and there are two of you... may be cheaper to buy it though, but a lot more hassle.

HAM ETC RADIO: Not necessary...as I said ...it's just overnighters! The wx report is going to be pretty much "possibility of thunerstorms in the afternoon" and you will be surrounded by people who have various wx help as they are out there for a longer time.

BATTERY CHARGING: A 100 AMP Alternator & reg will do it all for a 6 mo trip. Solar or Wind gen would be a plus, but keep your "trouble factor" low for such a short trip... if you want backup, buy a Honda 1000si invertor charger just in case! You may use it for a lot of things for years anyway!

AIR CONDITIONING: Forget it...not needed...unless you plan on hauling out in Trini and living on the hard. Then you can rent one cheap. Hell you might be a little cold at times!

Shower on the swim step/stern: Install one! then just rinse off after you wash in the salt water.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by daddle

Bravo, sailor!

Easy for you to say. You spend more in the yacht club bar the first night after a passage than ol docinsand would spend on all the gear.

[Auspicious]

I don't have a watermaker and haven't felt stretched in the Bahamas or VI, but my tanks are bigger than yours - about 120 USG.

I do have a diesel generator and aircon but haven't used them in the Bahamas or VI. I have used my diesel heater in the Abacos. *grin*

Radar is a safety and navigation tool for me. I'd be loath to give it up. AIS is increasingly important as commercial traffic seems to be turning an increasingly deaf ear to calls that don't use their name. YMMV, but AIS is a big deal. In the Carib a lot of the little guys -- just as hazardous to us -- don't have AIS yet.

[LauderBoy]

Originally Posted by capttman

Nice to haves, sunscreen, hat, sunscreen, hat, food, more food.. a few spares a hat.. You are in the Caribbean, there are all the amenities you need. Not like you are in the Galapagos...

Nice list. I've been thinking about adding hot weather compatible long sleeve shirts and lose pants too. I don't think sunscreen is really all that effective when you spend years under the sun.

[capttman]

Originally Posted by LauderBoy

Nice list. I've been thinking about adding hot weather compatible long sleeve shirts and lose pants too. I don't think sunscreen is really all that effective when you spend years under the sun.

Hmmmmmmm 30 years and I don't need much now but newbies fry....LOL