Our first three months of sailing have been a huge learning experience for us, as many of my blog posts would suggest. As we're getting to know the boat we're beginning to identify and mentally prioritize various upgrades. I'm learning this is a disease common to all boaters. As if general maintenance and upkeep isn't expensive enough, every boater wants more stuff. It's not by coincidence that owners define a boat as "a big hole in the water you throw money into." Some even say that the word BOAT is really an acronym, meaning Bring Out Another Thousand. In fact, in the parlance of boat owners, $1000 = 1 Boat Unit. Even if items appear to be much less expensive than that, somehow things add up and before you know it, your quick and inexpensive upgrade ended up costing you a Grand.
I referred to some early upgrades in a previous post, such as new lifelines, new water heater, stereo etc.. These we deemed basic necessities. The only item on that list still outstanding is a replacement anchor light. This light is at the very top of the mast and must be left on at night when at anchor so other boats are aware of your presence should they be maneuvering in the dark. Ours is burnt out so we plan on replacing it with an efficient LED model that will draw fewer amps from the batteries. Unfortunately this requires someone going up the mast. David and I have decided to leave that task to a pro.
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| New lifelines |
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| New clutches |
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| New stereo with I-Pod jack |
The items I'm thinking of now are net-new, in the sense that Ge'Mara has never been equipped with them before. Here's a few things I'm currently coveting:
Anchor Windlass
One of the best parts of coastal cruising is finding peaceful little places to anchor and relax, perhaps eating, drinking or even spending the night. Setting the anchor is a pretty simple process but bringing it back up can be hard work and a little unpleasant at times. A sailboat anchor typically has about 30' of heavy chain, followed by a few hundred feet of rope. On Ge'Mara, this must be retrieved manually. The lucky person who gets to haul it in is not only in for a bit of a workout but will also get quite wet in the process. An electric windlass will do all of this work for you, such that brining in the anchor is a simple matter of pushing a button. The windlass winds the anchor rode back up and lets it fall into the anchor locker. It's not always a seamless process but most certainly better than retrieving it by hand. Cost: $400 - $1,000
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| Typical examples of anchor windlass |
Autopilot
This may seem like a bit of a luxury but when you spend the entire day sailing or motoring it can get a bit tiring to always have to be at the helm. Even with more than one person on the boat there are times when the helmsman might wish to take a break or attend to something that needs doing. For boats that make long passages and require 24 hour attention to the helm, autopilots or wind vanes are considered a necessity. Another advantage of an autopilot is the opportunity for single handing. While I'm not ready for that just yet, I can see wanting to try it in the future. Cost: $1,000 - $1,500 installed.
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| An autopilot setup, consisting of the control head and the bit that attaches to the wheel |
Whisker Pole
Most people find sailing downwind to be the most pleasant point of sail. The boat isn't heeled over, the wind seems to disappear and yet you are making good speed. In light air however, it can be difficult to make the sails behave. Often the genoa (headsail) will be flapping around in want of a bit more wind to keep it full. A whisker pole essentially holds the sail out into the wind and prevents it from collapsing when the ship roles on a wave or the wind momentarily dies for any other reason. This simple device, combined with a preventer rigged to secure the mainsail boom from swinging, makes downwind sailing much more pleasant. Cost: $124 - $400
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| An example of a whisker pole in use |
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