What’s your favorite gear on Dejarlo?
When we started thinking about extended cruising in the Bahamas, we also started thinking about our needs for fresh water. Fresh water while cruising the coasts of the U.S. is readily available and free. However, in the Bahamas, access to fresh water can be a logistical challenge. Most marinas in the Bahamas provide fresh water for a cost (upwards of fifty cents per gallon). In almost all cases this water is RO (Reverse Osmosis) water, and not always the best tasting. We carry 145 gallons of fresh water on Dejarlo, and with drinking/cooking water, laundry, showers, etc., we consume between 10 and 12 gallons per day. While cruising the Bahamas, we enjoy anchoring in beautiful, secluded bays for extended periods. We don’t want to depart some particularly beautiful anchorage because we’re out of fresh water and need to get to a marina to replenish.
Thus, we made the decision to install a watermaker that converts salt water to sweet tasting fresh water. It is truly a miracle of science! We purchased a Rainman, high capacity, AC powered watermaker (in runs off our generator) providing us with 37 gallons of fresh water per hour. Three hours of operation per week provides us with more fresh water than we need.
For the type of cruising we like to do, installing a watermaker was one of the best decisions we’ve made.
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When we purchased the boat, it came with a Rocna 20 (44 pounds) anchor. While this is a super anchor for this boat, I wanted something a little larger on the bow. I installed a Rocna 25 (55 pounds). We love it! It sets quickly and, when coupled with the 250 feet of 5/16″ anchor chain, has given us confidence (and a good night’s sleep) during some pretty high winds.
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We also added several Caframo Ultimate 757 fans around the salon, galley and master bedroom. These babies really move air! We’ll be adding more soon.
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Although the boat is installed with a B&G Vulcan 9 Chartplotter, I also added to the helm station a mount for our Apple iPad containing the Navionics Boating app. While the B&G does a great job, I love the Navionics app! I have both of them mounted and running while underway as our primary and backup navigation. However, it’s sometimes difficult to decide which is primary and which is backup.
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We’ve also installed, and really love, our Vesper XB-8000 AIS Transponder. It gives us great confidence being able to identify other vessels in the area, and know that they can identify us, especially while doing night passages.
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When we purchased the boat, it didn’t have an electric anchor windlass. The previous owner was much stronger than me (Better looking, too. Right, Pam?) and chose to pull up chain and anchor by hand. As I mentioned earlier, I upgraded the original Rocna 20 to a Rocna 25. I also had 150′ of new 5/16″ HT chain installed (recently upgraded to 250′), along with a Lofrans’ Cayman 1000w horizontal electric anchor windlass. This thing is a beast! As two people that will be doing lots of anchoring, it’s a welcome addition to Dejarlo’s bow.
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For cruisers that tend more towards doing a lot of anchoring, a good anchor alarm, or two, is a crucial tool. While we are yet to find our favorite, we’re currently testing out, SafeAnchor.net, an app for both our Apple iPhones and Apple iPad. It was recommended by one of our favorite cruising blogs Sailing Britican. We’ll let you know how testing on SafeAnchor.net goes.
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Also, our Sport-a-Seats provide great seating comfort in the cockpit.