The Okeechobee Waterway

Excerpt from the 2011 Southern Edition Waterway Guide, Editor, Susan Landry :

The Okeechobee Waterway is considered by many to be the dividing line between Central Florida and South Florida. When traveling from the north, this is where you will begin to see greater changes in the climate and vegetation, and even in the people—more “Northerners,” either seasonal “snowbirds” or full-time transplants, and a decided increase in the Latino culture. And please journey along with us on our photo tour of the Waterway here.

During the last week of May 2011, we transited the Okeechobee Waterway from Stuart, Florida to Ft. Myers Beach Florida. You can read about our transit here and here and get even more details.

Opened in 1937, the Waterway offers a chance to see rural Florida, with small towns much as they were early in the last century. The scenery varies as the passage progresses from east to west from river to canal, to lake, to canal, and back to river again. On the Okeechobee Waterway, ranches and big commercial farms alternate with moss-hung wilderness, while bustling boomtowns coexist alongside sleepy villages that popped up long before Miami was built. With its backwaters and “bywaters,” its islands and coves, and its flora and fauna, the Caloosahatchee River was once the only way to get from the Gulf of Mexico to Central Florida, via small steamers and freighters. Some still consider the Caloosahatchee (76.6 miles) the most scenic part of the Okeechobee Waterway, thanks to the old river’s off-channel oxbows. Small cruise ships now occasionally make the trip.

For the boater, the Okeechobee Waterway and Lake Okeechobee provide quite a transition from the pace of busy coastal cities to the tranquility of Florida’s heartland. The Waterway is also a tremendously efficient route from the east coast to the west coast of Florida, the only alternative being the long trek down around the Keys and up across Florida Bay, or vice versa. The Okeechobee Waterway is 154 or 165 statute miles (134 or 144 nautical miles), from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, depending on whether you take Route 1 across Lake Okeechobee (8.6-foot depths in 2010) or the Rim Route (6.0-foot depths also in 2010; use at your own risk because of debris) along the lake’s southern shore. The Waterway can be divided into three distinct sections:

1. From Mile Zero (the intersection of the Okeechobee Waterway and the Atlantic ICW at St. Lucie Inlet) up the South Fork of the St. Lucie River to the St. Lucie Canal to Lake Okeechobee.
2. Lake Okeechobee itself (either the “Open-Water Route” directly across the lake, or the “Rim Route” along the lake’s southern shore).
3. From Clewiston through the Caloosahatchee Canal and down the Caloosahatchee River to the end of the Okeechobee Waterway in San Carlos Bay, at Mile Zero of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) heading north.

On Lake Okeechobee, a skipper has the choice of two routes for crossing. The first, Route 1, is an open-water crossing (39 statute, 34 nautical miles, 8.6-foot controlling depths at publication), and the second, Route 2 which is also referred to as the Rim Route (50 statute, 44 nautical miles, 6.0-foot depths at publication; use at your own risk), follows the shoreline south from Port Mayaca, on the eastern shore, before entering a tree-protected rim canal and running past Clewiston to Moore Haven.

Cruising Characteristics
Chart 11428 covers the area from the intersection with the Atlantic ICW to Fort Myers, and Chart 11427 continues down the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) and the Gulf of Mexico. From that point, cruisers have the option of moving north on the GIWW to the Sun Coast, outside in the Gulf to the Big Bend or the Panhandle, or south to southwest Florida and the Keys.

Caution: Much of Chart 11428 is at a scale of 1:80,000; this is different from the charts adjoining at either end, 11472 and 11427, both at 1:40,000, the usual Waterway scale. Chart 11428 has two insets at its eastern end and one where it reaches Lake Okeechobee, plus an extension at its western end—all of these are at various larger scales.


Navigating Locks
The water level in Lake Okeechobee is higher than anywhere on the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf ICW. Whether you are headed east or west, you ascend through the locks to Lake Okeechobee, and then descend after you leave. The Waterway has five modern, spacious and well-handled locks and more than 20 bridges, ranging from electronic-controlled to hand-operated. Normally, locks operate between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., but check ahead for current lock-through schedules.
Locking through is simple compared to procedures necessary in the northeastern U.S. canal systems. Lock personnel furnish all necessary lines and regular fenders will suffice when locking through. Allow approximately 15 minutes once inside a lock. The Okeechobee Waterway locks are easier to transit when you are the only boat locking through, and if the lock attendant gives you the windward dock line first when winds are strong. Gusty winds can set up a surge in the locks, so use caution. The attendant also might warn you that you could be locking through with a manatee or an alligator. Lockmasters on the Okeechobee are usually helpful and courteous.

Note: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires boat operators to turn off radar units during lockage to avoid exposing lock personnel to possible radiation risks. It is recommended, however, that engines be left running.

When you reach the dolphins and the sign ARRIVAL POINT before each lock, contact the lockmaster on VHF Channel 13, give your vessel’s name and direction, and request lockage. At that time, they will inform you of the current lockage status and estimate your wait time. It could be as long as 45 minutes to an hour in the unusual case where they have just started locking through from your side. The lockmaster will also instruct you as to port- or starboard-to, indicating which side of the lock to steer to and how to arrange your fenders; see the Bridge Tables in the Skipper’s Handbook section for the side normally used. The lockmaster will then indicate for you to enter when the traffic light is green.

If you receive no response on VHF, sound two long and two short blasts. (Not a part of the Waterway, Clewiston Lock is used to leave the Waterway and reach the facilities at Clewiston; it is the only lock without VHF radio.) At each lock, for the smallest of craft, there is a pull-cord hanging down by a sign marking its location. The green light is your signal to enter the lock. The lockmaster will then hand you, or drop to you, a bow line and a stern line, or the lines will be hanging down from the top of the lock’s sidewall and you will have to steer to them and pick them up (in this case, keep a boathook handy).

When your boat enters at the lower level and is to be raised in the lock, take care that the line does not hit you in the face when it is dropped by the lockmaster. Be prepared for moderate turbulence as water rushes in or out of the lock. Two people can safely handle a small or medium-sized boat, but an extra pair of hands is always useful on large boats. Single-handing through the locks is not safe and is strongly discouraged.

Check when you are doing your pre-cruise planning, and recheck again at the first lock, to make sure the entire Waterway is open. Maintenance on the locks is normally done each summer, and through-passage from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast may not be possible for as long as several months. During such times, Lake Okeechobee may be accessible from one side or the other, but not both. During a drought, lockage may be restricted depending on water supply. Call the Corps of Engineers at Clewiston (863-983-8101) for information or go to the Internet at www.saj.usace.army.mil and use the “Coastal Navigation” selection from the menu, followed by the link to “Navigation Projects and Studies.”


Depths and Clearances
The depth of water in Lake Okeechobee can vary widely as a result of rainfall onto the drainage area to the north and the lake itself. As a result of an ongoing drought, the level fell to a record low of 3.36 feet in mid-2007 — the lowest level ever recorded — but lake levels had recovered to 8.6 feet in early 2010, due to hurricanes in 2008 and a tropical storm in 2009. The Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District manage the level of the lake. There are a variety of ecological, environmental and economic reasons for various levels, and some of them conflict with others.

The depths charted in Lake Okeechobee are based on a datum of 12.56 feet. If skippers know the lake level, they can determine the difference between the datum and the current level and modify the charted depths accordingly. Depths in the sections between dams on either side of the lake vary slightly with lake level changes, but the differences are seldom enough to affect navigation.

The Port Mayaca Railroad Bridge, Mile 38.0, sets the 49-foot controlling vertical clearance of the Waterway. If you have any questions about clearance, call the Corps of Engineers at Clewiston (863-983-8101). Sailboaters can have their masts unstepped at Stuart, or wait and have it done at the Indiantown Marina, which is closer to the Port Mayaca Bridge.



Navigating the Okeechobee Waterway
With the exception of a lake crossing in imperfect weather, passage along the Okeechobee Waterway is easy, piloting is simple and navigational aids are adequate for daytime running. Aids to navigation are numbered in several sequences from east to west all the way across; even-numbered red aids are on the starboard side (as they are southbound along the Atlantic ICW). Conversely, leave red aids to port eastbound on the Waterway, as you would when northbound on the ICW. Reservations are recommended at marinas on the Okeechobee Waterway.

Nighttime navigation is not recommended, because shoals and deadheads (partially submerged objects) are obscured. Fortunately, ample facilities and occasional anchorages make after-dark travel unnecessary. Some of the bridges operate daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and require a minimum of three hours notice to open at other times. Phone numbers are posted on each bridge; calls are best made during normal office hours. You can use adjacent dolphins for tie-ups. Anchoring in approach areas to some of the locks is also possible, and the lockmasters can provide local knowledge concerning depths and conditions. As mentioned before, aids to navigation are the same as the ICW pattern: going west, keep red aids to navigation to starboard, green ones to port; yellow squares and triangles are shown on dayboards and buoys.

Currents are not a problem in the Okeechobee Waterway, except for the turbulence that occurs when locks are opened. Average tides at the mouth of the St. Lucie River are 0.9 feet; 1.2 feet at Fort Myers; and 2.4 feet at Punta Rassa (at the western end of the Okeechobee Waterway) near Mile Zero of the GIWW heading north.

Weather
Central Florida weather is generally benign. In winter, the prevailing wind is north to northeast, as opposed to summer, when wind is normally east to southeast, with very little rain except when cold fronts from the north pass through. Summer days are calm in the mornings, with occasional patchy fog; winds pick up at about 10 a.m. Afternoons often bring showers and thunderstorms, particularly late in the day, so it is a good idea to plan on getting in early. Hurricanes do occur in season, June through November.

Since Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake located wholly in the continental United States. (Lake Michigan is the largest), it can get nasty. You should know which forecasts cover the area. The continuous NOAA marine weather comes from West Palm Beach and Fort Myers on VHF Channel WX-3, and from Belle Glade on WX-2.

A Chesapeake Cruise

We finally untied the dock lines and left the dock for a few days of cruising instead of working on the boat. All of the must-do projects are done for now, and we need a little time off to relax and enjoy some of the fruits of our labors. One of the great things about cruising for as long as we have, is that you meet a lot of wonderful people, and we have met many. Over the years they have become friends and even if you don't see someone for years, when you next meet, it is like you saw each other yesterday. Our good friends Paul and Gail were anchored in San Pedro, Belize when we sailed over the reef early one morning and dropped anchor. We were very surprised to find two boats already anchored there, not because they were there ,but because both of the other boats were from Maryland and one lived within five miles of us. We continued on with both boats through Belize and into the Rio Dulce in Guatemala.

Paul and Gail live in North East, Maryland with a house right on the water near the entrance of the Susquehanna River. That would be our destination for Saturday, about 35 miles north of our marina. The weather forecast was for fabulous weather for the next four days, more about that later. The morning was sunny and very pleasant, a perfect day to cruise the Chesapeake Bay. We did not get under way until 10 a.m. as we had a few chores and preparations still to do. The winds were light and out of the northwest, the direction we needed to go, but all in all, a great start. We estimated the run to North East would take us four to five hours.

Being a Saturday, the Bay was very busy with all manor of craft, needing to get somewhere really fast before the last (fill in the blank) _____________ was sold, used, taken, claimed by someone else. We headed out of Rock Creek and turned north at the alternate small ship channel that runs near Pooles Island.

We always carry paper charts aboard no matter where we are cruising ,but since Susan and I were both born and raised on the Chesapeake, we don't find it necessary to have the charts sitting at the helm as we normally would. For the next few days, we would use our trusty Waterway Guide, our log book and, of course, our Standard Horizon Chartplotter at the helm of the flybridge. We also have our Toshiba laptop running at the lower helm station as a back-up and if we need to move to the lower station. We have been using an older version of the Capn First Mate navigation software for many years. It does not have all of the bells and whistles of many others, but it does everything we need it to do and, most of all, it will run the free NOAA charts that can be downloaded on-line. The laptop is connected to a handheld Garmin GPS via a USB to Serial cable and gives us the ability to use the handheld if needed. This has worked well for us now and for many year cruising on Sea Trek, our former sailboat. 

The commercial waterman were out on the water working their traps and trot lines. On the Chesapeake, this means keeping a sharp watch at all times while under way. The polypropylene lines and floats on their traps are everywhere just waiting to wind themselves around your propeller and shaft. The results can be a minor inconvenience, an unexpected dive over the stern, or a tow to the nearest haul-out facilities and an expensive repair. These floats are everywhere in the Bay except the ships channel. Although we so love the results of their hard work, it is really annoying to have to constantly dodge the floats and add many extra miles to our trips weaving back and forth to avoid them. 

The Corps of Engineers was also busy dredging the ship channel that leads north to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. These dredge operators do a fine job of keeping our Waterways open, when the funding is there to pay for the work. We did have one encounter with another Corps of Engineers boat, the Shuman. The Captain of the Shuman was kind enough to pass us close by, even though we were well out of the channel, and rolled us from side to side with a VERY large wake. Not even a hello, we are going to pass you or, sorry about that. And once they had tossed everything around on the boat, they came to a full stop a quarter of a mile ahead of us and sat there until we passed them. They were still there when we motored out of sight. I suppose the Captains are now recruited from sportfishing Captains, and the Corps has seriously lowered its standards. If you happen to see the Shuman coming, you might want to prepare yourself. We would have taken photos of their display of seamanship, but we were too busy holding on for dear life. But here is the Shuman in case you see them coming:

Whatever this job was, it must have been really important that they arrive at that very spot at precisely the exact second.

Other than a few inconsiderate operators, the trip went very well. Beach House behaved herself, and we arrived off Turkey Point at about 2:30 in the afternoon. The National Weather Service guesscast for the day was NW winds 5 to 10 knots with gusts to 20 - makes sense. We knew a front was coming through over night with rain and unknown winds since the NWS had changed their guess at least five times since we started the trip. Our original plan was to anchor off our friends house and dinghy in for our visit. But without enough information to determine just what weather was coming, we decided to take a cautionary approach and take a slip at a local marina. Our friends had made arrangements for a slip at Bay Boat Works, about seven miles from their house by water. Bay Boat Works usually does not have transient slips, but they do have a few from time to time. 

This is a working boat yard with a travel lift and haul out facilities. They have both open and covered slips, but most are long-term slip holders. They also have a mooring field, but the moorings are for sailboats only. We never did find out why. The folks at the marina were very helpful and friendly. We found the restrooms, while not fancy, very clean and maintained. There are showers for use by the slipholders and transients. We decided to stay at the marina both Saturday and Sunday night since the rains started Saturday night and were forecast to end midday Sunday. The NWS missed again, and it rained all day Sunday and into Sunday evening.

We had a great visit, and Susan was adventurous enough to walk out to the lighthouse on Turkey Point. It is really beautiful in the area. We spent some time in downtown North East, visiting the antique shops and doing a little shopping. It is a very friendly and quaint town with friendly locals. A stop at a roadside vegetable stand and some great meals at our friends made for a perfect weekend, in spite of the weather.

This is the view from their back deck and the approaching front Saturday evening. After the rains all day Sunday, we looked at what information was coming from the Neverright Weather Service. The guesscast was for another front to come through on Monday afternoon. We had planned to head south and visit other friends on the Wye River. The front coming through would be preceded by southwest winds and predicted at 20 knots by midday Monday, we would be heading south all day. On Tuesday, when we would be returning and heading north on the Bay, the winds would be out of the north and 20 knots. Now it is not that the boat can't handle this, but the question was, did we really want to pound into 20 knots for two days? And the answer is..., no. So we changed plans and headed back to our marina and back to our slip. 

Monday morning, we were under way very early to get back to the slip before the 20 knot winds kicked in. The morning started clear considering all of the rain, with just a light fog. The winds were calm, and there was an autumn chill in the air, a sure sign the season was changing. But a very pleasant change from the 100 degree temperatures we have had over the summer. The return trip was as pleasant and uneventful as the trip north, and there were a lot fewer boats on the water since it was Monday. 

We passed a few trawlers we were sure were heading for the MTOA Rendezvous in Baltimore, but no one we recognized. With the wind building on our nose and the currents against us all the way back, we added an extra hour to our time back to the marina. Once the boat was secured in the slip and everything connected and stowed, we jumped in the car and drove to our friends on the Wye River. We had a great visit and it was a whole lot less stressful than slogging into 20 knot winds and waves on the Bay for two days. The winds did materialize, so our decision turned out to be a good one. All in all, we declared the cruise a success. We did get to spend time with our friends and, more importantly, we took the boat out of the slip and spent some quality time on the water. We promised ourselves we would do this more often before the season comes to a close. We hope we will be able to keep that promise.

We did promise to report on the new Livingston Dinghy. Unfortunately we don't have much to report. Staying at the marina meant we did not use it. We can report though that it rode on the swim platform quite well, even with the big roll from the Corps of Engineers boat. We added the stand-offs and they helped keep everything in place and stabilized. More next time.

A New Dinghy And A Big Change

Cruisers know that the dinghy is the same as the family car when we live ashore.It gets you to shore to buy groceries, visit with friends, and reach those beaches and snorkel spots that can't be reached with the mothership. Ask ten cruisers what the best dinghy is and you will get ten different answers. It will turn out to be one of those discussions like anchoring or cleaning the holding tank. The opinions will fly and the discussion will go on for a long time.

Since we began cruising almost 20 years ago, we wrestled with what type of dinghy would be best for us. After a couple of shake down cruises it became obvious. We first tried a very nice fiberglass skiff that was capable of sailing, with a mast and boom, rowed well and looked very elegant. But in a short time we grew to hate it. We could not carry more than two people and it would only hold a small outboard. It was so tippy getting in and out from the boat that we stopped using it. It was always banging against the hull and dinged everything.

We sold that dinghy and bought an inflatable. Our first inflatable had a soft floor with wooden inserts and standard size tubes. It was a big improvement, more stable, carried more weight and let us up the horse power of the outboard. After our first cruise to the Bahamas, we realized that although better, the design made for a wet ride across the harbor in even a small chop. In Georgetown we had to wear foul weather gear to ride across the harbor on bright sunny days.

It was obvious that we needed an inflatable, we just need a better one.  Our next purchase was a RIB from Caribe. It proved to be perfect, it was stable, carried even more weight, used a larger outboard that allowed us to get up on plain, reach our destinations much faster, and with the larger tubes and flared bow, it was a much drier ride.

That dinghy lasted us for ten years and we put a lot of miles on it. It was used and abused all over the Caribbean. It was sold along with our sailboat and the new trawler had an inflatable exactly like our first one only not in as good condition. This was not going to do so the hunt began for a new one. We carried the Caribe on davits on the stern of the sailboat the entire time we owned and cruised the boat. But we did not want to carry a dinghy on the back of the trawler this way, we prefer carrying it on its side on the swim platform. This is doable but not ideal with an inflatable. We had seen a pretty nifty fiberglass dinghy in our travels made by Livingston Boats in Tarboro, North Carolina. We had met a few cruisers with these boats and they really liked them. We started doing research on line and and asking questions of owners and the end results seemed to be that this was a good option for us. The twin hulls gave the stability we needed, the boat would move along quite well with a smaller outboard, which means carrying less weight, it is very well built and it looks really nice. On the website it is referred to as the 8 but is actually 7.5 feet.

There is also a mounting option for dinghy mounting brackets made by Weaver Davits that would make mounting on the swim platform easy and secure. It also makes launching and retrieval easy, which is very important to us. It took at the most a couple of hours to install the Weaver Davits and have the boat resting on the swim platform. We just love it when a plan comes together.

Holding Tanks and Refrigerators

What do these two systems have in common you ask? I suppose you could say one holds your food while the other holds the waste products of your food. Both are systems on a boat that get a lot of discussion and attention from most boat owners. Both are systems that can cause lots of headaches and demand lots of our attention.

The holding tank on Beach House was the original from the factory and in a very strange place. Both heads are in cabins down from the main salon. The holding tank was a fiberglass tank installed under the seat at the dinette. Other than the fact that this might not be the most desirable location if odors develop, it means that the sewage must be pumped up hill from the heads to the tank, another less than ideal situation. 

This diagram, taken from Don Casey's article on installing a head, is a good approximation of the installation we are currently working on. The old tank has been removed and the process of installing the new tank and replacing all of the connections, hoses and valves is nearing completion. We decided to install the tank in a space next to the head, under the starboard bunk in the aft cabin. This makes for very short hose runs from the head to the tank, the thru-hulls and pump-out fittings and gives us easy access to all of the parts. We decide to use the Trident Sanitation Hose based on a lot of research on the most odor resistant hose for this purpose. The Y-valve is a Whale valve based on years of experience with this valve on our previous boat, Sea Trek. We had the tank custom made by Triple M Plastics in Maine to our specifications as to size and placement of fittings. They did an excellent job, and the tank is well-built and sturdy. Time will tell as to how well-built it is, and of course, we will report back. The current plumbing does not have a anti-siphon valve in the discharge. and we will add this and a larger vent on the tank than is normally found on most holding tanks. We would have preferred a 1 inch vent. but space constrictions kept this down to 3/4 inch. The tail piece on the head was cracked on our repair during the trip north, and although it has not leaked, it will get replaced. Since our forward head is now used exclusively as a shower, the head is disabled, but we can easily recommission it and add a small holding tank under the v-berth if we find we can't live without it.

We also decided to replace the fridge while we are able, even though this breaks our number one rule, "if it ain't broke don't fix it." The old fridge was a 3-way, using 110 volt, 12 volt and propane. We have never used the propane feature although the previous own did and liked it. The 110 volt worked well, but meant we needed to be connected to shore power or run the portable generator while at anchor. In our almost 20 years of living aboard, we have used a strictly 12 volt refrigeration system and found this to be the system we prefer. The advantage is that the system works off of one power source no matter what we are doing. If at the dock, the battery charger keeps the batteries up and the fridge happy. If at anchor, it is still running off the 12 volt system and the batteries can be recharged from the engine at the very least. Our decision to go with the Vitrifrigo C115 12 volt model was based on a lot of research and owner feedback. The unit actually has the same cubic feet interior as the original fridge, but the overall size of the box is much smaller. That means the cabinet has to be modified, but it is a simple modification. One big improvement will be the additional insulation added to the inside of the cabinet in which the fridge is mounted. Another bonus is additional storage space we have gained that we added under the new unit. The unit has the newer Danfoss compressor, and it does not add all of the heat that the old unit generated in the main salon. The Danfoss compressor is quiet, efficient and can be serviced just about anywhere without specialized parts. The power consumption is considerably less than the old unit, and this was a major factor in our decision.

Those are two big projects that should be completed within the next week or so. It is slow going when we have to work full-time. It always amazes me how work can really interfere with our boat time, but what can you do? Once these two projects are completed, we might just take some time and get the boat out on the bay. A new dinghy is to be delivered soon, and we will post on that after it arrives. A big rainstorm last night reminded us that the opening ports need to be replaced, so it looks like we need to start preparations and get the materials ordered. It just seems to never end, but it is, after all, a boat.

12 Small Boat Projects That Made Large Improvements

Sometimes it is the little things that can make a big difference. Most of the posts here cover our projects and improvements and while many are serious undertakings, some are simple, quick and easy, but once finished, solve a problem or shortcoming we have encountered. With any new boat, there are always those little things that drive you crazy sometimes. Here are a few things we felt needed doing that paid off.

Changing the raw water pump impeller can be challenging at times when tied to the dock, but when under way and in certain conditions can be downright harrowing. We have had impeller failures in some strange and unplanned circumstances. The last thing one wants is to have to be in the engine room after running for hours, deal with the heat while the boat is rolling in a seaway, and have to take any more time that is necessary to change the impeller and get moving again. Been there, done that. I have serviced boats over the years that had the SpeedSeal raw water pump covers and always liked the ease in which the impeller could be changed. So this was a natural solution should we be in that situation again. It makes the change fast and easy with no tools necessary and no worries on replacing gaskets. We really like this option.

You may or may not consider this a small project, but after our first oil change on our Ford Lehman 120, we knew that our old practice of sucking the oil out through the dipstick tube was just not going to work for us. Once again, I relied on past experiences while servicing other boats, and we installed the X-change-R oil change system. It took some work, since first we had to get all of the oil out of the engine using the suction method. Then the drain plug in the bottom of the oil pan needs to be removed. A line is run from where the old plug is in the oil pan to the oil changer pump. Finally, power needs to be run from the breaker panel to the pump. It can take a day or a weekend to complete, but in the end, we found it has paid off big. The oil change now takes minutes, and the mess is minimal. The oil can be extracted from the engine and then the engine filled from the oil containers. No pouring and spilling. 

We are not big on air-conditioning when cruising, although with all of the 100 degree days here in the Chesapeake, it has been nice at the dock. While traveling or at anchor, we prefer to have the boat open as much as possible. We have been in places where the mosquitoes were large enough and aggressive enough to carry away a small animal. We have been in places where no matter what we did, the cabin was invaded at night with either mosquitoes or no-see-ums and we had to lather down with repellent. Needless to say, screens are a must, and we have had to get creative at times to have a screen in the  entry way so that we could get in and out faster than the bugs. Traveling through parts of the ICW, the dreaded green-headed flies that bite make screens an absolute must. We cover the entries, opening windows, ports and all opening hatches.

The side door on our trawler presented us with a slight problem. It slides aft to open, and there is a space between the door and the side of the cabin of a little more than an inch. Now this does not seem like much, but in fact, an inch can let in all manner of creatures. From creepy spiders, to bees and other flying insects, to small rodents, which we have never had and never want to have. We needed something to fill the space, but also allow the door to slide and not chafe against the side of the cabin and leave marks. The answer came to me standing in the weather stripping aisle in a hardware store. A common door sweep for the bottom of a door to keep out drafts was perfect. It is an aluminum strip with a piece of rubber inserted in it, and if properly placed along the back edge of the door, was just the ticket and it looked like it belonged there.

If you have the screens up, the natural next step is to have fans to circulate all of that air that can now get into the cabin. We have found that the 12 volt Caframo fans give the most bang for the buck, or air if you will. They move the most air for any 12 volt fan we have used, and at around $30.00, are a great deal. We have run them 24/7 when in the Caribbean, and they last for years. They are also very quiet, which is important when you need them at night and also need to sleep. The draw on the electrical system is only about 1/2 amp, and they have a two-speed setting. We prefer the model 757, but there are several others. These can be strategically placed around the boat to give you full circulation in every cabin. They also help circulate either cool or warm air from the heating or air-conditioning system.

On our cruise from the western Caribbean to Texas, we spent a lot of time anchored along the Gulf Coast ICW. We found that the tug and barge Captains traveled day and night, and often they passed us as we were anchored. We always display an anchor light, but often wondered what else we could do to make ourselves better seen. We had read on a few boating forums about boaters that had used the solar powered garden lights for anchor lights. While we do not feel comfortable relying on these as anchor lights, it occurred to us that they might help with getting us seen at night in addition to our anchor light. We placed four of the inexpensive lights we purchased from Home Depot at four corners on the boat, on the rail down low enough that they would be easily seen from the water. They recharge themselves during the day in the sun and will generally last from sunset to sun up. We are not sure how effective they have been, but in our cruise from Houston to the east coast, we were passed by a lot of commercial traffic at night, but none ran over us. We have had several put a spotlight on us, though, as they passed by. We simply attach them to the rail with a hose clamp, and if placed properly, will also give you some light when moving around on deck at night. 

And while we are considering lights for anchoring, our anchor light is also another important item we had to replace on this boat. The old Perko anchor light had corroded and pretty much fell apart. One item we had looked into quite a bit was a photocell to turn the anchor light on and off at dusk and dawn. Too often, we came back to the boat after dark when socializing lasted longer than expected and had no anchor light on or, if we knew we would be back late, had to turn the light on in the afternoon and have it use up precious power during the day. Doing some research brought us to the Web site for Bebi Electronics. They make an anchor light called the Owl which fit the bill perfectly. It has a built in photocell that is just what we wanted and as a matter of fact, once we installed it, we turned on the breaker for the light and forgot to use the breaker again to turn it on and off. Two other benefits we found was that when we turned the light on, our battery monitor showed almost no amps being used, and it proved to be considerably brighter than any of the traditional anchor lights we have used in the past. It is made of PVC and encased in epoxy, so there is little to corrode other than the connections we made to the wiring.

Safety when moving around the deck under way has always been important to us. We have had to deal with sails and rigging in gale conditions and anchors during late night storms. A trawler with a flybridge is a new experience for us, and running up and down from the flybridge was a concern. The steps are teak with stainless hand rails and we like our teak finished. If they are wet, they can be slippery, and a fall could be serious. A simple and logical solution is good old-fashioned vinyl or rubber stair treads. But boy are they hard to find anymore. We first tried to apply them with outdoor carpet tape which is sticky on both sides, but as soon as the sun warmed them up, they slid off the step. Our solution was to use aluminum strips like those used at the edge of carpet or vinyl flooring to secure the treads. This worked out better than we expected, as it made the steps even more slip proof. It also does not look too bad.

Another safety issue is moving around the interior of the boat at night. Our new boat has a cabin down forward and a cabin down aft. We wanted a way to light the steps without being too bright or obnoxious. Small LED lights mounted just at the doorways so they they can be turned on before going down the steps were a good addition. These lights are not terribly bright, and they draw very little amps. So if we want just a little light, they do double duty. They also make excellent lights for inside hanging and storage lockers where you might need to find items at night, or even during the day.

Another project that might not be considered small is adding stereo speakers. It all depends on the complexity of running the wires. For us, this was fairly easy, and the Clarion Stereo we installed allowed us some options. It has a six disc CD changer and audio inputs that allow us to run our TV sound through it. With the four speakers mounted in each corner of the main salon and the stereo set to Aux, we have surround sound that sounds really good and we don't have to power a 110 audio system or find a place to mount all of that equipment. We also have a pair of speakers run to the flybridge so we have to be careful to turn them off or all of our neighbors will know what we are watching on the TV.

Previously, we have written about installing the vents in various places throughout the boat. This has proven to be a very good modification. It has really dried out the inner parts of the boat that normally stay damp and can generate mold and mildew if left as is. The odors that these dark and damp places generate are no longer a problem, and the items that are stowed away are less likely to rust, corrode and just get nasty. We are very pleased that we made this decision.

Finally, it is amazing how a small item like door latches can make a big improvement. We learned long ago that the standard latches most builders put on a boat will not keep the contents in the lockers once the boat gets rolling or if you find yourself in some heavy seas. One particular cruise off the coast of South Carolina found the entire contents of most of the cabinets in our main salon on the cabin sole. These cabinets also had finger holes that needed a single finger inserted to open the locker. This begged for a broken finger in a seaway. That is when we discovered that a simple hook type latch takes minutes to install throughout the entire boat and kept all of the doors securely closed no matter what the motion of the boat is.

That is about it for now. We certainly hope we have offered a few ideas that might help on board your boat and make life aboard a little more pleasant. We certainly would like to hear any ideas you might have and I am certain others would also. Just click on the comments following this post and leave or read what others have to add. Happy Boating!