We just got back from a 9-day trip to Catalina Island, a mere 40 miles away from our port, Oceanside, CA. Along the way we operated just about every system that Brian has installed on the boat and they are working as we had hoped. Whew! Big relief!

1.       The solar panels work like a champ, keeping the fridge, which is a battery hog, running at a reasonable temperature, somewhere between 35 and 40 degrees depending on which section. It sucks up anywhere from 25 to 35 amps every night. Not sure why the variation except maybe due to higher or lower daytime temps coupled with the fact that as we eat food, there is less food in the fridge, so it’s probably using more power to keep the excess air cool. One more reason to keep the fridge filled with beer at all times.

2.       The wind generator works although it wasn’t windy enough to use it. It likes above 15kts to output anything substantial. The solar was more than enough anyway. It's nice to know we can be independent of dock electricity. The battery bank was typically recharged by 11am most days, and then we charged our myriad, desperately needed, electronics: phones, ipads and laptops.

3.       The dinghy worked great, but we used it sparingly since the motor was running a bit hot. The inflatable floor is great for keeping water off your feet while riding. We figured out a way to hoist it onto and off of the boat using a halyard. Eventually we will need to rig lifelines that detach so we can swing it on and off easier and not have to lift so high. The motor hoist Brian built into the radar pole was a lifesaver. Its pulley system kept the motor, and me, from landing in the brink while hoisting such a heavy piece of gear up and down to the water.

4.       Our light air code zero was a piece of gear that I initially did not to want to buy. Expensive and yet another sail to contend with, Brian convinced me it was a necessity. It had arrived the day before our trip, we tried it out for the first time and it kept us sailing when our heavy jib would flop in the stagnant wind. Ok, he was right. Again.

5.       Our new flopper-stopper was a success. Another piece of gear that is large and unwieldy, this thing is a 3ft piece of metal that gets hung off one side of the boat, either from the boom or a spinnaker pole, down below the water. It bends into a V-shape as the boat lurches from wave action, slowing the boat’s tendency to topple about. Despite its appearance: a freakish metallic jellyfish undulating underwater, and my fears the thing would rise up and get tossed into the hull taking a chunk of gelcoat from its sharp edge, it definitely helped while we were at anchor at Hen Rock in Catalina. It lessened the severe wave action generated by insane powerboaters driving by us at the speed of light (you know the type). I was able to cook and sleep much easier. Thumbs up.

6.       We made water in the anchorage for the first time. It was a success, everything worked as it should, and the water was incredibly tasty to boot. We have a saltwater level tester and it was well below normal amounts, which is a good thing. The watermaker will create 30 gallons an hour from saltwater but requires several gallons of fresh water to backflush it to keep the filters clean after each use. We made 8 gallons just as a test. Then tried to backflush it but popped a circuit breaker and had to finish the process back at the slip.
The day we did this turned out to be the worst day ever as we forgot to pull out one of the drainage hoses that should have been draining into the sink during this process. It was coiled up behind the settee where it lives and spurted water everywhere. It drained about 3 gallons into and under our settee and we didn’t even see it until the process was over because the cushion hid the mess. Rookie mistake. After lots of swearing and worrying about what was possibly destroyed, we soaked up a bucket full of water from the locker, dried the cushion all day. We left to go see a movie since we were sure the boat was conspiring against us for coming back from its vacation. I’m pretty sure we won’t forget to do that again.

All in all everything worked as it should. Next week we are hauling the boat to do rigging and raise the waterline due to the many pounds of “stuff” we have added. Then we hope to go on another outing later in September.

-Marya
When we tell people what our plans are for next year, sometimes we get positive, excited "wow" responses, sometimes negative frowny faces, most often quizzical looks like we are aliens, coupled with pure non-comprehension. Regardless the reaction, this is always a part of the typical conversation:
"How big is your boat?"
"34ft"
Their minds start to churn, imagining living in something the size of a tent....  and slowly realizing the next logical question...
"Do you have children?"
When we reply that we do not, a look of relief appears and they sigh and nod understandingly like "ahhh, well of course you can do this idiotic mid-life crisis exploit, you don't have kids... no college to save for, homework to deal with, soccer try-outs, etc." (BTW there are plenty of successful cruising families with kids, and living in boats as small or smaller than ours.)
Once they discover we don't have to deal with the children issue, then they start really thinking about space, stating "I could never live in that small of a space with my husband/wife. He'd/she'd drive me crazy."  Well,  I don't doubt that is a real potential for many people. In fact, I joke about that all the time. When someone asks how long we will be out there I say "at least one year is our pact, after that... until we get sick of each other ". Truth is we've been married 18 years and we do everything together, so that part of cruising does not concern me much. In fact, my main reason for agreeing to this scheme is essentially so I can quit my job. And spend MORE time with my husband who I enjoy doing things with more than anyone. But no one wants to hear that (mostly about quitting work). More on that in a later post.
The next thing that is asked is "How do you keep enough food on the boat?" Well we have lots of storage and we'll have a very small fridge; so food is the easy part. No one ever asks about water though, which we think is funny. Without water we'd die in 3 days.
There are are a couple schools of thought on water. Get it from someone else: meaning carrying huge jugs to land in the dinghy, filling them up and lugging them back, or getting water from a marina/fuel dock (not always convenient or available). Or install a watermaker (for seawater desalination) and make it yourself. If our destination was the Caribbean I probably wouldn't worry so much as it rains constantly and we could fill our tanks often with clean rainwater from the scuppers (holes in the deck leading to the water tanks). But we are headed for arid Mexico and while I know that yes, you can still get water there...

1. I want plenty of water so I don't feel like a homeless person. I know that is incredibly vain, but it's the truth. I want to be clean, to rinse off every day without feeling guilty about my water usage, and have clean water in which to wash my clothes. Is that so much to ask for? Well it IS an expensive thing to ask for, actually...very expensive. But understanding how my mood significantly improves after I take a shower, I think this is a huge investment in Brian's sanity, and our potential cruising future, especially in sub-tropical (RE: sweaty) environs. Look, I'm not high-maintenance: I get a manicure maybe 2-3x a year, my hair colored every 2 months, I don't buy $200 shoes or $100 sunglasses. Is it so bad to need clean hair and clothes to feel sane?
2. I do not want to lug heavy jerry jugs back and forth to the boat. Food shopping via dinghy will be interesting enough. I also don't revel in the time consuming act of dragging clothes to laundromats, so I'd rather hand-wash everything I can. (I know there will be days I dream of the 50ft Cabo Rico we saw at a boat show with the full-size washer/dryer...)
   
3. I feel better making our own filtered water without worrying about water quality from various unknown sources. We won't be running the watermaker in small or crowded harbors due to potential contamination, but will be quite happy to run it in open water while going to the next stop.
   
4. We may decide to continue on to the South Pacific, a good likelihood as long as we decide we like cruising. Some of those islands do not get rain for months at a time and most of their water is actually brought in by boat. I do not want to beg or pay for water in such places if I don't have to, taking it from those who really need it.
   
5. I know there are lots of cruisers out there without watermakers, and they all get along just fine. I'd just rather be self-sufficient if at all possible. Everything comes down to personal preference. Watermakers are very expensive and not a "need-to-have" by any means.  This was my necessity. I agreed to the removal of a perfectly good hot water heater (and have been laughed at for that by many people) to make room for it and have also given up a ton of other storage space for all the various motors/filters. Only time and experience will tell if we have made the right decision.
   

So, for the past few weekends we have been in the process of installing my early Christmas present...an RO watermaker. At 30 gallons per hour (running off a very small Honda 2000 generator), I think it will be soooo worth it. And while I'm pretty sure watermakers are one of the top 3 items on experienced cruiser lists for breaking, (after auto-helms and refrigeration) we bought one that is relatively maintenance-free, we hope.  If the fridge breaks, I'll use it for storage. If my watermaker breaks, there will be hell to pay ;)

More photos on the watermaker project soon. We still need to run wires and hoses...