1. Question One; recently there was a poll taken
on another Yahoo group. It asks if a boater would prefer to sleep on
board or onshore while cruising. Could we have your comments on this
question?
We would generally say that we prefer to sleep onboard. There are no
bugs, fewer people, and less rules to contend with. It also gets tiring
to set up your camping gear each night on a long trip. On the other
hand, you do realize that in LITTLE CRUISER we do actually stay "on
shore" much of the time since we usually anchor in shallow water where
we dry out on the tide ;)
2. How much food supplies can Little Cruiser hold
and where is it stored? Also, where and when (How often)do you restock?
Are you using a fresh water distiller during you Bahama trips?
Water can be found at some of the islands through several sources. At
the more developed islands R.O. (Reverse Osmosis/desalinator) and
spring water can be bought. Then there is the possibility of getting
water from a well or a cistern. Finally, you can fill your tanks from a
passing rain storm, which isn't that often in the winter time, or you
can make you own with a desalinator. Here is what we did on our last
trip. First, we filled up in Florida. Then we topped off with R.O.
water at the BIMINI BLUE WATER Marina in Bimini . Next, we got well
water almost everywhere in Andros. (Andros supplies much of the water
for Nassau via daily water barges). In Nassau we had to buy bottled
water. In the Exumas we got R.O. water in Staniel Cay, well water at
Shroud Cay, and bottled water in Georgetown. At Little San Salvador we
got water from a passing rain storm, and at Cat Island we got well
water. The only times we made R.O. water ourselves was when we were
very isolated up Stafford creek in Andros. As you can see we did not
use our manual R.O. unit much. However, if we had an electric onewe
probably would have used it more out of shear convenience. Incidently,
well water was free, R.O. water was around 50 to 60 cents a gallon and
spring water was upwards of a dollar a gallon. Lastly, we used some
salt water when cooking things like spaghetti.
3. Question no #3, what kind of electronics do you
have on board? Is that a series of solar panels in one of the photos of
Little Cruiser? Do you use LED's lights for anchor lights, and are they
required in the Bahamas? What type of cabin lighting do you use for
reading at night?
We carry all kinds of electronics on board Little Cruiser, but non of
them are essential to the functioning of the boat. We have two GPS, two
VHF hand held radios, one Ham/Short wave radio,one 2" color LCD
television andtwo CD/MP3 players. Incidently, both Mindy and I have our
Amateur radio licences, KE4BHJ and KE4BHK. /C6A is added when we
transmit in the Bahamas. All of the electronics are powered by one or
two gel cells (depending on what we can get) which are charged by a
bank of three Solarex 10 watt panels. As for lighting, we use home-made
white led lights for reading and anchor lights, and we use cheap and
easily replaceable vanity lights for general illumination. For more
detailed information on all of thesesubjects please refer to our
Equipment pages.
4. Do you use your GPS for navigation and do the
Bahamas have established waypoints? Have you had luck locating charts
that are compatable with GPS?
We rely on GPS when we are in the Bahamas; however, our eyes and our
charts are equally as important. What we appreciate most about GPS is
that it not only tells you where we are, but it also gives usu other
information like speed, track, bearing, VMG (velocity made good) and
ETA. This information is especially important when we are in a small
boat with limited instrumentaton to begin with and we are out of sight
of land. As for charts, we use the BBA Chart Kit region 9, which is for
the Bahamas. Major harbors, land marks and navigational markers have
GPS points listed. However, one has to remember that there aren't a
great number of navigational aids in the Bahamas. In addition, we also
use "The Yachtmans Guide to the Bahamas," which provides lots of
information on local regulations, pertinent navigational directions and
places of interest. Though these two books have proven sufficient for
us, many other cruisers find it handy to have guides for specific
regions of the Bahamas. Two popular books are the "The Exumas Guide" by
Stephen Pavlidis and the "Cruising Guide to the Abacos and the Northern
Bahamas" by Darrel Wyatt. There are many other publications on the
Bahamas that can also provide important information on planning your
trip.
5. Thanks for the information on the GPS. I guess
most members are interested in how well Little Cruiser sails. And how
it sails in rough weather. Could you give us a idea of how it sails? I
am sure it is not fast as it is loaded for cruising. Curious...has it
every been knocked on it beam ends?
Little Cruiser is remarkably fast for her size, and she has been able
to keep up with larger cruising boats of up to 25 feet in length on
most passages. This is because of several reasons. The first of which
is that LC is never overloaded like so many other smaller
cruising sailboats. Matt designed LC to reach her proper cruising trim
only after all the stores were aboard, and these stores provide most of
the ballast. In addition, the boat is quite narrow, around 4'7", and it
is easily driven with her powerful lug rig. Obviously, her fastest
point of sail is off the wind (> 5 knots), but up wind she is
capable of speeds of up to 4.8 knots in the right conditions. In
addition, her low center of gravity and stiff hull shape, make it
possible to sail to windward even in quite strong winds. Generally, LC
averages around 4.5 knots on most passages under sail, and 5 knots is
to be expected under power.
LC handles rough water better than one would imagine for such a small
boat, and we've never felt threatened even in seas of 10 –12 feet.
Because of her flat bottom she is capable of surfing rather quickly
down large waves, and this can be quite exhilarating at times. Though
LC has never been knocked down on her beam ends, it still could occur
under the right conditions. I've heard of this happening twice in Matt
boat's. The first was in the 16' catboat, TERRAPIN, when she was struck
by a violent squall offshore in the Gulf of Maine. Apparently, the mast
prevented the boat from going over further, and Matt's was able to
right Terrapin and continue on his way. The other time was in SWAMP
THING when Matt was rolled over completely in the Gulf Stream one
stormy night. As I understand it, he was standing on the deck signaling
his presence to a passing ship, when a large breaking wave that was
disturbed by the ship's passage hit SWAMP THING. As the boat heeled
over sharply, Matt grabbed the up hill toe rail, and pulled his craft
on top of him. If he had been inside, he most likely would not have had
any trouble coping with the conditions. In his eyes, it wasn't too big
of a deal since he easily righted the boat, and he went on to cruise
the Bahamas without further mishaps. All in all, we've never been
unhappy about LC's performance, and other sailors are constantly
impressed by her speed and her seaworthiness.