Favorite Cruising Gear for
2004
One of our favorite and most frequently
used pieces of gear aboard Little Cruiser
is our GSI 3.5 qt pressure
cooker. We really use this compact
little pot a lot, and we have come to depend on it to stretch our meager propane
stores on our three month long trips. What we like most about using a
pressure cooker is that we can cook basmati rice in only ten minutes or we
can have our customary bean and vegetable stew done in 20 minutes.
We've found that the pot pressurizes quickly, and then only a small flame is
needed to keep the pressure valve whistling away. The anodized finish
seems to reduce food from sticking on the bottom and sides, and the high quality
silicone gasket ensures that the lid will maintain a good seal for years to
come. We bought an extra gasket for our last trip, but so far the
original one looks like the day we bought the pot.
We've enjoyed our Iris
50 handbearing compass (by Platismo)
for the last three trips to the Bahamas. Our main use for this compass has
been to take bearings on distant objects, especially freighters which we like to
keep track of while crossing the Gulf Stream. The rubberized casing makes it
easy to hold on to, and it protects the compass from the hard knocks
it gets aboard a little boat. Unlike our older handbearing compass, the
readings don't jump around much, which is a real problem when you are bouncing around in a
tiny boat way out in the ocean. At night, you can read the
bearings because of the built-in photoluminescent lighting; however, we do
"flash" it from time to time with our halogen flashlight just to make it a
bit brighter. If we ever were to lose this one we wouldn't hesistate to
replace it with the same model. A definite keeper.
We use several
portable lights aboard Little Cruiser . All
of them are made by Princeton
Tec because they make a good product and they
actually stand behind their lifetime warranty. The LED headlamps
probably get the most use since they leave your hands free to handle other
things like lines, chains and anchors. Because they draw so little
power, one set of batteries can usually see us through
a whole winter trip. They also work pretty good for reading a map
or a chart at night. However, when it comes to searching for a safe anchorage or
scanning the horizon for land in the pitch black of night, only our halogen
dive lamp, a Princeton Tec 400, will do. It has a very powerful beam that
carries a long way with it's 4 "C" sized batteries, but remember to use it
sparingly since the batteries only will last for a few hours of continuous
use.
Of all the ways there are to catch fish,
using a hand reel has got to be one of the easiest and cheapest methods out
there. These reels, which some people call Cuban Yo-Yo's, generally
measure 6 to 8 inches in diameter, and they contain a good amount
of monofilament line along with a steel leader, a weight and a
hook. To go fishing, it's simply a matter of putting
some bait on the hook and dropping the line overboard. On the other hand,
if you want to cast your line out a good ways, it takes a little more effort and
practice. What you need to do is to swing about 4 feet of the
weighted end over your head (kind of like using an old fashion sling shot), and
then release it just at the right moment. Don't forget to point the low
side/small side of the reel in the direction you release the line so
that the line will feed out evenly.
If you are a coffee lover, then
there's no need to leave your gourmet brew behind. For the last few winter
trips we've been enjoying freshly ground coffee aboard Little
Cruiser . Our beans, which consist of
Italian (dark) roast, Viennese cinnamon, and French roast, are
kept in airtight containers. Mixed according to taste, the
aromatic beans are finely ground using a Turkish coffee grinder. We
looked at several mills before choosing this model, and what we like most about
this particular unit was that it was very solidly made of brass and
steel. It came in several different styles, but we prefered the one with
the seperate bottom that held all the grounds
until we were ready to use them. Making coffee with the
GSI made
JavaPresstm was simple. First, hot water was poured into the press, and then
the grounds were added and stirred. After a few minutes, the spent
grounds were pressed to the bottom using the plunger which has
a fine mesh screen. Next, all we had to do was pour our coffee into
our cup and admire that beautiful sunrise at the anchorage.
We bring a variety of glues aboard
Little Cruiser - Goop, 3M 5200(regular and fast
drying), Silicone Sealant, Epoxy and CA glue. The
Goop and 3M5200 stick to just about anything so they can handle a lot
of different repairs. We've used Goop to fix the soles on our shoes,
to glue mosquito netting around the hatch and to adhere the loose
plastic covering on our solar panels. The 3M 5200 works well to bed
hardware and to patch pinholes in vinyl. Slow setting epoxy (like Devcon 2
ton, West System and System 3) work well for fiberglassing and wood repairs. When it
comes to underwater damage to our hull, we have used
Pettit Underwater patching compound for years with great success, but now that
this product has been discontinued and is hard to find, we may give PC-11
Marine Epoxy paste a try. The manufacturer claims that it will cure "wet,
dry or underwater." In the past, what we did for underwater damage
to the hull was put a blob of Pettit underwater epoxy on a plastic
spreader. Then we dove underwater with the stuff, and pressed it into the damaged
area. Next, we rub the area smooth with our finger. Oddly
enough, the epoxy doesn't stick to the skin, but you still might want
to use a rubber glove. Once the epoxy has set well, we
usually go back a day later and sand the patch area
some more with a piece of 220
grit wet/dry sandpaper. Lastly, we bring a 1/3 ounce bottle of
plastic and regular cyanoacrylate glue/super glue. The plastic CA glue (Plasti
Zaptm)
works well for fixing those
odd plastic parts that seem to always break, while the regular variety is
perfect for quick repairs involving wood and fiberglass. Remember to be careful not
to glue your fingers together!
