Seen in "Grenada at a Glance"

Tropical Smarts:
"Coconuts do fall off trees so avoid sitting under ripe ones."

Sea Urchin Spines: "If broken under the skin, these spines will dissolve in time. To remove protruding ones, apply soft candle wax, let it harden, then pull out. Some people recommend urinating on the wound to relieve the pain!"

We are wondering, depending of the location of the offending spines, would it be polite to ask a friend to help out with the urinating?

Fishing and Cruising Tall Tales

Overheard on the radio this afternoon. A fellow cruiser sailed West (downwind) into Vieques as we sailed East into the Trades, and managed to find 12 ft seas along the coast of Vieques. hmmmm!  Sounds like a fishing tale!

The Life of a Cruising Sailor

Cruising is a series of short journeys between boat repairs.

Bristol Rose Recruits New Crew - Monitor Windvane

“Shorthanded crews don’t steer offshore. Before we got our wind-vane, we had no self-steering on one passage after our electric pilot failed. That passage lasted three days - but it seemed like three weeks!” Beth Leonard, The Voyager’s Handbook. 

I can relate to Beth’s experience. Our first sailboat, Sandpiper was not fitted with self-steering and even on an 8 hr journey up the bay I found myself often looking for someone else to take the helm for a break.

“Many cruisers augment their steering with wind-vane self-steering. There is no question that the servo-pendulum type is the most effective. I would not consider any other type for offshore work” Nigel Calder’s Cruising Handbook. 

Bristol Rose is fitted with a top quality Simrad Robertson AP 22 Autopilot which works great.  The Autopilot is a drain on the 12 Volt power system and that is a concern on an ocean passage under sail. I wouldn't want to run the engine to compensate.

After some months of consideration I have ordered a Monitor Self Steering Windvane from Kopi from Scanmar International. Jay from Annapolis Rigging will fit it.

I selected Monitor for a number of reasons: 

1. The design is well proven, the first Monitor was made in 1975
2. The Monitor design seems to be the least intrusive, I really liked the Cape Horn but fitting it to a Shannon 43 looks difficult.
3. A number of Shannon 43's have Monitor Windvanes fitted, so I know it will work.

1. 
   

   

   Photo courtesy of Scanmar International
   
   

I can’t say I am overly excited about having a Windvane fitted to Bristol Rose. I love her classic lines and the wine-glass transom. Any windvane will change the way she looks, but then again Bristol Rose is a cruising sailboat and the design will accommodate a windvane. Having thought through the process of fitting a stainless steel contraption to the stern I am now looking forward to introducing myself to the Monitor over the summer. Who knows I may even weaken, like so many other cruisers, and give the new crew member a name.