It’s hot! Not as hot as western Europe with their temps over 100F, but it has been in the upper 80s/low-mid 90s for the past week, and humid many of those days but thankfully not all of them. We’ve relished the lightest whisper of a breeze on the water on the more still days, although sometimes we had to be in the hammocks to catch it; how unfortunate 😉 .
This is a good test run for the Caribbean, because it’s giving us the opportunity to determine where the sun does and does not reach, both inside and out, so we can decide how to reduce its heating impact. Having a new 600 square foot roof over us has certainly helped, but not when the sun reaches a certain lower angle in the mornings and afternoons. Indigo Lady came with roll down sun shades on the rear arch of the cockpit, made of Sunbrella fabric. I ordered some of the same fabric in February and made smaller sunshades for the sides before we left. We didn’t need them for the longest time, but the temperatures in Annapolis finally prompted us to install them. Dave & I added the needed snaps and grommets and mounted them on the velcro we’d installed before we left in April. The picture with this post shows one rolled up and one deployed. I made them narrow so we could still get up to the bow when necessary, but that left a spot for the sun to intrude on our cockpit space and heat it up (it happens fast). Our current plan is to make an additional panel for each side that is simply weighted to hang straight, but can easily be pushed aside to get to the bow. We’ll probably have to modify that idea for when it’s windy. For now we use clothespins to secure beach towels in those spaces, over the hand rail that surrounds our entire roof. It really does reduce the temperature of the cockpit.
Our next challenge is the windows in the salon and galley. When the sun hits those, it gets hot inside, and the heat stays even after it has cooled down inside, despite running our (tiny) fans. Of course the walls are all slanted, so curtains are out. We think we’re going to start with those reflective yet still see-through stick on sheets people use on their home and car windows. It’s cheap and easy to install, and we can find it at a hardware store, once we are within reach of one again. If we don’t like that, I may make shades out of Sunbrella that attach by velcro and can roll up out of the way when not needed. At the moment, I have a paper bag cut open, flattened, and taped to whichever part of either forward facing window is getting the direct sun at the time. Whatever works!
We are fortunate to still be in the mid Chesapeake Bay before stinging nettle season (jellyfish), so we can swim to cool off. As we head further south and as the summer wears on, we will lose that option when the jellyfish move in <sigh>. We’ll just have to spend more time in the hammocks with icy drinks. Poor us 😉 .
Life on Lady 
Oh dear. I thought you always had the option of taking a dip to cool off. Never occurred to me that those nasty jelly fish could hold you hostage.
Is there a limited season for them? Or even limited areas? How about when you get to the Caribbean… Is that something that you have to watch out for down thee? Seems like the warmer it gets, the more you’ll want to refresh yourself in the ocean.
I like the way you’re using your Yankee ingenuity to keep things cool on board.
Happy landings.
LikeLike
I think our swimming days are over, at least for the most part. We saw the first of the jellyfish in Cockrells Creek near Reedville.
LikeLike