| The following
are details of some of the equipment installed on Honey Jar. |
| Rig and Rigging
Honey Jar was cutter rigged. This worked extremely well, especially
on longer passages.
Standing rigging was stainless steel with Sta-Lok terminals. On
one occasion when three broken wire strands were discovered on
the headstay adjacent to a terminal, the faulty end of the wire
was removed, the terminal re-fitted with an additional toggle
and Honey Jar was ready to continue her voyage. Spare wire and
terminals were carried to enable replacement rigging to be fitted
with ease. Mast steps were fitted to allow frequent inspection
of rigging and fittings.
Single line reefing was fitted to the Main with lazy jacks. This
had limitations. Profurl furling was installed on the headstay. |
| Navigation
Instruments and Equipment
The following instruments were installed: wind, boat speed and
depth. A lead line was also carried and found particularly useful
for sounding shallow passages from the dinghy before entry with
the boat.
Having experienced complete power systems failure on our previous
boat in the Mediterranean we did not rely solely on electronics.
A sextant, Almanac and sight reduction tables were always carried
for ocean passages.
GPS, radar, and a laptop with navigation software were used to
provide full electronic support to paper charts, which were always
used as prime navigation tools along with appropriate tables and
equipment. The electronics provided very useful additional information
and did not replace conventional manual navigation methods. |
| Electrical
Power
Electrical power was provided from a battery bank with a capacity
4x the maximum daily house requirement. Separate alternators were
fitted for the engine starting battery and the house battery bank
to match their requirements. Simple switching enabled either alternator
to be used. A wind generator provided power in trade wind conditions
primarily for the 12 volt refrigeration. A solar panel also provided
daylight charging, although this was of insufficient capacity
in our case.
With extensive live-aboard power requirements a generator supplied
direct and indirect power through an inverter charger of adequate
capacity.
Shore power provided dock-side power requirements. An isolating
transformer isolated the boat electrical sytems to prevent grounding
differences and potential electrolysis problems. |
Auto
Steering
An Autohelm 7000 provided electrical autopilot power steering. A
Windpilot Pacific Plus provided wind vane steering for ocean passages.
This unit replaced a previously installed unit. |
Heating
Hot water heating was provided via a calorifier from the engine
cooling system and an immersion heater from the generator.
Cabin heating was provided from a diesel fired warm air ducted system.
This had limitations. |
Dinghy
A roll-up inflatable dinghy was carried as original equipment but
soon replaced with a rib with a more poweful outboard to match.
This proved to be a winning combination for many reasons. The rib
was stowed upside down on the deck on offshore and ocean passages. |
| For
a more detailed discussion on cruising see The
RYA Book of Caribbean Cruising by Jane Gibb, Adlard Coles Nautical,
2002.
|