hot water required in Caribbean?

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CharlesM

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Hello all

Would I need hot water (shower) in April thru June in the Caribbean for a livaboard?

Just trying to establish what I should do for my first 2 month visit out there..

Cheers
Charles
 
hi charles

like everything in sailing it's all down to money - so - not knowing where you stand in this regard i would suggest one of three things

1 - if you have lots of dosh - make sure you have a pressurised system, lots of power, a water heater, watermaker etc - and lord it up

2 - middle of the road dosh - there are plastic bags with nozzle attachments that can be bought from any decent camping shop that you fill with cold water, leave them on deck for 20 minutes (in sunny places), raise them above head height (or get someone to do it for you) open the nozzle, and shower away

3 - no spare dosh - while you're planning to be in the caribbean at the start of the hurricane season - anchor, stand at the pointy end, hold your arms out and wait a bit /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I never used my hot water pressurised system in the Caribbean - ever - Also you will keep running out of water in the tank. Most liveaboards have the solar bags - one or two and shower with those - 1/2 a bag full of water is a great shower.

Alternativly in the nice anchorages you go for a swim AM and PM and then just rinse off with fresh water - I used a garden water spray - Its keeping the water tank full that's the problem.
When ever it rains - take your clothes off!
 
we swam 2 or 3 times a day and left a bucket of fresh water in the sun to sponge off with afterwards. the few places we didn't fancy swimming we washed with a panful of hot water in a bucket of cold. usually it was in the cockpit - at night in the english islands or any time in the french ones /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Cold is fine for showering, until you get north of Florida. Hot may be convenient for washing up and washing clothes, but boiling a kettle is a simple alternative.

PS on the rain method, collect a bucket at the same time to rinse as the rain always seems to stop just as you've lathered up!
 
Why do I get the impression that you don't do the washing up (and I _know_ SnowLeopard doesn't!) ? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Those of us who spent years boiling kettles to wash up and who now have pressurised hot water via calorifier or immersion heater say _yes_ ! SnowLeopard even let his poor SWMO wash up one-handed across Biscay as far as I gather when she damaged her arm. She very gallantly said she could at least say she had crossed Biscay single-handed ! I plan to give him a tea-towel for his birthday ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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