Land access
Getting off at the quay is easy with the latest units, equipped with a tilting platform. If not? You'll adopt the bridge if you tie up ass to dock. Folding (or not) carbon or simple board - if possible grooved to make it non-slip, there is something for every budget! If your bow is on the pontoon, install a ladder on the balcony or a custom cut stepladder.
Provisioning
The only thing we're doing the night before we leave is refueling! The idea is of course to leave with the freshest products possible - remember to search the bottom of the shelf in the supermarket! As a result, it is advisable to keep a few teams and other cupboards empty during the stopover.
Barbecue
Fishing fish is good, and grilling fish is even better! Instead of stinking up the square, why don't you cook outside? A stainless steel barbecue, fixed to the back balcony, will ensure you the best meals..
Boom
If the boom is not too high and open at the stern, it becomes a perfect storage for the deck broom or boat hook. Consider installing a retaining elastic.
Fuel
The tanks of modern cruisers are large - 300, 400, 600 liters... but during a three-week crossing, if the battery fleet requires 5 hours of engine per day, at the pump, it makes more than 100 liters. And with a consumption of 3 or 4 liters / hour, well... cans will be very useful. If the trunks are full, well moored in the back, that's where they'll bother you the least.
Comfort
There's nothing wrong with doing yourself good! So, prefer comfortable seating with balcony seats, without forgetting custom cushions..
Furling mainsail
The reefing lines in the mainsail have proved their worth... but the possibility of furling the mainsail remains attractive, despite the possible mechanical damage - furling a torn sail, you'll see! The furling boom is very heavy (beware of the gybe), but it preserves the drop circle.
Wind turbine
It is perfect in anchorages ventilated by the trade winds, but necessarily less efficient during a downwind transat - the apparent wind is reduced. Remember to place it out of the crew's reach and choose the quietest models!
Boom brake
To cross the Atlantic - to the West Indies in any case - is to sail downwind and gybe often. To avoid the risks of breakage (gooseneck and battens), the boom brake keeps its followers. The use of a trigger guard fixed on the deck edge makes it possible to strike the sheeting hoist with a good angle of pull, favourable to a good control of the fall of the mainsail. This relieves the work of the downhaul..
Fruits
Take fresh fruit on board; the Canary Islands are full of them... to ensure optimum preservation, hang them, after carefully rinsing them, under the bimini or top in a net. In the open air and usually in the shade, they will finish ripening quietly and will be delicious for about ten days.
Hydrogen generator
That's the equipment everyone buys and installs on their boat! Easy to assemble, space-saving, robust, it offers excellent performance for negligible drag - even racing yachts have adopted it. The only downside? The hydrogen generator can't do anything for you... at anchor!
Kayak and paddle
At anchor, there's nothing better than exploring the mangroves and unearthing the most remote little beaches with a kayak or paddle. The first is cumbersome aboard the monohulls; they only have the dies left. Advantage for the multihull, which operates its davits. The paddle takes up less space... inflatable models are perfect for the big cruise.
LEDs
One of the simplest and most effective ways to limit energy consumption on board is to replace all your standard light bulbs with LEDs - for the same lighting, they pump 5 to 10 times less energy!
Music
How about a little jazz concert, a wild rock concert, a big dance or a symphony? Offshore, you won't disturb the neighbors! The manufacturers offer waterproof speakers, let yourself be tempted!
Motor hoist
Instead of reassembling the tender and its heavy motor on the rear davits, it is possible to install a permanent hoist, capable of reassembling the outboard on its ad hoc chair. An investment far from useless: it's crazy how many heavy things you may need to take on board from the annex!
Solar panel
Used on almost all ocean racing yachts, solar panels work! Be careful to avoid cast shadows; the ideal is also that the support is mobile in order to orient the panel perpendicularly to the sun.
Fenders
Round or square? Both, Captain! The former have the advantage of taking up less space and remain in place for a long time, even in strong winds. The second are voluminous, but perfect to better distribute the pressure on the hull - and sometimes the portholes. But if they are not in contact, they sometimes fly away and find themselves needlessly trapped on deck.
Fishing
Offshore, there is no shortage of fish: sea bream and fresh tuna are the delights of gourmets. Then, as much to have a fishing equipment with the troll already with station: supports of canes and unwinding of lines are the welcome on the back balconies.
Protection
Air bags and radar radome are very exposed when the headsail is agitated. This is the case downwind, when she is no longer wearing, masked by the mainsail. And also when the swell disrupts the sail plan. A stainless steel protection prevents any breakage and limits ragage.
Regulator
It requires no energy and helm alone night and day provided the apparent wind is greater than a few knots. The regulator, appreciated by all the world travellers 30 years ago, is today competed by the pilots, become more economic and especially intelligent. It is also fragile and cumbersome... we like it or we don't like it.
Survival
Take care of your bib! It will be much better outside than at the bottom of a trunk for obvious ease of handling in case of emergency. However, the raft should not be exposed to knocks and walking on it is not recommended: the solution? A made-to-measure dwelling, integrated into the cable ducts or the rear balcony.
Mast head
In Las Palmas, we found better than the traditional bucket - ordered by its own halyard - to support tools and parts: this deep canvas bag limits practically any risk of spilling the contents.
Staysail
Having a good breeze sail with the right cut and weight ensures an undeniable gain in performance and preserves the genoa, which operates in"all or nothing" mode. The ideal, to avoid dunnage, the weight in the tops and not to hinder the race of the genoa at the time of the changes of edge, it is the releasable forestay and a sail on snap hooks... but well, a second furler with station, it is tempting ! To be tested one last time before casting off.
Bike
Leaving a bike on deck during a deckchair is certainly to make it almost useless... so prefer folding models, which will easily find a place in a trunk or in a cabin.
Light sail
To embark one or two dinghies is not within the reach of all sailing boats - although the inflatable and removable Tiwal and Smartkat have solid arguments... But aboard a catamaran like this Outremer 49, the children will be able to continue to perfect their Optimist rocker transfers... it is not beautiful, the sabbatical year?
Wifi
There's nothing more painful than struggling with a wifi signal that goes from zero to three bars. The smart ones make signal amplifiers from a beer can... but the wifi booster sent in the rigging, it works every time!
