One piece of valuable gear we neglected to mention is an AUTO HELM or autopilot...
I made one long journey and crossing on a vessel without one and would never want to do it again.
A reliable autopilot is a key member of your “crew”.
A shorthanded crew that steers all the time, is a tired crew.
And a tired crew is a dangerous thing.
Another comment is related to Ed’s excellent info regarding the head and the hassle of scheduling pumpouts...
On a recent crossing, my friend had just installed a “AirHead” composting toilet.
I was so impressed with it, I bought one for my boat and we absolutely love it.
(Ever heard the word love used for a marine head before?)
It was THE number one issue the Admiral had with our boat and now she is as comfortable as she is at home.
And we all know that keeping the Admiral comfy is... well, everything.
No more planning around pumpout stations.
No thru hull for external water source to flush.
No extra weight from the holding tank.
And... no more SMELL!
