Meet the Hero

Name: Ana María, named after my sister

Make: 1994 Pacific Seacraft

Purchased: March 2018 in Poulsbo, Washington

Designer: W. I. B. Crealock

Size: 34’ long, 10’ beam, 4’1” draft. In other words, she feels huge when I’m varnishing her but small enough that I feel as if I’m perpetually navigating the economy class aisle of an airplane.

Hull: Monohull with a modified fin-keel, skeg-hung rudder, and canoe stern

Steering: Varnished laminated tiller (no wheel) bolted directly to the rudder stock

Sail configuration: Cutter rig with one mainsail, one furling genoa headsail, one furling staysail, and one spinnaker in a sock to hoist in light winds

Ground tackle: 15kg Rocna anchor, 160’ of 5/16” chain, and 140’ of rope rode, all maneuvered with a SeaTiger 555 manual windlass

The Systems

“Iron Wind”: Yanmar 3YM30AE 3-cylinder 29 hp diesel tractor engine

Fuel tank capacity: 27 gallons plus 20 gallons in jerry cans strapped to the floor of the cockpit

Power: 12V with 3 AGM batteries charged by 340-watt SunPower flexible solar panels and an alternator bolted to the engine

Freshwater storage: 2 independent fiberglass tanks with 75 gallons total which lasts about 10 days of use by 2 people who shower daily, but could last 30 days if used only for drinking and cooking

The head: Airhead composting toilet which lasts about 24 days between changes with 2 people aboard

Radar: Furuno wireless radar

Communication: Vesper Cortex VHF radio, AIS transponder and receiver

The Sidekicks

Our third helmsman: Monitor windvane attached to the stern, nicknamed “Paulita,” after my sister-in-law

Paulita is our best helmsman aboard. She is a self-steering device connected through lines to the tiller. She has an airvane sticking up from the top, which gets shoved to and fro by the wind, and a water paddle, which hangs down into the water and responds to the movement of the airvane. These two components connected by a mechanical pendulum system allow her to steer the boat for us (in fact, better than us!) at a certain wind angle without the need for any electricity. Though we will always have someone awake and on watch in the cockpit, she allows us to take all our hands off the tiller.

Our transport to and from shore: Sea Eagle 380x inflatable kayak

Length: 12’ 6”

Powered by: 2 paddles, i.e. no outboard, and occasionally the QuikSail for downwind jaunts

Carrying capacity: 750 pounds or about 3 full jerry cans, 1 captain, 1 co-captain, 30 pounds of propane, and 200 pounds of provisions