Under the Big-Top !!!

This is a view of Mt. Hartman Bay, Grenada.  Persephone is in the foreground just left of center.  You can spot her with the stripped awning.

This picture is the reverse angle of the shot above.  This was taken from Persephone looking at Secret Harbor where the previous picture was taken.

After nearly a month of "off and on" working on the awning, here is Persephone sporting her tropical weather ensemble.  The awning is quite large (24 feet by 12 feet) so we chose a pattern with stripes to jazz it up a bit.  The result was a circus tent effect....So, here's Persephone "Under the Big Top" :

The sun in the tropics during the summer is brutal.  So, an awning is the key to shading the deck in order to reduce the interior temperature of the cabin.  The issue is keeping the awning horizontal to the water and drum tight.  Otherwise, the wind will get under the awning and it will act as a sail, which would put a substantial strain on the anchor (an anchor failure is NOT an option !!).   After lots of experimentation, we finally got it right.

Dave on "Elysium"  (who is anchored next to me,  and gave me great advise on how to get the awning tight) used a digital thermometer and checked the heat of the deck under and outside the awning on his boat.  Under the awning the deck was 84 deg F, outside of the awning the deck was a sizzling 114 degs!  On Persephone, I have found that the interior temp had dropped between 5 and 10 degrees since erecting the awning....It is still a work in progress, but it is going great !!  In fact, I am sitting up on the deck, under 'the big-top' as I am typing this Blog.

Staying Cool in the Tropics !!  Capt. Dave