So for the rear and side panels I was designing for the low-latitude hot-sun cruising we're now doing, I discovered the quietly thrilling beauty of ZOMG, SUNBRELLA MESH. This fabric is great. I got mine from here. Sunbrella mesh sews well, shades well, and ventilates as well as any mesh fabric can. In the photos in this post it looks opaque, but there is some visibility though it. Except, not really enough, so if you are underway when you have your panels deployed (and you will be if you're down here), you have to just periodically take a peek out from under the covers to see what might be bearing down on you.
Rear panel: sparing Cyberspace the details, I cut the rear panel as a large square. Attaches to the rear edge of the overhead cover with Velcro on its upper edge. Bottom attaches to stern pulpit rails with grommets & shoelace-type cord. To raise it, I gathered the panel up and using the bottom ties, ran the string between the two layers of Velcro at the upper edge where the rear panel meets the overhead cover, and then tied all the gathers in a loose bunch reminiscent of a window valance. That was Version 1.0. In Version 2.0 I set a couple more grommets along the side edges of the rear panel, to give me more flexibility in tying down the rear panel in winds over 25 knots, or to roll it up halfway for times when shade is as important as accessing, say, the swim ladder. It's all Velcro and string. Setup takes about 2 minutes, takedown takes about 30 seconds.
Side panel: The side panel was similar. I say "panel," because for sun protection I didn't need two - just one that I could switch from one side of the boat to the other, depending on where Mr. Sun was. I cut this side panel as a rectangle. Velcro wool along top to attach to overhead cover, grommets and shoelace-type cord along bottom for tying to lifelines; forward-most cord made longer to tie to stanchion for greater stability in headwinds. Advantage: a side panel tied to the lifeline instead of further inboard, creates better access to leave the cockpit and go forward; and allows more air to flow back into cockpit. Unlimited access to winches and sheets. We've found the side panels stay in place just fine with this Velcro-and-shoelace arrangement up to about 20 kt. from any direction; maybe more but we start taking things down as a matter of principle when the wind picks up. I got away with not having to improve on Version 1.0 for the side panels. Yet. Here's what the side panel looks like, from the outside. The rear panel is also up but in this pic you can barely see it or how it's attached to the backstays and posts. Anyway, the Sunbrella mesh is fairly opaque, which is good for me because when I took this photo GB was working on something and the entire contents of our starboard lazarette had been barfed into our cockpit. So the mesh shade cover is also handy for privacy - our neighbors are less likely to think we're complete slobs.
Here's what conditions look like inside the cockpit with the overhead cover, rear panel and side panel up. Side panel is on the port side of the boat; we are underway, heading SE in the Sea of Cortez. It's about 1100 on July 26, 2009. Sun = high and hot. I estimate the air temperature then was 105 deg.F - fairly typical for that area at that time.
As long as all three shade covers were up, I thought the time was right to take temperature readings to test their efficacy. Under shade cover, on port near helm: 98.1 deg.F.
Under forward spray shield, where there's a combo of Sunbrella shade and clear plastic window material: 106.5 deg.F.
Starboard cockpit coaming, just outside shade cover: 123.3 deg.F.
I didn't follow the scientific method very carefully when taking these readings but I still feel that they illustrate the need for, and effectiveness of, good and abundant shade protection if you're sailing in low-latitude places. You just can't have enough. A final word about Velcro which I repeat every so often: I like Velcro and use it a lot, but it has one large disadvantage: while its hooks and wool are quite durable, its backing fabric deteriorates quickly in sun. Like, in one year or less. Believe you me, I've replaced a lot of Velcro on otherwise completely intact boat canvas. My advice? If you're going sailing long-term and have any Velcro anywhere on your boat - buy a 25-meter roll of both sides of that Velcro. No, really - if you find you don't use it, it'll be an excellent trade item with other cruisers. Please bring 1" wide white Velcro for me. I eat it up, you betcha.
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