made in the shade

Here's a nice moonset photo from my fishing buddy Steve, shot after I left Urbanna the other evening. Pretty nice, don't you think?

And that's his boat. I've always thought the best kind of power boat is one owned by a good friend. This one is just right for me.

Some good gear info from Kiwibird on her blog. Kristen, a veteran EC'er, is a gear-head. She is always on the lookout for new gear that will make life on the water a little bit better. She is not posting very often these days, but scrolling through her blog provides some pretty good information on a lot of different equipment. I've bought a lot of gear based on her recommendations.

This time she is writing about CGEAR Sand Mats. The mats are designed to be thrown out on a beach for camping. The sand falls through the fine mesh of the mat, keeping your feet and camping area sand free.
That seems like a great idea. But I don't camp on the beach - I prefer the smooth, flat and sand free bunk flat of Spartina. Plenty of room there for the bug-free bivy and sleeping bag, there's no need to haul the gear out of the boat to the beach. But what did cross my mind is that these would make a perfect shade tarp to drape over the boom. When I watched CGEAR's video about the sand mats I was very happy to see they in fact suggested using the mats for shade.

They are UV resistant and block about 90% of the sun. They are lightweight, brightly colored (I like the orange, it could come in handy if somebody is trying to locate me) and have d-rings sewn into the corners and along the edges - perfect for bungee cords to attach to the deck cleats while draped over the boom.

The heat, as we found out on day 7 of the Tag Team, can be brutal out on the sounds of North Carolina. There is nowhere to hide from the sun on an open boat. A nice shade tarp would not just be a comfort item, it could be considered a piece of safety gear.

I am pretty selective about adding equipment to Spartina's packing list. Every items needs to "earn" its spot on the boat. I think the sand mat is well worth considering. At $50 for the 6 foot x 6 foot mat, with weighs less than 4 lbs, I think it could be a plus for the boat.

One of the things I want to do next year is a mid-summer walkabout sail on Pamlico Sound, a four or five days exploration out of Pate Boatyard in Hobucken. (Maybe a long fourth of July weekend???) In the heat of the summer, on those sometimes windless days, something to provide protection from the sun would be a good thing to have along.

Thanks for the tip Kiwibird.

steve