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Lexington - Captain Bob: Rain



So the weather system that changed the wind the way we wanted also brought a fairly steady foggy rain. I am sitting under the dodger drinking my morning coffee while the others sleep in. The fella on the next boat is positioning a piece of canvas to try to catch water for his fresh water tanks. Unfortunately a little wind comes with rain. He was having some difficulty because the wind was getting under his canvas and making it convex instead of concave. It was a little fun to watch a totally naked person in the rain trying to control 450 square feet of canvas. We are blessed with a water maker. It is a mixed blessing since that is one more thing to learn about and maintain. We would have been hard up for water at the first of the trip since it rained very little. I suppose if we had needed water we may have navigated towards more squalls than trying to avoid them. You need to let it rain for a while to wash everything off before you start to catch water. The more I think about it most all the houses here have rainwater catchment systems. Some have solar water heating systems. My boat has a valve to take water from the deck into the water tanks. The boat normally has a plumbing system to take water from the deck and cockpit to overboard. If you get a wave entering the cockpit then it needs a way to drain off the boat and the same would be for the gunnels (the outer deck between the cabin roof and the toe rail). My boat has a valve to divert that water into the tanks. The openings that collect the water are called scuppers. The fella on the next boat now has his wife out helping him. Unfortunately she put her bathing suit on. I can not win for losing. The photo is just to make it interesting. May fair winds bring rain to fill your tanks! Bob

 



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