Wanderlust 3 Heads to Jamaica

It feels great to get back on the water again. I enjoy the power and natural forces of the wind and waves. To be able to control a sailboat and get it from one exotic local to another using only the forces of nature is an exhilarating experience. I missed that while waiting the year and a half for the new Hunter 49 to finally be ready.

She is a beautiful boat! Hunter listens to their customers and dealers and in designing this boat even I had a few suggestions and input that made it on this 'Blue Water' version. There were a few things on the old 46 that I thought needed improving and a few things I wanted to add to the new boat for my own safety and comfort while single- or short-handing out in heavy seas.

I carry an emergency rudder that stows away until I need it then fastens to the stern with already fitted pad-eyes, a Viking 6 person SOLAS liferaft, 2 EPIRBS (one is the small personal version) and 2 complete charting and plotting systems. The Navionics Platinum charts for the world in the RayMarine E120 and Nobeltec world charts in the laptop powered by a separate 12 volt isolated battery pack. This gives me options that I hope I never need.

This version has the 7 foot taller mast (68') and the deep, long keel. I went with the standard full cut and roach main with 3 single-line reefs, a self-tacking stay-sail and a full 120% genoa. I have the 8 gph watermaker so I changed one of the three 80 gallon water tanks into an aluminum reserve fuel tank with transfer pump into the 120 gal main tank. This is filtered through the 'FilterBoss' twin filter cleansing system.

I have the twin propeller bow thruster for backing into tight dock spaces, the flex-o-fold three blade folding propeller and the Fischer-Panda 12 KW genset mounted on the centerline below the sole.

I had Hunter stainless department built the similar arch/bimini/davit system I had on my old boat and added three 75 watt solar panels above. The dingy lowers to water level at the swim platform, I step in, un-clip and drive away. Coming back I'll clip in and raise the dingy into its custom davit that keeps the dingy tight against the formed steel, no rocking or swaying.

The goal is to get down to Panama from Jamaica. Rob Lawnsby, a former Hunter dealer and commissioner of many boats and Hunter's 'fix-it' guy is aboard until Jamaica then it's single-handing to Panama.

I will have my 'www.sail-wanderlust.com' website and blog up and running when I leave Panama to cross the South Pacific then the Indian Ocean and finally the South Atlantic before returning to the Miami Boat Show next Feb.

If everything goes planned, I should cross my own track in the Island I am headed for now, Inagua and Matthew Town, the most southern Bahamian Island just before the 'windward passage'.

I've included some 'non-bikini' photos of my crew member Kimberly. She left early this morning back for work. She will join me for another week later down in the South Pacific.