Radar

Yesterday I finally finished installing the radar on Spirit of Adventure.   I had bought the radar months ago and was just waiting until I had finished most of the other things on my list.   I have to admit that it was quite a challenge doing it by myself.    You have to picture me standing on a step ladder nine feet above the deck on the aft end of my boat and lifting a 25 lb object with no handles on it up above my head.   It was almost comical at times.   You see the directions included pictures with numbers by each of the pictures, but nothing written.   This was an exercise in doing it once, realizing that I had not done a crucial (How do I get wires hidden inside that tube now that I have the stand all put together and mounted?) part of the installation beforehand and then taking it apart and doing it again.   Now I have never been great with patience, HOWEVER, I am learning this quality very well now.     I am also finding that if I step back and sit down and think, I am much more creative than I ever gave myself credit for.   The solution (so far) is always there if I but give myself time to discover it.   Isn't that true in life also?
Now, some might ask (as my wife did), "Why do you really need radar?  You are not a plane."   Well, as I have mentioned at least once in this blog, much of what I am doing on Spirit is for me to be safer while single-handing Spirit while sailing distances.   Radar will help become an extra set of eyes while I am below (making a meal or sleeping come to mind first).   With radar, I can set a "guard zone" that is 15 miles or more out from my boat, in all directions, and it will sound an alarm if any other boat comes within that range of my boat.   It will not only tell me where that boat is, but it will tell me the direction and speed of the boat (ship) and most importantly, if it is heading on a course where our two craft may become too acquainted.    We used radar on our Pacific crossing and although we went for almost two weeks without seeing another vessel, it was a pleasant welcome when that alarm went off for the first time.   At 20 miles or more, one cannot even see the vessel except for the radar.   Other purposes for using the radar would include fog, rain and other weather.   The radar can look through this and can tell me where boats and the land (equally dangerous to run into) are.    Anyway, I am very happy with this device.

Spirit of Adventure with radar.