1st Overnight Trip

[Rich3rdMorris]

Hey y'all, so I've gotten everything done on the boat; all the creature comforts are in place:
6gal. Water Heater
2500 BTU A/C & Heat Unit
Electric/Alcohol Stove
Tv/DVD Player
New Marine Head/Toilet
Updated 12v Pressurized Water System w/Shower
110/12v Refrigerator
900 Watt Microwave
New 110 Lightning
Electric Tea Kettle
All of the 110 items will be powered by my Honda eu2000 generator. (Before someone chimes in; the generator will placed on top of the hardtop, which is roughly 5-6' above everything else on the boat. It's mounted on top and secured with ratchet straps. The exhaust is more than high enough to avoid any gas/emissions going into the cabin) Obviously I won't be able to power all these items at once, but as needed. We've done a few dry run overnights in the driveway with the generator and everything worked fine, just have to remember that we can't run everything at once. So my question to all you experienced "overnighters" is what should we expect? Are there any items that we forsure need to bring? What items do we need not bring? Our 1st trip planned is to Cat Island off the coast of South Miss. it's roughly a 30/45 minute ride from the boat launch, so not to far of a run in case of an emergency. Just wanted to get some experienced input on what to expect. Thanks in advance!

[WBO Admin]

Spending time on the hook is my favorite part of boating. I have done it hundreds of times and it never, ever, gets old!

A propane grill is a must for us... nothing like grilling out on the boat as the sun sets. Depending on the temps we would only run the genny in the morning to make coffee, breakfast, etc then at night for dinner and to cool down the cabin. During the hot summer months we run the genny 24/7 but that wasn't a eu2000. As the temps start to cool you'll find yourself only running in the morning and evening.

2 Things:
1) The one thing you do not want to skimp on is your anchor and rode. I can not stress this enough!!! There is nothing worse than waking up at 2am and finding yourself a few hundred yards from where you were, or on the rocks! It's happened to us more than once and it's the only thing that keeps me up at night. Please ensure that all components of your ground tackle are in perfect condition, that you have firmly set the hook, and that you have the proper scope. I also HIGHLY recommend you have a second anchor and rode setup for back up, even if it's a small lunch hook... something that can be quickly tossed in an emergency.

2) Be sure that your batteries are in tip top shape and that you have some means of charging them in the middle of no where should you accidentally drain them overnight. When we didn't have a generator we would run the engine in the am and pm (at a minimum) to give them a charge. Having a small charger you can plug into the Honda OR a jumpbox on board will give you a little piece of mind.

Have fun!

[Rich3rdMorris]

WBO Admin, Thanks for the advice, I completely forgot about anchoring, I've got a 150' of line for my main anchor on the windlass, but never gave it much thought about a 2nd anchor. I've got a smaller anchor that I use while diving, which has 120' of line on a manual spool that would work well as a secondary anchor. Thanks again for the direction!

[WBO Admin]

A few years ago we were anchored in a creek on the lower Chesapeake. A cold front came though at 3:30am and the anchor came loose. See the dock just to the right of the tug boat? God placed our boat firmly against it. I still have nightmares about that night LOL