My initial reaction was, quote / unquote,: "Choke! Spew!". Yes, it's
true that HF weatherfax is rapidly being replaced with other modes
(e.g., INMARSAT) but assuming XM will carry the day in the Caribbean is,
AFAIK, missing the fact that there is no XM coverage in the area. It
isn't just a matter of satellite visibility, there are ground stations
involved. Maybe they'll happen some day but for now... don't hold your
breath. OTOH, WiFi support is wider than one might expect and Internet
cafes are far easier to find in the Caribbean than areas I've visited on
the US East Coast. That doesn't do much for offshore sailing but once
in the Caribbean... no problem, mon. SSB ham radio is very much alive
and many maritime SSB sets are operated by hams, licensed for ham bands
and maritime SSB.

FWIW, the Grunert Mariner I mentioned will drive freezer plates. Cut a
suitable opening in the counter, drop in a suitable box and plumbing,
and you'd basically be good to go. Keep in mind, however, that'll close
off access to the sink through hull - Not Good.

Between a compressor for the cold plates (I assume you'll put a
refrigeration plate in the ice box as well as the freezer plate) and a
genset, I'm not sure how much space you'll have below the cockpit for
access to steering, stuffing box, and engine areas. I'd think long and
hard about keeping the batteries up with wind and solar sources instead
of adding the complexity of a genset.

Rick Emerson
S/V One With The Wind, Baba 35

Paul Braschi wrote:

>Baba Owners
>
>I am planning a trip to the Caribbean this winter and low and behold when I visit my local marine Marine electronics stores . . . they both explained that SSB was dead and that they almost never sell them . . This was two seperate stores- well respected . . . people have moved on to Garmin's with weather data via XM or wave call . . . especially you folks that have recently returned fron cruising . . .what do you think? . . .If you have installed an SSB . . . Is the Icom 810 w/auto tuner the way to go or one of the Sea products . . . How did you do the grounding plate?
>
>Also has anyone converted their dry storage (the area to the left of the sink in a Baba 35) into a freezer? If so how? specific products etc.
>
>Also has anyone installed one on the new small Panda or Onan or???? generators in a Baba 35??
>
>
>
>

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Received on Tue Jul 19 13:28:24 2005