For almost five years now, Kim and I have lived without a/c. We acclimated to the Florida heat. We swung peacefully at anchor, enjoying the afternoon sea breezes. If it got too hot, we got in the water. We spent summers on the coast, where it is generally five degrees cooler than inland.

This summer, we find ourselves twenty miles inland, at a marina. The daytime temps have consistently been in the mid 90’s. The humidity is oppressive. The breezes are blocked by surrounding buildings. I admit – we’ve been suffering, especially at night.

A friend, and fellow live aboard, happened to mention that he had a window rattler he’d like to get rid of. I said what the heck, we’ll take it. The only place it would fit was in the side door by the lower helm. This left a large opening. How to fill it?

Viola! Trawler Trash engineering:

That’s a windshield sunshade for your car, plus a little duct tape.

We we let it run full blast all night. When we woke up, it was a comfy 78 degrees inside the boat. Interior humidity was cut in half. We both had a good nights sleep. Not exactly in the finest maritime tradition, but hey . . . Sometimes you have to make do.

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We’ll keep it installed and running for a few months. The plan is to finally leave the marina in October. Kim is doing very well. After a return to Cayo Costa, we will likely head back to the Keys for the winter.