Surviving the Central American sun: 14 tips and tricks

March and April were particularly brutal in Panama since the sun was passing directly overhead on its way to the Northern latitudes. Our cabin crested 94 degrees F on the hottest days, rendering me completely useless for a solid 4 hour period while I lounged like a cat on the settee observing the sweat collecting in my belly button. I relished in the early morning hours while Jeff savored the cool late night hours. Here’s a compendium of things we’ve learned about keeping cool while living in the tropics. I tried my hardest to keep it to 10…but I kept thinking of more so I wound up with 14. I’m no good when it comes to brevity.

My sailing uniform, minus the skirt.

#1  —  Invest in a wide-brimmed sun hat  —  I’ve never been a hat person, but as a boat person I was kind of forced to become a hat person. I was reluctant at first, thinking (like many people) that hats just don’t look good on me, but when I purchased my first full-on sun hat from San Diego Hat Company* I fell madly in love. Hands free shade that follows me around wherever I go? How did I only just discover this? My hat is sturdy enough that it keeps its form in the wind and has a very wide brim that protects all of my face and neck and even some of my shoulders and back. My eyes thank me, my skin thanks me and I’d venture to say that I even look good in that hat. A good drawstring at the chin is a necessity. Cinch it up tight, otherwise the wind may snatch your beloved hat away from you (we’ve bequeathed 3 hats to the sea so far). Also, be warned that if you ever ask me a question or make a comment about my hat, you may have a difficult time extricating yourself from the one-sided conversation that will inevitably follow (just ask Jeff…I get a little bit excited).

#2  —  Protect your eyes with polarized sunglasses — Before we left the US I invested in a pair of prescription polarized sunglasses because my eyes would quickly tire after spending hours staring at the bright water and squinting at objects in the distance. Polarized sunglasses get progressively more expensive as you move south (we’re seeing them for > $50 here in Panama, though we’ve come across a few cheaper options in Panama City), so I recommend picking up a couple pairs in the US where you can get them for relatively cheap. If you need prescription polarized glasses I recommend checking out Zenni Optical, which has much more reasonable prices than can typically be found at optometrists offices in the US. I picked up my glasses for under $50, which is unheard of especially since I don’t have insurance. They may be able to send glasses overseas…not sure. Costco is also a good source of cheap(er) prescription options as well.

#3  —  Sail in a skirt  —   I’m talking to both the ladies and the gents here. Fellas, if you have not sailed in a skirt, you have not lived. I have a tighter calf length skirt for performance sailing and a long, light, colorful skirt for lounging around. The skirts protect my knees and legs, keep me relatively cool and allow for a full range of motion. Jeff has yet to don a skirt, preferring white linen pants instead.

#4  —  Cover up with a lightweight, button-up, long-sleeved, collared white shirt — Yes, it does need to have all those features. We live in our white, long-sleeved shirts. The myriad stains and dirty collars are testament to this fact. Having a button-up shirt enables me to throw it over whatever outfit I’m wearing when I go out into the sun. Eventually I’ll invest in similar shirt that I keep nice so I can wear it into town without feeling like a complete vagabond.

#5  —  Pull out that polypropylene long-underwear for your next snorkeling adventure  —  My back and shoulders are usually the first thing to burn, especially if we’re snorkeling a lot. We wear our poly-pro long-underwear to protect our legs and backs. When you get out of the water the long-underwear will keep you cool. Plus, it doesn’t take long to dry once you hang it up on the lifelines. If you wear poly-pro while snorkeling, you have the added benefit of not having to slather on the sunscreen (the fish and coral reefs thank you! no seriously, a fish actually thanked me).

#6  —  Be strategic with your sunscreen  —  I have my favorite tinted face sunscreen that I wear daily since my face is usually the most vulnerable part of my body (not gonna wear a balaclava). I generally opt to wear my hat, put on clothes and seek shade rather than slap on the sunscreen because it’s always greasy (despite how “non-greasy” the formula is advertised to be), expensive (especially outside of the US) and many brands are no bueno for the environment, which was news to me (even though it’s apparently been a part of the collective conscience for over 5 years). Check out what National Geographic and Slate have to say on the subject.

#7  —  Hide  —  We spend an inordinate amount of time hiding from the sun. During mid-day it’s been too hot to be out in the sun so we seek refuge off of the boat (trip to the air conditioned mall anyone? how about a hammock under a palm tree?), hide out inside or in the cockpit (if there is shade). The mornings and evenings are magical and we’ve adjusted our schedules to make the most of the cooler hours. If we have outdoor boat work to do we opt to do it in the early mornings or early evenings.

#8  —  Find or create shade  —  This is a no-brainer. If you go to shore, find a place to camp out in the shade, be it under a palm tree, an abandoned palapa or some low-hanging brush. On your trips to town, consider taking an umbrella with you. I see a lot of (older) women down here using their umbrellas for shade…I think it’s time I take a page out of the grandma’s playbook. We don’t have a fixed dodger or bimini in our cockpit to provide shade (some people’s cockpits are fully enclosed – what I wouldn’t give) but Jeff made a removable, fabric shade cover for the cockpit, which works very well. We have several other pieces of small fabric that we can string up around the cockpit to create shade depending on the position of the boat relative to the angle of the sun. Recently we inherited a larger shade cover that we string up when we’re at anchor. You can never have too much shade (this is a universal law). Fortunately, there are shade options for every budget. Don’t be afraid to look funky, it’s better than having charred skin and your quality of life is proportional to the amount of shade on your boat. Magma sells a  sturdy cockpit umbrella, which looks interesting (added bonus: you could probably take it to the beach with you for some insta-shade).

#9  —  Cool down in the water  —  One of our most effective strategies for staying cool is to jump in the water and hang out on the shady side of the boat. When we get out of the boat we prefer to drip dry, letting the wind and sun wick away the water and cool down our core temperatures. You can also just grab a bucket of water and dump it over your head (especially if you have reason to expect crocs are swimming nearby). We’ve been known to dunk a piece of clothing or bandana in the water and wear it until it dries. A wet bandana feels especially good around the neck or on your head. Or you could just jump in with your clothes on (this is how our friend does his laundry).

#10  —  Harness the wind  —  Many people have invested in a windscoop, which directs wind into the cabin from the front hatch. This makes sense since sailboats usually face the wind. I made a shade cover/rain fly/rain catcher for the front of the boat that also serves as a wind scoop (which is good since it’s actually totally useless as rain catcher). Some people set up a stern anchor to keep their main entryway open to the wind if it blows consistently from a certain direction. We have two opening port holes and we leave our hatch and main entryway open when we’re onboard, which helps to create a nice cross breeze on most days. We’ve visited boats that have all opening port holes and their cabin usually feels nice and breezy even in the heat of the day.

#11  —  Prioritize a light hull color  —  Our bright red boat absorbs a lot of sun and probably contributes to our hot cabin. This color is perfect for the cool Pacific Northwest, but maybe not so awesome for the tropics. A white boat would probably help reduce the indoor temperature by a couple of degrees. That being said, I would gladly sacrifice those couple of degrees to have a red boat.

#12  —  Drink a lot of water  —  Also a no brainer, but I’m amazed how quickly the days go by and how easy it is to forget to drink water. Every time you think about a glass of water, drink a glass of water. Speaking of which, I’m going to grab a glass now. I like filling a Nalgene with water since it helps me keep track of how much I drink. Ideally I’d be going through three or four of those a day. When I don’t drink enough water the effects are almost immediate; I get headaches and am incredibly lethargic.

#13  —  Find and savor cold things  —  Popsicles were the key ingredient to our survival in Southern Mexico in June and September. We basically lived on popsicles and cold beer. It helped that there was a tienda a short walk away from the boat. We rarely run our fridge anymore meaning that we rarely have cold things on hand, but boy do they help abate the suffering. Cold water and cold mangos are especially refreshing. I first fell in love with Panama when they served lunch with a pitcher (jarra) full of cold, crisp water. Offer me a cold drink and I will love you forever. Seriously, I’m that easy these days.

#14  —  Have some aloe vera and Vitamin E oil on hand  —  If you get baked by the sun (it happens), load up your skin with some cool aloe vera and nourishing Vitamin E oil. If I slather myself with good stuff after a burn it turns into a tan by day two. Vitamin E oil can also help to diminish sun spots, which have finally started making an appearance (hello 30!).

All this sun has me looking forward to some overcast days, thunderstorms and cool(er) nights. Bring on rainy season!

*Full disclosure – San Diego Hat Company sent me a replacement hat when I lost the first one in a blow in the Sea of Cortez. That being said, I’d be buying their hats and singing their praises in an alternate reality where that did not happen. Plus I love them ten fold for being generous enough to send me a replacement. You rock, San Diego Hat Company!