While Brian and I wait on one last part to arrive (the spring for the wind generator), we are working hard to knock out as many things on the to-do list as possible. One item that had been on my list since early last year was the sewing and construction of an awning to keep the boat cooler in the heat of summer when we are at anchor and without an AC unit. Last summer, we draped a tarp over the boom to keep some of the heat out, but it was noisy, ugly, and much of the deck was still exposed. I was reluctant to begin this project, even though Brian had bought 200 sq. ft of Sunbrella last May, because I had only ever sewn dresses prior; this was my first foray into canvas work. Also it was a huge project, both literally according to the amount of material necessary to cover a 37ft. boat, but also in the amount of sewing time.

We sketched out our grand plan for the awning as we sweated it out in the heat last summer. I’ve included several of our design sketches below. The awning had to be more complex than a simple rectangular shape because of the Dutchman system (folding guide lines for the mainsail) on the boom and because of the width of the fabric roll. We had to make two slits on one side of the awning with closing flaps that would fit around the lines. We also had to make a slit at the end of the boom and make a completely separate section in front of the mast to cover the v-berth. Then we decided that, to give it a nice shape and keep it high enough to walk under, we needed to sew loops and pockets on the underside for several lengths of tent poles to stretch over the boom (like ribs). We raided an old tent of Brian’s for those. All in all, we used up every last bit of that 5 ft. x 40 ft. of Sunbrella, save for about one square foot of scrap material. It took over a week to complete, but that was due to some machine issues; I have an old, very finicky, 1963 Singer Golden Touch and Sew. Not too shabby. We did end up taking it to a canvas guy for grommet installation in the end, but that was only because we made the mistake of buying the wrong type (without teeth) and couldn’t find the kind we needed anywhere locally.

And the verdict? It’s fantastic, well worth the many hours of labor: it sheds a nice warm light inside (yellow was a great color choice), creates additional wind flow and shade, and got a few compliments from the canvas guy.