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5 Steps to make your boat your cruising home, Part 2by Cruising Helmsman
Long-time liveaboard cruiser Jack Gush reflects on five areas you can improve to make onboard life more comfortable. The rest, sleep and comfort of the offwatch crew is paramount. 4. Sleeping arrangements Bunks should have bunk-boards (leecloths) to prevent the sleeper from being pitched out if the boat is rolling. The height of the canvas should be at least 35 to 40cm above the bunk and its length about 120cm. It should be rigged with attachments to the deck head, and the lower edge secured under the bunk, which is where it should be stowed when not in use. Mattresses should be of foam and should be thick; the minimum width should be 54cm. Condensation can be almost as undesirable as leaks, especially inside lockers containing stores, and is sometimes not that easy to deal with; but a dry boat, well ventilated, will suffer less from condensation than a damp, fuggy one. 5. Entertainment and communication Then comes the important question of entertainment. No matter how fascinating your partner’s conversation is, nor how funny his or her jokes are, you are going to need entertainment — music, hobbies, games or other distractions. You will have ample time to read, so you need to take a good supply of books, although other cruisers are always prepared to swap. Games such as Scrabble, chess, cards and backgammon are great onboard forms of recreation and relaxation. Today, of course, there is also emailing and keeping in touch with family, friends and other cruisers. And you might want to learn some words of the language of the country you are in. Twelve-volt portable TVs are available, but are not much use when you are out of range of the transmitting station, but nevertheless provide entertainment, news and weather information during your sojourns in populated areas. DVDs are perhaps the best way of watching films (movies). A lot of cruising people are keen walkers or cyclists. You will see quite a few boats with bicycles on deck — stowed below at sea. Scuba-diving opens up the wonders of the undersea, but to recharge the tanks you need a power-driven compressor. You will not be entirely cut off from your past and you will need to make arrangements to receive mail. Apart from family and friends, you might still own property, have business interests or investments. A mobile phone is a useful asset, but email is the most convenient way of keeping in touch. Some marinas now have Wifi, enabling you to access the internet on your laptop from your chart table and, if not, there is usually an internet centre nearby, even in far-flung parts of the world. An HF SSB radio is good for keeping in touch with other yachts, those ahead of you or those following in your wake. It gives weather reports, gale warnings and world news. The ham radio network on HF frequencies puts out ocean weather from distant weather gurus, some of whom are famous among cruising folk, and keeps sailors in touch round the world. http://www.mysailing.com.au |