About the closest one can come to preparing a boat for a lengthy time away is to take all your closets and kitchen stuff and put them in a small bathroom along with bedding. Those who RV face the same problem when making ready for a long vacation with the difference being that there are no square places or storage lockers on a boat (remember boats have a fat end and the pointy end?). With the exception of our voyage to Veracruz, Mexico in ’05, we have kept WK fairly stripped of stuff, ready to receive guests and light for faster speeds.
For this adventure, the first thing that we realized is that we have a blivet (five pounds of stuff in a four pound bag). We held a crew meeting (the entire crew, both of us) and decided that we must convert one of our cabins and one of our heads (not the device but the whole compartment) to storage lockers. Wherever possible the heavy stuff must be stowed low in the boat and as near to the centerline as possible. Paper towels can go anywhere, but not the wine locker. That gallon jug of vinegar cannot go up high in a galley cabinet. Actually, it fits in the toilet in the converted head quite nicely but that may be too much information. Another consideration is to imagine how the cabin would look in the event of a knockdown. A knockdown is when waves, wind or stupidity cause the boat to roll horizontally so that the mast hits the water. Picture rolling your house over on its side. Then picture being in the middle of the kitchen when that happens. To minimize collateral damage to the crew, a locker with a latch is a good thing. Our converted head has a very nice latch and I am sure it will contain the stuff we put in there in the event of a knockdown. Hey, it could happen.
That aft guest cabin is now our garage. Originally, we just stacked stuff there without a loading plan based on frequency of use of the stuff in there. We did do an inventory so we can at least find the right compartment where we stowed stuff, but again not planned. Hey Bear, where did it put the dooderflam? Gee, dear, I have no idea? And then comes the question that always comes after that: "Where did you leave it?" Huh? I whip open the inventory program and learn it is in the garage, but where? After removing almost everything in that place, I find it in the very darkest part of the garage, way in the back. Since we will use the dooderflam often, it goes to the front of the garage. Later that same day, the same thing happens as I attempt to locate something else. This is an ongoing process and stuff gradually works its way into the right order. In the process of inventory restack, I am finding stuff I have not seen since we bought Why Knot. Thus another level of entertainment is born.
midship head conversion
guest cabin/ garage to the left
A good friend on the west coast has a great deal of sea time. He actually campaigned a Soling in the1960’s attempting to join the Olympic team. He has several Pacific crossings and a number of Farallon Island races out of San Francisco. He keeps asking about our peanut butter. I did not pay much attention to the question but we do have peanut butter aboard, two jars in fact. We actually like peanut butter but not over some of the other provisions aboard. You see, just like the submariners of old, stuff gets stowed, yes even in the galley, in anticipated order of usage. The crews of those “Pig Boats” started voyages eating the stuff on top of the pile, usually the fresh stuff that would spoil. Toward the end of the patrols, they were down to Spam (which by the way, I like) and peanut butter. PB tends to be at the back of the cabinet. As he put it, when the crew is at sea, and the ice and wine are exhausted, most likely the galley will be bare too. It is too far to make a port just to lay in ice or bread, then the crew resorts to meals of PB. Most likely the bread will also be depleted so spoons come into play. Picture this: a hot windless day at sea. The sun is in full bake mode and the galley is bare except for the liquid jar of peanut butter. “Bear, what’s for breakfast?” That is a good reason to avoid long ocean passages. Maybe I will perfect, ahead of need, a recipe of Spam and peanut butter. Yummy. My friend said that until that happens, one cannot claim to be a true cruiser. So let me see, one must dismast, spend the night aground in a receding tide and at some point run out of food to be considered a “cruiser”. Methinks that if and when the latter happens, I might well become a solo sailor. I am thinking the Bear might just consider that type of cruising a bit too Spartan. And so it goes.
Miss Carolyn
A rare sight without barges
Repair update: Mast ships Friday, Bow rail Wedensday. Canvas is being repaired. We may return to New Orleans as soon as next week.
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