NEWS AND NOTES
Blue Water Sailing
November 19, 2009
Fitting Out for World Cruising - Part III: Comfort and Safety Below Decks
Throughout the month of November both Blue Water Sailing Magazine and The Cruising Compass will focus on Fitting Out For World Cruising.
This week Cruising Compass brings you Part III of our "Fitting Out for World Cruising" Series. Our interview with Pam Wall discusses Comfort and Safety Below Decks.
CC: What should be our top concern when it comes to Comfort and Safety onboard our cruising yacht?
Pam Wall: When asked about a comfortable and safe yacht, I always try to remind sailors that the boat itself is the most important part of cruising. There are so many variables to consider but you can remember the essentials. The boat has to have good sea going capabilities. It must be a weatherly boat, it should be able to heave to easily, it has to be easy to handle, and it must be well and sturdily built. Choosing a boat that is well designed for blue water sailing capability is paramount to being comfortable and safe at sea and in port.
Keep in mind a few essentials. The vessel should have 'U'-shaped galley for safety of the cook. Having comfortable and well secured sea berths that can accommodate high lee clothes are almost mandatory for blue water sailing. It is a very good idea to have these sea berths near the companionway so that watch changes can be accomplished quickly and easily without disturbing others or if issues or problems arise, the person on watch can easily wake someone. Most cruising couples would prefer a bunk that will sleep two comfortably while at anchor or at the dock but every crew member also needs a sea berth or two. Best to have one on both sides of the boat so whatever tack you are on there is a really comfortable and secure leeward berth.
A voluminous main cabin can reduce the opportunity for bracing yourself when heeling or in heavy weather conditions. This large cabin area limits the location of handholds. The preferred interior layout for cruising utilizes many interior cabinets and drawers, places cabinetry in locations to facilitate bracing when underway, and supplies the cruiser with adequate handholds to move around below even in the most difficult seas. The added storage and enhanced safety will provide a more functional cruising boat.
CC: What are some other ways to make the boat more comfortable?
PW: Pressurized water is a great convenience when electricity and water are readily available. However for long-distance cruising, manual pumps conserve power and water. It is a really good idea to have foot pumps in the galley. This leaves your hands free for holding on and will always be available even if you loose an electric pressure pump. Another thing we have that is also very handy in the galley is one pump dedicated to saltwater so you can conserve fresh water when washing dishes at sea. It is also nice to have one tap with an isolated filter for drinking water and a way to catch rainwater. We can let a rain squall wash down the decks, then dam off the water fill on deck, and collect many gallons of nature’s best water!
A three burner gimbaled stove is good even if you only use two of the burners most of the time. The extra burner is very handy for having a place to keep the kettle, hot pots, or anything else you want to gimbal when the boat is heaving around.
And speaking of galleys, be sure everything you need is easy to access and readily available. Nothing is worse than having to get something that is far away or difficult to find in a heaving sea! And have lots of places to hang on or brace yourself. Galley’s can be very dangerous if not properly laid out.
CC: What about ventilation?
PW: Good ventilation is essential for fresh air below and it really helps eliminate seasickness. We have lots of low amp fans over bunks, in the head, near the chart table, and even near the galley. This insures a nice breeze and circulating air especially in the tropics. Another really great idea we saw and then used is aft dodgers over every hatch. Most of the time at sea we keep all our hatches open as these aft facing dodgers do not let any sea water below. Don’t forget screens for all openings too! Have a lot of hatches and make sure that some of them at least face forward for a great breeze when at anchor heading into the wind. Wind scoops are great for the tropics and provide nature’s air conditioning.
CC: Any additional thoughts?
PW: Basic to your overall comfort below decks are the length and width and comfort of bunks for a good nights sleep. Consider the height of work surfaces a petite person has an awful time with high counters in the galley and conversely a tall person gets a back ache if the work area is too low! This is something Andy and I always had a problem with as he was so tall and I was so short! So, our galley where I did the cooking had nice low counters for my comfort, and his work areas had high counters. Consider the depth of the icebox and don’t have one that needs the full body inserted to get something at the bottom! The placement of the head(s) and the toilet is also something that is overlooked on many vessels. Any toilet is much easier to use if it is facing fore or aft. Think about being on a tack if the toilet is facing athwart ships. On one tack you are thrown backwards and the other tack you could be tossed off the toilet. If the toilet is facing fore or aft you can brace yourself on any tack making it more comfortable and SAFE.
There are many other ideas to consider for below deck. We could go on and on with this fascinating and important subject. After all the miles I have had on a small sailing vessel, what I have learned is: “There are so many ways to skin a cat” and there are so many great ideas, and I am always learning from others ideas to improve our little sloop! So, what I am giving you here is not the ONLY way to have the interior of your vessel. It would be such fun for me to learn from you what has worked well and to heighten my knowledge of what a good cruising vessel should have below deck for comfort and safety!
Please write to me at: pamw@westmarine.com if you have any comments or suggestions! This is what makes the cruising community a great big family!
Be sure to pick up this months' issue of BWS Magazine and read the Fitting Out for World Cruising section And check out the next issue of the Cruising Compass for Part IV of our interview with Pam where we will cover Electronics and Electical.
Here's your Outfitting Checklist for Comfort & Safety Below Decks:
Images courtesy of West Marine.
