Although we’re not allowed to sail at the moment, we can still think about ways to make our boats even better when we’re back on the water once more. Camping on board during extended cruises needn’t be uncomfortable. What follows are some of my favourite cruising modifications on my BR20. Please add your own favourites to the thread.
* A dog’s bouncy ball. The BR20 spinnaker bowsprit chute on the starboard bow faces straight into the wind when at anchor. If it’s blowing a gale and raining, the bit where you sleep with your feet under the foredeck can rapidly turn into the opposite of a blow dryer. Jam a dog ball into the front end of the tube and problem solved.
* Rechargeable and magnetic LED lamps. Using next to no power, these tiny but bright lamps can be attached to small stick-on magnets wherever you care to place them about your boat (but not near the compass). If your boat electrics run to a USB socket, they can be recharged but they’re so efficient that it doesn’t need to be done that often. The light emitted is not as cosy as a gas lamp but there is no fire risk and no fumes. These are very similar to the ones that I use
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flashlight-Rechargeable-Charging-Equipment-Emergencies/dp/B07QDSNKCG.
* A carved wooden loo seat. When far out on the ocean wave we necessarily belong to the bucket and chuck it brigade. But we can still take our ease, instead of crouching like chimpanzees over a moving target. My carefully designed but crudely crafted marine ply seat (photo below) is rock steady, not too cold first thing in the morning and takes up little space when dismantled.
* Self-inflating mattress. Whoever invented these extraordinarily comfortable and space-saving devices deserves a medal. Tucked up in my sleeping bag on top of my mattress and gently rocked by the waves, I often sleep better than at home. I’ve heard complaints from those anchored downwind of me that I also snore like a trooper but I’m sure that this is entirely unjustified.
* Cooking apparatus. Extensively covered elsewhere on the forum - see for example
https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,1305.0.html* Shower. When several of us circumnavigated Mull in 2017 (see
https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/?page_id=1535) it was too cold to swim or shower but I was sleeping solo so I didn’t mind too much about personal hygiene anyway. In warmer weather there are showering options that don’t use much water and take up little space when stowed. For example the typical solar shower like this one
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15899166/hi-gear-solar-shower-20-litres-15899166/. I spotted this cheap gadget the other day which I think is even cleverer and less likely to spring a fatal leak
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kurgo-Mud-Dog-Travel-Shower/dp/B00TUA98JA.
There are several books on small boat cruising to take your mind off current circumstances. I think this, by Roger Barnes, is one of the best
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinghy-Cruising-Companion-Roger-Barnes/dp/1408179164/ref=sr_1_1