Living Aboard - Sleeping and Cooking

A dinghy seems so open, wet and exposed that some find the thought of living aboard difficult to take seriously. However, we know better - and note that the 'Mirror' is no longer the smallest of the dinghies aboard which members live.

This article might help with the simple early stages of finding what suits himself and his boat, for the newcomer just about to plan his first dinghy cruise.

First: DO sleep aboard. The problems of getting ashore and back in tidal waters, with camping gear to be carried on long treks across varying mud and water, make sleeping on the beach more bother than it's worth. One great disadvantage of camping ashore is the infrequency of sites with public access near to anchorages. Room to anchor on the mud, on the other hand, is easily found.

Second: The Tent. (See Bulletin 104/23). This article therefore will avoid going into detail. It is not very expensive to buy clothing nylon and to make a simple ridge tent to fit over or under the boom, fastened down to hooks below the rubbing-strake or to a line right round the boat at that point.

Third: Where to sleep? In small dinghies there is little room on the bottom boards between built-in buoyancy and CB case. The boards can sometimes be fitted over the thwarts to make a simple platform - e.g. the 'Tideway'. A simple root-berth is very comfortable. Take a strong piece of cloth (e.g. industrial nylon, cheap to buy) 6' 6" x 21" (or 2' 3") - size according to your dimensions and those of the boat. Make broad hems down the long sides. Run strong poles through these hems and lash the ends of the poles to hooks on the CB case on the inward side, and the stringers or other fixing point below the gunwale on the outward side. Or follow Denis Rushton's tip in his miniscule cruiser of running lines right round beneath the boat. The cloth should be stretched taut widthways, and makes a good berth, well clear of the bilge water.

Airbeds are more comfortable than boards, though they wear out very quickly. Boards can be quite comfortable if you know how to lie in the best position. A better mattress can be made from a foam-latex camping pad covered in a large plastic bag, sealed with Evostik or similar glue.

In a dinghy without built-in, watertight lockers, it is not easy to keep bedding, spare clothes, etc, dry. Plastic bags tied tightly are proof against rain and spray, but not against the surge forward into the bow storage space of quantities of bilge water when heavy seas come aboard. Plastic boxes with watertight lids are a good answer. Insulated cold-boxes as used by campers are good, provided the seal is tight. Skilled woodworkers make their own wooden storage boxes. These, plastic or wooden, are also needed for pilot guides, radio, cameras, etc. Charts should be in a plastic case of some sort.

Cooking: Keep it simple. One ring is adequate. Small Camping-Gaz cookers with disposable gas refills are the cheapest to buy, but expensive to run, and usually unstable in use. The large type screwed into gas bottles which can be exchanged when empty are more stable and cheaper to run. A Primus runs very cheaply, so it can be left on a low heat for slow cooking or to warm the tent. Paraffin kept in old bottles (wearing socks to prevent breakage) is easy to pour, and they can lie in the bilge or any damp corner. (Horrified exclamation from my Belfast son-in-law: "Your Mum's got petrol bombs in her boat!")

Meths for starting is nowadays the greatest expense in running a Primus. To prevent spillage, use the clip-on lighters which soak up the Meths, as sold with Tilley lamps. It is a good idea to keep any cooker out of the wind and secure in a galley box lined with a biscuit-tin to make it fire-proof.

Although dried food - rice, spaghetti, etc. - is easy and cheap to store in quantity, taking little space, it uses large quantities of water. Tinned food may seem dull, but is probably the best solution. A week's supply can be kept in a small plastic dustbin or two washing-up bowls. These can be kept in place with shock-cords. Water is easier to pour from small containers. Half-gallon plastic lemonade bottles are good.

For a day's food without cooking, fill two Thermos flasks with boiling water; these make tea, packet soup, or pot-noodle meals as required. With cheese, biscuits and chocolate one can keep going while under way and can cook a proper meal when at anchor.

Keeping matches dry is a problem - damp air is enough to make them useless. Waterproof matches are prohibitively expensive. A cigarette lighter with gas refill works quite well.

All this essential gear takes up a great deal of room, and together with tools, anchors, etc. etc. one is in danger of creating clutter and muddle. Everything should have its own place and be lashed in some way so that it remains secure in all contingencies. Try to leave the boat as free from gear as possible in the cockpit area so that nothing gets in the way when you are sailing the boat. In a very small boat there will be a good deal of shifting around when preparing for the night and when preparing to sail. Really, it is all a matter of careful planning.