"Flying Pig" wrote:

Hi, Rosalie, and group,

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
.. .
"Flying Pig" wrote:

Comments, please...

How is life aboard Flying Pig different from my life ashore?

1: Flying Pig is a boat. Aside from times in the boatyard, where it's up
on stilts on shore, it's in constant motion. This takes some getting used
to, but most accommodate it very well.

If you know you get seasick and have a remedy that works for you, be
sure to bring it. We (that is Bob and I) have ginger aboard which
works for some folks, but I will not supply prescription medication to
guests (or anyone). Bob's preferred remedy is to have the seasick
person take the wheel and to eat saltines. I personally prefer to
have hot tea and sleep through it

I cover seasickness in a different section; we've found Stugeron to be VERY
effective, and non-drowsy/eye impairing. If one of our guests knew in
advance that they were subject to seasickness, likely they'd already have
developed their own coping skills and meds...

I just thought that if you were going to lead off with the motion
issue that you should cover motion sickness at that time, or else not
mention it at the beginning.

4: Accomodations, for a boat, are generous, but very small by home
standards. The best place on the boat for sleeping in "normal" (not rough
seas) weather is in what's called the VEE berth, so called because of its
shape. It's a 7-foot equilateral triangle, and accomodates most "normal"
sized couples handily, though, of necessity, the feet tend to be touching

We always slept the other way - with our heads close together at the
pointy end. Of course that means that the reading light is at our
feet.

Ya, but that's because of your layout. You couldn't effectively sleep the
other way, if I recall your aft cabin setup. In the vee, most would prefer
the biscuit in, or, in any event, if not, their feet would be at the pointy
end. In your boat, you have the advantage of it not coming to a point where
your shoulders are :{))

I wasn't talking about the aft cabin - talking about the V-berth. In
the V-berth (which was where we slept when we were chartering before
we bought our boat), we slept with our heads at the pointy end. It is
somewhat squared off because the chain locker is up there at the REAL
point. Neither of us is over 6 feet, and we mostly sleep on our sides
spooned so the shoulder issue - isn't.

In the aft cabin, we sleep fore and aft but with our heads at the
stern.
Bob has a lee cloth for the single bunk in the main cabin so he can
sleep there if it is rough and I'm at the helm. I personally lie down
on the floor next to the mast (assuming a keel stepped mast). If it
is just ordinary rolling, and he's at the helm, I just sleep
crossways in the aft cabin.

Our pull-out is our lee-cloth place, too, though not in its extended
position. In our roughest times we've never felt the need to use it. We do
have a KS mast, and the sole is a possibility, too.

Our pull-out is now a single, and Bob has used the lee cloth.

3: Because fresh water is at such a premium both in amount we can carry,
availability/difficulty of transport and/or cost, we normally bathe in the
sea.

We carry so much water (400 gallons) that with the two of us it is
hard to use enough to keep it fresh, so we don't generally conserve
that much. We CAN, but generally don't.

We've never had a freshness issue, even when it's been RO water (most of the
time it arrives chlorinated if we're refilling at a fuel dock, but in the
Bahamas, that's rare, even if we've not had to jug it), for which we're very
thankful. Our full-up condition is about 325G, and we're into the forward
tank, now, which has been there for over 2 months; still fresh.

If you are using it regularly, it stays fresher. We only use one tank
at a time, and just the two of us don't use that much water.

We just use washers in marinas when required.

We never see marinas :{)) other than for fuel...

On the ICW, there are some marinas that you can dinghy to that have
dinghy dock fees which include the use of the showers and washers etc.
Bob has made decorative pillows for the V-Berth and into the pillows
we put the bed linens for that berth.

10: Related to #9, and just generally, as it's our preference, as we're
predominantly in very warm (not uncomfortably so) climates, we tend to
wear
very little clothing,

I was told when we first chartered a boat in the Virgin Islands, that
I should not sit around in a wet bathing suit as I would have skin
problems. I found that is true.

Thus the admonition to have at least two, one for the line and the one
you're sitting around in fresh.

Bob insists that we wear shoes at all times when on deck for safety
reasons. Proper shoes really are more non-skid than feet. (I have
tested this myself.) If I didn't know that shoes were more slip
resistant, I wouldn't wear them. Bob does have more tender feet than
I do and he can't stand to walk on the non-skid on the deck, plus he's
broken toes in the past so he wears shoes in places that I go
barefoot, but I do as he wishes in to wearing shoes on deck.

Also we wear SOSpender type life jackets at all times when underway
and insist that all guests do the same.

My son-in-law the fisherman thought we were being quite silly to make
him wear a life vest. Of course he's a power boat person and he
doesn't have a boom swinging around. Ours is mostly over top of the
bimini, but it is still possible for it to knock you overboard
unconscious.

I don't require the grandchildren to wear life vests if they are in
the cabin napping. Otherwise, they all wear them when we are not at
the dock.

Excellent additons, though we'd cover that in our briefing sessions when
they arrive. We discuss "boat bites" of which the majority for most
visitors will be toes (not too many hit their heads like I do,
predominantly, these days, as I've managed to habitually miss the others
which used to get me, door frames if I happen to be standing right next to
one before I set off somewhere else. In motion [getting up a head of steam
before the door] I never get them any more).

Over and above toes - you don't want people slipping on the deck.

We do harnesses unless we know
we're going to have to be on deck, and have 5 SOSpenders with integrated
harnesses aboard for such situations.

You might also mention that male guests might do better with getting
urine in the toilet if they sit on the toilet seat rather than try to
hold on to keep their balance while trying to aim.

We do demand that all guests sit, for safety reasons as well as sanitation,
in our orientation on marine toilets. However, I'll add that to the toilet
discussion in the FAQ so it's not a surprise.

Thanks for the reminders.

L8R

Skip

In article , says...
Comments, please...

SNIP
What should I bring?

1: As above, linens. We suggest about three changes of clothing (unless
you want to be bathing-suited most of the time, as we are) plus, perhaps,
extra underwear, and at least two bathing suits (one on the line, drying,
the other to wear). Something to keep you dry if things get messy
weatherwise, as in #2 in "What will I do aboard?". Mostly, other than
coming from a very cold climate, and you need something for your return, you
won't need much in the way of "warm" clothing, because we're mostly in warm
areas. Sometimes it might get to 50 degrees F, but that's rare. Life aboard
isn't very different from camping in regard to clothing, otherwise.

2: Snorkeling gear to suit, if you want to do that. We have several spare
pairs of flippers and a few masks and snorkels available aboard, but can't
guarantee that they'd fit you. If you're experienced, already, likely you
have something you'd prefer, in any event. Those items will generally live
in the dinghy until you leave, so it's not a space issue once you're aboard.

3: Books to suit you. We have a fairly extensive library aboard, but it
may not all appeal to you. Our books are mystery, marine (about boating)
and classical ("great literature") in nature. For both this and #1, we have
bins to store stuff, as well as the closet, in your cabin. However, you
should bring any "stuff" in soft luggage which can be compressed or
otherwise made to fit in unusually shaped space so as to reserve as much as
possible for your stuff you want out of the soft luggage. Generally
speaking, something which would travel as carry-on luggage on the airline,
for each of you, will easily fit in the space you have available to you.
And, just to relieve your mind somewhat, while duffels are certainly the
preference, the closet is substantial and will easily handle a wheeled
pull-behind.

3: Money to suit your lifestyle as relates to stuff to buy, of any sort.
Your time aboard is "on us" as above, but you may wish to buy stuff to take
home, do any ashore-adventure stuff other than our walkabouts mentioned, and
the like.

4: Camera(s) - surface and underwater, if you have them. We can download
any digital images you have for backup, if you like.

5: Laptop(s) if you simply can't be without them. When we have internet
connectivity, we have a router aboard which will give you access. We turn
off the AC power (like at-home plugs - we're not ENTIRELY backwoods) when we
aren't using the computers, but you can keep your batteries up. Likewise, if
you use rechargeable batteries in your phone/camera/whatever, we have the
power available when we're running the computer, as Skip's screen requires
AC.

6: Various items we might have to ask you to buy for us, which we'll of
course pay you for, because they're either not available where we are, or
exhorbitantly costly, or are emergency parts.

7. Binoculars. When I'm piloting around the Pacific Northwest, with
lots of buoys, rocks, and deadheads to keep track of, I like to have
my own set of "captain's binoculars", that are adjusted for my eyes.
I don't want to have them be up on the foredeck watching seals or birds
just at the time I'm wondering about the size of a piece of driftwood in
our path. When chartering, I always take my Fujinons with the built-in
compass and neck-strap flotation. The binoculars on charter boats can
run from beat-up Bushnell to well-preserved Zeiss. Bringing your own
can mean more people get to ogle the orcas before they disappear.
Additionally, general viewing may not require the weight and size of
7x50 binoculars that are best for low-light navigation.


SNIP

Mark Borgerson

Good luck with this comprehensive list / narrative. I've tried doing the
same but the reality always seems to surprise newbies.

If you sail out of sight of land, I'd suggest you discuss with your new
passengers that if they feel anxious when land disappears, that they
should speak up. I've found even experienced coastal cruisers sometimes
freak out when land disappears. The older the newbie, the greater the
anxiety probability.

I'm supposing from your post that you wear full clothing and use the
toilet fixture even underway. If you don't, if clothing is optional or
you prefer 'saving' your toilet for when close inshore, I suggest you
mention that as well. When underway, we run clothing optional and the
taffrail is the 'head'.

Hi, Mark,

Good idea - the grandkids brought little birdwatchers we'd given them years
ago.

As it happens, we have several sets of non-critical binos aboard for guests.
One's a West Marine, another is a venerable set I had for many years, a
sears, and there's yet a third which provenance I forget.

The motion-stabilized 12x stay in the cockpit...

L8R

Skip

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog
and/or http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in
its hand
(Richard Bach)

"slide" wrote in message
...
Good luck with this comprehensive list / narrative. I've tried doing the
same but the reality always seems to surprise newbies.


:{))

If you sail out of sight of land, I'd suggest you discuss with your new
passengers that if they feel anxious when land disappears, that they
should speak up. I've found even experienced coastal cruisers sometimes
freak out when land disappears. The older the newbie, the greater the
anxiety probability.

Good thought. Other than for passages, likely we'll always be in sight of
land, even transiting EC islands, though...


I'm supposing from your post that you wear full clothing and use the
toilet fixture even underway. If you don't, if clothing is optional or you
prefer 'saving' your toilet for when close inshore, I suggest you mention
that as well. When underway, we run clothing optional and the taffrail is
the 'head'.

Heh. No, actually, if you read closer, you'll see that we are normally in
very brief bathing attire. As to peeing over the side, we cover that for
the men when they arrive - but women are usually uncomfortable with that
:{)) As we don't have a "true" head, usually, absent a cedar bucket like
Wilbur espouses, most of the time solids are dispensed with through the
facilities, anyway.

As to "clothing optional" Lydia's very uncomfortable with the thought,
though I'm not, so she's always dressed at least in a bather. Whether or
not our guests (none that we have in mind fit the bill as far as I know)
care to go starkers is entirely up to them - but given the grief I get about
my bathing suit from her, that prolly wouldn't sit well with Lydia, either,
so, I dunno.

I guess I'll just have to ditch her, and like my friend Jere, sail naked, as
the bumper sticker and T-shirt sez, and anyone who cares to wear clothing is
welcome aboard, but I'd not tolerate their dictating what I wore or ate
(unless, as previously discussed, they wanted to buy it and share) :{))

And, FWIW, when we're not accompanied or in immediate view of others, we do
sail nekkid...

L8R

Skip



--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog
and/or http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in
its hand
(Richard Bach)

Flying Pig wrote:


Heh. No, actually, if you read closer, you'll see that we are normally in
very brief bathing attire. As to peeing over the side, we cover that for
the men when they arrive - but women are usually uncomfortable with that
:{)) As we don't have a "true" head, usually, absent a cedar bucket like
Wilbur espouses, most of the time solids are dispensed with through the
facilities, anyway.

As to "clothing optional" Lydia's very uncomfortable with the thought,
though I'm not, so she's always dressed at least in a bather. Whether or
not our guests (none that we have in mind fit the bill as far as I know)
care to go starkers is entirely up to them - but given the grief I get about
my bathing suit from her, that prolly wouldn't sit well with Lydia, either,
so, I dunno.

I guess I'll just have to ditch her, and like my friend Jere, sail naked, as
the bumper sticker and T-shirt sez, and anyone who cares to wear clothing is
welcome aboard, but I'd not tolerate their dictating what I wore or ate
(unless, as previously discussed, they wanted to buy it and share) :{))

And, FWIW, when we're not accompanied or in immediate view of others, we do
sail nekkid...


I've also found that the motion of the ocean makes many couples a good
deal more 'active' than otherwise. I don't think you need mention that.
They will figure out why women always waited for their men to return
from the sea.

BTW, this Wilbur fool has it wrong once again. It's an 'oaken' bucket -
not a cedar one. Cedar does start as being rather nice smelling but it
is an absorbent wood where oak is a good deal less absorbent. I think
you can see the obvious advantage of oak over cedar.