Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021
In 2018, I was part of a delivery crew charged with returning a Newport- Bermuda race boat to Rhode Island. It was a C&C 115 that had been stripped for racing, but one of the homey touches aboard was a giant pumper Thermos that lived on the galley counter while offshore and for safety was strapped to a bulkhead. Each night one of the crew, Barry, would boil water and fill the pumper. Mostly this was done for the overnight watch, but the Thermos was big, and its contents lasted well into each new day.
What a score that Thermos was! The return was exceptionally lumpy, especially in the Gulf Stream, so it was nice to brave the elements in the cockpit at night with a mug of hot tea or soup in your hand, thanks to the hot water that was so easily accessible.
In the morning, you could make yourself an excellent cup of coffee—the boat’s owners had found instant Starbuck’s coffee somewhere—or a cup of instant bacon and eggs. (I know, sounds gross, right? Delicious.)
That Thermos was what I’d call a creature comfort—a simple thing aboard that softened the hard edges of the trip and made it a bit more pleasurable.
This issue of Good Old Boat is dedicated to creature comforts—the ones that bring us joy, or help organize a previously messy space, or make things easier and allow us to exist in the relatively small spaces aboard boats without feeling like we’re going to lose our minds.
The first thing we did after coming up with the theme was reach out to folks for their feedback. Right away, it became clear that people define creature comforts in different ways. But from knife blocks and throw pillows to revamped heads and cockpit seat extensions, there seems to be no end to the clever and creative ways we make our boats better fit our needs, no matter how simple or complex.
For example, Andy Cross, who sails Yahtzee, a Grand Soleil 39, immediately pointed to the hard dodger he built and a new set of sails as the two creature comforts that rated highest on his list.
But wait, you might say; how do a hard dodger and new sails qualify as creature comforts? Well, when a lot of your sailing is in cold water, a hard dodger keeps you warm and dry. And if you don’t like motoring, new rags give you more sailing range.
Other above-deck modifications in this issue include the cockpit ignition switch John Churchill installed aboard his Bristol 35.5, and the second set of auxiliary winches Tom Alley added to his Alberg 35. In both cases, the authors set out to improve routine tasks in their cockpits and succeeded in spades.
It’s likely, though, that most sailors associate creature comforts with the arrangements belowdecks. Sometimes these modifications are small, like the gusher Thermos on our trip back to Newport, but they can also be big. Marissa and Chris Neely completely redesigned their Cheoy Lee 41’s head and quarter berth, and they created a super-slick way to watch movies aboard.
Nichola and Colin Wright turned one of the heads on their 1979 Kelly Peterson 44 into a laundry/dressing room, complete with a washing machine. (Nichola also has a great way to remember the places they’ve visited that’s clever and comfy. Hint: It involves a sewing machine.)
Of course, not every creature comfort aboard a sailboat involves rethinking a boat’s layout or installing something new. Sometimes, a treasured family heirloom hanging on the bulkhead fits the bill, or even the color of fabric for settee cushions that has been chosen to evoke another time and place. This is the case for David Roper aboard Elsa Marie, an Independence 31.
Whatever the idea, each seems to reflect a little something about who we are as sailors. That big Thermos pumper on the C&C? I’ll have one on my next “big” boat, for sure.
Hopefully, this issue will provide you with inspiration and ideas to make some changes of your own, whatever floats your comfort boat.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
