The Nuts and Bolts of Two Middle Aged People Living on a Boat in the Winter

We have heat on the boat, just no insulation

Oops, I started writing this post when it was partly sunny and 53. We had pulled in all the bedding and closed all the hatches after everything being aired out in the warm sun and light breeze. Today is a whole different story. I am home due to an unexpected snow day as we await an historic snow fall this weekend. Some are saying 30 inches in Northern Virginia, which probably means only six inches here.

This winter has been so mild with a sprinkling of a few frigid days here and there. The electric space heater and the little alcohol stove crank out enough heat to keep the boat warm, but that causes condensation to accumulate on all the walls. We have to “swab” the walls to keep the water from dripping on everything. I am getting used to putting on damp clothes in the morning. Winter won’t last forever.

And be clear, I am not complaining about a couple of warm days after a couple of frigid days as it allows me to run through all my clothes before having to go back to the l.a.u.n.d.r.o.m.a.t. And a possible blizzard to make it feel like winter and use up some of our snow days is all good. Now the pantry is stocked for a possible foot of snow. I have books to read and yarn to crochet. I am just kind of worried about the blizzard winds, possible loss of electricity and coastal flooding. Kurt seems to be okay and keeps assuring me the alcohol stove is strong enough to keep us warm and cook if we do lose electricity. We do have in-walking-distance-land-rescue plans if it gets really bad. Kurt may stay even if I head out. It’s the mid-Atlantic, how bad can it be?

Main Hatch aka Front Door

The thing about boat living is it makes me notice the weather. There are times when I came outside in my former suburban mornings to find wet sidewalks having never heard any rainfall. Raindrops don’t hide outside a boat, nor does an icy blast of arctic air. I am really not minding it as much as my brother claims I am. Which is good as this year’s teaching position is keeping me inside much more than before. And the bathroom is well stocked with Poo Powder for the cold days. That has made all the difference, just ask Kurt!

BUT HOW DO YOU….INSIDE THE BOAT?

And for you who have been asking about specifics... I took some photos on that warm day before we put everything out to air. Please excuse the mess; boat living hasn’t made me OCD yet. And please be impressed with my nautical vocabulary. That is different than sailor vocabulary. I already knew how to talk like a sailor before I moved on board.

Vee Berth with Kitty passed out 

WHERE TO START?

At the front, AKA Vee Berth because it is shaped like a V. The forward hatch is above us and has just been recently covered with redneck storm windows (plastic shrink wrap). Otherwise we can open and close it throughout the night depending on rainfall. The bed is shaped like a v, but we both fit with room to toss and turn at night. Sleeping bag on the bottom with comforter on the top has kept us plenty warm. And my nighttime body furnace temperatures have been tremendously helpful.

The shelves on either side get damp so I have put my socks and underwear in magazine files. Yes, those files that I found super, cheap on clearance at Staples! Eventually I will liven up the decorating to match these, but for now they are my fun space. I can also fit my writing journals on this shelf. They are getting damp, so I’ll need to find another coordinating container…

Take a quick step back from the bed and you’ll find the “head”, the home of Poo Powder. Sorry, the photo I took informed me that it is time to organize this space. I’ll post that later. It has a sink, toilet and shower. For now we shower off the boat in the bathhouse or at Kurt’s work due to…condensation. The rules in the Bay no longer allow for the poop tank to be dumped in water closer than 3 miles from the coastline. Pump-out stations provide for the clearing out of waste, but those are closed for the winter. So we use the toilet as an emergency stop only. Not to gross you out, but it’s a bag in the tank and liquid absorbing crystals sprinkled after each go. It has made this adventure possible. No more to be said. There is hot and cold water leading to the sink and we are at least able to brush our teeth there.

My/Our closet is directly across from the head. I have my essential hanging stuff in there, but also store clothes in my car and in that forgotten suitcase tucked back behind the captain’s desk.

Main Cabin

Now we are in the main cabin. Kurt is standing facing that bit of a closet that he used to have more of his stuff in before he made room for me! To your right is the starboard settee. When it’s clear of school bags, camera gear, books, scripts and crocheting projects it makes for a fine perch on which to read, crochet or

Tall enough to stand!

obsessively check Facebook or just have some space away from my beloved. It can comfortably sleep one adult. The table in the middle folds down when we sail, but with one side up is our central hub for eating, computer work, solving the world’s problems and chilling together with the heater facing us. Both sides can come up when work is serious or there are a ton of papers to grade. The port settee is hidden to your left and has an extra cushion that can sleep two cozy adults. Kurt has his computer hidden in a cabinet and uses a wireless keyboard and monitor attached to the wall.

Yes, this is tiny living on the water, but there is room to move about and even stand upright! The ports (windows) are small, so the light streaming in is limited on cold days. On warm days all the hatches are open and light becomes irrelevant because we are out and about or maybe, possibly sailing.

This photo was taken while standing at the vee berth. The door to the outside is up that ladder. The cat gets in and out through a cat door Kurt installed. The galley (kitchen) is to the right. The desk (who even knows the nautical term for that) with a berth behind it is to the left. We use that berth for storage of relatively current stuff including extra clothes, dirty laundry and aluminum foil. It can sleep one adult who does not suffer from claustrophobia. We also found a way to hang our winter coats from cup hooks originally installed to keep our keys handy. Multitasking whenever possible.

Now for the galley! In an earlier post Kurt talked about how he took out the gas stove/oven and replaced with electric convection oven, conduction hot plate and microwave. All of that has more than met our needs. From my understanding, we’ll have to go back to the alcohol heater/stove when we head out for an extended sail. But for port life, this has worked great. Clever Kurt quickly fashioned an extra counter space out of an old table top that I was throwing out in my purging days. It slides forward so we can store baking pans behind.  He still needs to figure out a way to secure the ovens for when we sail, but not top priority right now. Food storage is tight. That is hard for me. I will learn to not buy quite so much food at once. Old habits die hard. In big news, we just bought a new coffee maker that is on a timer. Stopping at Starbucks and Wawa for coffee every morning lost it’s thrill in mid January, so now coffee is ready for a thermos upon waking. So while Kurt starts the cars, I pour the coffee and we are on the road in 15 minutes or less!

The back of the refrigerator lid and some shelving

Note the ladder to the
main hatch
and the water jug.

 So stand here, don't move a toe, turn clockwise and you have toured the kitchen!

All in one smooth turn 

I just realized I didn’t take a photo of the inside of the refrigerator. Just imagine your cooler on electricity. A big cube of disorganized cold. Last weekend I found baskets at the Container Store to help organize this mess of a food storage system. I’ll show it to you when it doesn’t bother me so much. I also didn’t take a good photo of the sink. It’s a nice double sink, trash can underneath, dish drainer to the left, nonelectric cooler cube under the dish drainer.

The water pump

Almost forgot to explain the water. It comes from a well. Drinking water gets filled up here. Water tanks for sinks and shower need the hose dragged to boat in above freezing temperatures. I can do the water jug. Kurt is truly skilled at filling the tanks. They are big and there is a port and starboard tank. And there is something about trying to keep them somewhat equal so the boat doesn't lean to one side. I'm still learning.

Extra accesible storage
Note VA tags
MD resident in denial

And yes, we have heat, just no insulation, so as long as the heaters are on and happy we are warm. The rest of the time, we are fully dressed in long underwear and often hats under toasty blankets. We have also been known to “run errands” till we warm up a bit.

Happy blizzard DC, Maryland, and Virginia, I’m heading out for a walk in the sunshine before this all gets crazy!