You know that old fable about the Princess and the Pea, who can't fall asleep because she is so dainty and delicate and princesses-like, therefore proving to the prince her worthiness as a bride and queen? Well, on a boat, I sleep about as comfortably as that Princess (so I guess that means I'm ready to be married to a prince?). Regardless, sleeping arrangements weren't something I thought would be a problem before I signed up to crew on the boat. Silly, naive me.
Here are the main issues I found with sleeping on a boat: Namely, space, temperature, heeling of the boat, noise, sea-sickness, and when anchored, bugs. Most of these diminished in importance as sleep exhaustion steadily increased.
Bubbles, a 39 foot long sloop, once loaded up with food, a kitchen, books, tools, extra engine parts, emergency gear, dive gear, snorkel gear, beer, clothing, and the like, has an interior liveable space about that of a freshman dorm room. For most of my journey, this space was shared between four people in total. In a perfect world, that is about three people too many. In addition, the diesel engine, located just under the sink, creates a lot of heat (when it works), so does the refrigerator, and let me not forget that we are at the equator. That means the cabin is really hot and stuffy and generally uncomfortable.
For that reason, I usually slept outside next to the helm. This spot isn't any more roomy -- wide enough that my hips just managed to stay clear of butting up against the wheel as it turned -- but it was more comfortable temperature wise such that I didn't wake up drenched in sweat. Depending on the spot I had available to sleep at, as the boat heeled over to one side while under sail, I would slip out of my seat. (For those unfamiliar, this was due to something I like to call Bobby, but most people call gravity). There are only so many "low" spots on a boat that is heeled over, and it is always less than the number of spots available when at an even keel.
The noise of the diesel engine was too loud without earplugs, but the engine broke soon enough. The sea-sickness wasn't for a problem for me on all except one night, but I got used to the rocking motion of the boat soon enough. And when anchored, I was usually so exhausted I didn't feel the bugs biting me even if they were -- just trust in the bug spray and believe it is only an itch in your mind.
Speaking of which, I recently heard from Hollywood that he contracted malaria, so there is a decent probability that others on Bubbles have contracted it too. I'm not worried, I at least have some malaria medicine to take if feel the symptoms, and I'm on the mainland now. He found out while being stuck in a poverty stricken village on a remote island that was a 10 hour boat ride away from a hospital. Anyway, he's doing just fine now. I'll complain about the malaria later, if I get it.
Here are the main issues I found with sleeping on a boat: Namely, space, temperature, heeling of the boat, noise, sea-sickness, and when anchored, bugs. Most of these diminished in importance as sleep exhaustion steadily increased.
Bubbles, a 39 foot long sloop, once loaded up with food, a kitchen, books, tools, extra engine parts, emergency gear, dive gear, snorkel gear, beer, clothing, and the like, has an interior liveable space about that of a freshman dorm room. For most of my journey, this space was shared between four people in total. In a perfect world, that is about three people too many. In addition, the diesel engine, located just under the sink, creates a lot of heat (when it works), so does the refrigerator, and let me not forget that we are at the equator. That means the cabin is really hot and stuffy and generally uncomfortable.
For that reason, I usually slept outside next to the helm. This spot isn't any more roomy -- wide enough that my hips just managed to stay clear of butting up against the wheel as it turned -- but it was more comfortable temperature wise such that I didn't wake up drenched in sweat. Depending on the spot I had available to sleep at, as the boat heeled over to one side while under sail, I would slip out of my seat. (For those unfamiliar, this was due to something I like to call Bobby, but most people call gravity). There are only so many "low" spots on a boat that is heeled over, and it is always less than the number of spots available when at an even keel.
The noise of the diesel engine was too loud without earplugs, but the engine broke soon enough. The sea-sickness wasn't for a problem for me on all except one night, but I got used to the rocking motion of the boat soon enough. And when anchored, I was usually so exhausted I didn't feel the bugs biting me even if they were -- just trust in the bug spray and believe it is only an itch in your mind.
Speaking of which, I recently heard from Hollywood that he contracted malaria, so there is a decent probability that others on Bubbles have contracted it too. I'm not worried, I at least have some malaria medicine to take if feel the symptoms, and I'm on the mainland now. He found out while being stuck in a poverty stricken village on a remote island that was a 10 hour boat ride away from a hospital. Anyway, he's doing just fine now. I'll complain about the malaria later, if I get it.
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