Winter Onboard: A Few Tips

This time of year brings many changes to the lives of UK liveaboards. On the outside, these seem like bad things:

• It’s below freezing most nights
• It rains - or even snows - most days
• It’s dark
• It’s damp
• The walk to the showers seems even longer than normal
• We don’t go sailing as much
• Electricity bills go up

But with a bit of the right mental attitude, we can soon turn these on their heads…

• Freezing cold? Schneberdyschnobard. (The importance of which we realised last week when Schnebby decided to have a hissy fit and go on strike for a few days. After testing every last diode on the circuitboard, Dad and James discovered it was merely a broken glow plug…)

• Rain? Sikaflex and duct tape. And oilies; offshore ones. Onshore

• Dark? Practice your colregs as you watch other vessels and shipping movements from the comfort of your berth

• Damp? Have a competition to see who can grow the most volumnous piece of mould on a bit of cardboard in the bottom of a well-chosen cupboard, probably a cupboard which still contains food products you would actually like to eat in the future

• Showers? Ah! Remember the rain? Kill two birds with one stone: wait for the morning downfall that predictably arrives when you want to go for a shower anyway, and just stand in the cockpit instead

• Don’t sail as much? Perfect - just the right time to have a rotten bowsprit

• Electricity bill goes up? That’s OK - the broken bowsprit has knocked a few feet off your berthing fees

And so our lives continue.

Have I missed some points? Let us know your top tips, fellow liveaboards…