Well, it finally happened…31st March…Martin retired! This, along with the fact that our bungalow is now rented out, means that we both now live on a boat!
Living on a boat, is interesting and, after years of living in a house, requires some adapting. I suppose it is a bit like living in a caravan or one of those ‘tiny houses’. There is limited storage, so everything we have on board needs to be something that we use regularly or be something that has several uses.
Welcome to our home…
Galley
On a boat, the kitchen area is called the galley.
As you can see, on Escapade, this is a kind of corridor between the saloon (main living area) and the aft cabin (back bedroom).
It is compact, but we still have the same appliances as a normal kitchen: oven and hob, fridge and sink. We also have a small freezer, but that is actually in a cupboard in the aft cabin!
The oven and hob run on propane gas. This comes from a large gas bottle in an outside locker at the very back of the boat. We need to monitor how much we use, so we know (roughly) when it is going to run out. This, of course, happens at the most inconvenient times; the last one ran out half way through cooking our evening meal on the Saturday of Easter weekend – no gas until Tuesday!!
Luckily, we also have some electrical appliances: a George Foreman grill , a small electric cookpot and a MR D’s thermal cooker. In warmer weather, we hope to BBQ outside or even cook on an open fire on a tropical beach!! (That seems a long way away at the moment).
In our previous homes, we have always cooked with electric appliances, so the gas oven onboard takes some getting used to, especially as it is fairly basic. We learnt very quickly that it seems to only have two temperatures: on or off! Also the thermostat is at the top of the oven so when that gets to temperature, it assumes that the rest of the oven is the same temperature – not! In spite of the dial saying top temperature is 250 degrees, it doesn’t seem to go above 200. This makes cooking a slow process at times!
Washing
Having a washing machine is, for most people, an essential. On boats, it is generally a luxury. It requires more power, lots of water and somewhere to put it.
We decided against getting one; we are hoping that when we go, we will be in warm places, so not needing to wash bulky items. Larger items like towels and bedding, will require a trip to the laundrette.
Of course, at the moment, we are not somewhere warm and so are still need ing to wash jeans and sweatshirts. This entails a weekly trial to the laundrette. First trip of many…
PS: Those of you who are observant will also have noticed another essential item on the featured image…..a workmate!!
I’m sure Martins culinary skills won’t be effected by the size of the galley. 😂😂 Who needs to wash things, you only have each other to sit next to! A dip in the sea every few days will clean you. Do you know yet if you’re on schedule for this year? Love reading your blog. I’m making the most of the sun this week as it’s back to work on Monday. Only 7 weeks and then my retirement starts. Take care both of you.
Hi,
Great to hear from you.
You know Martin so well…full Sunday roast on George grill, Mr D and cookpot!!
Future plans are obviously uncertain. The ARC+ rally across the Atlantic is still scheduled for November but our plans was to take our time down to the Canaries, stopping in Spain and Portugal on the way. We could still manage it, but what is the point in visiting Spain and Portugal if we can’t eat tapas or drink Port??? At the moment, plan B is to sail in the UK (south coast and Channel Islands) and then winter back here in Ipswich. We need to decide by end of June…
Retirement?? What will you do with your time??
Take care xx