When your boat is 27 years old and you’re the fourth owners it’s understandable that you’d make some changes.
When your time onboard has seen you transform from a carefree cruising couple to growing your crew en route and now sailing as a family it’s interesting to see how the spaces get transformed.
Our forepeak cabin was always pretty comfortable and cosy, with a double bed and lots of cupboards. Sure, it had the same navy blue and white theme that our entire interior was (and is now thankfully no more) plastered with but there was certainly nothing wrong with it. It even had the great flexibility that the bed could be a full double or a large single with a step up to it. And also became the dumping ground for our plentiful navy blue and white cockpit cushions.
However, throw two children into the mix and the midst of our sailing, plus add the extra crew we have onboard for the additional help it gives us when sailing long offshore routes, and we’ve had to get a bit more creative with the sleeping arrangements.
Wearing his architect hat, James was able to deconstruct the cupboards along one side of the cabin and build a single bunk for our little girl, Rocket. It can even take an adult’s weight, I know as I’ve curled up there for a snooze myself! The forward cupboard also got an overhaul and the whole room had a paint job. We reconfigured, replaced and recovered the mattresses (which by 2017 had just started to rip, fray and sag) and installed a fan and a light for both the bunk and the double beneath. There’s now enough places to stash the toys and treasures too.
It’s the new favourite hangout spot for the tiddlers to play in, read books or watch movies together. It also works perfectly for our friend / crew / family member / part-time-sailor-part-time-nanny / Chris to have the bottom bed with teeny Rocket snoring sweetly above him.
Oh, and in case you’re thinking that Indigo might be a little jealous and would want a bunk of his own, check out the “guerilla” bunk we made him in our aft cabin…
