10 Helpful Items for Living on a Sailboat

Life on a sailboat is simple, but not easy. On the one hand, you don’t have to worry about the complexities of living and working with multitudes of people and lots of possessions. Your focus narrows to the weather, keeping the boat afloat, feeding the crew and how to get to your next port of call. On the other hand, constraints of space and limited power, gas and water mean that you need to conserve, you don’t have a lot of labour-saving devices and you must be quite resourceful in your approach to everyday tasks.

The following items are not specialised boat gear, but ordinary things that have proven useful in adapting to the challenges of the cruising life.  They are in no particular order, but the pressure cooker is the only one that could be considered a significant expense.

1. Pressure Cooker
   This was one of those purchases that makes you wonder what you did without it. A pressure cooker enables you to increase the cooking temperature (Charles’ Law or its corollary, from memory) so that cooking time can be dramatically reduced. This is a great asset on a boat where you may have limited gas and you don’t want to heat up your cabin, especially in hot weather. We often prepare a simple dish of chicken, stock and vegetables before we head off on a longer passage. Once you’ve brought it to the boil and let it steam for about 10 minutes, you simply leave the closed cooker in the sink, wrapped in a towel. When you need a hot meal after a long day at sea, voila! Your chicken stew is ready and waiting. Thanks for the recipe, Jane!
   
2. Hercules Pegs                                                                                                                                                                I haven’t lost a single towel or pair of undies overboard since we discovered these in a Greek supermarket. I think they are a response to the fierce Meltemi winds in the islands, perhaps, but whatever their origin they live up to their name. The nice rounded clasp seems to be designed for boat rails, and unlike ordinary pegs, they don’t break easily and they seem quite resistant to sun damage. Hercules pegs are also great for rigging up a sun shelter from your bimini using a sarong or a Turkish towel.

3. Small Canvas Bags
   These are great for separating and organising your tools and materials for specific uses. They save having to drag out a heavy toolbox and sort through random stuff to do a simple job.
   
    
4. Zip-Lock Bags
   Everyone knows how handy these are, but on a boat, where certain things really need to be kept waterproof, they are essential. We use them to protect food in the dry store (they also prevent the spread of bugs both to and from stored food, as well as moisture damage) and also tools, electronic cables and parts, papers, and lots more. Strangely they are virtually unavailable in some European countries, so order a good supply of several different sizes on-line. They are much cheaper on-line than in supermarkets.
   
    
5. Flexible Plastic Tub
   This is our washing machine when we’re not in a marina. You put in the minimum amount of water you need, then use the grape-crushing method (ie your feet) to get the clothes clean. They are also great for washing ropes (a bit of fabric softener works a treat on stiff crusty old lines) and for carrying stuff. Ours fits into a corner of the dodger and is used to store things you might need in a hurry like mask and fins, bits of rope, cleaning cloths, clogs, clothes pegs. When you’re at anchor they can also be used as a water-conserving way to have a good wash as a kind of standing bath. (I have tried to sit down in one, but that didn’t end well. Not recommended.) They fit inside one another so you can have several without wasting space and they only cost 3 euros in Ceuta – thanks Marg!
   
    
6. Bialetti Coffee Maker
   This is probably just a personal preference, but I think the good old Italian classic coffee pot makes the best coffee quickly, easily and without waste. I can make a pot of coffee before I actually wake up! It is small and compact for storing and replacement filter funnels are available everywhere.
   
    
7. Hanging Shoe Storage
   This one is from Ikea in water-resistant nylon so it is easy to clean and doesn’t easily succumb to mildew. Shoes, belts, headbands and other everyday items are stowed yet visible, easily accessed and less likely to moulder away as they tend to do in dark airless cupboards. You can roll the whole thing up and stow it if you need it to be out of the way to make room for guests or when you’re a long time at sea.
   
    
8. Cable Clamps
   These are especially good for preventing tangles in stored lines that are used infrequently, like our dinghy hoist and boom brake. They come in several different sizes.
   
   
    
9. Stretch Cotton Fitted Sheets
   Making beds on most boats is really hard because you can’t get down the sides to fit or tuck in sheets. You end up doing all sorts of contortions on or in the bed to get the sheets on so once you’ve finished you really need a lie down. Oddly shaped bunks also make it difficult to find sheets the right size (our forepeak bunk is shaped like a fat coffin) so these stretchy king-size ones, found in Spain, have been a great find.
   
    
10. Eraser Sponges
    I discovered these when we were at home, cleaning my mother-in-law’s house for sale (thanks Pauline!) Sorry to anyone I bored witless going on about them - I became a bit of a fanatic. Made of melamine foam, they are the most amazing cleaning product I’ve seen for a long time. They are brilliant for boats as you don’t need anything except water to remove scuff marks, oil, ingrained dirt and serious sticky grease. The melamine absorbs dirt and gradually wears away, so you do need a good supply, and fortunately they are available very cheaply on-line. Just be careful of things like loose paint (they will strip it) and test surfaces you’re not sure of. They also remove stains from clothing really well, so take one along for when your partner orders spaghetti or curry at a restaurant.
    

This list doesn't include blindingly obvious things like cable ties, superglue and duct tape, but I hope there's something useful here for you, or that it gives you a little insight into the cruising life. I'd be very keen to hear other people's suggestions for useful things to have aboard.