Living "on the hard" ain't easy!

11 December 2017

Living on the Hard – it’s all part of the adventure…or so they say

As a neighbor here in the boatyard described it to a friend, “it is like living in a small camper suspended up in the air, accessible only via a 10 foot ladder" and I would add, with lots of very close neighbors.  Getting on and off is bad enough, but trying to carry up groceries or taking off trash can be a challenge.  We use a 5 gallon pail as a poor man’s substitute for a “dumb waiter” to lift things up and let them down.  If something is too heavy, we use the hoist on the dinghy davits.  If it is really too heavy, then we get someone from the boat yard to use the bucket on their tractor!

The only water available is what was left in the water tanks from when the boat was put up.  In our case that means approximately 200 gallons of water which we use for cleaning, cooking, etc, but not drinking.  It has been sitting for 5 months in those tanks – who knows what joined it there.  We only use water at the galley sink.  But there is the issue of where does the grey water go….  We open the thru hull under the sink and then put a bucket under the exit of the thru hull to catch waste water so we don’t create a puddle underneath the boat.  That is our plumbing system!

The heads in the boat are not usable on the hard so we get our daily exercise walking to the bathrooms which are located about 200 feet away and are shared with however many people are staying in the boatyard at that time.  Middle of the night runs to the bathroom become a challenge.  Under the heading of TMI, here is our solution.  A bucket with a soft foam seat…what more could anyone ask for?? 

A modern day chamberpot!

Cooking is a pain because of the dishes – which in all fairness one could carry to the bathrooms where there is a large sink- but I prefer just using fewer dishes and washing them in as little water as possible.  It is also a good excuse to go out for meals!

At the boatyard we are plugged in to a 15-amp 110 outlet which provides enough power to run most of the electrical needs that we have on the hard: mainly outlets for charging computers, phones etc. and provides back up charging for the boat batteries when the solar panels are not keeping up.  

We took three days off last week to go to the St. Petersburg boat show.  

Lots of power boats, but you can see some masts!

Always a fun time even though the power boats seem to dominate!   Jim took an all day class on diesel engines and altho he picked up some useful information, he admitted that what he really needed was a hands-on workshop.  I just enjoyed a variety of seminars, some informative (communication devices, weather) and some fun (travel hints and tips for the Bahamas and the Caribbean)  I wandered through a variety of new sailboats and catamarans but confess that I prefer the look and the feel of the older boats.