 It's not always easy to keep a boat clean and
fresh, down below the decks
What with the
salty atmosphere, the likelihood of the odd small, but annoying, leak
springing up somewhere inaccessible, mid-voyage, the stuffiness
resulting from having to keep hatches closed at sea and the more
pressing duties which tend to face cruising folk...(no, I'm not talking
about the copious amounts of gin and tonic one is obliged to quaff on
shore leave) it takes some effort to keep things sweet.
Washing clothes
is one thing that springs to mind as a lot easier ashore than aboard and
most places do provide laundry services, thank goodness. We hope to hear
from readers with details of good laundries around the cruising world
and we'll compile a directory as soon as there is enough information to
get one going...
Cedar
Difference?...yes and you can smell it too...
 Household
air-fresheners can help with odours of
mildew and cabin staleness, pot-pourris of dried petals and flower-heads help to keep things
user-friendly and, a few months
ago, a very kind gentleman (whose name, I am mortified to admit I have
forgotten, but it may have been Craig) introduced me to the most
wonderful trick for keeping a boat fresh while it is laid up, even in a
hot and humid climate like that of Trinidad, West Indies in an
unseasonably rainy 'dry' season.
This gentleman purchases about fifteen pounds of cedar chips (shavings)
normally destined for use as pet-litter, while he is in the U.S. Virgin
Islands and, when preparing to leave his (about 40-odd foot) yacht, he
spreads them, on trays and in open containers, around the boat.
Not only do the chippings absorb moisture and convey a wonderful scent
to the boat, so that you return to a completely dry and pleasant
atmosphere, but also act to deter insects of all kinds from entering
the boat. Sea captains used to favour cedar-lined trunks and now one can
plainly see why!
Do you have a tip for keeping life sweet aboard?
Tell us all about it! Don't worry about your abilities as a writer - we
can always help with the editing if necessary!
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