A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANEABOARD SAILING YACHT SEA ROSE
30 Foot Catalina, Sloop Rig
I bought this hurricane ravaged sailboat in the early 90's. It took a few years of hard work, but I refitted her to like new condition, while living aboard.
I lived aboard her in the Caribbean for about 10 years. It was the time of my life!
I lived on anchor in various ports. My boat never once made a round trip in the same day. Where ever I sailed to, I spent one or more nights at anchor.
To support my habit, (owning a sailboat!) I worked on large yachts, sail and power, tall ships and even a cruise ship once. Most were privately owned and used for charter. Some were for the owner's use only. It meant that my boat sat by her lonesome at anchor, while I was gone for a week or for a few months. I was always thrilled to return to her, even though I knew I always had a load of work ahead of me.
Once the boat was completely refitted, I often did specialty charters aboard Sea Rose, taking 1-2-3 passengers for 1-2-3 overnight trips. I also taught sailing aboard her.
These pictures were taken after I moved off of Sea Rose, that is why the shelves are empty.
I loved my galley and cooked for my charter guests as well as friends.
While refitting the boat, I installed a new stove with an oven and broiler. The Plexiglass doors on the cabinets were replaced with plastic mirrors, to give more light and the appearance of more roominess. The faucet I installed was retractable. It would reach as far as the cockpit with both hot and cold water.
The aft bunk was very roomy and slept singles and couples. I used a solar panel to recharge my batteries, plus I had a simple rain catcher I put up every time I anchored.
My electronics consisted of a lone VHF radio. I used a compass, charts and dead reckoning to find my way around. Amazingly, I never got lost. (Now that I live in a motorhome, I somehow manage to get lost often, maybe because I don't have a compass.)
I installed new cushions and upholstery throughout. I picked traditional Caribbean pastels to keep the boat in theme with her surroundings.
This faucet is also restractable. Just below the cabinet is the toilet. This is where I showered everyday I lived aboard. Afterwards, iI would wipe down the teak to keep it dry.
Not shown, is a mirror that was on the forward bulkhead (wall to left side in picturel). This made the bathroom appear much larger, when the teak bi-fold doors were closed and I was inside showering inside.
It was a standard joke you could shit, shower and shave all at once.
I installed a teak liquid soap holder on the aft bulkhead and the towel rod.
The stainless steel piano hinge is for the bi-fold teak door. It is hooked in the open position. The stainless steel hook shown is the picture, is for locking it when I was inside. That kept the door from banging into my knees, should I get a rock and roll wake, as often happened at anchor, when the ferries went by, disobeing the speed limit in the harbor.
This settee pullled out to make a single bunk. Before I moved off the boat, the shelves above were crammed with How-To books and sailing stuff like binoculars and a stereo.
The stereo and books were my entertianment. I never had a TV aboard or movie player.
All my cabinets had littel anchors cut into them, to allow fresh air to circulate so my clothes didn't smell musty.
I installed this glass mirror above the table to make the boat appear roomier. The lamp on the table was battery operated and used in the cockpit at night, or down below for soft lighting.
This is the chart table. It lifts up and hooks above to remain open. I kept all my tools in the chart table and the charts under the bunks, to keep them flat and neat.
My electrical panel was simple. Althought the boat came wired for 110, I never used it, because I was never at marinas.
The big black box was my smart switch that controlled my solar panel and batteries.
The teak wardrobe with four drawers and a double doored hanging locker, held ALL my clothes. If I bought new clothes, old ones were cut up into rags.
The sea, salt and sun were brutal on clothes. I owned at least a dozen outfits plus my heavy duty foul weather gear hung in the locker too.
The teak bulkhead had another teak frame with a picture in it, but I had removed it for my home, by the time this picture was taken. That frame and the one shown, were given to my friend for his new boat.
The table had a nice L shaped settee. Originally, the table was designed to be dropped down, to make a 3rd double bunk. However, because I often sat at the table writing, I asked my friend, to saw off about 4 inches of the table, as that made it more comfortable to scoot around the corner and stretch out, as friends or myself often did.
All the teak is varnished, with the exception of the companionway steps. I preferred to keep those natural, as then wet feet could get a good grip on the bare teak.
All those notebooks sitting on the aft bunk contain manuals, schematics and other information about my boat.
The new diesel engine I installed, is underneath the cushions, below the teak paper towel holder.
This is the forward bunk where I slept aboard with the wind the in my face and the stars above to gaze at. In this picture, you can see the bright sun light coming through the open hatch.
I'm sorry this picture doesn't show my wonderful sheets. They were whimsical with colorful fish and coral reefs printed on them. I still have one of the sheets for sentimental reasons and it is super soft and in great shape, 20 years later.
Removed from this picture were curtains that enclosed my bunk area. Also there was a curtain that hung above, that could be closed, so there was a dressing room without having to use the smallish head (bathroom) to change in.
I had enough pillows on my bed to pad all the sides and end, when I wasn't sleeping in it. I still love loads of pillows. I had removed them to take to my apartment and use them.
There was a curtain matching the sheets, hanging below, where now there is a towel shown. Behind that curtain is of course more storage, but a small area where my dirty laundry bag sat until I could take it to the laundry lady.
She did wash-dry-fold for me and stacked everything neatly back in my laundry bag for transport in my little ginghy back to my boat on anchor.
The cockpit had comfy cushions all around and was over 6 feet long. I sometimes slept outside.
In this picture, I am parked in a boat yard and my boat was being sold.
I cried.
Even though the boat was only 30 feet in length, she had a nice stainless steel wheel. The burgundy cover is hiding the compass. Beneath the cup holders is a teak table that is currently folded in the down position.
Many friends dined in my cockpit with me, or had drinks there. The 4 cup teak holder was modified to be a 2 cup holder and the other 2 spaces were modified to hold my binoculars.
The grating on the cockpit sole was a self draining rubber mat and very comfy for bare feet.
I was always barefoot on my boat.
Often I was naked too.
In those days, me and many of my sailing friends all sported tans without lines from sailing naked so often.
The orange thing at the bottom, is a small float attached to the engine key.
The pedestal base was painted after this picture was taken.
The far sink held a tiny dish basket for drying my dishes. I guess I had removed it to go to my apartment when I moved off my boat.
I would have never moved off, but I had been in a bad accident during a storm, in a small skiff that had nearly destroyed my left knee. Afterwards, I had to use a walker and canes. It was becoming very difficult to live at sea and sail with this problem.
Folks were always asking what happened to my leg, I often told them it was a shark attack, as a joke.
You can barely see it, but to the left of the mirror is a teak hat rack. I had about 5 straw hats from small brimmed to large ones, that hung on this rack. All had strings on them, to keep them from blowing away in the wind.
At that time in my life, I always wore a heavy gold necklace. I overheard someone talking about me in a bar. They said "There she was out on the sea, sailing by herself, naked as a newborn, wearing only a gold necklace, a big straw hat and sunglasses!:"
The inside soul of the boat was molded fiberglass. I had a 12volt handheld vacuum cleaner to keep the floors clean. After vacuuming and shaking the rug out, I would mop the floor with a paper towel.
The washable rug was kept at the bottom of the ladder, so I could always dry my feet if there were wet, when I stepped below.
The little black sign is a US Coast Guard requirement, detailing how garbage should be handled.
This is a lousy picture taken by an early digital camera that was so cheap, it broke after about 100 pictures were taken.
The main sail is covered up, in front (forward) barely shown is the rain catcher. It always caught enough rain for me to have filtered water for drinking and cooking as well as a shower every day. I never bought water, after designing this rain catcher.
Somewhere I have more pictures, detailing some of the work in progress as I refitted the sailboat and life afloat. One day I'll find those pictures and post them too.
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Dear Miss Mermaid, Thank you for following Levonne's Pretty Pics! I appreciate it! That boat is incredible! I love how comfortable and beautiful it looks!
ReplyDeleteIt does look extraordinarily comfortable. Because I'm just picking up an interest in sailing.. I'd be interested to know more about the boat and why ya bought it.
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