mrming
Well-known member
Saloon berth with leeboard on a passage. Forecabin when at rest but never on the move - too much rising and falling as others have said.
Forward or aft cabin on passage?
- Thread starter steve yates
- Start date
Daverw
Well-known member
Saloon or aft cabin, never forepeak
westhinder
Well-known member
Settee with leecloth when on passage as we usually sail two up and it is the most comfortable spot in the boat.
I once did an 13-day passage on the wind, and the aft cabin was mine. On rough days I had to lie athwartships to get some sleep. The owner put his mattress on the saloon floor because the forecabin was untenable. The two other crew had the settees with leecloths and had no complaints.
At anchor or in marinas we use the forecabin.
I once did an 13-day passage on the wind, and the aft cabin was mine. On rough days I had to lie athwartships to get some sleep. The owner put his mattress on the saloon floor because the forecabin was untenable. The two other crew had the settees with leecloths and had no complaints.
At anchor or in marinas we use the forecabin.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Any resting on passage is the saloon for us. Double in the forepeak is at anchor/harbour only. The motion won’t kill you but the racket of the boat slicing through the waves is like Deep Purple in concert. But less musical.
jdc
Well-known member
Aft when on passage, forepeak when in a hot climate at anchor. But we sail 2-up and sleep together when in port, so YMMV.
Not done 13 days continuously up-wind like this, but several times we've done a week or more hard on the wind (Stornoway -> Svalbard and Rio -> Fernando de Noronha memorable for being totally upwind), plus longer ocean passages which have been mostly downwind. The forecabin is just too bouncy, but is cooler when at anchor with a wind scoop over the open fore hatch. We don't tend to sleep in the main cabin since that restricts the on-watch crew too much (light on at the the nav table, making coffee, or bread, etc.)
On cold nights, hot-bunking is a boon!
Not done 13 days continuously up-wind like this, but several times we've done a week or more hard on the wind (Stornoway -> Svalbard and Rio -> Fernando de Noronha memorable for being totally upwind), plus longer ocean passages which have been mostly downwind. The forecabin is just too bouncy, but is cooler when at anchor with a wind scoop over the open fore hatch. We don't tend to sleep in the main cabin since that restricts the on-watch crew too much (light on at the the nav table, making coffee, or bread, etc.)
On cold nights, hot-bunking is a boon!
Frank Holden
Well-known member
I guess it depends on the boat but mine - a Westerly Sealord - has two good seaberths in the saloon with leecloths and a third in the 'walkthrough' to the after cabin.Grade it for example.
Passages more then 5 nights. Saloon
More than 10 nights. Saloon
More than 20 nights. Saloon
More than 35 nights. Saloon
The attractiveness of an aft cabin grows with every extra night at sea. In my experience...
Thats all we ever use at sea - we are usually two up sometimes three - the double down the back is just too big - used it once - never again.
On passage I keep the 12to4, go to bed at 2000, the watch making tea doesn't disturb me but I know when they start making breakfast at about 0700.
steve yates
Well-known member
Interesting set of answers thanks. I could have done a poll but the reasoning is the interesting bit.
Boathook
Well-known member
Aft cabin in my cat or the saloon. Forward cabins have to much movement to sleep in unless it is very calm on passage.
ashtead
Well-known member
It does depend on weather I suspect and if engine in use depending on yacht size/engine insulation. It also depends partly on how far forward are the forward cabins- with anchor locker and crew cabin in front plus the shower the bunks in forward cabins are fine and you avoid noise from deck above but in average yacht under sail a rear cabin is preferable provided the crew are quiet I guess.
capnsensible
Well-known member
Interesting layout choice for a passage making yacht. As I mentioned, two up not a problem.
Ages ago I took a Jenneau 45 with that style of big aft cabin on a trip from Gib to Lanzarote and back. I had 3 crew, all wanting seamiles for future yachting exams.
I spent the first two days when off watch in the saloon as they got their sea legs and confidence. After that, aft cabin. Was always able to find a comfortable way to snooze. Even on one nights big following seas.
Infinitely better than being woken up by crew clattering about, using the galley, putting hourly fix on, vhf chatter, yadda yadda.
Not a layout I would choose. The other Jenneau 45 I took across to the Windies a couple of times had two aft cabins and was heaps better.
LittleSister
Well-known member
My favourite sea berth was the quarter berth in a friend's yacht. Can't be rolled out of it. Nothing can fall on you. Near the stern so motion significantly less grim than in the bow. Was long enough so that I could wriggle my whole length right into it and thus not be much disturbed by the crew-mates, draughts and occasional rain coming through the companionway adjacent.
I've never had a boat with a stern cabin, but haven't been much impressed by those few I've stayed in or peeked into.
In my previous boat (Samphire 23) I'd usually sleep on passage in the wedge-shaped double berth forward, against the hull on whichever was the lee (downhill) side, and just roll over to the other side if heeling the other way from a change of tack was enough to half-wake me. The boat didn't tend to slam (unlike some modern boats - both sail and motor - I've been on) but if the weather was that bad we'd be either tied up in harbour or I'd be in the cockpit. (Never done trips more than about 24 hours in that small boat, though.)
I don't think I've done any serious on-passage sleeping on my current LM, but have sometimes snoozed for an hour or two on whichever of the settee berths was 'downhill' at the time. For a full off-watch sleep in 'weather', I'd probably use the forward cabin's berth V-berth with infill, but as well as being in the bow that's a bit cramped for someone tall like me.
(The slamming was particularly bad sleep-wise for one part of a trip I did on a large (50ft+) mobo. I was in a side berth but near the bow. The slamming felt and sounded like someone was attacking the hull next to my head with a sledge hammer. Not good for one's composure and subsequent demeanour, let alone the sleep deprivation involved. The weather wasn't that bad and the waves quite modest in height, It was just some combination of our angle to the seas and the hull shape/motion. A 38ft sailing boat I did an ocean crossing on slammed horribly. Didn't stop me sleeping in an aft cabin and in the cockpit - I was so tired few things would - but much of the time I was awake I was wondering how long the hull's GRP could take that kind of punishment )
I've never had a boat with a stern cabin, but haven't been much impressed by those few I've stayed in or peeked into.
In my previous boat (Samphire 23) I'd usually sleep on passage in the wedge-shaped double berth forward, against the hull on whichever was the lee (downhill) side, and just roll over to the other side if heeling the other way from a change of tack was enough to half-wake me. The boat didn't tend to slam (unlike some modern boats - both sail and motor - I've been on) but if the weather was that bad we'd be either tied up in harbour or I'd be in the cockpit. (Never done trips more than about 24 hours in that small boat, though.)
I don't think I've done any serious on-passage sleeping on my current LM, but have sometimes snoozed for an hour or two on whichever of the settee berths was 'downhill' at the time. For a full off-watch sleep in 'weather', I'd probably use the forward cabin's berth V-berth with infill, but as well as being in the bow that's a bit cramped for someone tall like me.
(The slamming was particularly bad sleep-wise for one part of a trip I did on a large (50ft+) mobo. I was in a side berth but near the bow. The slamming felt and sounded like someone was attacking the hull next to my head with a sledge hammer. Not good for one's composure and subsequent demeanour, let alone the sleep deprivation involved. The weather wasn't that bad and the waves quite modest in height, It was just some combination of our angle to the seas and the hull shape/motion. A 38ft sailing boat I did an ocean crossing on slammed horribly. Didn't stop me sleeping in an aft cabin and in the cockpit - I was so tired few things would - but much of the time I was awake I was wondering how long the hull's GRP could take that kind of punishment )
Supertramp
Well-known member
I have heard that Dragonflys can make sonic booms when flat out...!
Goldie
Well-known member
I’m going to be different here! On a westbound trans Atlantic (so down wind and a bit rolly) I bunked very comfortably by sleeping athwartships across the forward V berth. Any other point of sail though, and that would have been unthinkable.
Poignard
Well-known member
I know a man and wife who have one of those boats with a double cabin aft, with an opening porthole that enables one to see into the cockpit.
One night, whilst securely berthed in a South Coast marina, the wife was woken by a noise.
Peering through the porthole, she descried a naked human bottom rising and falling regularly, to the accompaniment of encouraging noises from a woman sandwiched between the owner of the bottom and the cockpit seat.
Poignard
Well-known member
It is traditional for the superior officers to berth aft; presumably this is a hangover from the days of square-riggers; the idea being that they were most likely to be upwind of the imperfect ablutioners forward.
geem
Well-known member
Having just sailed for 15 days West East across the pond, as two up we sleep in the saloon. The galley is aft of the saloon so onwatch crew done wake the off watch. The saloon starboard berth can be used on either tack as its designed as the best sea berth. It's at the waterline and central over the keel so motion is much reduced compared to forepeak or aft cabin. We do 5 hrs on, 5 hrs off over the hours of darkness. Works well. Ear plugs and eye muffs assist in staying asleep
Sandy
Well-known member
I've been looking at how I could rig a hammock in the saloon.
Frank Holden
Well-known member
I think that it may well depend on number of crew, layout of boat, and nature of the voyage.
The Westerly Sealord was touted as - wait for it - 'sleeps ten'!!!
That was two in the focsle, three in the saloon, two in the walkthrough, and another three down the back.
All I can say is they would have to have been very good friends.
Oh and the saloon table 'seats six' as does the cockpit.
However that did lead to design that is comfortable with four. I've come up the the Patagonian channels - a bit shy of a two month run where you spend all but about 3 nights moored in caletas. Three unrelated crew - two male and one female. I had my stateroom down the back of the boat ( nautical term ) complete with 'en suite'. The two blokes slept in the saloon and the young lady had the privacy of the forecabin. It was uninsulated at the time and we were still south of Puerto Eden when she decided sleeping on deck was the preferred option.
These days the focsle is out of the question as although it is now well insulated it is home to a spare main, whichever headsail we aren't using, three storm jibs sizes assorted , a cruising chute, and two 'rubber boats'.
Puerto Eden....
The Westerly Sealord was touted as - wait for it - 'sleeps ten'!!!
That was two in the focsle, three in the saloon, two in the walkthrough, and another three down the back.
All I can say is they would have to have been very good friends.
Oh and the saloon table 'seats six' as does the cockpit.
However that did lead to design that is comfortable with four. I've come up the the Patagonian channels - a bit shy of a two month run where you spend all but about 3 nights moored in caletas. Three unrelated crew - two male and one female. I had my stateroom down the back of the boat ( nautical term ) complete with 'en suite'. The two blokes slept in the saloon and the young lady had the privacy of the forecabin. It was uninsulated at the time and we were still south of Puerto Eden when she decided sleeping on deck was the preferred option.
These days the focsle is out of the question as although it is now well insulated it is home to a spare main, whichever headsail we aren't using, three storm jibs sizes assorted , a cruising chute, and two 'rubber boats'.
Puerto Eden....