Living on a J30 yacht.

capnsensible

capnsensible

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Thought about liveaboard link, but mebbe others might find this of interest who own and race small boats.

This is the yacht: J/30 - Wikipedia

So not really designed to live on full time, I reckon.

Anyway, was down the marina yesterday having chosen a Sunday morning as the best time to fix the Lavac heads pump on our boat. ?

We got some new neighbours, very nice couple French. Perhaps early thirties. Not unusual, seen plenty of French and Italians being adventurous cruising around on boats that the long keel Skeg rudder built like a tank every spare part known to man squadron would be tooth sucking at.

However, the best bit is that they have triplets that will be two years old in five days time. ?? Their lives are undisguised chaos.....and look very happy! Where would you put a three berth Pram on your boat? Would your other half be comfortable spending most of her time washing clothes in a big bucket on deck? A remarkable family and good luck to them. May not last but they are having a good time whilst they still can!
 
This is my idea of a liveaboard with three kids:

image-0-1024x1024.webp

But two years old? Better make sure they float - at that age mine were never out of mischief for more than about a minute at a time unless they were asleep, and then I reckon they were dreaming of it! Come to think of it, I'm not sure that's changed :rolleyes:
 
capnsensible said:
Thought about liveaboard link, but mebbe others might find this of interest who own and race small boats.

This is the yacht: J/30 - Wikipedia

So not really designed to live on full time, I reckon.

Anyway, was down the marina yesterday having chosen a Sunday morning as the best time to fix the Lavac heads pump on our boat. ?

We got some new neighbours, very nice couple French. Perhaps early thirties. Not unusual, seen plenty of French and Italians being adventurous cruising around on boats that the long keel Skeg rudder built like a tank every spare part known to man squadron would be tooth sucking at.

However, the best bit is that they have triplets that will be two years old in five days time. ?? Their lives are undisguised chaos.....and look very happy! Where would you put a three berth Pram on your boat? Would your other half be comfortable spending most of her time washing clothes in a big bucket on deck? A remarkable family and good luck to them. May not last but they are having a good time whilst they still can!
Click to expand...
They didn’t ask ybw s opinion of what sort of boat to get?
 
Reminds me of a very gallant couple we met once in the Greek islands. No kids, but they were cruising aboard a Simonis 445. That's 4.45m, i.e. a little bigger than a 420. They had a wee boom tent and a very nifty pair of foam mats sitting on specially-made fibreglass poles, which rested on the thwart and doubled as their fishing rods.

Also French.
 
Some more info on the J 30
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/j30

And a General arrangement drawing from this site

J 30 GA.jpg

I am sure that the 3 kids will turn out to be very well adjusted and sensible kids - all the boat kids I have met invariably are, it is a good life for them.
@rwoofer on here has triplets, I am sure he can relate.

And these folk sailed around the world on their Cal 25, having two children along the way - when #3 turned up after they had returned to the USA, they moved up to a 33' steel boat.
https://www.goodoldboat.com/pdfs/JF05MartinDream.pdf

Re the Martins in the link above, their middle daughter is now in her 20's, and she has her own boat, a 26' Grinde, which she lives on board -
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/grinde
 
Quandary said:
It is not that long ago since 30' was a big yacht but expectations have changed, we used to go cruising in an Achilles 24 with two kids, one still in nappies. We did not regard it as anything extaordinary but back then we too were young and optimistic.
Click to expand...
You 'ad Achilles 24? Bloody luxury. When I were a lad we fitted a family of eight, three dogs and a cockatiel into a Wayfarer. We sailed around the Southern Ocean with nowt but a cold Fray Bentos to eat. When the sails ripped, we skinned the dogs and used their hides. We went on watch before we came off watch, and got keel-hauled for our troubles. But you tell that to the young people today, they won't believe you.
 
Our youngest was 18 before we got a boat larger than 26' and we did 3-week cruises quite happily, more or less. Washing was done in the sink/bucket or taken ashore and was a regular but not intrusive part of the holiday. In between washes the clothes were just left to ferment.

Triplets would be a nighmare for any family without servants in any place of residence. In a boat I would be tempted to strap them together and tie the chain to an anchor point in the cockpit.
 
newtothis said:
You 'ad Achilles 24? Bloody luxury. When I were a lad we fitted a family of eight, three dogs and a cockatiel into a Wayfarer. We sailed around the Southern Ocean with nowt but a cold Fray Bentos to eat. When the sails ripped, we skinned the dogs and used their hides. We went on watch before we came off watch, and got keel-hauled for our troubles. But you tell that to the young people today, they won't believe you.
Click to expand...
Only eight? You were lucky.
 
Our first grandchild was only 6weeks old when we took her for a sail - and had both grandkids once they reached 9/10 yrs old for a summer cruise until they started work. The granddaughter was with us with new partner last year(he picked up sailing immediately) and we were due to have them both + partners this year but Covid put paid to that... Maybe next year.
 
A fast boat from the 1970's that helped launch the fortunes of J Yahcts.

I think a few of our dozier pundits don't know what a J30 is or when it was produced.


1601922234963.png
 
The couple may have chosen the boat for good looks and performance over cabin volume. I have cruised the Med a couple of years in a J. About 10 % of the sailors I have met recognize that it is not an AWB.
 
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