sleeping on training boats

[Deleted member 36384]

And no one has yet mentioned snoring.

Good Example and now quite funny: First night of the course and chap states that he will apologise in advance because he snores quite loud. As the instructor I am quite used to it and think, nice chap, apologising but considerate. Within 30s of putting his head down there is an incredible, ripping, rumbling sort of sound - like a kid kidding on he is snoring in a loud exaggerated way! The decibels were quite incredible. We thought he was having a laugh, but he was out for the count.

It later transpired that he thought he would get away from it all because he was going through a divorce and is snoring was cited as one of the main reasons. The only thing you could do was laugh!

 

[curve]

Snoring is the main reason why I bought a keelboat.

 

[DavenHelen]

The best solution is to take a partner....

 

[tokenjam]

When I did my day skip we had a female skipper, one female student and three of us blokes.
The girls picked their preferrence and the blokes took the remains - seemed fair to me.
I can't see it as a problem if everyone is sensible; but that might be the issue

 

[fireball]

The girls picked their preferrence and the blokes took the remains - seemed fair to me.

So which one did you get to sleep with?

 

[webcraft]

Course or holiday?

.
IN the past many sailing schools used boats with traditional accommodation layout chosen for their seakeeping and sailing qualities. Sadler 34, Contessa 32 etc. To make a course economical every berth was usually sold, often with three sleeping in the saloon and two strangers sharing the forepeak, with the instructor in a quarterberth.

RYA courses traditionally placed substantial emphasis on learning to live on a yacht and be part of a crew, and bunking arrangements and sharing of domestic chores are very much part of that.

Now more and more people seem to want to learn the technicalities of sailing without any of the concommitant inconvenience and discomfort involved in sharing a small boat with several strangers for a week. I have even seen people on here asking if they can day sail for their day skipper course and go ashore at night. (You can't).

People who don't want the hassle should IMO either hire an instructor and do it on their own boat or charter the whole sailing school boat. Failing that, research the boat you are going to be doing the course on and be prepared to share a cabin with a stranger. If it is a double cabin with one mattress it shouldn't really matter as you will be in your sleeping bag - shove a kitbag or something similar between you if you are embarrassed, but don't expect privacy.

It's all very character building

- W

 

[fireball]

I have even seen people on here asking if they can day sail for their day skipper course and go ashore at night. (You can't).

Having done the Dazed kipper prac a few years back I can't see why you couldn't sleep ashore? Is it prescribed in the book?

 

[Fire99]

Quick someone send an email to the MD of TravelLodge, he is missing out on a profitable market.

That's just a little different. You're paying for a hotel room not a sailing course on a boat where you've all got to work as a team.

I'd be the first person to prefer a nice double berth to myself and maybe my own private en-suite. However, if sharing with someone meant I could afford to do two courses instead of one, then i'd be up for it.

All depends what you want but for me it's all about the sailing.

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Different attitudes in Oz.

A few years ago I went sailing in the Whitsundays in Rogue II. There were three men, including myself, and eight women, mostly strangers.

I had to share the main cabin - it features in this Youtube clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5L1YwUAFLk with five of the girls.

No problem, no worries and I was hardly harassed at all.

Get on with it. I am sure most of us are able to behave like human beings.

 

[Litotes]

Snoring is the main reason why I bought a keelboat.

On strange boats - always pack earplugs. As long as you are not in charge and people know you are using them they can transform the experience. (I learned this at the age of 16, when I was compelled to share a cabin with a deafening snorer. Grim. )

 

[IanH]

MMM

And no one has yet mentioned snoring.

I am planning on doing my day skipper practical next spring - just started the theory - and reading this thread has made me wonder about Snoring. I understand from others that my snoring could not only wake the dead but cause them to jump up and down on me until I stopped. Is this something one should declare in advance of joining a course or what. Genuine question already quite unhappy at the idea of sharing a boat with several complete strangers as it is.

Ian

 

[sky7liner]

Sleeping on training boats

A couple of years ago I was asked if my staff would share hotel rooms at an exhibition. I said no because I wouldn't ask them to do something I won't do myself and I haven't shared a room with anybody who wsn't my partner since I was 20 (that's a long time ago).

So now I go sailing and practically every trip I've done involves sharing a sleeping space with a stranger. And yes, sometimes it's been a double berth in which case we have usually slept head to toe and as somebody said, in sleeping bags.

Seems to me it's something you have to put up with unless you can afford to book up all the places on the boat.

 

[maxi77]

My how sensitive we have al become, I spent my formative years in the RNR and RN and the biggest place I shared was a dormitory at BRNC woth some 80 others in freestading bunks, and the most copmpact was an O boat wardroom with six others round a four foot square table.

 

[TiggerToo]

as Maxi says...

get a life everyone:

what is it with you wussies?

Before sailing I used to go climbing. In the alps. It is common to share large sleeping rooms with allsorts. And when the season is high, you are likely to just about manage to slip with your sleeping bag in between other two bods. So what?

Snoring: get yourself earplugs.
Hankipanki: there are better places to do it that a mountain cabin with 36 others sharing the space.


Likewise with boats.

 

[ChattingLil]

Is this something one should declare in advance of joining a course or what. Ian

No point in giving advance warning - what are they going to do...Stop you from attending?

It might be nice if you took a supply of ear-plugs that you can dish out to others tho.

I had an AWFUL experience over a long weekend when crewing on a race. I had to share a quarter berth with the BIGGEST, LOUDEST and SMELLIEST man I have ever seen. I am only five feet tall and at the time I was a size 10 (oh for the days) and he was 6'6 and well over 20 stones. We were in sleeping bags but I didn't ahve earplugs and he snored in my ear all night (this was preferable to going head to toe in the quarter-berth as it was like a coffin and doubly so because he farted all night too) and I spent two sleepness nights clinging to the wall as I was terrified he was going to squash me by accident!

On the other hand, when I've slept on school boats, I've always had a cabin to myself! .

If it bothers you, it's worth discussing with the school in advance and I reckon if you're prepared for what to expect then you are half way to being cool with it.

 

[webcraft]

In reply to Fireball

Having done the Dazed kipper prac a few years back I can't see why you couldn't sleep ashore? Is it prescribed in the book?

Yes. A requirement for the Day Skipper course is 5 nights spent on board.

- W

 

[bilbobaggins]

Hankipanki: there are better places to do it that a mountain cabin with 36 others sharing the space. Likewise with boats.

I don't suppose anyone would forget coming up on deck in the morning, to be met by the others, each holding up a scorecard...

"5.9 - 6.1 - 5.8 - 6.3 - 6.0" and the Instructor handing you your Pass certificate, saying your impression of a small ship 'Uncertain of Your Intentions' every few minutes was the best he'd heard.

 

[TiggerToo]

I don't suppose anyone would forget coming up on deck in the morning, to be met by the others, each holding up a scorecard...

isn't that where the saying "don't rock the boat" comes from

 

[AntarcticPilot]

.
IN the past many sailing schools used boats with traditional accommodation layout chosen for their seakeeping and sailing qualities. Sadler 34, Contessa 32 etc. To make a course economical every berth was usually sold, often with three sleeping in the saloon and two strangers sharing the forepeak, with the instructor in a quarterberth.

RYA courses traditionally placed substantial emphasis on learning to live on a yacht and be part of a crew, and bunking arrangements and sharing of domestic chores are very much part of that.

Now more and more people seem to want to learn the technicalities of sailing without any of the concommitant inconvenience and discomfort involved in sharing a small boat with several strangers for a week. I have even seen people on here asking if they can day sail for their day skipper course and go ashore at night. (You can't).

People who don't want the hassle should IMO either hire an instructor and do it on their own boat or charter the whole sailing school boat. Failing that, research the boat you are going to be doing the course on and be prepared to share a cabin with a stranger. If it is a double cabin with one mattress it shouldn't really matter as you will be in your sleeping bag - shove a kitbag or something similar between you if you are embarrassed, but don't expect privacy.

It's all very character building

- W

I think, though, that for many of us, the "camping" side of sailing is NOT what it is all about. I sail because it allows me to get away from it all, to enjoy the great outdoors, to use skills I have gained. I don't sail in order to rough it in communal living, and for me, that isn't part of the experience. Of course, YMMV! Sailing with friends in what are, under any circumstances, relatively constricted quarters is one thing - doing the same thing with complete strangers is simply not what I go to sea for.

Question! Are the RYA courses geared towards a vision of sailing that does not match the
aspirations of most of us? Frankly, the crew-building stuff is totally irrelevant to anyone who sails with their family; roles and responsibilities will be determined by other things, and mostly determined ashore! When I recently scanned the Competent Crew material, I was surprised that there was a basic assumption that you would be joining a vessel as if it was an independent universe; that you would not have much previous knowledge of your skipper or the rest of the crew. How often does that really happen? People are at least friends of friends to get invited! Not a criticism of the CC material by the way, I thought it was pretty good - except that I'd never ever heard the term "boom vang" used for the kicking strap!

What about a course for "The Sailing Family"?

 

[Bajansailor]

In the 60's and 70's very few sailing yachts had double berths - a typical arrangement on a cruiser racer might have been a pair of quarter berths aft, a saloon with two settee berths and pilot berths outboard, and a vee berth up forward which would have room for standing in between the berths - ie 8 single berths in total.
The typical yacht today has one or two double quarter cabins, a dinette in the saloon that converts to a double, and a double up forward - room for 6 or 8 friendly bods in total, but only 3 or 4 actual berths.

I am thinking that there is probably a market now (?) for a sailing school version of the standard AWB - Victoria Marine did a very successful version with their 34 some years ago which many sailing schools used, along with the Joint Services.
However for the standard BenJenBav there would probably be significant extra set up production costs re tooling to be able to offer such an option - even if it was to just modify the saloon so that there were two settees and two pilot berths rather than a large wrap around dinette double.