Rigging for Offshore Part 2 of 3

The batteries, of which I have two, are fitted into a glass-fibre covered box under the starboard quarter berth, and a bar is also clamped across them to prevent any movement, even if the boat turns 180°.

These batteries are completely sealed, and besides not requiring the addition of water throughout their lifetime, can be completely inverted without losing acid; a quality for which I was later to be grateful. Presumably, if the terminals were to be waterproofed, they could continue to be used when submerged. One of my batteries supplies power for the radio and the other for lighting and engine starting. They can also be interswitched so that I have emergency power available for navigation lights.

A tricolour light was mounted at the masthead and wired on a different circuit from the port/starboard/stern lights which were fitted on the pulpit and pushpit, thus providing an emergency navigation light system.

Two stainless steel drinking water tanks were fitted under the port and starboard main berths. One of these holds 180 litres and the other 160 litres. They have separate filler caps on deck and separate vents high up on the cabin sides, venting outboard. While they are completely independent, however, they are connected through a threeway valve so that I can draw water from either tank to the sink, without the danger of water siphoning from the high tank to the low one at sea. The water, and the fuel tanks, are securely clamped into position, so that, even when full, they are unable to move should the boat be inverted.

The navigating compass was mounted on the cabin top underneath the spray hood, and a steering compass fitted to the inside of one of the campanionway doors. This arrangement has the double advantage that, with the doors fastened open, the helmsman has a convenient reference below eyelevel, and, when the doors are closed, a heading reference, albeit reciprocal, is available within the cabin.

The four main cabin windows unfortunately exceeded the MOT maximum of two square feet in area by a small margin and seemed rather vulnerable; so plywood shutters were made. These can be fitted, when necessary, by bolting them to nuts fibreglassed to the inside of holes drilled in the cabin sides. When the shutters are removed the bolts fill these holes.

To guarantee the watertightness of the main hatch I constructed a garage over it. My hard dinghy is carried between this and the mast, and having taken up the cabintop space, and not wishing to clutter the foredeck, I was then faced with the problem of where to stow the liferaft, so it is quickly available in an emergency. After much deliberation I decided to build a frame between the cockpit seats aft. I carry my six-man liferaft strapped to this frame with a quick-release lashing. This of course, prevents access to the after cockpit locker; but as it is my habit at sea to stow very little in there anyway, the loss of access did not strike me as very important. On the credit side, this arrangement tended to further reduce the cockpit volume, and beneath the frame I was able to stow spare containers of diesel. Moreover, I discovered that I had produced a very handy cockpit table at sea!

On the pushpit, I made provision to stow two lifebuoys, a danbuoy, dyemarker, McMurdo lights and a heaving line as required by the MOT rules. In addition, I equipped the cockpit with a weather-cloth which is lashed with light line to the railing and lifelines. The reason for the light line is that, in the event of a knockdown, the pressure of water against the weather-cloth will break the line rather than bend the stanchions.

All handrails, and the eyebolts used for lashing the dinghy, are through-bolted. If handrails of the same shape are fitted inside the boat, the same bolts can be used to secure them to the deckhead. On "BELO VULA", the internal handrails are mounted on the cabin sides, just below the windows, and on the sloping part of the deckhead; but I feel if they had been fixed to the deckhead immediately below the external grab-rails, they would be more effective.

Because it was my intention to do most of my cruising in the tropics, I fitted a small perspex hatch for extra ventilation between the mast and the break of the aft cabin top. I have found this hatch to be a great asset. It is covered by the upturned dinghy at sea, can be opened in reasonable weather, and can be left open in tropical downpours. In harbour it provides additional light and ventilation to the main cabin. Dorade vents were mounted on the cabin top, just aft of the main bulkhead, and these have sliding shutters which can be operated from inside the cabin. The hull can thus be made watertight, even if inverted.

Part 3