Enclosure Heaven!

While in the UK, we had an enclosure put on the cockpit of the boat. We already had a bimini top which shaded us from the sun, but nothing which kept the wind out - and as we've found, there's an awful lot of wind on the ocean. There are a variety of ways to keep the wind out of the cockpit, from a sheet that you put up at anchor to a dodger (kind of like a windshield on a car) to a full enclosure, which is the equivalent to putting a conservatory or a sunroom over the cockpit.

And what an amazing difference it makes! We can sit up top all the time, even when it is really blowy. It stays warm even when the sun goes down. It stays dry so we can leave the cockpit cushions out overnight. The interior of the boat is even warmer because our 'front doors' are now enclosed by a 'porch'.

Yesterday, we left Marathon and headed northeast in what purported to be 15 knot winds, from the northeast so we were 'beating' directly into the wind. Actually the winds were more like 20 and it was probably the most blustery day we've been out in, with waves repeatedly splashing up on deck. Well, they splashed on deck and they splashed on the enclosure, but they didn't splash on us - woohoo! Ordinarily a day like this would have been an ORDEAL. But instead, we were sitting in our little enclosure warm and dry in shorts and t-shirts having a great time!

We have read dozens of books on sailing and cruising along with reading hundreds of blogs and websites. Not one, not one!, discusses the impact an enclosure has on one's cruising comfort. Ah, if we'd only known...

(Photo to follow when we encounter wifi again)

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