One step I took was to draw up a wish list. This would then be a guide to the design of the boat. It also drew my attention to what I thought I wanted, but wasn't really bothered about after all, such as the bath. Any way the list is :
- Will go anywhere. Technically this means 55, or 57 foot, however looking at various websites, 58'6" seems to be about right, so that is what I will go for.
- Wet room rather than shower tray. Initially I thought that I would have liked a bath, however... They take a lot of water and a lot of room. I like a bath however, being 6'2" laid out, I also like a big bath, and I would rather 'spend' the room elsewhere in the boat. Remember that you are budgeting length when laying out a boat. We don't all spend all of our time in the bathroom. I have decided on the wet room approach because I find them far more pleasing than a shower cubicle.
- Storage for everything. Whatever I can't store (and whatever I haven't used for the last year, brain excepted) is going on eBay. If it doesn't sell on eBay, it's going in the skip.
- King sized bed. Well, I am having some luxuries.
- Trad Stern. This gives me an "engine room" area for running the boat, and psychologically separates the living areas into a separate living area. If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry, I am not sure it makes sense to me either. I won't miss the open rear deck of a cruiser, as I will have a forward lounge area and front deck for "entertaining".
- Dining Area. I don't like eating with a plate on my knee. So we will have a dining table and seating, which can convert into a bed.
- Optimal use of space. This is easier these days with flat screen TVs and miniature electronics. However a lot of planning will go into where to hide the hide-able bits (water tanks, etc) and maximise the storage areas.
- A Kitchen (sorry, galley) built around me. I like to cook, but I like to be ordered in the kitchen. That is 'ordered' as in 'a tidy sort of organised' as opposed to 'ordered to cook the tea and cook it now'.
- A nice comfortable settee that I can slob out on of an evening, and would turn into another double berth for guests.
- A washing machine and possibly a tumble drier would be nice for our lovely summer weather.
I've also bought a new digital camera. Now all I need is something to photograph...
The name of the boat came about by listing names as i thought of them. It was then just a case of picking 1. The sequence of chosen names went something like this...
- Plan B - Everybody should have a plan B
- Fotheringay - Prison Castle and fantastic music by Sandy Denny.
- Scylla - Look at Scylla and Charybdis in your classical mythology (between a rock and a hard place)
- Hard Place - see above. Also a bit of a play with words on my name (which means 'the rock')
- A Walk in the Rain - Loads of experience here.
- Duck N Dive - Need I say more... Well, actually, yes. I am a scuba diver, and a brewer, and have run various bars, pubs beer tents and beer festivals in the past, and I like ducks, both as the most amazingly belligerent cute little animals and as crispy Chinese appetisers. I always said that if I won the lottery, I would buy a property in Grand Cayman (Which, incidentally, is tax free UK) and build a microbrewery/pub/restaurant/hotel on the beach with a jetty and scuba diving school (BSAC not PADI). I was going to call it the 'Duck and Dive'. I haven't won the lottery and it seems a shame to waste the name so....
Right, I'll drink to that. A vague plan and a good name. What can possibly go wrong...
