CRUISERS! Head for Downwind Marine!
LETTERS 2010
head that hasn't been eaten. With regard to showers, women prefer to take them below, while men and kids are fine in the cockpit. There is no problem with having both. Just keep a sponge handy down below to wipe down the walls and floors afterwards. That solves the mildew problem. The real question is not whether to shower topsides or below, or to flush toilet paper or not. The real question is how much battery/charging power is needed to support one's lifestyle choices. If 'camping' is okay, the requirements are minimal. If pressure water, hot water, electric heads, a watermaker and refrigeration are preferred, those systems require more thought. Either way is fine. If someone is a long-term cruiser, their boat is their home. Although you're traveling abroad, you're not staying in hotels or in the homes of others. You are in your own home, which can conveniently carry you across the Seven Seas to wonderful places, some of which are at the edges of the earth, others of which, like the Med, are smack in the center of civilization. You are only limited by your budget and imagination. Sailing, above all, is about making choices. I was surprised that your response was so one-sided. Charles Paul Bird of Paradise, Schooner Long Beach
SPECIAL CRUISER SEMINARS – $3/person 7:30PM at Downwind Marine – Doors open at 7:15PM Tues 11/2
AIS: The Best Collision Avoidance System – Steven Gloor, GTS Consulting/Veteran Cruiser
Wed 11/3
Intro to Offshore Communications for Cruisers – Shea Weston, Offshore Outfitters
Thur 11/4
Outfitting for Safety at Sea & Life Raft Deployment Demo – Bruce Brown, Rep for Switlik & SeaPac
Tues 11/9
Surviving a Haul-Out – C.F. Koehler, Koehler Kraft/Veteran Cruiser
Wed 11/10 Intro to Offshore Communications for Cruisers – Shea Weston, Offshore Outfitters Thurs 11/11 Offshore Rigging & Rigging at Sea – Capt. Stephen Mann, Pacific Offshore Rigging/Circumnavigator AND DON'T MISS THE PARTY! Sat 11/6
Annual Downwind Cruisers' Kick-Off Potluck BBQ Noon-4:00PM at our store, 2804 Cañon Street, San Diego. We bring Burgers, Hot Dogs and Sodas. Cruisers bring salad, side dish or dessert to share. Meet other Cruisers ~ Families ~ Singlehanders! Many Product Reps will be on hand too! Shop ALL DAY with one-day SUPER Discount Pricing. Special Gifts for purchases over $250. Saturday Store Hours: 8:30AM-5:00PM
Buddy Boat Meetings at Downwind Marine with Coffee & Donuts every Wednesday, 10 AM
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www.downwindmarine.com 2804 Cañon Street San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 224-2733 (866) 289-0242 www.sandiegomarine.com 2636 Shelter Island Drive San Diego (619) 223-7159 (800) 336-SDMX Mexico 001-800-336-7369 www.sailingsupply.com 2822 Cañon Street San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 225-9411 (800) 532-3831
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Latitude 38
• November, 2010
LATITUDE / RICHARD
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Charles — Perhaps we're wrong, but we didn't think our response was that one-sided. Anonymous asked what the toilet procedures were on Profligate, so we explained Doña de Mallorca's rules, and said that we "didn't have a problem with them." Then, after noting that there were other options, such as electric toilets, we wrote: "The approach to heads is usually a philosophical one. There are cruisers willing to spend big money, use lots of electricity, and expose themselves to lots of repair work to try to sanitize the onboard toilet experience. Then there are those like us, who believe in simple boats, and who would rather sail than do maintenance. To each their own." Isn't that pretty close to what you're saying? We admit, however, that we've been surprised at how many sailors have written to say they have, and like, their electric heads, and that in most cases the heads have been trouble-free. We'd heard quite a few complaints about these heads in previous years — there is another in this month's Changes from Lazy Daze — but maybe only those who had problems thought they were worth mentioning. Anyway, we're happy for them. As for the notion that those of us who prefer more simple boats and don't have problem with To us, there's nothing better than an out- putting TP in lined wastedoor shower aboard 'Profligate'. baskets and showering outdoors are "camping," or in some other sense living a secondclass lifestyle, we think that's silly. Over the years we've had occasion to shower in some spectacular places, including some showers that had a dozen nozzles for maximum sensual pleasure. But not a single one of them could begin to compare to the sheer pleasure of a bath in the warm, blue waters of the Caribbean followed by a freshwater washdown on the transom of 'ti Profligate. Besides sex and surfing down a wave at 17