Jocalia – Cockpit Locker and Dinghy Stowage
Ron P writes…
Hello Tops’l sailors, particularly those that expect to sail on Jocalia this season. Over the weekend of the 28/29 March, coinciding with the Tops’l AGM, all three of our yachts were either being ‘tested’ or being checked over by the stalwart, extended team of Bosuns and interested members. Despite its current engine problem and the likelihood of no availability until the end of the month, Jocalia is being readied so as to ensure immediate availability once the engine issues are resolved.
Jocalia’s Cockpit Locker
When boarding Jocalia earlier this year, I was surprised to see the jumble that was the cockpit locker! Seemingly this all stemmed from a poorly stowed inflatable dinghy, which made retrieving anything from the locker almost impossible. Why is this important? Well, it’s because there are/were three safety items in there that I wouldn’t have been able to access.
- a fire extinguisher
- a 4:1 ‘handy billy’ pulley system to help retrieve someone from overboard who can’t help themselves, and
- the flare pack containing the electronic (laser) flare and 2 x orange smoke.
Stowage List
Last Autumn, a comment had been made to Peter G (lead Bosun on Jocalia) that the stowage list wasn’t sufficiently helpful to the crew so, he spent some considerable time revamping the stowage list and verifying that the kit was actually there! From this list, you will see that the ‘Elect Flare Pack’ should be stowed behind the nav seat and it will return to that position for future sailings. In compiling the new stowage list, Peter has tried to balance a comprehensive list of kit under practical headings in as brief a way as to still seem helpful – this is always ongoing and helpful comments are always welcome.
Stowing The Dinghy
When it comes to using and stowing the dinghy, a few hints may be useful. Keep the bagged dinghy as light and as small as possible – so as well as deflating after use, vacuum pump the air out as well and take the ‘floor’ out of the dinghy and stow separately in the locker. I have added a photo of how I generally stow the seats and oars to help provide a bit of a ‘runway’ at the bottom of the locker to help the base of the dinghy bag slide along to use the full length of the locker to lay it down. Spare warps, bucket, brushes and hose kit can then go back in on top of the dinghy and remain accessible. Good luck!