HOUSEHOLD HINTS TO HELP KEEP ORDER
ABOARD YOUR PIRATE'S SHIP.

If you are tired of your lamps, ashrays, figurines, etc., sliding all over the place when you are under way and run into rough water, go to Walmarts or any place that carries velcro on a roll with a sticky backing and get yourself a couple of rolls. Cut matching strips for each item. Stick one side to the surface the item is sitting on and the other piece to the item itself, making certain the two strips of velcro contact each other evenly when you set the item back down.

This works well with pictures also. Use the same method but cut small squares for the pictures. One small square on the center of the back of the frame and one on the bulkhead upon which it is hanging will do the trick.

If you and your crew like to drink coffee while under way, purchase some cups with a narrow neck and a wide bottom so they will not overturn. These can be purchased in many marine places.

Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker and salt box to help absorb moisture preventing your salt from clumping together so badly.

Set a small bucket with a couple of sponges inside each locker to help absorb moisture and prevent mildew from forming. You may get a little mildew but not nearly as much as you would without the sponges. The bucket holds any moisture the sponges drip if
they become filled with moisture.

This might sound a bit nutty, but save your soap wrappers and put them inside drawers and other places where you store your sheets, towels and other things to help prevent the musty smell that usually accumulates on boats. Also, the little cologne and perfume samples that come on paper advertisements in your department store statements work well.

HINTS FOR THE GALLEY

Always use plastic storage containers to store flour, sugar and other things on your boat. Also, if you have room for a bread box use plastic. Metal will rust in no time.
If you have no room for a bread box, store your bread in the oven when the oven is not in use.

Baking pans, if not disposable, should be Teflon-coated. They must be used only with plastic spatula, cooking spoon, or fork so as not to scratch the Teflon surface for once scratched, the pan will rust where the scratch is.

If you know you are going to be in rough water, plan to try to prepare meals that can be cooked in the oven so you are not constantly trying to keep pans from flying off of the stove top. Also, if casseroles and other meals that can be cooked in the oven are prepared in advance all you have to do is warm them when aboard so they are not as much of a problem when your vessel is tossing all over the place. There will be no liquid to slosh out into your oven either because it will already have been cooked.

Among easy non-splatter breakfast menus for rough weather are pancakes, because they do not slop around in the fry pan-also corned beef hash, french toast, and hot cereals.

You can also plan meals that can be cooked in cooking bags you get at the supermarket. You can prepare pot roasts, spare ribs and chicken in these bags, cooking the vegetables right along with the meat in the one bag so you don't have to worry about spillage while cooking in case your vessel is tossing around and it also saves a whole lot of clean up after the meal.

The beautiful formica looking dresser tops and counter tops on some of the newer fiberglass boats can be lethal at sea. Everything slides around and the velcro idea above might not be desirable because you wouldn't want the sticky mess the tape side of the velcro would leave. A wet dish towel spread on the top of the counters will help but wooden rails with sides at least four inches high and with suction cups on the four corners are the best. You can use them anywhere you want on the counter top, have them made to fit bottles and various jars or containers, and if you want to restore the counter top to it's clinical purity, you can lift the rails off and store them in a locker.



Back To The Pirate's Lady Index


Back To The Pirate's Index