Sorting out the "heads"

The little portapotti does just fit under the cockpit sole, but as it was installed, the uneveness of the floor due to all the pipework for the ballast tanks meant that it had to be heaved into the cockpit to use it properly. Not a feature appreciated by the crew. I have fixed a plywood floor board across the existing floor planks to give a level, flat surface, and then covered it with an offcut of vinyl flooring from our bathroom. I have also managed to slide another bit of vinyl under the portapotti itself and the ballast pipe. The length of transparent pipe lying between the potti and my bucket (an essential onboard element) is the only exposed bit of the ballast plumbing now visible, which make the cabin interior much more domestic. The loo can also just be pulled out from under the cockpit sole and used in the cabin, which is also a better idea.

This last photo shows how a 25L cool box slots in perfectly at the stern end of the starboard seat, just under the side deck of the cockpit. This was just a standard off the peg box. It is really useful. It can hold enough for a weekend's cruise and is really easy to carry to and fro from the boat. If I am away for a night or two, I put two frozen pints of milk in it as ice blocks. The big "torch" next to it is my trusty Celestron Powertank. It has a 7Ah sealed battery which powers my GPS for most of the season. A standard torch at the top and a huge searchlight underneath for when you really need light. It has two cigarette lighter 12V outlets plus three other lower voltage connections. I take it home about once a month to recharge. I have toyed with installing solar panels to keep it charged, but it hardly seems worth the effort. I may do so if I get any other instruments and it runs down quicker. It is a superb bit of kit, designed for amateur astronomers. You can get it from Amazon for about £50.