Our boat was built as a family sailing boat and is set up to sleep six people and thus enable the typical Svensson family (papa, mama, 2 or 3 rugrats and maybe the family pet) to go away for summer sailing in comfort. We used to have a much smaller boat and still that particular boat (a Maxi 68) was also a popular boat for families, though I don’t know how they all managed to stay on speaking terms in such a small space.

We are increasingly finding that our much larger family boat is only big enough for just us - “Vi Fem” (ie the five of us – papa, mama, small dog and two birds). There really is no room for other humans to come along and sleep aboard for the weekend, unless we leave some of the pets at home. So I think we’ll take along guests on day sailing trips only and not have them sleep aboard anymore.

There is that much pet paraphernalia aboard that I wonder how poor Noah survived on his ark without going completely insane. We have baskets, cushions, a plastic dog toilet box, large bird cage, food and water bowls etc not to mention the bags of food we need to store aboard for the hungry menagerie. And I can assure you that whoever invented the phrase “to eat like a bird” to describe someone who eats very little has never met my birds who manage to pack away a startling amount of bird seed every day.

When we sail, Bruce and Sheila stay on the main table in the salon, strapped down securely with safety lines. When we also put he foldable bikes inside while under sail, it gets very crowded in there.



Strangely enough, the birds quite like to sail, even though they are native to the desert areas of South Australia. These guys seem very adaptable and quite happily chat, eat and play even when the boat is pounding through the waves. When we stop for the night, we move the birds to the navigation table, which is out of the way, except if you need access to the quarter berth bed.



So we tend to use that area for storing things like the sails, tent, cockpit cushions, auto pilot, hatch covers etc rather than as a place to sleep. We also store the bikes outside when the weather is fine, so the starboard sofa can at least be used as a sofa, though not really as a bed, because Lars-Göran’s extensive tool kit and spare parts are stored in the space behind it. This means that if you lift the back to provide a wider berth, you are hemmed in by boxes of spare parts!

Okay, what about the sofa on the port side? Well, in theory, two people can sleep there, as you can lower the salon table, add a mattress and use it as a small double bed. So I guess guests could sleep there, but then Bruce and Sheila like the salon to be kept dark and to wake up early and squawk and chatter with the forest birds for a while. Most guests don’t really appreciate that after a late night sipping wine in the cockpit.

The captain and “the old ball and chain” get the prime sleeping position in the front of the boat in the lovely, cosy forepeak with it’s roomy double sleeping space. And the trusty ship’s dog is also there to “protect” her master. We can close the door to the main salon and leave the unfortunate guests to deal with the birds while we sleep in peace.



So despite the size of the boat, the fact that we have toilet, shower, laundry facilities, refrigeration, stove and oven and apparently six beds, it really is only made for the two of us. Which is just how we like it.

The weather is lovely and sunny at the moment and the harbour has really come alive with cafés and restaurants open for the season and the small handicraft shops starting to open up. I’ve noticed a steady increase in the ferry traffic as well and it won’t be long before the summer campers and caravaners arrive along with many more guest boats. We wandered along the harbour yesterday evening after dinner and admired some of the foreign boats tied up to the guest pier. And later the master and his dog sat on the pier and enjoyed the last rays of evening sun.



The temperatures are still low – barely 20C but the blue sky, daylight until quite late and the welcome warmth of the sun’s rays makes the days seem brighter and more cheerful. Despite the cool temperatures, most people seem to think it is already high summer and the usual bright colours and masses of bare, if goosebumped flesh has already begun to appear. How can they wear tanktops when it is barely 20C? That’s one mystery that I’m still to solve. Even today, my Swede is wearing a white teeshirt, navy shorts and sandals, while I am in long pants, long-sleeved jacket, socks and shoes. The day before yesterday, he was sunbathing nude in the cockpit while I was wearing a winter jacket. I guess I’ll never get rid of my “winter tan” at this rate.