WitL - Sparrow's interior, sort of

"barnie" (tlanarch)
09/08/2020 at 23:56 • Filed to: None

Na v station with the usual suspects. 3 radios - AM/FM to the left, VHF on top, SSB/HAM on the bottom (mics stored away) . There are 22 circuit breakers for 12v here (110AC only has 4). Currently using the nice Acer PC you folks recommended. Will replace with a fanless linux unit when splashed again. Chartplotter, propane panel, etc are on the back wall There is a small repeater for the sailing instruments just right of the monitor covered in grey.

Galley on starboard side. Sorry for the mess but projects... That white front on the right is entirely refer! Chrome bar on left is protection from falling into the stove on port tack (boat heeled to the right) or I attach a harness to stay near on starboard. Stove is 3-burner, gimbled. I can cook a 20lb turkey in that oven. Sink is small but 13" deep. Rattan cabinet doors have been stored away. Yes, the walls need a repaint badly! Cat bowls usually rest in a rack under the stove but plumbing down there in process.

2n d is view aft. Left is galley, right, dining table. Aft of that is my berth. On the left, aft of that wall, is the nav station with all the goodies.Under the ladder is engine gauges on the left, AC circuit panel on the right. Wind gen panel is just above the berth. Chartplotter and remote VHF mic is way left up high. Th e arm it’s on swings into the companionway so it can be used inside or out.

3r d is looking forward from the companionway. Galley to right, dinning table to left with that damned big 110v refer. This table is for projects. The good one is stored forward. Stainless box is a 40k BTU furnace with double flue. Forward of that is the head with shower. On the right is a huge pantry and then a cedar-lined hanging locker. And then the v-berth area currently used for shop and stowage.

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Kinja post c reation sucks. And takes a really long time to do. This is my 3rd attempt tonight. Hope this helps all ya’ll understand Sparrow a little bit. She is not a normal offshore boat. Ok, let’s see how well this publishes.. AMA

DISCUSSION (23)

CB > barnie
09/09/2020 at 00:47

Holy smokes. How big a ship is she? I’ve sailed a 39 foot sailboat on Lake Ontario once, never again.

4kc > barnie
09/09/2020 at 00:51

Thats a nice layout you've got in her! Much more open than most the sailboats I've seen

smobgirl > barnie
09/09/2020 at 00:56

CATS!

The very thought of boats makes me vomit. I wish it didn’t. I even made myself seasick kayaking once ( though that could have been food poisoning).

barnie > CB
09/09/2020 at 01:00

41" overall + the windsteering but only 10'-3" wide. I like my ladies long and lean. She’s onlty 27" on the water line. Downwind max is 7 knots but heeled over upwind she can do 8.5.

barnie > 4kc
09/09/2020 at 01:04

Actually she’s quite narrow. I can touch both sides of the cabintop inside, < 6'. T o get all the way forward, I have move sideways . This means that I don’t get tossed around much in a bad sea. Most modern boats of this length are 13+’ wide. They have a dance floor down below.

barnie > smobgirl
09/09/2020 at 01:06

I, too, am afraid of the water. thalassophobia is a fear of deep water. To get over this, I learned to sail and scuba dive. I’ve found I’m only good for a couple days offshore alone but with competent crew, can go forever.

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to overcome fear.

vondon302 > barnie
09/09/2020 at 07:18

Ve ry cool!

41 feet 10 wide. Does it get real rocky in waves.

It's weird but any boat I can sleep on interests me.

Boxer_4 > barnie
09/09/2020 at 08:27

So, who’s the captain, and who’s the first mate? I take it you’ve been demoted to cabin boy?

That’s a nice setup you have there!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > barnie
09/09/2020 at 08:39

Very cool! Do you live on her, or is she only an excursion vessel once and awhile? :)

Do the cats live there 24/7?

barnie > Boxer_4
09/09/2020 at 08:43

Princess Erin, the torty in front of the kbd, is master and commander. Lessa, on the side, is 2nd. R escue sisters (different dads) now 13-years old . And, yes, I’m cre w. They are exce llent sailors.

barnie > vondon302
09/09/2020 at 08:52

She’s quite well mannered. Lots of weight in the keel and it’s 6' down there. Waterline down is 6'-6", up is only 4'-6" to the cabintop. But she doesn’t surf very well and the deck is usually wet in anything more than 6-8 knots of wind .

barnie > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/09/2020 at 08:59

Oh, she’s been my home since 2006. The girls live with me, too. The girls were 5 years old when they first walked in grass or sand. They ran the docks a few times when fueling and such before that. Their world is as vertical as horizontal . Under sail, they like to sleep on the boom against the sail. (Yes, we check before tacking!). On the mooring, I trail a 60' * 1-1/2" poly line but they’ve never fallen in.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > barnie
09/09/2020 at 10:12

Very cool! :)

No offense, but it’s interesting to see you on a car site considering your nautical life, haha! Do you have any sort of land transport for when you’re in port? A scooter or a bike or? :)

I bet it’s a lovely, cozy place for you and the c ritters!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie
09/09/2020 at 10:43

I always enjoy these sneak peaks into the nautical life. Sparrow is quite a narrow ship, isn’t she? You can really see in these photos just how small everything is when you realize the scale of, say, a roll of paper towels or a fridge. But it’s reasonably airy and well organized so the living arrangements aren’t half bad at all. Also, considering you have boat in drydock for a complete overhaul and you’re still living in it that isn’t really that messy.

Now that I can see it, I understand why the “refer” has got you frustrated with how much room it takes up. I know you said you might be able to get a few more drawers in there with the new one but I really don’t see how.

I noticed the two clock looking things in the last photo. Is one a barometer or something?

Thank you.

barnie > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/09/2020 at 10:44

I love cars, too. Grew up in Wilkesboro NC when the track was open. Used to visit Junior’s shops and had run of the pits. High School boys like cars. My ride was an ex-shiner’s ‘56 Chevy 150. I could put several bikes inside it...

Learned to love the nomad life when I lived in a ‘62 GMC short bus for a few years back in the early 90s. Couldn’t see myself ever settling in a house in my dotage after that.

Sparrow has a permanent mooring in the local river. From there we can take day and week trips to various places along the GA/FL coast. She’s just a home that floats. When the neighbors bother me, I can go elsewhere.

DD is a ‘01 Subabru in decent shape. Still love cars - daily visits to BaT, here, Barn Finds, etc. And you folks have so many other interests that I can enjoy like doggos, watches, booze, and just shitposts. Where else can we get such good entertainment for this price? :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > barnie
09/09/2020 at 11:06

Ah, gotcha! I didn’t realize it was s emi-permanent mooring, I figured you were a world-traveller in Sparrow , haha! Suburbans are huge beasts, but reliable and spacious! Glad to have you with us! :D

barnie > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/09/2020 at 11:40

Subabru Legacy station wagon not Suburban. :) GA does not license moorings so we put Sparrow’s right on the GA/FL line. Was 2 opposed anchors but the new one (next year) will be dozer weights with 1" chain.

I bought and built her to travel the world but those plans went awry. Now the bottom half of my lungs are trashed and I’m limited on how far I can go. I’m still good to crew on other’s boats and do occasionally. This is a nice town to live near, too.

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/09/2020 at 11:56

White walls and good port lights really make her light inside. Just enough dark wood to keep perspective and feel homey. R ace boats are just weird inside when underway - noisy, bright or dark (carbon fiber) and rarely windows to bring light in.

Yea, Sparrow is very rare in how narrow she is, even for the period when she was built. Most 40'ers are 13 or more feet wide. I’m 6'-3", 290lbs and look huge inside her. But everything is close and has it’s place; very comfortable for my simple tastes.

Top clock is a clock. Marinized battery clock. Bottom one is the Barometer with a hygrometer and thermo built in. Baro is the single best weather forecaster you can buy. I believe it over the local weatherman. This one has a needle mounted to a knob through the glass that I use to record current setting. Set this every morning (when making my cuppa ) and watch it thru the day. Trend down means rain, up means no wind, mostly. That silver pad below both is a neat thing, too. It’s the mount for my Force 10 stove. It’s used when the sea is too rough to use the normal range. Uses a small propane bottle and has a cage that traps a common half-moon teakettle. I haven’t HAD to use it yet... I’ve tried to find links but neither this baro nor the stove are sold new anymore.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie
09/09/2020 at 12:25

In larger rooms I believe in a splash of color but in closer confines white does really bring out the space. I think it is quite a cozy looking place. More importantly, it looks like home. Not my home, but a home that could be comfortable and just right. I haven’t really been on any boats like that but I know I don’t always see so many windows from outside.

Hey, I recognized the barometer. Not bad for a landlubber like me, though what exactly it means is beyond me . And I think it is quite fortunate that you’ve not actually had to use the more secure propane stove yet (though I take it you’ve experimented just in case).

You’re near the port of Savannah, right? Did Hurricane Martha shake things up down there or did you avoid any real bad weather?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > barnie
09/09/2020 at 12:44

Ah, I misread, my apologies! Sorry to hear about your health issues...maybe one day you’ll be well enough to take her out on a long trip! :)

barnie > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/09/2020 at 16:20

Sp arrow (and I) are out of St Mary’s, on the GA/FL line. A bout 100 miles S of SAV. She’s actually painted in a very, very slightly grey shade of white. Less glare. And yea, she’s comfortable for me. I’m a confirmed bachelor and just my little girls make this perfect. S he’s usually got clear counters, empty sink, cl ean walls, etc. But, well, projects, and I’ve been just lazy lately. Falls coming so things’ll pick up here next month.

Yer in ATL? I spent ~15 years in L5P, and Vir Highlands areas. And a couple in Norcross. Loved that downtown area for food and convenience.

barnie > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/09/2020 at 16:28

No worries! Lungs have forced me to slow down. I’ll take that as a gift. I can stop and chat with Mr Larry, the Greeter at my local WalMart, longer. Porch sitting is now a hobby where we gather to swap lies and advice of an evening. Tasks take a lot longer than they used to but I get them done better now.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > barnie
09/09/2020 at 16:49

Yes, I’m a college student at one of the major universities in Atlanta. I love living down here and as a first year I’ve only been here a month. Everything’s so convenient and there is so much variety in everything if you want it. I don’t have a car with me but I don’t mind walking and I wouldn’t use my car much for anything here anyways.

Ha I couldn’t be more wrong with my Savannah guess. I don’t know St Mary’s well but I see it’s right next to Cumberland Island. I used to frequently vacation down at St Simon’s Island but stay a little further south down towards where you are. I love it down there. So peaceful and beautiful. Just natural splendor everywhere you look but not super far away from the kind of modern conveniences you want. Though in season some of the roads can get pretty congested.