On board Puffin

Welcome Aboard!

This tour will take you over Puffin's deck and introduce you to her layout. There isn't room here to discuss everything you'll see, but if you have questions, email us and we'll do our best to answer them.

The cockpit is the first point of entry. It is from here the boat is conned, and it's here that most of the relaxing and entertaining is done. She's nice and cosy with the cushions, but we put these away when we're under way. We have a couple of scruffy cushions we use when sailing, and we've given up worrying about them getting wet! (That's one of them sitting on the deck behind the cockpit.) The seats are big enough to stretch out on to look at the stars and comfortable enough to stay there until next morning.

There are two winches on each side of the cockpit, which we use to tighten or slacken the ropes that control the sails in front of the mast. Ropes that control sails are called sheets, so these are the sheet winches. Hanging from them are a couple of canvas pockets into which we tuck the loose ends, otherwise they snake onto the cockpit floor and get in the way. Aft of the cockpit is the mainsheet - the rope that controls the mainsail - the bottom of which is attached to a car that runs along a track, allowing the sail to be hauled tight in or let right out.

The binnacle supports the steering wheel, or helm, the engine throttle lever (push to go forward, pull to reverse), the compass, and a wooden table, which lifts and unfolds for dinner.

At the very top of the binnacle is the control panel for the Autohelm self-steering. This is Albert the chauffeur, the third member of the crew, and he does the driving when we're bored or busy doing something else.

Forward of the cockpit is the pramhood, which offers some shelter when the sea gets a bit splashy and helps keep rain from dripping into the companionway leading below deck. We generally keep a flexible 12-volt solar panel tied on top of this. Underneath there are a pair of ventilation cowlings, with another pair aft of the cockpit. There are drains in the cockpit sole which empty away any rain- or sea-water.

Behind the cockpit is the after deck. This area is edged by a stainless steel 'fence' called a pushpit. This supports the gallows, an up-and-over arch on which are the solar panels that keep our 24-volt electrics charged. It's a good, safe area with plenty of hand-holds to hang on to. We do our fishing from here. There are also lots of places to secure things like spare fuel canisters, lifebuoys, a boarding ladder, liferaft, spare anchor, outboard motor and fenders - everything we might need in an emergency. Well, most things, anyway. There's a gap in the pushpit where we hang the boarding ladder, used to climb back on board after a swim.

Moving forward, past the cockpit, we can look at the boom on which is stowed the mainsail. The sail cover is basically a bag with a long zipper that encloses the sail when it is flaked down. It is supported by ropes called lazy jacks. These help guide the sail into the cover when it is dropped. Without these, the sail would spill all over the deck, which would be at best annoying and at worst hazardous. The sail cover is attached to the boom by a track, under which is another track supporting the sunshade awning. The awning is unrolled and attached to the sides of the boat and funnels a cooling breeze through the cockpit area. It also keeps the rain off, and we've even used it to catch rainwater to use in our solar-heated shower bags. Each side can be deployed in less than a minute and rolls out of the way when not in use.

The area in front of the mast is called the foredeck. This is kept fairly clear as a rule, because it takes the brunt of any seas that sometimes come aboard. When under way, the main reasons to come up here are to haul up/drop the staysail or to watch dolphins. Or, when setting off from or arriving somewhere, to manage the docklines or drop/weigh the anchor.

The white box in front of the mast holds the compressor for filling our SCUBA bottles The canisters in front of the box contain spare diesel fuel. Puffin carries only 66 gallons (just over 300 litres) of fuel in her main tanks, and there have been a few occasions when we've needed the extra. They're tied down securely and have survived an Atlantic crossing without budging. There's also a hatch into the forward cabin below.

And that's the end of the tour topsides! At the time of writing, Puffin is on the hard for a scrape, clean and repaint below the waterline. Pop back in a few weeks and you'll see some 'before and after' shots of Puffin out of the water.

Go Below Deck