If you are planning on spending long periods of time on your sailboat, I recommend the investment in a cockpit enclosure.
Maybe it’s fun to sail in spray on an afternoon adventure, but when you have no home to go to after the sail, you might want to consider staying dry.
Matt is sailing Allura, our Niagara 42, the first year we owned her. Doesn’t he look like he’s having fun? Rain is pouring on him, around him and dripping down is back. I’m in the main salon taking the photo (and I’m dry of course).
We lasted one season and as soon as we hit Florida, we had an enclosure made.
Mattina, our Lagoon 380, came without an enclosure. Sometimes we are smart and learn from our experiences – not always – but when we, are I like to point it out.
Before we left the coast of the US heading for the Bahamas, we had a full enclosure made.
Now we always sail dry.
Thanks for reading . . .
Related articles
- The Start Of My Sailing Life (kristinastanley.net)
Creative Story Editors 
Is that a 1st-year-dingy I spy trailing behind?
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You get a prize for being so observant. Remember how wet that baby was?
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Poor Matt! He looks so bedraggled in the photo. Cruising is much comfier under a tarp!
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Bedraggled – what a great word. You should use it in your novel. I’m going to find a place for it. How descriptive!
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🙂 I think so too. I’m pretty sure it’s in there, along with a quite a few of my other favorites!
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Six years sail full-time, and still no enclosure, but I guarantee I know what you speak. Many an ICW trip in the rain and misery. But… now we’re in the Caribbean and sun shade is more important and ventilation. So it really does matter where you sail. Now let’s talk hard Biminis….
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Nancy, you’ve got that right. Even in the Bahamas it doesn’t rain much, but on the occasion when it does, I love my bimini. Alas, I can only dread of a hard top. Wouldn’t that be a luxury.
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