Here is some info about the mundane boat operations.

This info is not very exciting. So you may want to print it and read it on the airplane when your spirits are so high that nothing could bore you! The subjects include garbage separation and disposal, plumbing, toilet operation, sewage disposal, electrical use, hatch management, stowage, bow lounge and Man-Over-Board procedures. Unfortunately these subjects need attention because they are quite different on the yacht than your house. The only reason for discussing these subjects here is that it will save your precious vacation time later if you come prepared.

Garbage Management
Garbage is separated into two categories: solid organic waste and everything else including paper waste, plastic, and cans. The solid organic waste includes coffee grounds, food scraps, sink drain trappings, or anything else that the ocean can easily "eat". These are things that would normally be disposed of in a food disposal unit. The organic waste is kept in a disposal bucket with a sealed lid under the sink. We usually accumulate the organic waste in a small container on the counter top and then dump it into the holding bucket after clean-up for each meal. The crew will dispose of the organic waste when we are a safe distance off shore usually at the same time they dispose of the sewage holding tanks.

The remaining non-organic waste is accumulated in a kitchen garbage bag hanging under the galley sink above the organic waste bucket. During accumulation we make no attempt to further separate the plastic, cans and paper. Most of the islands we visit do not have recycling facilities yet. If or when they do the crew will further separate the recycle items at the point of disposal into the recycle bins.

Fresh Water
As discussed in Accommodations there are two separate fresh water tanks. One is for purified bottled water for drinking only. The only drinking water dispenser is the ice maker/cool water dispenser in the galley. The other tank is for general use potable water used for cooking, washing and showering. This water is made from a reverse osmosis water maker that produces fresh water from salt water. It is drinkable but it may not taste as good as the drinking water. There are dispensers at the galley sink, the swim platform and each of the 4 heads (small airline like bathrooms) two for the crew and two for guests. Except for the swim platform all of the other outlets have hot and cool water in the normal manor. In the heads the sink dispenser is multipurpose so it can be used as a hand held shower head as well as a fixed-in-place sink faucet.

Fresh water disposal is through the sink drains and the shower pumps. The sink drains are normal. The head shower water is accumulated under the head floor grate and must be pumped out using the pump push switch on the sink side edge. So if you notice water accumulating around your feet you will need to use the electric shower pump. Although hot water is usually available you should use it carefully. Sometimes it is very hot (after the engine has run) and sometimes it is not, so be careful of scalding risk when you adjust the temperature. You may want to reconsider, since the cool water is so refreshing and the hot water is so stifling in the small space of the heads. Make sure the hatch is open and watch for faintness if you shower with hot water. The fresh water disposal is called "grey water" and it is emptied directly into the surrounding salt water. So don't dispose of anything in the sinks that you would not want to swim with, especially coffee grounds and food waste in the galley sink. See solid organic waste above.

Toilet Use
Each head is equipped with a hand pumped salt water toilet. There is a switch lever that switches the pump inlet from outside salt water or to the toilet bowl pump out to the holding tank. In this way the same pump can be used to bring in salt water and also used to pump out the bowl. The waste is always pumped out of the bowl into the holding tank. The holding tank discharge has a valve to stop or allow the tank to discharge into the ocean. The valve must be closed when near shore or at anchor. The crew will take care of the discharge management. So your only task is the toilet itself. Here are some do's and don'ts for the toilet.

• Don't put anything but organic waste in the toilet bowel. No toilet paper or sanitary napkins. Inside your sink cabinet there is a plastic bag for used toilet paper and sanitary napkins. Our crew will collect these periodically when we plan a "garbage run". Not flushing toilet paper is a common practice for most of the world except the USA. So this will be the hardest habit to suspend during your visit. If you do not remember you can help me unplug the discharge pipe--its a fun reward.
• The hand pump has a lever to select "wet" to pump in salt water to the bowl or "dry" to pump out the waste from the bowl. Always leave the lever in the "dry" position when unattended. Otherwise salt water may leak in and fill your bathroom.
• Use the "wet" position to bring in a little salt water to cover the pump outlet. This will act as a trap to stop gasses from entering your room from the holding tank! This small amount of salt water is more than enough for liquid waste. Don't use too much salt water because it will fill the holding tank prematurely.
• Use the "dry" position when unattended or when pumping out waste into the holding tank. Be sure and close the bowl lid while pumping in case there is "blow back" . Before solid waste, pump in a little extra salt water into the bowl to minimize the need to clean the bowl afterward. If pumping out is not successful the first time, add more salt water and try again.

Here are use scenarios for each case. In both cases I assume that the pump select lever is already in the "dry" position and there is a small amount of salt water in the bowl.

Liquid waste:
Deposit the liquid waste, turn the selector to "dry", and pump out the entire bowl. Turn the selector back to "wet" and pump in enough salt water to just cover the bowl pump outlet opening. Turn the pump lever to "dry" and leave it there.

Solid Waste:
Turn the selector to "wet", pump in extra salt water until the bowl has enough water to cover the waste. Deposit the solid waste. Turn the lever to "dry", close the bowl lid, and pump the bowl dry. Open the lid, turn the lever to "wet" and pump in the same extra water again. Turn the lever to "dry" and pump out the excess water until there is just enough water to cover to bowl outlet. This will flush out the holding tank inlet hose to avoid odors. Leave the pump lever at "dry".

Electricity
The electrical system is derived from 12 VDC batteries. The batteries are charged from several sources, a wind generator, many solar cells and the alternator on the main diesel engine. If the wind and sun are good and the consumption is low we do not need the engine at all. Usually the engine is used anyway to get underway or anchor and this is enough engine time to keep the batteries charged. If not the engine will be run at a fast idle to charge usually in the evening if necessary.

Most of the equipment onboard runs directly off the batteries. However some items require 115 VAC including the ice maker/cool water dispenser, the coffee pot, the microwave oven and onboard PC computer. So these items are powered from a 12VDC to 115 VAC inverter rated for 3000 watts. Usually the inverter and the AC power are turned off from about 10:00 PM untill about 6:00 AM. So clocks and such will not keep time through the night. There is one AC outlet in each toilet/head . But not all the AC appliances can run at the same time. So hair driers, curling irons and other high wattage equipment must not be used at the same time as the microwave oven or other such devices. Let the crew and others know if you want to use these high wattage devices so that they can inhibt the microwave oven temporarly during your usage. The PC stays powered all the time. We have text only yacht-mail onboard usually once a day and you are free to limited use while onboard. We have a CD stereo so bring your own mood music so you feel at home. There is limited 115 VAC available to charge your radios, cell phones or your own PC. Each berth and head have lights. Before dark make sure you can locate the light switches for both so if you need to get up at night you can turn on a light from the bed and then make your way to the head. There is a fan for each berth. Usually the hatches provide a good breeze and you will not need the fan. But it is available if you prefer. Be sure to turn the fan off when you are not in the berth.

Hatches
The hatches are also important. When you first reconnoiter your berth, find each hatch and open and close it so you understand how it works and you could open or close it in the dark if necessary. Make sure you know how to lock it in place not just close it. In general there is one small side hatch in the head and two hatches in each berth, one large over head hatch that could be used as an emergency escape if necessary and a smaller side hatch. If you open the large top hatch at a 45 degree angle it will act as an "air scoop" to bring in a nice breeze. In the early morning this might be a bit too much, so you will want to know how to close it down in the middle of the night. If it starts raining, get the hatches closed quickly or you will get soaked. Be sure to include the one in the head. Otherwise you can open your hatches as you wish except when we are underway then they must be closed and locked for safety.

Stowage
There are two main storage areas in the aft cockpit area. They are accessed by lifting up the aft cockpit seating to expose the stowage compartments, one on the port side and one on the starboard side. Most of the toys including snorkeling equipment are stowed here in these two compartments. The life jackets are stowed here as well and two 6 man life rafts are located in pullout drawers immediately aft of the compartments. It is likely you will at some point need to access one or both of these storage compartments or ask the crew to help. We affectionately refer to either of these French designed, fold-up seating doors as the "Guillotines" for good reason. If they fell while you were rummaging through the compartment, it could be harmful. Each of the fold-up doors has a safety cord that attaches to an eye hook to keep the door open. Because of the danger here are some simple rules to keep the situation safe:

• Always attach the safety cord and hook before trying to get something out.
• Do not try to hold the door up while reaching into the compartment.
• Do not have someone else manually hold open the door while you reach in as a substitute to the safety hook.
• Even with the safety hook attached, if possible have someone else stand-by to assist you in case the safety hook broke.
• Do not try to open these compartments while we are underway unless it is an emergency. Ask the crew for help.
  

Bow Sun Lounge
There is sun lounge designed into the bow deck that can hold about four adults. There are back rest cushions stowed in the bow sail compartment that attach with Velcro. This sun lounge is primarily for use when we are anchored. You can access it from either side of the aft cockpit. Hold on to the hardtop hand rails. Between the hardtop and the bow lounge there is nothing to hold on to so be careful. There are solar cells on the hard top and on the bow deck so avoid stepping on them unless it is necessary. Instead, follow the open path from the cockpit to the bow along the path by the life lines on either side.

Generally speaking, I do not allow anyone but crew members to be out of the cockpit (on deck) while we are underway. If it is an emergency, make sure someone else knows your are out of the cockpit so they can watch and report you as man-over-board if necessary. There are exceptions during the day in mild conditions so just ask the Skipper if it is safe first if you want to ride awhile in the sun lounge or sit on the high side by the hardtop.

Man-Over-Board
One of the first things sailors learn is the man-over-board (MOB)  procedure. Most sailing deaths occur because of unsuccessful man-over-board recoveries. If you are a sailor you will be familiar with the procedures. Non-sailor guests can help by familiarizing themselves with the first two steps of the procedure. So if you see someone fall off the boat into the water, here is what you must do immediately:

• Do not jump in after them unless they are certain to drown. If they were certain to drown they should have a life vest on in which case they are not certain to drown. See Is Swimming Required So follow the directions below.
• Immediately shout "man-over-board" as loud as you can. Use those exact words. Don't be creative and shout "Help! Jimmy fell off the boat". The crew may not speak fluent English and may not recognize a wide varity of lingo. But everyone is trained to respond to Man-Over-Board as an emergency. So shout and re-shout the exact words, "man-over-board" . Continue to shout as you proceed immediately to the stern starboard transom. The purpose of this shouting is to get the crew on deck to help quickly.
• The combo life ring/beacon is located here. It is orange-red in color and it looks like a hourseshoe shaped flotation ring with an emergengy beacon attached. Lift up and remove the life ring from the holder and detach the hook from the strap that holds it in place. The beacon is attached to the ring so you must only remove it from its holder. Throw the combo together like a big Frisbee in the direction of the man overboard. The first day you come aboard, familarize yourself and your family with this combo so you are ready to use them in an emergency or ask the crew for instructions.  
• If the crew has not responded to your calls--go get them.

If you are the one who fell in:

• Immediately shout "man-over-board" as loud as you can. Keep shouting untill someone throws the life ring/beacon combo.
• Swim quickly to the orange-red floatation ring/beacon and place the ring  around you under your arms. Swim quickly because they might float away.  
• Now conserve your strength and let the rescue come to you. Don't swim after the boat. If they loose sight of you, wave the beacon to get attention. If it is night the beacon light will guide them to you.

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