Life aboard Time2
Lynn & Mike ..around the world
Mike Drinkrow & Lynn v/d Hoven
Tue 12 Feb 2013 23:14
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Living on
Time2
While we were home, a few friends
commented on the fact that there were few photos and information about the
actual boat on the blog, and what it is like living aboard - so here
goes..
Its like living in a small luxury
apartment with a fantastic view that changes all the time!
Its like living on your own island,
where you make your own power; water and can be 100% self-sufficient for over
3000nm
or if you want more detail, it goes like
this.....
We have a lounge (Salon ..or is it
saloon?) with leather reclining chairs, a dining table with bench seating
and a large TV/ DVD with surround sound system to relax and watch movies.
The salon has large windows with wooden venetian blinds, that are
essential for privacy in marinas. The woodwork is beautiful in teak
and we have carpeting throughout.
The galley is open plan with marble tops
and and everything you need to serve up a fabulous meal (except the gourmet
chef perhaps?!) We have an electric oven, gas hob with
extractor, microwave convection oven and a full size fridge/ freezer
(with ice-maker). There is a door off the galley, making it
very easy to feed the fish with leftovers! In fact the boat has 6
doors! Back, Galley, Starboard, one on either side of the wheelhouse and
one going up to the flying bridge. Each are heavy metal sliding "sea proof"
doors.
  I took these pics just before
we went home, when everything was neatly packed away - usually you would see a
bit more sign of life!
From the salon/ galley, you go
up five steps to the wheel-house, which is where we spend most of our time
when we are under way. There are two "driving" chairs and a bench/ table
behind for extra seating, and a big bookcase. The wheelhouse has a
perfect view out and a door on each side for easy access to the front and
side decks.
As far as electronics go, we have a
lot: For navigation we have Radar; GPS; AIS; Chartplotter and the
usual depth; wind speed; water temperature indicators. For communication we have
a VHF and SSB radio as well as a Satellite phone that is attached to a laptop
for emails. (In many cases we have duplicate or back-up systems) For power we
have the main engine(Lugger 340Hp) and a smaller standby engine
(80Hp) ; a bow and stern thruster- as well as two generators.
All the controls/ monitors for the engines and electronics are here too - looks
like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise!
  The Wheelhouse:
Looking
forward
Mike catching up on email
From the wheehouse there is staircase
that takes you up to the flying bridge, where there is more seating and another
full steering station. Mike loves it up here, but it can be a bit windy and very
wet in the rain. Behind this area is a deck where we store our kayaks and
two dinghys... (his and hers - her's is a big one with steering wheel, comfy
seating, shower and 40hp engine... and his, a small one with 15Hp pull
start!)
  My sport's
car Port
side of the boat .. the black blobs in the front are fenders
From the wheelhouse there is another
staircase taking you down to the cabins. Our main cabin is very comfortable with
a queen size full walk-around bed. We each have bedside tables and hanging
closets which are a luxury after the catamaran. We have an en-suite
bathroom with a marble top and a large shower. For guests, we have a
forward cabin with a double bed and another with two bunks - these share a
bathroom.
  Comfy cabins
Fresh Water .. this requires a special
mention, as it is a very precious commodity when you are surrounded by
seawater. We have a desalinator/ reverse osmosis watermaker that can
make 135l per hour, which is very little when you think of normal household
consumption, but very generous for a yacht. Not only do we need water
for for all the usual showering, washing & cooking, but Time2 also has fresh
water toilets. And talking of toilets ...for all you land-lubbers ... the
toilets operate with a pedal to flush and a vacuum system to get rid of the
waste. This goes into a holding tank which can be sucked out into the sewerage
system at a marina, or if in the deep, can be pumped into the ocean. Water
from the shower/ sink (grey water) goes directly into the ocean, so we always
use bio-degradable cleaning materials.
For cruising comfort - Time2 has a
sophisticated hydraulic stabilization system with large "fins" out of the side
on the hull. These move automatically to reduce rolling - and they
work fantastically. We also have 4 air-conditioning systems which keep
things cool - bearing in mind that they need power, so we generally don’t
use them on anchor. Like water, power is a precious resource and we use it
conservatively - however, this is nowhere near as tough as some sailboats,
as we have always have engines on when we are under way and our inverters are
always on (For landlubbers - an inverter turns power from an engine into the
stuff that comes out the plug points)
  Underneath ..the bulbous bow and
the stabiliser fin (on the
right) Spacious
Engine room
There are a few other fabulous features on
this boat - there is a washing machine and tumble-dryer; a piped vacuum
cleaning system; a compressor to fill dive tanks; a work bench with tool
drawers in the engine room (where you can stand up and walk around) and
an Insinkerator (that gobbles up any bits of waste in the sink like a
fierce monster). This is a common item in every American home, but still a novel
toy for me.
Living on a boat does have some challenges
- for me, the biggest one I think, is not having a car. Buying spare parts or
groceries often means a drive by dinghy to shore and then a bus or taxi drive to
the store, if you can find it. We are often in remote places
where you can seldom find exactly what you want. But we have learnt to
compromise, eat what we find and make do. It’s a cheap price to pay for an
amazing lifestyle. Mike is also super brilliant at making
things work, so when he is not fishing, he is fixing. A great new
addition to our lives are the bicycles we got in Ensenada, and for now,
while on a marina, they are great for getting around.
And I guess that gives you more of an
overview of life on Time2 .... a wonderful way to see the
world!
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