Barry Michel of Benicia, CA asks:

How difficult was it to move about the boat during the bad weather on 3/25. Were you always aware of the next handhold or am I way off base here?

Jim Leishman responds:

On March 25th we had winds which touched 60 knots however the seas were not real big. We left the anchorage on Kasos Island and ran east seaking shelter from the westerly winds. The seas were probably only eight feet high and we were running down swell and with the Paravanes in the water and the Naiad stabilizers on, the motion was not bad at all.

During rougher weather - the day before for instance - we discussed the need for caution in moving around the boat. Nearing the end of the trip, the last thing we needed was a broken finger or wrist which is a typical injury aboard a ship. People cross an open area and are accelerated by the movement of the boat and go crashing into cabinetry or a bulkhead and get injured.

On a Nordhavn, every shelf and countertop has a deep fiddle which acts as a hand hold while moving about. There is a hand rail on the roof of the saloon and stainless steel handrails on stairways around the cockpit - anywhere where we felt they would be beneficial. This, combined with quarters that are not huge, eliminates the need to take a run across a room where control can be lost. You hang on, keep low and keep your timing in sync with the motion of the boat. It's pretty easy.

Interestingly, I am suffering from a sore knee which was somehow injured during the rough weather of the final week. I first noticed it as just a tight and sore knee and have no recollection of a specific injury event. I suspect that the twisting around up and down the companionways may have pulled something. Maybe I'm just getting old!

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