When Families Come Aboard

Getting Ready for Family

Preparing Hunky Dory for visiting family involves more than making beds and putting out towels. Before anyone arrives, we thoroughly clean inside and outside the entire boat, clear away tools and project materials, and make sure the guest areas have enough supplies and are ready to be used again.

That last part can require more work than it sounds like. Hunky Dory is continually undergoing some sort of restoration or maintenance, and a room that served as a guest stateroom during one visit may have become temporary project storage by the next.

I also check the systems that guests will depend upon. The showers need to drain properly, the toilets and sanitation systems need to operate reliably, the freshwater tank needs to be filled, and the air conditioning must be able to keep the boat comfortable.

When only one or two people are aboard, a small weakness in one of those systems may not be obvious or much of an issue. Add a family with children, and everything gets used more frequently. Something that hasn’t been used for a while is suddenly getting used a lot. That makes a family visit one of the best real-world tests of whether the boat is functioning properly..

Turning Staterooms into Guest Rooms

One of Hunky Dory’s advantages is that she has enough sleeping space for visiting family. People can spread out among the forward staterooms while still having the salon, galley, pilothouse, and exterior decks as shared living areas.

During one early family visit, some of our guests stayed aboard for several consecutive nights. We ate dinner near the marina, spent time together aboard the boat, and then took Hunky Dory to a local bay for an afternoon at anchor. Several of us went swimming before returning to the marina.

That visit demonstrated how easily the boat could change from our living space into a place where several generations of the family could spend time together. The additional people made the boat busier, but they also made it feel more complete.

A family visit also changes the character of the boat. The normally quiet staterooms have people moving in and out of them. Towels and swimsuits appear on railings and bathroom hooks. Shoes collect near the doors. The salon becomes a place for talking, eating, watching television, playing games or planning the next day.

For a few days, Hunky Dory feels less like a restoration project and more like a family home.

When the Boat’s Systems Work Overtime

Extra people place greater demands on nearly every onboard system.

After one early visit, I found that the middle shower box had overflowed after receiving much more use than normal (and not realizing that its pump needed to be cleaned). The pump and drain system had seemed adequate during everyday use, but multiple showers revealed that it needed additional attention, which I ended up needing to do while our guests were onboard. That experience changed how I prepared for later visits. I began checking the shower boxes before family arrived and inspecting the bilges afterward.

The sanitation systems also work harder. With family aboard, the toilets are flushed more often, treatment tablets are consumed more quickly, and the batteries supplying the systems need closer attention, especially immediately before the family arrives.

None of these tasks are the memorable part of a family visit, but they are what allow the memorable parts to happen. A working shower, reliable toilet, cool stateroom, and full freshwater tank are easy to take for granted—until one of them stops working with a boat full of people.

Finding Something for Everyone

Fortunately, entertaining family aboard Hunky Dory does not require an elaborate schedule. A short trip to a nearby cove can provide plenty to do.

Over the years, our family outings have taken us to local bays for anchoring for the day and overnight stays. Some days were spent swimming from the boat. On some outings, we unroll and launch a large floating mat that we tie to the stern of the boat, which gives adults and children a place to sit, play, and climb out of the water without immediately returning to the boat. Like many simple additions, it became more useful once we saw how much everyone enjoyed it.

A First Fish at the Dock

Not every memorable event requires taking Hunky Dory away from the marina.

During one family visit, a neighboring boater showed one of the children how to fish from the dock. Before long, the child caught his first fish.

It was a simple event that probably required less preparation than anything else we did during the visit, but it became one of the most memorable. It also reflected something we have experienced repeatedly at marinas: neighboring boaters often become part of the experience, offering advice, lending a hand, or taking time to show a child how to do something new.

The boat brought everyone to the marina, but the people around us helped turn the visit into a lasting memory.

Celebrating Aboard Hunky Dory

Several family visits have included outings around the Fourth of July. On one of those days, we took Hunky Dory to a local bay and anchored for most of the afternoon and evening.

The boat gave us our own place to gather away from crowded shorelines. We could prepare food in the galley, sit outside, swim, listen to our own music, and return to the air-conditioned interior when the weather became too warm.

On other visits, we explored nearby coves, used the dinghy, or simply remained at the marina and ate at one of the local restaurants. The activities changed from year to year, but Hunky Dory remained the center of the visit.

A Different Kind of Boat Preparation

Having children aboard changes the way I look at the boat. Railings, ladders, exterior doors, open hatches, machinery spaces, and tools deserve more attention when younger family members are present.

Before starting the engines or moving the boat, everyone needs to be accounted for and clear of the machinery spaces and exterior working areas. While anchored, someone still needs to monitor children in the water, changing weather, passing boats, and the boat’s position.

Projects also need to be paused or contained. Tools, chemicals, loose wiring, and open access panels that might be acceptable while I am working alone need to be secured before family arrives.

Preparing for visitors is therefore not just housekeeping. It is temporarily converting an actively restored boat into a safe and comfortable family space.

What We Have Learned

The first lesson is to test the systems that will receive the most use. Toilets, showers, air conditioning, refrigeration, freshwater, and electrical power become much more important with several people aboard.

The second is to keep the plans flexible. A day intended for swimming may include a thunderstorm. A dinghy motor may refuse to start. A generator or air conditioner may need attention. Having several possible activities keeps a minor problem from spoiling the visit.

The third is that the simplest moments often become the most memorable. Swimming beside the boat, relaxing on a floating mat, catching a first fish, eating together, or spending the night in a stateroom can mean more than a complicated itinerary.

Most importantly, I have learned that family visits help explain why we continue putting so much work into Hunky Dory. The repairs, cleaning, maintenance, and improvements are not only about preserving an old boat. They allow the boat to remain a place where our family can spend time together.