Five best things about cruising, by Liss

1. You can wear any old thing. Or nothing at all. Those of you who know me well know that a report card about my general appearance might say, Could do better, needs to apply herself. On Pandion we encourage people to recycle their clothing several times and apply the Sniffer Test before putting them in the clothes bag, so for a few days (I'm being deliberately vague here) I don't even have to think about what to put on in the morning, I just put on the same stuff I wore the day before.
2. These awesome pegs. I would like to pay tribute to my Father-in-law (Henry the Lettuce Farmer) for the gift of these unblow-offable pegs. When one was dropped overboard we rescued it with all the urgency and intent of a Man Overboard.

3. The general deprivation. In the same way that squatting beside a smoky campfire stirring a pot of stew in the rain makes the food taste better, having a hot shower after a few days of birdy baths is utterly, utterly divine.
4. There are moments that always happen when I'm alone and without a camera in my hand that make me grateful to be alive. Leaving Rooney Point under the full moon I glanced out to sea and saw what looked like a phantom sailboat about half a kilometre away, steaming with no light. It turned out to be a pair of whales breaching in phosphorescent water, throwing up great sails of greenish light.
5. I love how much we're all using our bodies and how tired we are at the end of the day. When we were living on land and sleeping on a queen size inner spring mattress, Miles and I had deep misgivings about the bed in the aft cabin. It came (new!) with the boat 30 years ago, it's thin, narrow, and covers all manner of flattish items that don't fit anywhere else on board, like mozzie screens. Last night I was so knackered I could have happily slept on a crate of pineapples, so snuggling up in my little nook was like Sleepy-bye-bye Heaven.

* 5 best things about cruising are subject to change at any time.