Overflow from our readers’ postbag which we didn’t have room to publish in the magazine
Chart table debate
Chart table debate
It’s our first season in our Hallberg Rassy 310 and the omission of a chart table is definitely an advantage as the main cabin is a treat and there is loads of space down below for a 31 footer!
I have to admit that being a good sailor’s wife I have done the deed and passed the Day Skipper theory and am full of boring enthusiasm of doing everything on the paper chart rather than using electronic junk (your reader’s words, not mine!).
Only last weekend after an excellent meal at the Jolly Sailor, we returned to our boat and sat down side by side (ah!) at the inviting large main cabin table to plan the next day’s navigation. There was more than enough room to spread out, plot our courses, make listings in our good little red book of high and low waters at all visiting ports and notes on tidal streams for the day (no need to scramble around in that nuisance of a chart table draw for the almanac or the tidal stream atlas).
The following morning our crew arrived and we set off.
Peter has made a Perspex chart holder which neatly fits onto the sturdy sliding roof of the companionway (with still ample room for people to get down to the cabin safely) displaying our hand ruled navigation. Any changes made along route due to changes of winds, course or leeway were made with a Chinograph pencil. It is excellent, because in my humble opinion, there is nothing worse than going “down below” when the wind is stronger than forecasted and changes have to be made. Everything can be done in the cockpit under the protection from the elements of the Hallberg Rassy windscreen with enough room for a custom made instrument holder and even a coffee mug – in fact neither ourselves nor our friendly crew lost an eyeball from the dividers!
It might be a bit stretchy to think outside the box if you are salty seadog or any other kind of seadog but I can strongly recommend the Hallberg Rassy 310 as a masterpiece of a boat – she handles beautifully, is a definite cruiser, is thoughtfully designed and… no, we don’t miss the chart table one bit!
Zelda Blackadder