Go Back   Cruiser Log World Cruising & Sailing Forums > Cruising Forums > Living Aboard
Cruiser Wiki Click Here to Login

Join Cruiser Log Today

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-03-2009, 04:15 PM   #1
Moderator
 
redbopeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Home Port: Washington DC
Vessel Name: SV Mahdee
Posts: 3,236
Default

At our house, I had a huge flower garden and always enjoyed fresh flowers in vases all around the house. This is something I've really missed.

David and I frequently attend wooden boat festivals and always enjoyed the small vase of flowers that people would place onboard--sometimes in a macramé hanger from the main boom, sometimes in front of the mast on the cabintop, etc.

So, though I've considered getting fresh flowers for the boat, I haven't done so until recently. A friend stopped by with a fresh bouquet of Gerber daisies. Oh, how wonderful they look in a vase made of a plastic Simply Orange juice jar! They sat prettily on top of the large steering housing at the back of the cockpit. And, they lasted for more than a week!

So, happy me, I've now started buying bouquets at the grocery if I can find one with a good supply of Gerber daisies in it. They make the boat look cheerful and homey.
__________________

__________________
"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

What we're doing - The sailing life aboard and the Schooner Chandlery.

redbopeep is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2009, 05:05 PM   #2
Rear Admiral
 
Aquaria's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Home Port: Hamburg
Vessel Name: Aquaria
Posts: 281
Default

... almost 4 months since redbopeep brought up this nice topic, and no responce.

Does it has to do with tradition or superstition? No flowers on board! *Do not sail on Friday! Do not whistle on the boat!

Maybe here in Northern Europe it is a matter of size of ship - most yachts do not have a permanent cockpit table and as most times yachts are tied up bow to the pontoon, nobody will notice the flowers in the cockpit.

This is different in the Mediterranean! Yachts are tied up stern to, so the outside world will be able to see what is on the table. Maybe it is a matter of representation. The bigger the yacht, the bigger the flower bouquet.*

Or could it be that most of us sailors have a yacht because they don't want to have a garden?

Uwe

SY Aquaria

No garden, but a yacht and a vase of wild flowers on the cockpit table once a year... on my wife's birthday!



__________________

__________________
If you have the time, you alwas have the right winds.

More on my Centurion 32:
https://www.cabinetdeparodontologie.n...ria/index.html
I've Contributed to the Cruisers Wiki: Germany, Background, Cruising/Sailing the German Bight
Aquaria is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-24-2009, 05:25 AM   #3
Ensign
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 1
Default

Simple red roses in a cut down plastic bottle.

Worth it every time.

-Sven
__________________
Sven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-24-2009, 12:50 PM   #4
Admiral
 
atavist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Vessel Name: Persevate
Posts: 548
Send a message via Yahoo to atavist
Default

I'm not so much into flowers but am definitely a big fan of greenery.... as I get further south I'm considering doing the hanging tomato planters thing... put them out on the shrouds at anchor (which is most of my time) and take them below for the occasional passage.... I once met a couple who had climbing beans inside their boat from little planters... the bean vines climbed their way up to surround the portholes to get light... I don't think they got many beans but they liked the greenery in the boat... ... I think Schooner Anne, from the 1000 days at sea blog, also had/has some kind of climbing vines inside which they liked having around....

... and then of course there is the labor free way of having greenery on the boat.... stop cleaning soon enough you'll have LOTS of greenery... both at the waterline and inside the boat.
__________________
“The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.” (Epictetus 55 - 135 AD)

"To see new things, and live day to day, is better than wine or poppy, and fitter for a man." (Theseus)
atavist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-24-2009, 03:27 PM   #5
Rear Admiral
 
Aquaria's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Home Port: Hamburg
Vessel Name: Aquaria
Posts: 281
Default

Having permanent green plants on board is a different thing when doing long distance cruising, i.e. bringing your local plants across the seas and oceans to other continents or countries.

In most countries Customs, Immigrations or other agencies in charge for the fresh green perform a rather strict law about the import of fresh fruit, vegetables and plants. Most times the authorities are not amused when you carry these on board and you come from far away regions.*

Reactions were: leave it on the boat and make sure that it does not get ashore (as waste); Declare all fresh green (including plants) and hand it out as we will destroy it; Don't even think of having any fresh green on board when entering national waters!

Friends of us carried an Aloe Vera (Medical Aloe) on board on their way around the world. Most times it was no problem to have this living plant on board, but there were some occasions that the authorities insisted that it had to be disposed of properly. Well, they were able to keep it after they convinced the authorities that this special plant should rather be seen as a medicine.*

*Other reasons that makes it not easy to keep plants on board are the harsh environmental conditions they have to live in. Just imagine the temperature changes in the cabin, as most boats do not necessarily have air condition on board. They use water. They bring additional moisture due to evaporation into the boat, a thing we do not really want to have in higher latitudes.

Considering all that a cactus is the type of plant that fits best, but it needs to be safely tied down to its place in case of hard weather .* *And who wants to have a cactus on board! So, it is easier to have a vase (or tea pot or a cut off plastic bottle) with flowers once in a while. *

Uwe

SY Aquaria
__________________
If you have the time, you alwas have the right winds.

More on my Centurion 32:
https://www.cabinetdeparodontologie.n...ria/index.html
I've Contributed to the Cruisers Wiki: Germany, Background, Cruising/Sailing the German Bight
Aquaria is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2009, 03:40 AM   #6
Moderator
 
redbopeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Home Port: Washington DC
Vessel Name: SV Mahdee
Posts: 3,236
Default

ah...those flowers

Since I made the post, I've had fresh flowers in my lowly Simply Orange container most of the time. I ended up putting a bunch of lead fishing weights in the bottom of the container to keep the flowers from being blown over and the water from spilling out. So far I've found the flowers that last best in the sun and wind are the Gerber Daisies or something called Poms which look a lot like a daisy-ish Mum. Some lilies do very well, too.

Our bouquet even made it safely through our wild-ride a few weeks ago when everything not tied down below was going flying--I had jammed the bottle between a mooring cleat and the cockpit combing on the aft deck and it just stayed there, upright and all through all the wind and waves. Quite amazing.

It seems to be the women who enjoy the flowers--when in an anchorage we have many people dingy by the boat or when we're at a dock folks walking by...and it's always the women who say "pretty flowers!" ...and the guys say "nice boat"
__________________
"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

What we're doing - The sailing life aboard and the Schooner Chandlery.

redbopeep is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-28-2009, 12:49 PM   #7
Commander
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 127
Send a message via MSN to Qldcruiser
Default

Ah Brenda, my lady is cut from the same fine cloth as yourself. We have a permanent mounted vase for Annette's flowers and a large fruit bowl full of chocolates permanently fitted to the saloon table full of chocolates. And when in a marina or tied to a jetty she got me to adapt a broken winch handle to a vase so the cockpit flowers are mounted on our two 53's. I was informed when buying that I may like roughing but if I wanted her to play it was 5 star all the way.... and so it is (beside quietly, i like having a supply of chocolates on board).

We also I might add, some very beautiful fake flowers for longer trips to make things more homely.

Cheers

Robert & Annette

S/V Blue Lady
__________________
Qldcruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2010, 07:19 PM   #8
Ensign
 
Auspicious's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 37
Default

I regularly have fresh cut flowers on board when at anchor.

The "permanent" plant is an orchid that seems to have taken well to being at sea.
__________________

__________________
sail fast, dave

S/V Auspicious
Auspicious is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cockpit Shower Trim50 Living Aboard 6 03-21-2012 12:40 PM
Teak Folding Cockpit Table Trim50 The Poop Deck 12 03-14-2009 08:08 AM
35' Coronado Center Cockpit EightyEight General Cruising Forum 0 12-15-2006 03:14 AM

Our Communities

Our communities encompass many different hobbies and interests, but each one is built on friendly, intelligent membership.

» More about our Communities

Automotive Communities

Our Automotive communities encompass many different makes and models. From U.S. domestics to European Saloons.

» More about our Automotive Communities

RV & Travel Trailer Communities

Our RV & Travel Trailer sites encompasses virtually all types of Recreational Vehicles, from brand-specific to general RV communities.

» More about our RV Communities

Marine Communities

Our Marine websites focus on Cruising and Sailing Vessels, including forums and the largest cruising Wiki project on the web today.

» More about our Marine Communities


All times are GMT. The time now is 07:28 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
×