Throughout our 3 years living full time on our sailboat, we’ve adjusted well to living in a small space.  We learned fairly quickly that the tiniest of tweaks or most minor of modifications can make the world of difference when living a minimal lifestyle on the water.

If you follow our adventures over on YouTube, then you may be aware that we spent last Winter onboard refitting much of the interior of our boat.

Along with a full refit of our forward cabin, we completed a mini refit of our galley.  Nothing too extensive or expensive, but as the title of this blog alludes to, has made a big impact in our day to day.

Sink

Most sailboats come with a double sink. Before water makers, preserving fresh water was much more important especially during longer passages or when living aboard. We don’t have one onboard, but salt water pumps would be used to say, fill one basin to wash dishes and then the other basin for a freshwater rinse.  Our double sink was particularly annoying because water would drip over the divider and seep into the wooden fiddles causing water damage over time. Not to mention the constant wiping of the counter space surrounding the sink. 

We finally came across a sink with the right measurements to fit our space. It’s gigantic and has a built in soap dispenser.  Gone are the days of water getting everywhere, pans not fitting in the sink when washing and a soap dispenser flying around while underway.

We’d have to say this was the best upgrade we made in our galley.

Backsplash

We purchased some peel and stick tiles online and it has really brightened up our entire space The winter was grey and gloomy in Northern Ireland so we definitely noticed the lift that it gave our galley.

Trash Can

We had our trash can located under the stairs and whenever we’d sail, we’d tie it off using a bungee cord. I can’t say that this was the most effective means of avoiding trash from getting everywhere, because we certainly completed sails with a mess below deck when that cord came loose.  We repurposed some unused pieces of wood from our forward cabin refit and created an enclosed box for our trash can.  You can barely tell that it’s there as it blends into the wood behind the stairs.  The panel on the right side is removable (secured with extra strong magnets) and our trash can slides in and out.  Gone are the days of trash all over the floor, post-passage!

Sliding Doors

With spare plexiglass we had onboard, we created sliding doors in the storage space below our microwave.  We personally don’t like seeing all the food containers and jars under there and it gives the galley a cleaner look. When you live in a small space, it can start to look cluttered pretty easily, so we prefer to keep things hidden away from plain sight.

Propane Switch

We changed and relocated the original propane switch. Simple, bright and modern in comparison to the big clunky plaque that was there before. Once the original switch was removed, we were able to raise the paper towel holder up several inches which provided us more space for the dishes we dry beneath it, and to reach for items located behind it.

There’s always something to muck with on a boat and the longer we live onboard our Jibsea, the more we do to really make her ours. To follow our journey closer, head over to YouTube and see what we’re up to week by week!

Steph

Sailing Jibsea

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