The benefits of sleeping in the boat

Allan Earl in his book   Dinghy Cruising says "The first question to be settled when deciding on the camping gear required is whether it is intended to sleep in the boat or in a tent on shore." He goes on to say that while the latter may be more comfortable it is also more inconvenient because you have to find a suitable place to camp each night. That means finding a beach or a safe anchorage with easy access to the shore and as Allan says '..it is surprising how few places fulfil these requirements. Generally either the locality is exposed, mud prevents easy disembarkation, or the state of the tide is wrong!'

​Allan  also notes the amount of time lost pitching and striking camp and concludes: '...for a serious cruise round the coast by one or two people it is preferable to sleep in the boat; since the ease with which one can bring up, perhaps just for a tide, and get under way again, enables far greater distances to be covered in a given time.'

Starcatcher at Abermenai © John Hughes

John Hughes prepares dinner on Starcatcher

John Glasspool in his book Open Boat Cruising  says '...however cramped, living aboard has convenience and privacy which you could not hope to achieve in a tent on shore, despite the apparent spaciousness of pleasant coastal countryside and riverside meadows. The hassle of getting ashore with camping gear after a long tiring sail ought to be deterrent enough.'

​He goes on to say ' If creature comforts, then, are the most important factor in open boat cruising, the tent cover is the most important factor in achieving them. Covers come in all types, made of all sorts of fabric; some are fitted with hoops, the ends of which are secured at the gunwales to give as much sitting room as possible, others are simply draped over the boom and secured at the gunwales.'

DCA member Cliff Martin has written some notes on making Simple Boat Tents which you can download here.

​Our President Roger Barnes has made the following videos:

Some DCA members sleep aboard even when near civilisation!

Here you have an example of one tent with hoops and one simply draped over the boom.

DCA member Steve Parke writes about Sorting what I carry and where I store it in his blog.  In another post he explains how to make a dinghy galley box.

​It is a good idea to make an equipment list when going cruising. Here is an example Kit List for a Cruising Mirror made by one of our South Coast members.  In the video below  he describes how he sets up his Mirror for an overnight stop.

Steve Parke's galley box

​Here are some links which may give you more ideas about tents and camping afloat:

UK Wayfarer's Association page about boat tents. They have some tents that UKWA members can hire. 

Cormorant as a Camping Dinghy

Drascombe Association cockpit tents