New Game Onboard SV Honey Ryder

Lots of portlights and hatches that open for breeze

We have a new game we play onboard sv Honey Ryder.  It’s called Open-Shut Open-Shut.  It’s not unlike a game we used to play with our old cat Reba back in KC.  That game was called In-Out.  She LOVED to play In Out.  It was a simple game – She would meow “Let me out” and we would.  She would then meow “Let me in” and we would.  Then she would meow “Let me out” and we would and so on and so forth.  Extra points were given for how fast she could get us to let her in and out.  This is not unlike a game played by babies called Drop IT And Have The Adults Pick Up.  I am told babies love to play this to ad nauseam.  

Our Open-Shut game is simple like the above two games.  We open hatches and portlights to let the breeze in, only to close them again when a squall comes through.  This happens at least once a day and sometime couple of times a day, often at night.  Extra points are given if it’s in the middle of the night and you close them all in time to keep major rain from getting in and without turning on the lights.  Points are subtracted if you fumble around and can’t even find the tabs to open the screens to get to the latches to close the hatch and thus letting rain pour in all the while.  However, sympathy points are awarded if said screen hits you in the head or lands on your foot….sorry Special K – I hope your foot has healed from that injury.  Double points are subtracted if one person is off kayaking and the other person is off snorkeling and a squall moves in with the hatches open.  D-oh!   

All joking aside, we are very glad we have so many hatches/portlights that open.  We have not been hot since we arrived in the Caribbean.  Until we started playing this game, I never realized how few opening hatches some boats have.  Calibers on the other hand, have a bunch – 12 portlights and 7 overhead hatches!