A family home on the sea
We purchased Tantara in 1996, and have kept it in the family ever since. We have lived aboard with our 3 young children, who were home-schooled on board while we sailed around the world.
HOME
SCHOOLING
We visited the Sydney Distance Education Primary School prior to leaving and enrolled our eldest child for grade one. She was already in formal education on the northern beaches so I had some idea of what was expected. In 2003 it was a very different technical platform - no internet or email. Lessons were recorded on cassettes which were mailed to us along with all the equipment for the lessons. We had art material sent and did most of the messy art stuff on shore (as glitter had a way of going everywhere!).
My eldest daughter completed her lessons using the cassettes and recorded her responses using the tape recorder. Although my middle daughter was only 4 at the time it was easier to homeschool the girls together, so she also used to send in her work to the teacher. My youngest was only 2yrs old so he was often taken out fishing during lesson times (and he rarely objected).
School invariably occurred over the morning - afternoons were left free for either art or science experiments that could be incorporated into a more free form approach to what ever was happening on the day. Sometimes we were ashore but generally it might be anything from a snorkelling trip to a hike or an afternoon sail. School work was usually down below decks but we were flexible and it was sometimes done in on the beach sitting in a cafe ashore or up on deck while we were sailing.
My eldest daughter hard at work!
SNorkelling
The kids fell in love with the ocean – spending most days hopping in and out of the sea while the sun was up! A real highlight was when we sailed the Great Barrier Reef. We absolutely loved Lady Musgrave and enjoyed a week hanging out in the lagoon snorkelling. We even had a visit from Australian customs who spotted us first from a plane and then later came to check us out by boat. They were super friendly and seemed busy keeping the Aussie coastline safe!
Shore life
As a rule, we went ashore as much as we could. Often it was a deserted beach just enough to run out some of the fidgeting from the kids. We would take the dinghy ashore and have sundowners on a beach. If we were in civilisation we would do a huge shop and stocked up on food, boat parts and usually get ice cream as a treat. While we had a freezer on board we tended to keep the space for more essential food items.
Food
Shopping for food was a big part of my job on board — I was definitely a list maker. We had oodles of cupboard space for staples and so we ate very well on board. We bought with us a coffee machine and I frequently baked cakes- cafe Tantara has some of the best views and we would pinch ourselves as to how lucky we were as we sipped our frothy lattes and munched on banana bread overlooking some gorgeous bay we had all to ourselves.
After stocking up on shore we could be out for at least a month before we felt the need to go back into civilisation again and stock up. Generally we would be running low of fruit and vegetables - so to make sure we didn’t get scurvy I insisted we head into a nearby town to restock and a night off cooking for me!!
We were definitely self sufficient on board. There is an excellent gimballed stove in the galley which runs on gas. When we were healed over and sailing I wasn’t super keen to be down in the galley cooking up a storm for hours on end but I was able to get something together that was warm and satisfying. I often had planned ahead and so had something on hand that only needed reheating in the microwave.
There is plenty of storage space in the galley with two large cupboards for pantry stuff. There is also a large top loading locker . There are several cupboards behind the counter top. In one cupboard we have all the dishes and cups needed for 6 people. We have used a plain white Corelle dinner set that is particularly good to storage. The washing machine is accessible in the galley under the companion way stairs. There is also a set of drawers in front of the washing machine where we store tools and parts.
We have a really large top loading fridge and freezer in the galley. We had baskets made for the fridge to make it user friendly. They made such a big difference as I would keep the things we used every day in the top basket keeping the time looking for things in the fridge to a minimum. The top loader is a really effective way to keep the cool inside the fridge but I needed a small step to be able to get to the bottom as I am pretty short. We had plenty of space to store meat in the freezer but we were pretty successful fishermen and most times we set out to have fish for dinner there was plenty to go around. There is also an ice maker in the saloon which is pure luxury - it’s very quick at making ice so that there is plenty for your gin and tonic at sundowners.
Washing
I won’t pretend I did it tough living on board – I had some of the luxuries that made life on board very comfortable like the coffee machine. Another luxury we had was a washing machine. You do require the generator to be on to run the washing machine but the load is pretty quick. It is a top loading machine and fits very conveniently under the stairs - it’s quiet and doesn’t use a lot of water. The spin cycle is really effective and the clothes dry very quickly. We had a folding clothes rack that worked perfectly for drying a load of laundry. Hidden under the awning by the mast we could also dry the laundry more privately while in a marina.
Cabin living
HEADS
We have 3 loos on board! We have two forward heads on each side of the boat which are both manual. The master cabin also has an electric loo. There are 2 showers below deck - one shower on the starboard side and one in the master cabin. We also have a fresh water shower (hand held with a hose attachment) on deck up by the anchor at the bow. Honestly when we are on board we mostly shower up there as it’s really freeing and we spend most of the day in our bathers.
CABINS
There are 4 cabins for sleeping. The v-berth is the most forward located in the bow. It’s is a double bed configuration. There is a small cupboard several drawers and seat and a door that leads into the head on the port side.
Opposite that bathroom is another cabin with bunk beds (the bottom of which is more like a king single). There is a long cupboard and several drawers. There is a head and basin attached to this cabin with cupboards for storage. When the kids were young this was decorated to reflect their age but has been recently returned sympathetic for adult use.
Behind the saloon adjacent to the kitchen is another bunk cabin. There are several drawers in this cabin and again the bottom bunk is wider than the top. There is a door that leads directly into the shower/head bathroom which shares with the master cabin.
Finally there is the master cabin which is a full queen size bed. There is plenty of storage in this room with two hanging cupboards 6 drawers and several lockers adjacent to the bed. This room also has direct access to the bathroom and head where the electric toilet is found. There is ample storage in this bathroom also.
The boat has brand new mattresses on all the beds. They have been made with a cloth cover over the mattress and a separate cover over that ensuring the most comfortable sleep. There are lee cloths on all the bunks which were definitely needed when the kids were really small.
Airflow on board is really good on board, especially when you are at anchor. We also have fans above each of the bunks, so with the hatches and the portholes open sleeping comes easy and comfortably (even in the tropics!).
The Saloon
The saloon is a really comfortable space to spend time together down below the deck. The table height is adjustable and the rich glossy finish makes it feel both luxurious but also practical. When the kids were little we used a thick plastic cover and lay a navigational map underneath so we could always see where we were heading and point things out along the way (although for actual navigation we used GPS and electric navigation aids).
The table comfortably seats 6 people, and you can also spin the captains chair around from the Nav table and sit in that. The lounge on the starboard side is a l’éther couch - it’s a bit more firm than the seating around the table and is a great extra place to sleep when on passage overnight. There are also two extra stools by the bench leading into the galley so we had plenty of place for everyone to spread out if we were all down below.
There is a lot of storage in the saloon. There are several cupboards on both the port and starboard sides. Underneath both of the main saloon sofas there are large storage areas that we typically used for spare parts. There is also storage under all the beds (not the two top bunks however). These have all been newly painted.
COckpit
This is really the heart of the boat! Because the boat is so beamy there is really generous space in the cockpit. The Bimini is brand new and keeps you well shaded from the sun. We tended to always have it up as we are fair and freckled. The clear windows allow loads of light but keep out the weather. The cockpit cushions are so comfortable - we often sleep up on deck in the cockpit as this area is so lovely. The folding table is up and down all day as food is brought out for the constant grazing that goes on. When it’s down there is plenty of room for access down below. The companion way door is louvred and the sliding hatch makes it easy access to the stairs for entering the boat. We keep a padlock on this when we are at shore.
There are several small open lockers on the sides of the cockpit - they are particularly useful for keeping things safe so they don’t roll around when the boat is on the move. Inside here you will always find a pair of binoculars a couple of water bottles and the anchor winch as well as books phones and various odds and sods. When we can agree to listen to the same music there is also a radio with speakers that plays throughout the boat and in the cockpit.
The pedestal in the cockpit is akin to the control room. Here you find the autopilot, the wind instruments and compass. ‘George’ is the autopilot and he takes over from here but even when he has the helm there are always plenty of eyes on deck as sailing in Asia requires looking out for fishing nets.
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