We have a new feature article on Women and Cruising. It arose out of a question we received from Cruising World: Have any of your contributors been involved in a galley refit project? So we asked 12 of our contributors and they responded with a gold mine of practical advice and experience. Following are five simple ideas that Truus Sharp of Key of D shared. You can read all of Truus’ ideas and those of our other 11 contributors in Refitting the Galley: 12 Experiences.
We have not had to do any major renovations to the galley on Key of D because we were very careful to design it to suit us at the outset.
However, we have owned 5 other boats and have a few ideas for some simple things that can be done in almost any galley to make it easier to use.
These are not really “renovations” just the little things that anyone can do quickly and inexpensively.
1. Drying Rack
A drying rack is a nice addition to a galley as it cuts down on wet towels, makes dishwashing easier and prevents plates from sling around in rough weather but a drying rack is bulky to store.
Shop around and find one that fits your sink or, if you are replacing the sink, buy one in which you can store a drying rack. That way the rack is out of the way unless you are washing dishes in which case you will have it out anyway.
We have a double sink so the drying rack can be used in the large sink and when the small sink is used for small wash-up jobs.
2. Work Surfaces
Most galleys are limited in the space available for preparing food and laying it out ready to serve, especially when it is your turn to entertain a few other boats.
We have had a cutting board made that fits over the sink with tabs to prevent it sliding off. This works especially well if you have a double sink as you can still use the small sink while the top of the big sink becomes a sizeable work surface.
In a similar vein, many stove manufacturers provide a wooden top that fits over the burners on the stove so that you can use the stove-top as a work surface when preparing cold food. If your stove did not come with one it is very easy to make.
The sink top and stove cover can be stored under the stove, on edge in a cupboard or just left on the counter top and used as a work surface there when not being used on the sink and stove.
3.Wall-Mounted Dispenser
Another cruiser recommended that I try a wall-mounted unit that holds a roll of paper towels, a roll of cling wrap and a roll of aluminium foil.
It has made more space available in the galley drawers and the towels, wrap and foil are available instantly whenever I need them.
4. Spice Racks
Although we designed a spice rack that holds 20 bottles as part of the original galley we have begun to use more and more different herbs, spices and seasonings as we pick up new recipes and ideas from the places we visit.
I have recently bought a second rack that holds an additional 18 bottles and mounted it on the inside of a cupboard door where it makes good use of otherwise wasted space and is easy to access.
5. Lighting
It can be difficult getting enough light into the galley at night to make cooking and cleaning up easy.
We found an inexpensive and handy answer in the form of little LED lights that run for months off 3 AAA batteries. I have stuck these under the cupboards over the counters to light the areas that used to be shadowed. (We liked them so much we also put them in the hanging lockers.)
We first found them at Ikea and subsequently at a bargain store called the Reject Shop in Australia.
About Truus Sharp
Truus was born and raised in The Netherlands where she learned to sail on traditional tjotters, the boats that look like large wooden shoes with leeboards. Her husband, Steve Sharp, was born in Canada where he learned to sail on the Great Lakes in the 1940s and 50s.
Together they are the 2 “Sharps” that form the signature for the Key of D.
They are leaving the South Pacific and heading west to cross the Indian Ocean.
See also on this website
- Refitting the Galley: 12 Experiences
- Truus’s contribution to our article “Galley advice from 18 cruising women”
Do you have any ideas you’d like to share? Leave a comment below or email us: kathy@forcruisers.com
Where did you purchase your spice rack? This would be very handy on our 43′ C&C!