This post is about two of the hardest bastards I know. Of course, I say that with utmost respect – I’d be a fool not to, I’d imagine.

These two guys live on a centre cockpit ketch. One in the aft cabin, and one in the forepeak. They occasionally meet in the middle around the saloon table for meals. Now, you’re probably wondering what is remotely ‘hard’ about that? I have a 21ft boat and I don’t complain too much. A 32 footer with standing headroom is surely shear bliss you’d think.

I guess it would be, but for the fact that they have no shore power. That means minimal lighting running off the battery, which gets occasionally topped up by a blast of the engine, and more importantly, no source of heating. NO HEATING!

Actually, it’s worse than that: They do have a diesel burner but choose not to use it. This is in temperatures that so far this year have dropped below zero more times than I care to count, and it’s only early December!

I mean, these guys earn decent money, it’s not like they can’t afford to hook up to the shore supply and run an oil radiator, it’s that they actually choose not to that I’m in awe with. Rather than plug in or fire up they just wear base layers, mid layers, walking socks and trousers… to bed, wherein they are covered by duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.

If you ask them why they do it, the answer will be “well, you know, why waste the money”.

So! This short post is dedicated to Tom and JP, who’s answer to survival conditions is “if you can do as many press ups as you can manage, you will never be cold”