Saturday, May 7, 2011

Making preperations

Getting the Tin Wheeler ready for a cross country trip is not unlike getting a sailboat ready for an extended cruise. One of the most striking, and surprising, aspects is that the Airstream doesn't have as much storage space. That should not have been a surprise, though. Unlike cruising to distant and often remote places on a boat where it can be difficult to get provisions, with the trailer we can pull into any grocery store almost any day we choose and just wheel our purchases out to be placed 'aboard'. When sailing, the process is much more difficult. Most of the best sailing destinations are far distant from stores, so having ample room for weeks and even months of provisions is essential.

Another reason for reduced storage space is that the trailer is much more limited in the amount of weight it can safely carry. On the sailboat we could put a couple thousand pounds of food, water, fuel and equipment on board. The trailer can't accommodate that much additional weight.  Aboard the trailer we are also unburdened with the amount of safety equipment we need to carry. Things like radar, life raft and man overboard equipment are unnecessary.

All of this makes the trailer's interior volume more available for people. After living for months last summer in what can only be described as extremely close quarters on the sailboat, the living space in the Tin Wheeler seems expansive.

In my next post, I will describe the installation of a nifty luxury, a seltzer water maker, stay tuned.

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