An ode to our galley, which we totally redid as part of the complete overhaul of Calypso to get her ready as a full-time cruiser for a couple in their mid-50s.

When I say “totally redid”, I mean “take her down to bare fiberglass and start over.” Things that bugged us almost from the beginning were the outboard storage lockers and the sink, both of which were too small and awkward to work well. The outboard storage, against the hull and above the counter, was framed by beautiful mahogany doors that swung up to reveal the space - which meant you had to clear the counter to be able to open those lockers. To add insult to injury, the lockers themselves were fairly shallow; a standard dinner plate would not fit in all but the aftmost part.

The sink was a classic marine sink, deep and small. I think it measured 10”x8”x9”. Great for coffee cups, very difficult to wash anything larger with ease. That it was deep was its main saving grace, but other than that? Ugh.

We moved the fridge. Increased the outboard storage (and installed sliding smoked glass doors to enable access even when the counters are in use.) Installed a large sink. New counters. On and on and on. There’s so much that I love about the new galley it’s hard to even begin a discussion.

But three of the four favorite parts have to involve the storage solutions we’ve come up with. The fourth? Might be obvious: it’s the sink!

Storage solution 1: knife storage. One thing the old galley (with its deeper counters/shallower outboard storage lockers) had going for it was a suitable spot behind the stove for a knife block. Recessed into the counter, the maple block held my knives in an easily accessible yet out of the way space. Figuring out where to store sharp knives without this available space took some time. Then a visit with our friends on Totem solved the conundrum. They’ve kept their knives on a couple of magnetic strips affixed to the underside of the deck in the galley all throughout their circumnavigation with nary an issue. Behan shared the exact make and model of the magnetic strip with me, and we promptly have excellent knife storage on board Calypso. If this sounds like it might work for you, I’d definitely advise getting these exact ones - so many magnetic knife strips out there don’t actually have much magnetic power to them on the knife side of the equation. I’ve got one strip on the fridge in Vermont that requires the knives to be blade side down so the handle can prevent the knife from sliding right off the magnet. That would not work on board!

Storage solution #2: Spice storage. There are a number of sentimental pieces we have on Calypso, and any gear from JK Adams in Vermont ranks right up there. This spot, based in Dorset, Vermont (where my parents met and we were married, among other spiderwebbed family connections to this one small place on the planet), makes excellent wooden kitchen “stuff”. My grandfather used to do publicity for them, way back when. They’ve shifted focus at the actual store to being more of a kitchen store ala Williams Sonoma; some of the very useful items are not made any more. Like these spice racks. We had two installed side-by-side in the old galley; the placement of the new electrical panel made this not work in the new galley. After all was said and done, though, we WERE able to fit one. Yahoo! I tend to reach for the same eight spices or so all the time anyway, and though I do have a few more tucked into another easily access spot, this rack ticks all the boxes. Easy to access, away from heat, away from light. It’s on a bulkhead (so rolling doesn’t affect it) and the jars are angled down to keep them in place. You can buy similar racks made of metal; I think they’d be pretty easy to make yourself.

Storage solution #3: hatches. This one isn’t easy to show in a photograph, so you’ll have to take my word for it. One challenge with under the counter storage, or really any deep storage, is being able to get at stuff you want. Everything winds up piled on top of itself. You can’t really put shelves into it because you access it from the top. But wait. What about shelves with hatch openings in them? Our primary pantry area is aft of the stove, going all the way down to the hull. We put a shelf 15” down (measuring the height of our granola container to make sure it would fit) with a modest sized hatch in it. The shelf holds the items we use all the time. Rice, coffee, the coffee grinder, granola. You get the idea. Under the shelf? Deep storage for bulk items like the oatmeal and flour supply. Extra spices. Backup coffee paraphernalia. When I need to get at anything there, which is seldom, I move the couple of containers that cover the hatch, pop open the hatch, and retrieve what I need. The pantry for the most used items has a flat floor (another challenge on a boat) and there’s LOTS of storage space that’s simultaneously tucked away and still pretty accessible. That I don’t have to empty the whole shelf to get to the hatch lid is fabulous. Yes, drawers would be the ultimate solution for deep storage lockers, but you would then have to have space to pull the drawers out. This part of the galley abuts the engine compartment. No drawers possible!

And then there’s the sink. Have I mentioned how much I love this sink?

I’m still figuring out the most efficient way to use the counter space; the large sink is also in the most practical space for working and prepping. The old galley, with a half-height ladder, had good space available over the engine; we’ve got a full height ladder now, so that space isn’t quite as friendly for food prep. It does mean that there’s no step in the middle of the counter . . . The boat is still in construction mode, meaning often the chart table (which was built with the idea that it could be used as counter space), is not available for galley duty.

But the highlights mentioned in this blog? I am grateful for them almost every single day.