Seamless Sailor is delighted to provide this guest post by Lin and Larry Pardey – world cruisers, authors, and speakers. They inspire other cruisers by generously sharing their experience and knowledge. I love how Lin and Larry find just the right solution in self-reliant Seamless Sailor style. Here's one solution that all Seamless Sailors can use...
By Lin and Larry Pardey©
From – The Cost Conscious Cruiser
THE BETTER BUCKET
It is such a simple chore, lifting water from the sea. Seems like any old bucket should work. But at sea, nothing is ever that simple. You’ve just caught a glowing, leaping, 18-pound mahi-mahi (dorado). Your luck holds and you land it flapping, glorious gold and royal blue. The battle over, the fish subdued,
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Hatch covers add a nice protective layer to your expensive overhead hatches. They keep out sun or star light and might even help a bit deterring a little leak. Lexan polycarbonate windows are expensive and can be damaged if not cared for. A cover is a good way to help preserve these windows. Unfortunately, we seem to lose one or two covers a season to a bad storm or rotting shock cord. You can make an easy hatch cover in just a few hours.
I remade an old hatch cover previously and wrote about how I did it and resources I used here. This blog is about making a hatch cover from scratch. I've included the sizes I used for our hatches. You can adapt your hatch cover easily based on these sizes and proportions. Read more [...] 
Seamless Sailor, Julie Sandler Lambert, sent a note a few months ago with a great idea for a fun project that I couldn't wait to make - a floaty seat using those toy swimming noodles. She wrote a post on her blog, S/V Second Star, with excellent instructions on how to make a noodle chair. Simple and easy to make. She suggested a guest post on Seamless Sailor, so I've added her post here. Thanks, Julie!
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"That's Using Your Noodle"
By Julie Sandler Lambert - May 2013
In preparation for our upcoming weekend cruise I spent the day getting prepared. Did I plan out our provisions? Nope. Did I replace the secondary bilge pump so that we would 
You’ve arrived at your anchorage in the late afternoon. A great sail behind you. A great dinner to come. The barbecue is fired up. The appetizers and wine come out. Wait...Blinded by the light...sorry Bruce. Granted I’m glad that its sunny. But let’s not bake during happy hour. Answer – get out the sun shades.
Here’s an easy Seamless Sailor sun shade solution.
Materials:
- Phitertex
- Sunbrella
- Grommets, snaps or fasteners of choice
Measure area where you want to block sun, like across the back and side of an enclosure. Determine how you will attach shades. Do you have handles to tie to or snaps on the enclosure you can use? A shroud or stanchion to attach to? We made a sun shade for the 
Recently both Good Old Boat and Sailrite provided ideas for covering pushpit rails and catbird seats. Simple and straightforward, you too could be sitting pretty.
Good Old Boat (March/April 2013 issue) had an article on covering catbird seats by Clarence Jones that is easy enough for a non sewer. He used iron on fabric mending tape to create the seams and snaps to hold the cover on.
Sailrite just did a video too. They sewed the hems and used Velcro to fasten the cover.
They both used home foam insulation underneath.
Either way would make a nice comfortable perch for any catbird.
March 2013
Blog Dedication:
This post is dedicated to my cat, Stella, who will not be cruising with us as she has gone to the rainbow bridge 
Originally published as a guest post on The Boat Galley, February 20, 2013
What linens do you need to provision for use in the galley, clean up, and dining? While you can buy linens, they may not be exactly what you want or your style. It's not hard to make your own linens for your boat. Besides it's a great way to save some money. Practical and self-sufficient. That's the essence of being a Seamless Sailor. Here is a checklist eight types of linens that every Seamless Sailor should consider having in inventory.
1.. Kitchen towels - I like to have plenty of these - a fresh one every day or so depending on how much cooking we are doing. Any inexpensive bar or kitchen towel will do. No need to use paper towels all the time.