Making the Bed

Some things are just harder on a boat. Making the bed is one of these things.

The berth in the aft cabin (which we reserve as the master suite) on Eolian is queen-sized, sort of. I buy queen sized sheets, but have to put them on sideways. So in other words, it is like you are sleeping on a queen sized bed, but sideways. Oh yeah, because the stern pinches in, the bottom corners are cut off. And, yeah, for the last 4 feet or so, there is only about 2 feet of headroom above the mattress. (The picture makes it look like we sleep with our heads under the overhang - not so. We just put the pillows there during the day, for a little neater appearance.)

So, how do you make the bed?

First of all, I should state that this is almost exclusively my task - part of the (unspoken) deal for living on a boat is that I make the bed.

We use a fitted sheet for the bottom, but because of the truncated shape of the mattress, it doesn't "fit" very well. Therefore, we use garter elastics (yep, those things that used to be used more nobly for holding up nylons) applied across the corners, under the mattress, to tighten things up. The bottom two are a real problem to get on, what with that limited headroom.

Then the top sheet (sideways, "head" seam to the right for Jane). It is not easy to get it on straight because you have to sit on it while you spread it down to the foot - you can't walk around this bed. The top sheet is just long enough to reach the foot of the bed, so it really is important to get it on straight. Tuck the (oversized) corners under (duck - there's only two feet above you).

Same drill with the electric blanket, then again one more time for the cover quilt.

It is exhausting. By the time the bed is ready, I am truly ready for bed.

Making the Bed