<< 3. So okay. . .everybody talks about porta potti's like they would work,
but other than out in the cockpit, I haven't figured it out yet. Don't have
one to try, but good grief, somebody try (delicately) to describe the
procedure! >>
Ken,
I occasionally use the porta-potty in my P-15 cabin. It's a little cramped,
but the convenience is nice. I am a 5' 9", 165 LB man. Much bigger and it
might rule out using the potty in the cabin.
As far as the procedure is concerned, it's pretty basic: 1. Make certain
hatch is open. 2. Make certain lid on Potti is up. 3. Stand in
companionway. 4. Drop drawers. 5. Sit. 6. Open newspaper and hang onto
coffee. 7. Do what you came to do. 8. Set coffee down and squirm around as
you try to reassemble yourself. 9. Swear that the next time you're not going
to bother and you'll use the bathrooms on the beach.
The most embarrassing story I've had using the Porta-Potty, which I have
relayed on this list before, was when I was trying to carry on a lucid
conversation with tourists while I took care of morning business.
I had camped all night at a State Park, Sand Harbor, here at Lake Tahoe. The
park is closed at night until 6 AM in the morning. It is totally vacant and
peaceful at night. I had the boat tied up with the stern on the beach and a
line running up to a tree on the beach.
So, I'd finished breakfast and was sitting on my plastic throne, when
apparently, unbeknownst to me, the park reopened for the day. Tourists began
strolling down the beach.
As a bit of explanation, when using the potty, my head and shoulders are just
above the hatch while the rest of me is in the cabin. So, I'm sitting there,
enjoying the morning and my Sunday paper. Then this couple comes up to the
boat, not realizing I'm sitting on the can, and start the usual questions:
"My what a cute little boat" "How much does a boat like that cost?" "Can
you cook on it?" "Can you sail it by yourself?"
In the meantime, I can't finish what I've started because these people are
talking nonstop and I certainly can't get up. What a predicament! Finally
they continue on their walk, but by now the beach is beginning to fill with
people. I discreetly grabbed a beach towel, covered up and gathered myself.
Lesson to be learned? You can use the potty in the cabin (thank God I wasn't
in the cockpit!), but before you begin, you may want to make certain you are
anchored in a spot that affords you privacy. There is absolutely no privacy
on a Potter!
Geoff
P-15 Lollipop
#1965
N. Lake Tahoe, NV
and
Monterey, Calif.