I tell people who are thinking about moving on board to bring the things they love and discard the rest. Who needs two blenders, unless, of course, you are my brother-in-law who makes the best blended drinks in the entire world. If you have family heirlooms that have been hiding in the closet, now is the time to bring them out and put them into service. I have been using our wedding china for the entire 20 + years we have been living on board and have only broken one plate, and that was because a guest offered to help with the dishes.
Here's the thing; good stuff, like wedding china and crystal, is considered good because it's made that way. It's durable and will withstand some abuse. That's why antique pieces have been in museums for so many centuries – they are made from quality materials by people who know what they are doing and are built to last.
I do stack my plates with recycled plastic spacers, just to keep them from bouncing around while we are under way, and I do keep them in a teak box designed to fit a dinner plate (I bought it at a marine chandlery all those many years ago). They are secure, but still convenient, and most importantly, unchipped.
The crystal glasses are another thing entirely. Once again, the elegant Mikasa stem wear was a wedding gift that I wanted to take on board with us. Living on a boat presented a small storage problem. Thin crystal stem wear can't be allowed to bounce around. On the sail boat, we had a teak glass holder that had come off a Grand Banks. It was just a 6" x ½" piece of teak that had been varnished to a smooth gloss and had 4" holes drilled every few inches. Sweetie installed it in one of the book cases so that the crystal wine glasses would ride comfortably in any weather. We never lost one.
The trawler doesn't have the storage space that the sail boat had. We had nowhere convenient to store the wine glasses and so had to improvise. I found teak racks that install on the overhead. I think these must be used for plastic stem ware because there were problems with this method of storing that soon became evident. When the boat rolls to starboard, the glasses would slide out. When pounding to weather, the glasses banged against each other in a cacophonous clash. I overcame both of these minor irritations by using bungee cords to keep the crystal from sliding free on the starboard roll (please see photo below) and by using recycled fruit protectors to insulate the stemware from banging against each other.
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I admit that it is a bit of a horror to look at, but the crystal glasses have withstood the unforgiving test of Dreaded Susuin Bay and lived to tell the tale. To serve our welcomed guests, all I have to do is unhook the bungee, slide the glass off the rack and remove the protective sleeve. God forbid that you need a drink in a hurry"¦
So, my advice to you is; surround yourself with luxury and, if it should break, shop at the Goodwill store for replacements.
