Bed Time Stories

We brought back this embroidered pillow from Bermuda to serve as a memory of our trip.

When we first bought the boat back in September of '09 we knew we didn't want to use the 4" foam mattress that came with it.  We're old and creaky and really needed something better.  We bought a really nice 6" thick, inner-coil, pillow-top mattress from Handmade Mattress Company, HMC (click here).  It has a built-in hinge 1/3 of the way down from the head so you can lift the foot to get into the storage area beneath.  We've been sleeping on this for four years now and have decided it's just too firm for us.  Cheri's been having a lot of back trouble and we suspect the bed is too hard for her.

One difficulty in finding a replacement is that the bunk is an odd shape.  It angles out from the inside surface of the starboard hull to give you access to three sides of the mattress but that upper right corner is beveled to fit the sloping hull.  The other side is notched inwards about 4" to fit around a bulkhead.  The corners at the bottom are also broadly rounded.  Plus there's that hinge.

We ended up at the Mattress Store in Annapolis (click here).  They have Latex mattresses and carry every model in their showroom so we could try them out.  They also claimed they would modify to fit for a minor fee.  Cool!  We tried all the beds out and found the Mama Bear's was just right.  The mattress is 12" thick and built up from five layers of varying density.  Laying on it you feel like you're on a cloud.  There are a number of good reasons to consider Latex for a mattress.  It's an all natural material that inhibits mold, mildew and bacteria making it a good choice for on a boat.  Latex is also naturally hypoallergenic, dust mite resistant and anti-microbial.  It supports you evenly and comfortably so there are no pressure points.  More importantly, it allows the spine to remain straight, aligned, no matter what your sleep position.  The mattress cover is made of a bamboo fabric that breathes and provides for cooler contact with the mattress.  They had thinner mattresses , 8", but I bottomed out when I jumped up and down on it for the "badly behaved kids" test.  The 12" mattress passed all our tests and we decided right there that this was what we wanted.  The price was about the same as what we originally paid for the HMC mattress.

First we had to get rid of the mattress we already had.  It was in excellent condition, like brand new, and I just couldn't bring myself to throw it in the dumpster.  I advertised on the Island Packet web sites and offered it for free.  I figured because of the odd shape there would be a very limited market and I just wanted to find a new owner for it.  After two weeks a fellow Packeteer down in Florida, also a 420 owner contacted us and said he was interested and didn't mind waiting while we got the new mattress built and delivered, about three weeks.  Perfect!

Cheri made a brown paper template and we headed down to the Mattress Store with cash in hand.  When we showed the template to the sales lady she hemmed and hawed and said she didn't think they'd be able to do it.  The modifications were more than she had planned on.  She sent the template into the factory for the final word.  Two weeks later they sent it back saying it wasn't possible.

We don't believe in that "not possible" stuff so we contacted Catherine's Upholstery in Deale.  Cathy had done our cockpit and salon cushions and modified our bedspread to fit the funny shaped mattress.  She does great work, always on time and for fair prices.  Cathy went with Cheri into Annapolis to take a look at the mattress we wanted.  She felt she could modify it the way we wanted for about $100.  We ordered the mattress and had it delivered to Catherine's.

Three weeks later we got a call from Cathy.  We were originally going to eliminate the hinge because the foam is much more flexible and we thought it would fold easily to access the storage area underneath.  When Cathy got the mattress she was concerned about it fitting though the companionway when it was delivered.  Hmm, I hadn't considered that.  Our companionway is kinda V shaped with the width at the bottom of the V being 20"  The widest part of the opening is only 40".  She was right, that 12" mattress folded over might not squeeze through that hole.  Yikes!  I went down to her shop to ponder the situation and decided the best thing to do was to put the hinge in and hope for the best.

Two weeks later we got the call that they'd deliver the mattress that Friday morning.  Cheri and I scrambled to get the old mattress off the boat.  We hauled it up to our shed at the marina and bagged and boxed it so it'd be ready for shipping to Florida.  We also removed the connector panel for the Bimini to allow better access to the companionway.  When the new mattress arrived it looked huge!  We considered removing the Dodger but the delivery dude (Gigantor!) said he thought it was pliant enough that we could squeeze it through.  He was right.  With a little persuasion we got it through the companionway and once it was down below the rest was a breeze.  With the mattress in place we marveled at the beautiful job Cathy did in modifying it.  The fit was perfect.  Once the bed was made we even found that our modified queen sized bedspread fit even better than before.

After our first two nights sleeping on this behemoth we've decided it was definitely the right choice.  We were concerned about the extra height of the mattress but it's no problem getting on and off and there's still plenty of headroom when you sit up.  We thought Bella might not be able to cope with it but she's a "circus dog" and jumps on and off with no problem.

So now we have achieved perfection in all four stages of sleep.  We transition through stage one in half the time and our theta waves are twice the amplitude they used to be.  We quickly pass through the rapid brain wave activity of stage two and the delta wave period of stage three with a brief transition back to stage two.  Then it's Nirvana as we enter stage four, deep sleep and then REM sleep.  REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movement (REM), increased respiration rate and increased brain activity. REM sleep is also referred to as paradoxical sleep because while the brain and other body systems become more active, muscles become more relaxed. Dreaming occurs because of increased brain activity, but voluntary muscles become paralyzed.

Of course we still get interrupted halfway into stage four by that stupid anchor alarm.