V-Berth: Feet or Head first?

[simonpickard]

Hello all,

Just wondering how you guys & gals sleep in your V-Berth's? I guess this comes down to the size of the berth but I've seen a few people use the narrow end for storage and then sleep with their heads that end.

To me this is what feels "normal" in terms of a bed, just wondering, would you only pick a V-Berth if there was enough size to do this? Or do most of you sleep Feet first and this becomes the norm after a while?

Regards,
Simon

[FLLCatsailor]

Since I was a kid the rule was always feet towards the bow regardless of if was the v-berth, quarter berth, or any other berth that runs for/aft... Just imagine the potential for a spinal injury if you hit an underwater object and go from 7.5kts to 0...

[daddle]

* Feet forward if underway is wise practice in all berths.
* Many V-berths are kinda narrow at the forward end: better for feet.
* At anchor I sleep athwartship under the breezy hatch.
* Underway the v-berth tends to store bulky lightweight stuff: better sea berths are aft.
* However, it's easier to get in and out with feet aft.

[Bash]

It depends; with whom are you sharing the berth?

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Bash

It depends; with whom are you sharing the berth?

Too true Bash…
Rule #69 in ship docking dictates that… ‘rate of advance shall be tempered by displacement and windage’

[deluxe68]

Feet first.

[boatman61]

Feet to bow... less tangling.. get out faster.. bang head less..

[David_Old_Jersey]

feet to bow - more room.

but I have a forepeak with a head and stowage so acamedic.

[Jimbo485]

As my dear old father once said, "in the v-berth, with your better half, you can go to toe-to-toe or you can go head-to-head, but if you get horny, well, you are basically f**ked!"

[BlackOak]

Feet first....then again I am sorta short, so I can sleep feet to port head to starboard and vice-versa at the widest part.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Bash

It depends; with whom are you sharing the berth?

And, do you want to play headsies, or footsies, with them?

[Kettlewell]

Feet forward in the V-berth up forward, but in other berths I feel much better with my head towards the bow, especially when underway.

[S/V Alchemy]

Put in the middle "V-filler" and then sleep with your head on the high side. There aren't many boats I'd have on a night passage that don't have under 6' 2" in the beam at the cabin end of the V-berth. If your co-captain is six inches shorter, she can go farther forward, although you need someone on watch!

Truth is that I prefer low-side seaberths for truly restful sleeps, plus lee clothes if someone decides to tack mid-watch.

At dock or in calm anchorages, do what you like as it's unlikely to affect your rest.

[Kettlewell]

We almost never use the V-berth offshore for sleeping, but we do use it to stuff things to get them out of the way. The aft cabin berth can be comfortable underway if it isn't rough, but the best berths are the salon settees, parallel to the centerline, low down, with lee cloths, and decent ventilation from overhead hatches and the companionway.

[JK n Smitty]

Head first!

But I'm cheating, we have a centerline queen for our forward birth.