Ocean-going craft have plenty of sea water for flushing and disposal, and
do not want to carry sewage about in sloshing chemical bins. Most systems
pump sea water into the lavatory and pump the sewage out into the sea, even
though this is illegal close inshore. That does not stop people from doing
it however, and a hundred yachts moored up-river can mean a deadly early
morning swim!
In order to install one of these lavatories you need two holes in your
hull, fitted with seacocks (taps). The inlet seacock should be well below
the waterline and if possible on the other side of the boat from the
discharge seacock, or at least further forward; you do not want to pull in
fresh sewage with every flush. The discharge seacock should also be below
the waterline.
- The Baby Blake
-
The Rolls-Royce of small-boat lavatories was the Baby Blake; all
mahogany, porcelain, and brass, and built to last a lifetime. When you
had finished (I have been told by a proud user) you pumped the large
handle and witched the turd circle the bowl, align itself with the exit
hole, and then stand upright like a torpedoed ship before vanishing. A
second pump handle pulled in fresh sea water to flush the bowl. The
Baby Blake had a waterline marked half-way up the bowl, and the idea
was to fill to the mark after flushing.
See also boats, submariners, Royal Navy.
