Mystery Canvas secured to Plywood on Starboard Settee

[tgilson]

Here is a stupid question. We have a CD 33 and there is a piece of canvas (about one foot by four feet) screwed into the plywood base of the starboard settee/berth. The canvas is secured on the inboard side of the settee with screws. The other side lays on the berth unfastened with grommets sewn into it. It appears that it might be used for sleeping, as a wall for the berth so that the tired sailor does not fall out of the berth when the boat is heeled heavily to port. Is this correct? You could obviously string line through the grommets for this purpose, but there is nothing to secure the line to on the outboard side of the settee. Can someone help me solve this mystery?

[Jerry Hammernik]

Sounds like you have a lee cloth, as you surmised, it is to keep the crew from falling out of the berth when the boat is heeled. Do you have handrails above the berth that the line could be laced through?

[Steve Laume]

I just finished installing some nice dark green lee cloths I made for our boat. I figured a dark color would be good for sleeping durring the day. Whenever someone goes below for a nap durring a sail on a good windy day a tack usually wakes them up. I made up lines that tie to the hand rail as jerry suggested. These lines stay attached to the lee cloths when not in use. I may get more use out of them in rolly anchorages than offshore. If I tie them up I can jamb a bunch of stuff in so I don't roll around in my bunk, Steve.

[Russell]

Its a good idea to put some sort of chafe guard around the handrails where you loop the lee cloth lines through, with heavy use the lines will eat into the finish on the handrails. I just wrap some wash clothes around the handrails.