Destache family on S/V Big Tuna

CHRISTMASS 2010

2010-12-19T14:04:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

THE MILK JUG HAS A HOLE IN IT

2010-11-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

What fun we are having. Regular life can be so dramatic and complex. Anyhow, we are looking forward to the holidays this year. For Thanksgiving we will be in Chula Vista enjoying family and as always great food. Christmas will be fun on the boat with Dawn. I am going to get a tree, a short tree, so we can decorate and have some presents under the tree. In my mind I can hear Dawn giggling at the whole thing. She has been exponentially more fun every day that goes by. Her little gestures and words are amazing.
I have some more photos on the shutter fly site. They are a random spattering of visits with loved ones and special moments. Enjoy

Oh yea Summer is here in Fall

2010-10-11T19:20:00.001-07:00

Hello all, our Summer has been more like Fall and now Fall is turning into Summer. We have had warm temps, clear skies, and even the water is starting to warm up.
Niki has been filling in for me at Dawns swim classes for the last month. I have been stuck in the live for work program so I have had little extra time. I take that back, sort of, last month I took off a lot of time to hang out with our girls. We took a trip to Catalina Island the week after Labor day. Oh boy did we have tuns of fun and I can really tell the difference in Dawn when I spend that much consecutive time with her. There is better bond between us. The other trip was a road trip about four hours South of the border into Mexico. Another great time, a little windy at our beach campsite during the day, but otherwise very lovely with hot temperatures and clear skies.
This week we have taken on some more boat projects. Most of our windows leak to on some level. The back ones are the worst so Niki and I tore out the windows, rotted wood panel, and moldy headliner. Our new windows are ready and literally bullet proof (polycarbonate) 3/8th inch thick three times thicker than the last ones. I have also taken on the task of plumbing our black water hoses to the under engine holding tank.

Thanks for stopping by,

Crew on Big Tuna

WE GOT SOME GOOD SAILING IN LAST WEEKEND

2010-08-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Since the very first sail on Big Tuna we have had the Jib halyard jammed in the upper portions of the main mast. Well last weekend I climbed up there and freed it. Now with the mizzen mast only a few components from completion we were able to shut the motor down and sail the boat. Jib and jigger as some say. It was a great time, Niki was off work early and we headed out for a wonderful afternoon.
With my new work situation there hasn't been a lot of extra money, not like thousands, so the main mast refit has been put off until later.

TAKE SOME OF YOUR IRON OUT OF THE FIRE

2010-05-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Another week has gone by and it feels like two. I have so many irons in the fire right now my head is spinning. This week I am going to take some of them out finally and get to it. What is it you ask? Well, you will have to wait until the next blog.
Dawn and I had a great weekend with lots of daughter father time. She is feeling all better from her flu that passed last week. Her appetite is all back to normal and her spirits are high.
We are about to be at a stopping point with the mizzen mast. In a few days we will be able to hoist the mizzen sail to check out the whole system. Next week the canvas company will be coming by to start installing the cockpit enclosure. I finished the lifeline netting, but that jack ass cat Bernard has decided to chew on the lines and break the netting. So now I have to go back and mend some sections of the netting.
Tomorrow is the start to another week. Everyone have a great week and don't forget to check out our Picture and video pages. I have added some more of that little Sweat Potato Pie Dawn.

WOW...WOW..WOW...

2010-05-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a busy time here in the land of Big Tuna. The weekend after stepping our mizzen mast we headed for Mexico and enjoyed the Coronado Islands with Frank and Kerry. They buddy boated with us on Saturday and we had a great old time fishing, not catching, eating, and being merry.
Now we are ravenously saving money to tackle a number of tasks. All of which are important but some more than others. We would really like to get the main mast down and re rig it. We even have the money for it, but Dawn has made other items more important. Did we ever mention that she is the boss? That little wonder has learned to get up onto the cockpit seats and go right over the coming onto the side decks. While I was there with her she tended to walk up to the bow and really enjoys hanging out on the bow pulpit. Also while at the dock she wants to get off the boat. If you have ever seen her turn around and make her way down steps you can imagine her getting down off the boat. She is a really good walker and crawler. Soooo, last week I replaced the top lifeline(we are waiting for the lowers to be shipped) and last weekend I started putting netting up. So far I have the aft area complete up to the gates. This weekend I will get the lower lifelines installed and start on the netting up front. In addition we got a really good quote on the cockpit enclosure. $2000.00 for all but the back section. This is a really good price by a well known company. With this installed Dawn will be pretty much secure on the boat. Not that we can stop keeping an eye on her, just that we won't have to be Nazi's about it. I'll have the canvas company start next week on our little project.
Other than that we are living the dream in refit land.

A break at last

2010-04-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

One step before the final outcome of our project. The mizzen mast and deck step look good. The paint is shinny, antennas abound, L.E.D. spreader lights, and a wind generator to supply power to it all. I have to say that this mast did not want to be refit. It all started well with the crane lift and JAG Yacht Refinishing to help prep the mast for paint. We went with Interlux oyster white L.P. for our covering. The primer went on well and the next day I sanded, probably not as well as I should have. Dad and I went at the paint around 9AM. There were some sags and maybe not so smooth spots so I was going to sand it down some and put on another coat. Then it rained on it. JAG Yacht Refinishing came in and helped big time and taking care of the repaint. I AM NO PAINTER! So in the next saga, a debt card I use for projects got cloned by someone in Michigan. They shopped a little then the card was shut down. Someone called me from card services to ask me if I was just at Wendy's. She said someone in Michigan was using my card number. I am almost through the process of getting my money credited back. I have $200.00 back so far, another $400.00 to go. What could go wrong next? After a week of rain and crazy weather I finally got the mast close to completion. All that was left to do was sort out the sheave box. The only problem was my sheave supplier shipped three not four sheaves. To his credit he sent the last one next day air and it all came together.

Niki is working a couple nights and weekends at West Marine, so Dawn and I play the project/nap program on the weekends. When she is awake we play and crawl around, but when she naps I sneak in projects or sections of them. Julie was great last weekend in watching Dawn for us while we painted. Dawn is walking all the way across the salon floor now and is ever so good at climbing up the steps. Niki is doing well, her and Dawn spend all day together most days. They go out for walks and play in the park just on shore from our mooring. West Marine seems to be fitting her well. She likes the extra cash from selling Boat US policies and memberships.

That is all for now Dawn is dreaming wonderful things, Niki is basking in a shower, and I am about to call PayPal again.

The crew on Big Tuna

WE'RE ALL GOING TO CRASH

2010-04-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since our last blog. First off it has been very busy with family. Secondly our computers mouse pad is no longer working. We are gearing up for reconditioning the mizzen mast on the 16th of April. Most all of our gear has been received from West Marine. Although there employee ordering seems to take a back seat to the regular orders. I suppose that should be the case, but it has been sort of ridiculous.

That is all from the crew on Big Tuna

Hello again

2010-02-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hello, it has been a bit since our last update, but here we go. You have noticed that the web site has taken on a new look. We hope you like it and would take suggestions for changes. Our computer crashed and I never backed up our info so all is new. I will continue to bring the OUR BOAT page up to date.
We have done some things on the boat as of late. Dawn had been complaining of damp clothes that are kept in her cupboards and and I have been bothered by moisture above my head when I woke up in the morning. This happens in the wintertime mostly. So we insulated those spots and all is better. Dawns bed is very long and the lee cloth only covered some of it keeping her from falling out. So until now we had stuffed some pillows in the open spot and hoped for the best. It had worked well, but she is quite the climber now so I built a board that locks onto the upper bunk rail and is much more secure. Plus she can use more of her bed.
I painted the top of the hard top and added a second 85 watt solar panel. Over the past week I had hoped for up to 14 amps. I ran into a problem though. Running the new panel through the other panel and then into the regulator has it's problems. If the last panel in series has a shadow over it there is a disconnect from the first panel. So I am going to separate each side and run individual wires to the regulator. This should minimize the loss.
The weather is being pretty regular. Due to the El Nino conditions we are having low pressure systems pass through every seven days. This Friday another system is coming and after this week of 70 plus degree temps it will be hard to acclimate.

That is all for now,
Crew on BIG TUNA

P.S. Only 16 more months to pay the boat off..........oh yea

JET STREAM FUN

2010-01-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hello all.... We are on day two and system two of a three system storm. That was a tongue twister. Anyway, we have been anchored in La Playa anchorage for five days and don't plan to leave until Sunday. Yesterday there were nasty winds and a lot of rain. Today was full of rain and wind but for a shorter time span. Niki says that the wind was higher today than yesterday. Thursday and Friday are supposed to be even worse with 25 knots and 35 -45 knot gusts. We are in the safest spot I think with about 80 feet of 3/8 BBB chain out and a good amount of space between us and the other boats.
The wind generator is giving us some good power. Yesterday was the best we didn't have to run the generator at all. On the other hand we still have some leaks in the boat. Windows mostly, we haven't dealt with them yet and it shows. By the way Dawns new port lights are very dry. Her room is dry with the exception of the port side upper shelf. There is a toe rail bolt or two that needs to be resealed. There is one bolt in the saloon that leaks and about three in the aft stateroom. I have yet to go through the boat completely.

That is all for now,

Crew on Big Tuna

Happy New Year

2010-01-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well, we are back from a wonderful holiday in the cold. Photos are going up right now, I can feel everyones anticipation. We want to thank all of our family and friends for having us stay at their houses and enjoying our little girl. We all had a blast and a fantastic time. Even though we didn't see a temp above 20 degrees I really enjoyed the upper Michigan visit. In another life I could see us living in a scene like that.

The crew on Big Tuna

who's cold

2009-12-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we are away from the boat and in the cold. The flight from San Diego was good and Dawn was perfect through all of the trials it takes to get on and off a plane in these security riddled days.
We are just a few blocks off Lake Michigan South of Green Bay, Wisconsin. As I walked to the store this morning in 20 degree weather I was supposed to make a left at the lake for the store, but I found myself drawn to the right toward the marina. Although the boats that I could see were on the hard and put away for the winter I was still drawn. It is way too cold for sailing anyway.
The day after Christmas was very nice here with Niki's parents and Dawn had lots of fun opening presents. The wrapper contained nice toys with lights and sounds to thrill her and clothes to keep her warm in this cold wonderland. She is taking to here PeePod sleeper very well and seems to be ok with the different albeit welcoming environment.
To those interested, I will not be able to post pictures until we return. I don't have our computer with us so will have to wait.

The crew off Big Tuna

Go Packers

2009-12-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, I know, I don't get on our computer very much with time to post. Please forgive me, we have been pretty busy with the boat and holidays. Dawn had her first boat parade of lights and really likes to watch the boats go by with their music playing. Last weekend I installed our wind generator on the mizzen mast along with our radar scanner. So, now we will get the added power from that green energy. Right now we are expecting a cold front to come through tonight and already the wind generator is spinning and giving us some offset to the power it takes for this computer being on. Cool huh?
We are looking forward to next week. We are going back to the homeland, the great Mid West. Green Bay, Wisconsin to be exact. Most of our family lives in that area and have yet to meet little Dawn. It will be cold and I will be stressing on the condition of the boat, but it will good to see people that we haven't for some time.
That is about it for now, send us good vibes.

Crew of Big Tuna

Blisters anyone

2009-11-23T20:54:00.001-08:00

last Saturday,

So, first day on the hard. Oh brother.......!!! Yesterday, the fiberglass
manager here at the yard and I went and circled blisters that were in need of
repair. There were 25 and I circled another 28 that were possibly cosmetic.
Now it is the end of the next day and I am beat. First thing this morning I
ground out all of the aforementioned blisters. I was able to fill all but 15
with 3M High strength filler. The rest of them I had to add 17oz glass mat.
Once that was done I took another power tool with a 12inch sanding wheel and
16grit pads to sand down what I filled. Around 2:00 I went back and filled in
all the blisters for a second time. End of day and I am beat. Tomorrow, I will
sand down my "fills" again, then fill whichever ones are left.

If the blister had to be ground down past 2 layers I filled with the 17oz
fiberglass mat.

It was hot in here........!

2009-11-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well it was hot but I'm not cooking any more so the temp has dropped some. I had the diesel heater on and two things cooking on the stove. Man was it hot!! Any way, we are still at the yard. The fiberglass guy came buy today and and finished the layout for the hard top. It looks really good so far. The core is closed cell fiberglass with solid glass in key locations for attaching it to the frame. We went with the full crown(lower picture in last log). After it was setup on the vacuum table I was able to see that there isn't as much crown as I thought. Hopefully it will be done middle of this week so I can paint the bottom side and get it mounted then paint the top and mount the first solar panel this weekend. Next week the haul out oooooh will that be a lot of work.
Niki had a bunch of stuff going on last weekend so Dawn and I had some great Father and Daughter time. That made it very hard to go to work today. Luckily the boat was at the yard so I was able to pop in every once and a while to get my fix.

A little stress before the haul out

2009-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

The time now before the haul out is a mix of emotions. I remember being a kid and my aunt Mary would always take me to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Boy the night before was full of anxious feelings for fun and excitement. That is the first feeling that I have right now as I look forward to the new hull fittings, underwater lights, and hard top. Then like the anxiety similar to buying a new boat or house, I suppose. I ask the questions like do we have all the parts we need, will there be any "can of worms" moments. Trying to get the right shape for the hard top is a big stress. We only have one chance to get it right. After spending thousands of dollars on the final product we can't just return it. Likewise there is no catalog to compare this too. Not like we are looking at a convertible Corvette verses hard top.

We have covered as many bases as possible. All of the 18 thruhull fittings, valves, and hose stems are in a box waiting to be installed. I just picked up the last of the two underwater lights and the packing gland. Yesterday, I talked with the fiberglass shop about the hard top and on Friday we will go over the measurements. All that is left to receive is our tri ducer and the rest is in Neptune's hands.

The pictures here are of the two ideas we are looking at for the hard top.

Dawn is doing great in all areas of her development. She is saying a lot of different vowel combinations. She is very good at standing up and cruising around the boat, not exactly walking on her own ,but holding on to stuff and walking. As of last week we sort of stopped using the pack and play. We can set her down on the wonderful new floor and with only a few precautions she is good to go and explore her new surroundings. Other wise she is happy to hang out in her super duper high chair. Two bottom teeth have arrived and boy are they nice teeth too.

Thanks for reading,

Crew of Big Tuna

Picture books a fun for babies

2009-11-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

Dawn is really enjoying her puffy picture book.
Anyway, I have been on a purchasing spree for Big Tuna's haul out. We are scheduled for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Yes, another holiday work week. It works out best for us and my boss who knows that I won't be taking time away from work. The plan thus far is to haul out for blister repair, bottom paint, all new thru hull fittings, a new cutlass bearing, new prop shaft packing gland, a tridata transducer for depth/temp/speed through water, the topsides compounded and waxed, and finally a hard top over the center cockpit.
I bought the thru hull fittings, valves, and hose fittings yesterday and today. Sixteen in all ranging in size from 1 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. We have found that a lot of the thru hulls are under sized for the hose size. Like the sink drains have 1 1/4 inch hose but only a 1 inch thru hull. This will not do and to the point that the forward head is clogged. Others are more important like the engine intake. Also, we have found that the generator and engine fittings don't have any grate to keep out larger sea stuff. We have sucked in sea grapes twice into the generator causing a water loss. The other bit is the engine room and soon to be forward bilge pumps. We are installing a 3700gph bilge pump in the engine room and a 1500gph in the forward compartment below the step into dawns room. This will require new thru hull fittings the appropriate size.
Our shaft packing is in a horrible spot between the access areas for service. So I am going to pull the shaft out and cut back the fiberglass pedro tube moving the packing gland back and closer the the access in the aft stateroom.
Now for the hard top. The yard I work at, Shelter Island Boat Yard, is going to give me a great deal on a vacuum bagged divinycell hard top. I am looking at 1/2inch divinycell fiberglassed over with a standard brow in the front. The whole thing will be roughly 8feet by 9feet. I am still working the numbers on the hard top, but I think it will fly.

That is about it from us. Life is regular and the same and well the way life is supposed to be for now. Work, my lovely daughter, kind and caring Niki, and great family.

Crew in big tuna

How did the bat get in there anyway?

2009-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, it has been a little while since our last post. We had a great Halloween weekend at the Coronado Islands. Dad came down for a relaxing visit, no work. We motored out on Friday an uneventful crossing into Mexico. We did absolutely nothing. Well we read, ate good food, and did a little fishing. Dad and I each had a Bonita on the fishing line about 6 pounds or so. Mine got away, but that's ok they are not a very good eating fish. Thanks Dad for the visit.
Dawn was ever cute in her mermaid outfit for Halloween. Dawns bottom front teeth are pushing up and that makes for a grumpy girl. All is really good otherwise. I am pretty sure that I can get the funding for the Big Tuna haul out. More to come on that.

IT DOES SOUND COOL

2009-10-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the big tuna camp has been busy. Niki has been working her cooking business a couple times a week. That has been very posative for her. I have been busy at work and working on a 45foot catamaran headed South to Mexico. I am curious when the boat repair season will end this year. In previous years it has died off around Thanks giving.
We have purchased tickets to visit family in Green Bay, WI after Christmas. That was a difficult task saving money for that but we got it done.
The boat projects have been put aside for a little while. There has been so much work on other peoples boats I just haven't had time. But that is about to change. I am waiting for our table supports to arrive this week. I plan to be eating at a table by the middle of next week. Also Dawn will get to use her new high chair that Grandma Ullmer got her, very cool. Look for those photos in the future. I am going to start trimming out our fabulous new floor next week as well. There has been some shifting of the floor but not really noticeable unless your hyper attentive like me.
All is well and thanks for stopping by.

Family on BIG TUNA

Squeaky Toys

2009-10-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well I have finally gotten over my cold. I am happy that it didn't get passed on to the girls. We have been doing some work on the boat. I finalized all of the A/C wiring and dressed in all of the wires in the aft starboard locker. I have the cockpit speakers mounted and ran the wires for the speakers and solar array. Three of the 11 floor hatch locks. I want to make sure that in the event of a knock down the floor hatches don't come flying out so we are installing positive locking systems by PERKO.
Baby Dawn is making strides in her growth. Just today she crawled from the heater to the base of the companion way steps. Then she sat up and stared at those stairs, contemplated and tried her little hardest to stand up and she did. I am so proud of her. Look for a video in the near future...........I have this moment on video.

Being very difficult and high pitched squeals

2009-10-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since our last post. I'm really not sure if anyone is reading, but any way. I suppose this is almost like a journal for me and there fore good in all respects.
The weather is getting more like Fall, I even have the diesel heater running right now especially for Dawn. Last weekend I completed the ducting into her room and just in time. A couple of nights we have had to snatch her out of bed early in the morning because it was chilly.
Let me tell you how much of a pain it was to get that ducting routed. Picture the cabinet under your bathroom sink. Then take a drill with a 4 1/2 inch hole saw and go to town. When the hole is cut pull 12 feet of 4 inch insulated ducting through. I had to do that three times. Fun Fun Fun. It is really nice to have the heater do dual purpose though and the fore peak was pretty cold last winter. Now we get a 15 degree rise in temp with the new ducting. Tonights low is supposed to be 57 not that cold for us but that baby doesn't get to have a blanket yet, because she might smother. She does have some really great pajamas though.
Nothing much special is going on here. I am trying hard to get money together for a trip to Wisconsin this Christmas. That just means long hours at work and little time with my family. So many people have come to visit us and we really appreciate it. Now it's our turn to share that sweet little girl with family that doesn't have the opportunity to travel.

No Stress

2009-09-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend is over again. We had nice weather in La Playa anchorage. My step mom came out to the boat after Sunday brunch with Aunt Carol and my cousins. I didn't really do any projects this weekend. On Friday I started to run the heater ducting for Dawn's room. What a pain in the ass that is. I am having a hard time finding a path out of the forward head cabinets and will have to cut out a bit of bulkhead in a very hard to reach spot. I'll be glad when it's done.
We have moved to our new mooring and are getting used to the new drop off and pick up spots. Check the google map on our home page for the exact spot.
That is it for now I am tired..........................From what I don't know.

Hot hot monkey times

2009-09-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Boy has it been hot here on the coast. We have had a busy week so far. I have had a lot of boats to work on, Dawn had her six month check up and vaccinations, and we all had a great dinner on Silver strand state beach with Dorothy and the rest of the Destache family.
Dawn is very healthy and fit, but her flu shot has given her some blues. She had a fever the next day and generally not feeling good. She is 27 1/2inches long and 15 pounds 5oz. Also, perfect in every way. Boats, boats and more boats in my work week. Everything from a deck shower installation to taking out the props, shafts, and rudders of a 65foot Carver that ran over a reef. Niki is doing well too, she even got up early the other day and went for a run along shelter island. So there you have it our week in a nut shell.

SV Big Tuna

Dents in the floor

2009-09-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

As Niki moans about turkey on her hands I reflect on the weekend that has just passed. It was a blur of work for the both of us. Being that we are tight on cash, but liking to upgrade the boat, projects can get a little scattered. Meaning, we have a lot of items on the boat that are already paid for but need to be installed. For instance we have a huge networkable navigation suite with radars, chartplotters, chartplotters that repeat radar in a different location, wind point/wind speed gauges, and a tridata gauge(depth, sea temperature, and speed through the water). with a small investment $45.00 we can get the system up and running. That is what we did this weekend. Oh yea and I added a salt water wash down system for the anchor area. I am tired of bringing muck into the boat when we bring the anchor and chain up from the briny depths.
Niki was great, we traded off taking care of baby Dawn and then scrambling to wash clothes or go grocery shopping. All of this while I tore the boat apart. We took down the headliner in the saloon so I could route wiring for the navigation system. What a filthy dirty mess. Moldy and old vinyl and foam along with dust and debris.
It is all done now except for one more network cable for a chart plotter. What a relief, and now Dawn is asleep in her room we are envious of her peace.

Thanks for stopping by

Venting

2009-09-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today was another day in our lifes. Dawn is now sleeping on her own in here wonderful bed (thanks Grandpa Al). It is a little hard on us not waking up to her smiling face, but a needed part of our daughters growing up.
I was able to get a couple little tasks done on the boat this afternoon. The fridge compressor is locked up behind the cabinets and needs air circulation. So I used a 3inch hole saw to cut in the cabinet and then cover with a stainless steel louvered vent. Another issue was that Dawn's door to her room is a double duty door. It closes off her bathroom and on the open position closes off her room. When under way or when a series of swells rolls us around it will open and slam back and forth. So I installed a bolt slide to keep it in place.
That is about it for now. We will be moving to mooring number 1 on the first of the month look for the new location on our home page Google Earth after the first.

Another Monday

2009-09-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Monday was what we all expect it to be. Niki dropped me off for work this morning and we went about our business. At some point today Dawn mastered getting up on her arms and legs. Then she sort of moves back and forth. No crawling yet but soon, very very soon.
As most of you know we are living on a mooring ball here in San Diego. The location is not the greatest due to the rocking and rolling. The issue is that we are really close to the entry basin of Americas cup harbor. That area is where the sport fishing boats are docked and in the summer time they are going at all hours of the night. Anyway, I am talking with the mooring company to see if we can get moved way down to the other end of Shelter Island. It will cost us almost double what we are paying now which is $128.17. The benefit will be a more calm and stable life.

ON ALL OF OUR POSTS IF YOU CLICK ON THE TITLE YOU WILL RETURN TO OUR HOME PAGE......

what the what

2009-09-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

We have been at the Police docks over the weekend. A little house cleaning and prepping for upcoming tasks. We took the sails off the boat and are storing them away until the rig is redone. I was able to give the boat a full wash down as well.

It really feels like Fall is coming on and by the calender it is. The wind is brisk and fast. Dawn is a great joy as always. She is asleep now in her updated bed. I added some snaps to the leading edge of the lee cloth that keeps her from falling out of bed. That was a dangerous spot as there was only a little slit between the bulkhead and lee cloth. Now she can't slip between them. It is very important now that she doesn't sleep in her little bed and moves around a lot.