The truth about living on a Sailboat

The truth about living on a Sailboat

Including our sail to Canada in 2005, LeeAnn and I have lived aboard a boat together for over two years. Not so long really. But long enough to answer some simple questions about our lifestyle that we are commonly asked:


1. It's an awfully small space... Don't the two of you get sick of each other?

Sometimes we get mad at each other. But living and traveling on the boat puts us in a constant state of challenge. It's very hard to get things done when we are mad at each other, so we are normally forced to make up quickly.
For example:
We get mad at each other and go to bed. A storm comes up in the night and the anchor starts dragging. It's very scary, loud, and annoying to have to get out of bed and go stand in a thunderstorm, wet and cold, in the middle of the night. But it has to be done, and we do it as a team. Our anger becomes secondary to our goal.
It's easy to say living under such conditions has improved our relationship greatly. It's a great pre-marriage test that I would recommend to anyone.

2. How do you take Showers?
We don’t have a shower on our boat.

Three ways to get showers at a marina:
1. Fill up your gas tank and they let you take a shower.
2. Pay for a day dock and take a shower.
3. Somehow acquire the bathroom key code and sneak a shower after the marina staff leave for the night.


Three ways to get showers at a marina:
1. Fill up your gas tank and they let you take a shower.
2. Pay to take a shower.
3. somehow you acquire the combination and you sneak a shower.

Other ways to shower:
1. If the water is clean (like the Northern Great Lakes) you can take showers in the lake
2. If you are somewhere private you can take a shower on deck with a solar shower.
3. The worst option is to take a sponge bath inside the boat. Wash hair in the sink.

3. How do you cook?

We have a toaster oven that runs on electricity, and we have an Origo two burner stove top that burns denatured alcohol. We love to eat, and cook very good food.

Most people have a propane oven. These are very expensive, and you have to find a place to put the propane. Not to mention you have to eventually find a place to fill the propane.

We chose the electric oven because we charge our batteries with a generator. So our evening routine is to run the generator for about 2 -3 hours during which time we cook dinner, charge the batteries, and watch a movie.

This setup works great. although if we could have afforded it we would have probably gone with solar panels, wind generator, and a propane oven.

4. Do you get seasick?

LeeAnn does not get seasick. I do. I find that having a full stomach helps. I eat a lot of saltine crackers, pretzels, tortilla chips. Etc. High carb things seem to help.

I also am starting to think that my queasiness is stress related. I don’t see myself as a “worrier” so, when I am worried I don’t admit it. The worries build up, and I start to get queasy. It helps to sit down and take a deep breath.

5. Are you rich?

As in money? Unfortunately no.

6. How can you afford to do this?
We get this question a lot. Budget, budget, budget is our mantra.

We bought a cheap boat and fixed it up, opposed to buying a new one.

We NEVER take docks. There is ALWAYS somewhere you can anchor for free.

When traveling we never eat out. And generally we don't drink either.

Also keep in mind, we have no car or house payments, or any of the standard bills, such as: cable, internet, or anything like that.
7. So how much does "it" cost?

In 2005 we didn't think about "budgeting" at all and we spent $3,000 in three months… We spent the most in the first few weeks on nice docks and going out to eat.. Then scrapped by for the rest of the summer on hardly anything. We sailed from Canada to home on 500 dollars...

In 2007/08 our budget was $120 a week. $60 on food, $60 on Gas.
Some weeks we went way over, and some were way under. Generally it evens out.

For 2009 we plan on spending $140 a week. $70 on food. $100 on gas. Damn inflation.

None of these figures reflect repairs to the boat.
When all is said and done, we will spend $1,000 a month total. Something always breaks on the boat. Or we spend a few extra days in an expensive area (like New York) where we splurge.

8. Whatdo you do on the boat?

We have a flatscreen and a DVD player to watch movies. We both like to read, and we have three shelves and a drawer full of books. We enjoy cooking very much. Lunch and dinner are highlights of the day. we sight-see. Watch sunsets and sunrises. Fix the boat, and worry about the engine. Relax, pay guitar, listen to music. Sleep.

9. How do you do laundry / get groceries?
We use cruising guides ("Skipper Bob" is a great, inexpensive resource) to find out which anchorages have grocery stores or laundromats within walking distance. Generally we keep our walks under 1 mile.


10. How far from land do you normally go?Generally not very far.

We are "coastal cruisers." However I have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean

Our goal for 07/08 was to see the east coast. We would never see it if we were sailing off out of site of land.

We made many multi-day passages in 2009


12. Why doesn't LeeAnn ever give write in the blog?
She has tried it a few times. But doesn't enjoy it.



Other Posts about living on a sailboat that you might be interested in:

Sailing Books - A ciriculum to sail away

What is the food like?

How To Go Cruising Now (a step by step guide)

How To Make Money While Cruising


Creating content takes time. Time is money. If you enjoy this blog, please support it! Become a Patron!

Boat Food!

As a cruising sailor... your eating habits change a little...

Some people are lucky, and have huge freezers to stock up with tasty treats, like ground beef... and steak... Yummm!!

If you aren't one of the lucky ones... don't fret! You have lots of options:
Chicken Ramen Noodles,
Beef Ramen Noodles,
Shimp Ramen Noodles,
Oriental Ramen Noodles,
Chocolate covered Ramen Noodles!

Just kidding, there are more things to eat than that… There is also Spam!

Seriously. Fried spam is delicious. It's like … bacon, but more mysterious!

We’ve tried different kinds of powdered milk, and some boxed milk that will last for months with out refrigeration. LeeAnn said it was better than powered milk by far. But by the time she had tried it, she had already gotten used to not having milk and decided to use the extra money for the occasional treat of ice cream!

You can do a lot with canned chicken. For example, chicken Alfredo is good. Just use a McCormick package for the sauce, canned chicken, maybe some canned mushrooms, and a fair amount of garlic salt. This is a great meal to make in a big batch when there is bad weather. The rain adds to the flavor :)

Another canned chicken dish: Put the chicken in a bowl, adding a little mayo and some curry powder. Toss it on a tortilla shell and you are done! MMMM mmm!

A tip for condiments if you don’t have a lot of fridge space. Go to SAM'S Club, and pick up a box of each condiment in the little restaurant package style. Like the kind of ketchup you would get from the drive through at McDonalds. If you have a big boat with plenty of fridge space, this wont matter to you.

Here is my big finale for this post, my FAVORITE boat recipe... one I couldn't live with out.... PIZZA!!

What you will need:

Tortilla shells.
Pizza sauce

Mozzarella Cheese (buy it in blocks, it will last longer.)

Pepperoni

So, make a pizza on the tortilla shell, then put a little bit of oil in a pan, and toss the Tortilla shell pizza in the pan. Spin it around a few times so the oil coats the whole bottom.

So, make a pizza!

then put a little bit of oil in a pan, and toss the Tortilla shell pizza in the pan. Spin it around a few times so the oil coats the whole bottom.


Put a lid on a frying pan, and when the cheese melts... it's ready!

Fried Pizza = delicious

Winter Time

This time last year we were in a very different climate!

Here are some pictures of our house, and the snow fall we got last night. No schools are closed or anything. Just another day in Michigan!

Our house! The smallest one on the block!

I really like the area where we live. Lakeshore Drive is a very "small town" where as the rest of Muskegon is pretty much chain store "anywhere America". We have the park behind us and the creek, and Lake Michigan is just around the corner. It will be very easy to run out for a quick surf on the lake this summer. When we get our next boat, we have a large marina right up the road!

Outside of the place where I work:

LeeAnn shoveling snow while I play with the camera... Heh heh heh.

Michigan's finest. Keeping those roads safe!

Somewhere that is not here

Reading last night I came across this little bit and thought I would put it out into the world wide web for those who might relate to it:


Did his heart not falter as he realized--that this great and splendid place had been in its being all the years of his life and far longer, and he had been ignorant of it? This place full of wonders beyond his understanding, was in need of nothing from him, and his arrival was a matter of no importance whatsoever.

So has felt many the traveler in foreign parts who does not know what might be found...Cut down to size by a strange and marvelous place where no one even stops to notice that you stare about in awe.

How To Go Cruising Now (a step by step guide)

Step by Step: From no experience, to crossing an ocean:

Even before you hit step one, I recommend you tell no one! In my experience, most people are terrified to pursue their own dreams. To make themselves feel better they will try to hold as many people back with them as they can


1. Get a book on sailing. I've listed some that I have found useful here.

Time frame for step 1: a weekend or two.

2. Get a small sailboat. 15 feet or less? It's up to you. You just need to get your feet wet. Learn the basics on a boat that doesn't cost a lot. A Sunfish is a very popular, fun boat to sail. Start looking here: Craigslist.com

Time frame for step two: One month.

3. Get a sail boat with a cabin. Twenty five or Thirty feet. The purpose of this boat is to take some longer trips. Learn how to anchor for the night. Learn how to sail all night. Learn what it is like to be on a small boat. Don't let the small size fool you. Many people have sailed around the world on boats less than 30 feet long. For example, The Contessa 26.

Time Frame for Step three: A year or more.

Step three is the last step. Sail the boat as far as you can, as long as you can. You will always want a larger boat, but keep in mind: The boat you have now, is the one you can cruise in now.

Buying a bigger boat means you need to save for it. Which means you cant go cruising in the boat you own now because you are busy working so you can buy the next boat!

For other opinions on this line of thinking, visit this forum: go small, go now.

How To Make Money While Cruising

Update:

Making money online is without a doubt the way to go when it comes to cruising. You can make money virtually anywhere, and often times in a location where the US dollar goes a lot further than the local currency.

I've operated multiple online businesses and worked with over a thousand clients around the country, including startups, corporations, and universities.

If you want help getting setup with an online business, reach out to me through my company: wowie.co






Original Post:

While we "cruised" or "lived aboard" we held numerous jobs. Looking back I don’t feel that the "adventure" was put on hold during these stops.

We met people that we will never forget. I instantly think of my job bar tending at the Crescent Yacht Club in New York. Doreen was the other bar tender at the club, and she will live forever in my memory standing at the back door to the bar, smoking a cigarette yelling in "Chad, poor me a shot of Sambucca!” Doreen had a great sense of humor, but she wouldn't take shit from anybody.

Ford Sellers was like a big brother during the summer we spent in NY. I’m sure he was the only reason I got the job bar tending in the first place. It was great walking home with him after the bar closed (we kept our boat at the dock behind his house). Frodo taught me life lessons like “if you’re been drinking always eat a piece of toast, and drink a big glass of water before you go to bed.”

Sure, there were bad days. But the friends made it worth it. My favorite cure for a bad day was to hang out with Kathy. I could always count on her for a Molson, chips and salsa, and being in a good mood by the time we left her place.

Our next "stop" from cruising was in Charleston, South Carolina. I cannot express how much I miss that city, or the friends we made there. I enjoyed living there so much I was tempted to stay for an additional year.

Because of the connections I made with sailors in Charleston, I landed a job as a paid first mate on a Trans-Atlantic boat delivery. I sailed across the ocean and came back with almost $1,000 dollars in my pocket for doing it. Not to mention the connections I made with the delivery captain, and the sailing business that organized the delivery. I was offered a job as an instructor at Charleston's Ocean Sailing Acadamy. I reluctantly let the opportunity pass me by as I was working at LongerDays.com.

Sailing Books - A ciriculum to sail away

I’ve learned a ton from reading books about sailing. Here are a few of my favorites.

Confessions of a Long Distance Sailor by Paul Lotus
Probably the first book I read about sailing, because it was available free as an e-book. The book is still available for free online, but it is also available in paper back format HERE.

This book was the best find ever. I was completely enchanted, and couldn’t stop reading it from the moment I started. My mom was concerned about the amount of time I was spending sitting in front of a computer while I read it.

One thing I’ve always remembered from the book was the author’s description of his life philosophy: “Do something different. Look at what everyone else is doing, and do something different.”

This is excellent for those looking to learn because it covers the authors journey from having no sailing experience at all, right up to completing his circumnavigation. It provides a very realistic insight into the day to day life of long distance sailing.

Sailing aside, the author is a pretty cool guys. He designed spacecraft components for the NASA Space Shuttle, and created a mathematical model of the solar system used during the Viking Mars lander program. His best-known program is "Apple Writer" the first word processor for personal computers.


Flirting With Mermaids by John Kretschmer
The nine page introduction alone is worth the cost of this book. Perhaps best said in the words of the author: “It is a book about living a passionate, adventure-filled life on your own terms.”

It is packed full of wisdom and inspiration for anyone who has felt like they just don’t fit right.

“My freedom is the ability to shake off the grip of society’s expectations.”

“Life is something to be devoured because at any moment it might be snatched away… you have to seize life by the throat… pursue your dreams relentlessly, recklessly. It is too much of a gamble to waste time.”

"If there is any advice, any lurking pearl of wisdom hidden in this book, it's something as simple as how to go sailing at all costs while steering clear of the stealthy nine-to-five routine that slyly steals the only thing you own in life: your time.”

"Dreams are private and fragile creations, we make them, live them, or ignore them. Dreams are, as much apart of sailboats as teak planks and sistered oak frames, rusty steel plates and the toxic chemicals that make up a fiberglass hull."

“I have always insisted on steering my own course, a wayward course that invariably runs counter to conventional wisdom.”


Maiden Voyage By Tania Aebi
I really didn't like this book, but it’s pretty inspirational. The author left New York City knowing hardly anything about how to sail the boat. For example, she had to call her dad on her first night out to learn how to anchor. She even learns to navigate while on the trip.

So I thought: “If this girl can sail around the world, I can at least make it down the East Coast!”

Sailing Books on Audible

The Boy Behind The Gate
I felt like I was chancing an audible credit on this one, but I ended up really enjoying this audiobook. After I finished it I couldn't help but look up the author to see what he is up to now. It's narrated by the author and he does a really great job telling the story.

Bumfuzzle
It pains me to recommend this audio book, but it's one of the few books, audio or otherwise, that I've come across about circumnavigating on a catamaran. Also, it's difficult to like a book that basically mocks and ridicules me as a cruising sailor. The target audience for this book is apparently people who hate sailing and sailors.

So why even recommend it? Because despite it's flaws, it's really an enjoyable, well written story.

Sailing, Yachts and Yarns
This book is a collection of op-ed sailing articles all by the same author. They were published in a UK magazine, and as an American it was interesting to get a UK perspective on sailing. These short stories pack a punch. They grab your attention and are quick paced.


Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage 
I'm really not into survival stories. I got this book for Christmas and I was totally blown away. There is so much more to the story than I ever imagined. If you have never read this, I highly highly recommend it.

Child Of the Sea
This book it noteworthy for being told from the perspective of a child. My four year old son loves this book, but I think a large portion of his interest comes from hearing children's voices in the story. As a story, it's okay.

Fatal Forecast
This is the book behind the year 2000 movie "The Perfect Storm". The movie ends with the main character ending up in a life raft. The book primarily focuses on the time spent IN the life raft. If you have a life raft aboard your boat, this book provides a good idea of what it's actually like to be stranded in one. I didn't think of a wool sweater as survival gear until I read this book!

Educational Sailing Books

Sailing: The Basics: The Book That Has Launched Thousands by Dave Franzel

The title is pretty self explanatory. This book provides a very good balance between telling you what you need to know, without boring you with minor details that really don't matter. If you don't know anything about sailing, this is a great place to start.

Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, by Lin and Larry Pardey

There are many many books on survival at sea. This is the only one I have read so I don’t have any comparison. However, the Pardeys are accomplished, respected sailors, AND they write well. In many other cases it seems you only get one or the other. Their book Cruising in Seraffyn is also pretty good, but I found it hard to relate to. They are rather "old fashioned" and set in their ways. But it's still a good book.

Awesome Travel and Adventure Books:

The Beach by Alex Garland
You might be familiar with the terrible movie version of this book that stared Leonardo DeCapprio. The book is FAR better. It's one of my favorite books. It doesn't include anything about sailing, But it has a lot about traveling and adventure.

Why we stopped cruising.

I hate to write this. I don’t want to admit that it’s really over! But we have received a surprising number of emails asking us why we haven’t posted. Thank you, to everyone who emailed. We never knew so many people were following along. Finding out makes it all the harder to stop!

Reason #1. Money.
We were making money while we were cruising, and still able to save a little each year, but we weren't able to put enough away for retirement. LeeAnn and I were worried that if we kept on cruising we would wake up 60 years old with little money and less teeth. So the plan is to go home and get “grown up” jobs. We’ve survived on about $25,000 a year (combined income). So we figure if we get make $50,000 a year, we can save half. In 10 years we should have a lot saved up.


Reason #2. Boat.
We had a great boat - we loved it, fixed it up, and sailed it thousands of miles. There were times I was scared for my life, but it kept us safe and never let us down once. It was our home. However, for long term sailing, we need a boat that can hold more people.... like... uhhh, kids... :)

Reason #3. Babies
We’re comfortable taking on the ocean alone, but when it comes to having babies, we want our parents nearby.




So! Our plan is to spend a few years at home.... like 10. Save up a little money for the future, buy a new boat, have some babies.

7 FAQs about Living On A Sailboat

1. How much would you have saved if you used solar panels instead of running a generator every day?

Our boat did not come with a propane stove. Buying a propane stove and everything that it would take to install one (special locker, special hoses, solenoid,) is at least $1,000. Then installing solar would cost at least $1,000. And if we were going to depend completely on solar, we would need a larger battery bank, maybe $200. So a total of $2,200 and that’s a super conservative estimate.

Our generator on the other hand cost $800, and our toaster oven about $80, for a total of $880. To this day, we have not spent $1,000 dollars on gas for the generator. It can run for 8 hours on a single gallon of gas and we use it 2-3 hours a day.

Total cost for solar: $2,200
Total Cost for Generator: $1,880

In the long run, solar and propane really are cheaper. But we low budget, short-term cruisers. Most of our actual cruising is only a few months at a time. The rest of our time is spent at a dock working and saving money. While we are at the dock we just plug the boat in to shore power.

If we were going to go cruising non-stop for 5 years straight, It would make sense to install propane and solar. On my next boat I hope to use that setup.

Using a generator works really well for us. It’s really quiet. At night we turn it on to cook dinner, then leave it on if we decide to watch a movie.

I can’t recommend the Honda EU 2000i highly enough. We’ve had ours since 2005. It’s spent most of it’s life outside. We’ve used it A LOT and I am pretty bad at routine maintenance. It starts up every time, almost always on the first pull. I would buy one again without hesitation. It is definitely worth the price.

*Update Summer 2016:

11 years old and the generator still works GREAT. We spent a month sailing and depended on the generator a lot.

It still runs great, and cosmetically has held up really well. There are some grooves in the plastic around the pull start rope. But really those are my fault for not starting it from the proper angle.

The eco-throttle is also broken. Considering this generator has spent so much of it’s life getting wet, and being in the generally humid boating environment, I forgive the switch for failing. Fortunately the switch died with the eco-throttle “on” so the generator runs on it’s lowest setting power.

The only problem with this is that when you go to use something the draws a lot of power, the generator goes from 0 to 60 and will stall if it hasn’t had enough time to warm up. When this happened in the past I just turned off the eco-throttle so the generator would rev up. Now that the switch it broken, I have to turn on something that will rev up the generator slightly, then turn on whatever is drawing high power. And immediately turn off whatever else I had on to rev the generator up, otherwise it will flip the generators circuit breaker. This is rarely a problem.


2. How did you learn to sail?

I purchased a book from Barnes & Noble that explained the basics. It was actually called “Sailing: The Basics.”

Then I got a small sailboat from my uncle, went down to the lake, and figured it out by trial and error. A month later I bought a 31 foot sailboat and (with some help) sailed it home, 200 miles, from Northern Lake Michigan. I was 19.

Many sailors will try to make you believe that sailing and cruising is harder than it really is. Do not let them scare you. Sailing is easy. Just use your head. Always make sure you have enough room to float, and check the weather before leaving port.

3. Was it difficult finding jobs while cruising?

When we needed to work, we would stop and get normal jobs. This was part of the adventure. When we are cruising we pass through a lot of places very quickly. Very often all we see is the grocery store and laundromat. Honestly the traveling part of cruising kinda sucks.

When you stop to get a job, you make friends you would have otherwise never met. You see parts of the city, and get to enjoy things other cruisers don't. I loved living and working in Charleston. I didn't want to leave.

When cruising we have cleaned boat bottoms for extra cash. I've also done boat deliveries. It’s not steady income.
 
4. Are there costs involved with going through the locks?

Yes. Most locks charge a fee. The Panama Canal has a fee. The Erie Canal normally has a fee, but for a few years (including when we went though) it was free.
 
5. What type of paperwork is required to go cruising?

You need a passport. The boat doesn’t technically need anything. Normally boats are registered to the state, but if you are traveling, which state would you register to? You can document the boat federally with the coast guard, but there is no requirement to do so.
 
6. Were you able to keep frozen meats?

Every boat has a different refrigeration situation. Theoretically, we could freeze meat by turning our entire fridge into a freezer. That means frozen vegetables, frozen deli meat, frozen cheese, etc. So for the most part we only had fresh meat.

We would like to have a freezer for our next boat, but keep in mind, having a freezer means higher demand for electricity. That means a larger battery bank and running the generator longer to charge it. Or if we have solar panels we might have to add an extra  panel, just to account for the freezer. Well worth it if we have the budget.
 
7. How can you afford to go sailing at such a young age?

Starting really young gave us a major advantage. We both still lived with our parents, so we could save most of our income. Neither of us had any debt.

Once we moved onto the boat, we didn’t have the typical land-based expenses. No cable, wifi, gas, or electric bill. We've always got jobs near the marinas where we lived and we road bikes to get to them, so that means we have no car payments, fuel, maintenance, or insurance to worry about.

Riding your bike to work is a great way to get exercise, and to de-stress from a hard day at work. Riding your bike in the rain is a great way to get in touch with your inner child! No adult in their right mind would go riding in the rain, or splash through puddles, but I’ve had a good excuse and a blast doing it. If you ever want to have some fun, ride your bike in the rain.

A lot of people told us, “Go Now” So we went. We didn’t worry about having the best boat, or the newest gadget. We figured out what we needed to get to the boat South. Then we looked at what we needed to get to the Bahamas. I thought about what sailors needed to go sailing 50 or 60 years ago. Figure out the bare minimums you need to go sailing now... and then go. It's that simple.

The Reality of Sailing

Some people say to us “when you are going to coming back to reality?” My cruising friend, Gary, sent me the following passage in response to the question:

Those who see sailing as an escape from reality have got their
understanding of both sailing and reality completely backwards.

Sailing is not an escape, but a return to and a confrontation of a reality
from which modern civilization is itself an escape.

For centuries, humans suffered from the reality of an earth that was too dark or too hot or too cold for his comfort, and to escape this we invented complex systems of lighting, heating and air conditioning. Sailing returns us to the realities of dark and heat and cold.

Modern civilization has found radio, TV, movies, nightclubs and a huge variety of mechanized entertainment to titillate our senses and help us escape from the apparent boredom of the earth and the sun and wind and stars.

Sailing returns to these ancient realities.

-Robert Prisig