Waiting for the winds to relax a bit.
Yes. I live by the wind, waves and weather. So far they have treated me nicely. There were some hard times but there's also mercy. You need a lot of that when living on a sailboat.
I've been sailing or on anchor for 19 months now. Just 6 docking days throughout this period. It means constant movement. Constant alertness and some anxious moments too. It means carrying your water, food, diesel for long distances by foot and then rowing them another kilometer or so from shore to the boat in an inflatable dinghy. It means not standing on firm ground for days, weeks sometimes.
I do everything possible myself. That includes all maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and lately sailing solo too. If I'm careful, living costs are very low. In my life there are no restaurants, hotels, rental cars, museum entrance fees, no bars or clubs, no alcohol. Yes, you don't have to spend money to live, to immerse yourself in places you visit. There are so many ways to learn, experience and know the islands I anchor by.
I buy food in bulk. Rice, flour, oats, lentils, beans, pasta, eggs, potatoes and whatever fresh produce is available. No fancy, pricey processed foods in beautiful, saliva-inducing packaging, no snacks or sugar drinks. No coffee. I brew herbal teas from local plants. Sometimes I'll get a fish, or buy some meat for immediate consumption.I eat well, freshly made, lean meals. Indeed, it takes a lot of time and effort when you can't just go over to the corner and order a sandwich.
It is amazing how little we need to live comfortably. 150 liters of water for 3 people over 3 weeks is more than enough. A single shower you take at home is 40 liters. On the boat I keep clean with seawater. Here and there a splash of collected rainwater to wash the salt, in case it was raining. Saltwater is excellent for the skin. But keep your skin out of the sun, covered. Sun on salty skin is bad.
When the winds are fair, I sail. In general the direction is west, 270 degrees. I've been sailing west for 2-3 years now. Moving around this globe in slow speeds, the speed of a bicycle rider, seems to be the right pace. Arriving at a destination from the sea, when first a nightly glow is visible 2-3 days prior, then a scent of wet rock or earth arrives, then the faint silhouette of a mountain. I've sailed to amazing islands. Each different and unique.
Living aboard a sailboat, sailing the islands, moving by the wind - it may sound very romantic, like a dream come true. In fact it is far from it. It is a lot of hard work, nearly constant. Non-stop learning, trying and failing. Many surprises, usually at the most inconvenient location and timing. You need to be prepared. Anything can happen at any time. And there is an enormous responsibility. There's no one else. Just you. You are responsible 24-7 for everything. No one to blame or complain to. Sometimes there will be a helping hand to pull on something heavy or provide another arm.
Yet it is all worth it. There are moments of exceptional clarity and focus, especially during night shifts. There are moments of incredible satisfaction, when a journey ends peacefully on a beautiful tranquil shore, or when a repair goes well. And then there are the unique people I meet along the way, anchored in bays. Most of them belong to a nation of cruisers. They come from all around the world, have a true passion for sailing and boats, have interesting life stories and think differently. If there’s one single element that makes sailing so exciting it is the people.
On the boat there is only now. Nothing can be done later or in 10 minutes. It better be done now. In 10 minutes the conditions will change, something else would pop up, and you cannot accomplish the delayed task any longer. The sense of now is very explicit.
Now the winds are howling. Just the deep roar of high wind running through the rigging, masts and ropes, is enough to trigger an evolutionary embedded alert reaction. I'll wait. It will get worse but then it will get better. Good things come to those who wait.
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Wow! What a life you must lead, sort of free and breezy. Note my clever reference to the wind in that comment...😁
I bet you've seen some things, experienced more and have managed to find peace. That's I imagine it to be anyway. Did you grow up sailing or has it been a fairly new venture?
well it's a mixed bag. on one hand it is a free and peacful life, on the other the boat can be limiting both. It is life under constant rapid change and it is demanding. I think very few will be able or wish to live that way. It may be easier with a/c, water maker, generator, washing machine equipped boats but that requires a very high budget. I find this way of life very fitting to my requirments though. I grew up by the sea with all kinds of water activities, but sailing began just a few years ago.
You're probably right in that it takes a certain type of person to do this. I think I could do it for a while, but I'm no sailor so it's probably something that own't happen. It was a good post though, thanks for sharing it.
I just started out my nomad life on land and took me a lot of guts to start out. But you're on a different level! Must be so nice waking up each day by the ocean. I wish you be treated well always by nature on your journey!
Hey you know what? It is indeed nice waking up by the ocean but once again, I must tell you the truth and bring some required reality: it's been the 10th day and night now, that winds are blowing above 30 knots, heavy violent rain is pouring, and abrupt gust winds threaten to rip the rope that's holding me safe. Swimming is not fun as the waves slap you on the face, the sun is rarely visible, and the winds make it very difficult to come ashore. And this is the prime season for sailing in the caribbean.... So yeah... welcome to the Caribbean dream. It is all good until something comes up. And it usually does
Oh no, that sounds scary but hope everything goes well on those kind of days. Thanks for sharing the reality. That's information that needs to be out there. It is part of the adventure but hope you're always safe!
Wonderful description of this fascinating life. It's one of those things that I don't see myself doing, but I'm happy that someone on this Earth is doing it. You have to be very crafty and hands on to live in a boat. Not me. If a lightbulb goes out in my apartment, I go cry in the corner.
thank you for an honest, realistic comment @litguru. Living aboard a sailboat full time is a lot easier if there's a fat budget to both upgrade all hardware (AC, TVs, watermaker, and all electric winches etc) and get someone to do the maintenance. However I would not have peace knowing that I don't know how something was fixed or how it works, so I rather plunge in with all the doubts and fears, take the risk of breaking or misalligning something, make mistakes, but eventually be in control and fully informed.
Appreciate you feedback. Thanks!
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So nice place to live!
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beautiful post :) love the pics!!
Thank you @ash ! I wish I had proper gear to take some better photos, not just with my old iphone (which I truly love BTW). Because I see so many great visuals that could be amazing on camera if there was a proper lens, exposure control and the rest. Not to mention a video camera which is really a crime I don't carry one. I already got used to just thinking: "oh I wish I could get that on video". Never mind, sometimes it is better to just absorb the world without a camera lens between us.
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