Living on a sailboat can be challenging even during the most
adventurous of times. The spaces are small, storage is limited and travel is
slow. However, those of us with an ability to adapt to new surroundings are
blessed with a lifestyle that most people live only in their dreams. Many new
discoveries lie in wait during each new day. I, myself, have found that I am a
changed person after just two months at sea. Though the changes are numerous,
some of them made it into my “Top Ten List”……. (not in any particular order)
#1: I have become more environmentally conscious…… We all hear the news reports on global
changes and how we should take care and recycle, reduce, reuse…….and most of us
do our part and, yeah, we think a little highly of ourselves for it!! HOWEVER,
living on a sailboat, conservation becomes not just a slogan, but a lifesaver!!
I tend to like water….. water to drink, brush my teeth, shower, clean dishes…..lovely,
wonderful, refreshing water!!! This summer we carried 125 gallons of water into
a different country, a country of small islands where fresh water is scarce!
125 gallons of water is not a lot!! I learned quickly to turn off the tap
between brushing my teeth, showering and washing dishes. As a matter of fact,
we use saltwater to wash and fresh water to rinse. Running out of water is a
reality as we do not have a watermaker unit and rain can be non-existent in the
summer months. I also have been reminded daily of how lucky I am to live in a
country where all I have to do is turn a faucet on for hot or cold water!!! On
my boat this summer, I have become grateful and have a new love for my world!!
I reuse cartons to store food, I put drinks into washable cups instead of water
bottles…..we conserve because our trash space is limited also and it costs up
to 10 dollars to dispose of a bag of garbage at a marina!!! This, at first,
cumbersome task, has now become second nature to me. We have limited supplies,
limited storage and limited funds, so conserving, recycling, reducing and
reusing is not a “motto”, it is an imperative!!
#2: I really love my husband…… Our sailboat is 41
feet long which after two months gets REALLY small!! There is nowhere to storm
off to in a heated moment, no car to jump in and drive away…..you cant even
slam a stinkin’ door to get a point across!!! We have to work it all out and do
it quickly!! I have read that a week on a boat is comparable to a year together
on land?? I don’t know if all that is true, but I do know that the relationship
will only work if both are willing to talk!! Ray and I laugh together, dream
together, play together and boy can we fight together!! I am usually right, but
that is beside the point…… We have one captain on the boat, but all other
issues are decided together and we have to work out differences because
otherwise one of us would be adrift very quickly!! Some people may not
understand our relationship, but it works for us! I love my husband and love
being with him on the ocean. I love our friendship and our fun and the fact
that he stands at the helm in the rain and I can go below…. I mean, he is the
captain!!!!
#3: Faster is NOT always better:….. I am sure that
there are times when it is important to hurry along, but most of the time when
we do anything quickly, we do it sloppily and miss out on doing it right. Our
sailboat cruises along at about 6 knots. That is pretty much the speed of a
bicycle so we cannot get anywhere in a short amount of time unless we are resetting
an anchor!! That being said, Ray and I have found many little islands that the
big and fast boats cruise on by at 50 knots. We have set anchor in little
harbors and walked trails among the trees and brush, discovering beauty
unimaginable, residents of the islands who will sit and chat and reveal a
culture that is so foreign to me but at the same time so familiar! We swim in
water that is so clear, it will make you cry and find fish and explore reefs
and then watch spectacular sunsets that I think can’t ever be outdone, but then
the next one comes and I am wrong!! Our days meander through time and though we
get to midnight the same as anyone else, we get there with so many more
memories and way less stress!!! Life in the slow lane is fast enough for me!
#4: America is not the only country…….. Yeah, yeah we
all know this, but do we really GET it?? I do!! Traveling to another country is
a big eye opener. No one there cares how you do it in America, because they aren’t
there!! Our religion, our culture, our first world problems do not amount to a
hill of beans outside the U.S. I have
been blessed to be a part of another world even for such a short time and it
shades my eyes to color, race and religion. We are simply people……all a part of
this big, beautiful world. Though some of us have crazy accents!!!
#5: We have SOOOO much in America:…….I could write an
entire novel about how much we are blessed with in our country!! For heaven
sakes we have the choice of 50 different kinds of grape jelly….not just jelly
but GRAPE jelly!! We have reliable communication, (I still hate Comcast).. and
can call our parents, children and friends at the touch of a button!! We have
trash service and flushing toilets with unlimited water (or so we think)… we
have pizza delivery and Dunkin Donuts coffee. We can open the refrigerator at any
time of the day, and there is usually something in there though it is the same
20 things that we looked at five minutes ago!! All this makes us complacent and
it also gives us the idea that we “do without”….. really???? The poorest in our
country are still way better off than
most of the millions of people that call our world home. No one tries to sneak
out of the United States!!
#6: Flushing toilets are heavenly…….before you laugh,
get a manual toilet and pump up and down 40 times each visit to the bathroom!!!
I won’t even go into the smell of a holding tank as that will be saved Fellow
boaters can become really great friends for its own blog!!
#7: VHF radios can provide hours of entertainment!!........channel 16 is supposed to be a hailing and emergency calling channel, but not everyone got the memo! The snide remarks and call outs are rather funny. If you click over to channel 68 or 72, you pretty much have a party line to a plethora of conversations. It is kind of like FB without the pictures and random recipes!!
#8: Fellow boater can become really great friends:………Ray
and I always get excited when we see a sailboat come into an anchorage and for
good reason! In the 8 years that we have been cruising together, some of the
best relationships we have formed have been with other boaters. We met Duke and
Donna back in 2010 in Staniel Cay and enjoy “running” into them each summer
down in the Exumas. We made some new friends this summer as well and I have
been following their travels via FB. The common bond that we share is a love
for the water, cruising around, fishing for dinner and basically enjoying life
while we have the opportunity!
#9: No matter how hot it is, a small breeze can cool you
down rather quickly………. The hatches on our boat funnel down the lovely
ocean air into the cabin. The same wind that grabs a hold of our sails taking
us where we want to go, also brings refreshing coolness to an otherwise sticky
situation. NuTrix also has fans that can move around the air, but ohhhh those
wonderful salty winds!! When we get home, I keep notching the AC up and up….I
become accustomed to the heat and the artificial air takes some getting used
to!!!
#10: Freedom is more than a word……….Being tied down to material things means that the freedom to go and travel, explore and learn is also tied down. While there is nothing wrong with homes and cars, wardrobes, bank accounts and other tangible objects, sometimes they start to own us instead of the other way around. I always start our trips thinking of the things that I will do without and end up realizing how little I truly need to be happy!! Star gazing is an addictive activity and absolutely free!! Snorkeling the reefs and spearfishing a grouper for dinner also costs nothing more than know how and a little luck! Talking with new friends, listening to a different language and deciphering the words with hand gestures, trying food that I have never seen, exploring worlds that I have only read about, wandering through the ocean pretending to have a plan…… this is freedom to me!!!
I know that there are countless numbered paragraphs that I
left out, but really I cannot explain the changes in me or the epiphanies that
have come my way this summer anyway. We sit today anchored off of Key Largo in
Jewfish Creek and though we have many miles to go, it is all so short! I wish
for June when my journey started but time only goes forward. I am so very
lucky!!! I have memories and experiences that most people can only read about
and for that, I am eternally grateful…….I have a wonderful captain who takes me
to faraway places, introduces me to different cultures and lifestyles and most
of all loves me!! We have this amazing sailboat, NuTrix, who has time and time
again proved her seaworthiness!!! She loves the waves, the wind and the
adventure too!! She is named because of our love for adventure….. In every
life, you need some new tricks!!! So glad I have mine!!!
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