I’ve been looking around the boat lately and chuckling to myself about the little things that make living on a boat so different than living on land. And since we are in our sixth month aboard, I am noticing the part of our life that have really changed. Here is a fun little list as a small view into our world:
Things I Brought with us that We NEVER Use:
We are barefoot 90% of the time:)
Shoes other than flip flops: Chris and I put on our hiking shoes last week to head up the hill on Jost Van Dyke, and nearly ripped them off three steps after getting out of the dinghy. We have been barefoot or in flip flops for so long that real shoes are almost out of the question. I love it! (although those high-heeled red sandals I brought are soooo cute. Maybe I’ll try wearing them soon…)
My curling iron: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I haven’t blow dried my hair since my cousin’s wedding on Long Island, in September, and I certainly haven’t taken a curling iron to it. I can’t believe I thought for a second that I would be using it.
any diehard blog fans remember when I struggled to whittle the shoe-packing down to this many?
Our blender: I had dreams of making Mud Slides in the evenings, but ice and electricity are hard to come by and ice cream is a no-go in our not-so-frozen freezer.
Craft supplies: I brought my knitting, my jewelry making supplies, my mandala coloring book, and more. But running and maintaining a boat ON TOP of teaching and taking care of three children leaves “surprisingly” little time for hobbies. I’m starting to accept that I’ll probably not get to any of these fun activities. Instead, our free time is spent exploring, sailing, and being outdoors (and there ARE no rainy days here!). The retired cruisers, however, seem to be perpetually having sundowners in their cockpit, after an afternoon nap, while trying to decide where to go have dinner.
Books: The kids are reading the dozens of books we brought for them, but as above, I have little to no down-time for reading. I keep hoping, though, because I brought some good ones with me.
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem. This is about as dressed up as we get down here!
Makeup and Jewelry: I did wear my jewelry in the Northeast, when we were in places that were a little more “fancy”. But down here, it’s too, too, too hot to wear anything more than is absolutely necessary. And everyone else is in the same boat. From time to time I will throw on earrings and a bracelet if it cools off after dark, but that’s about it. I do manage to keep nailpolish on most of the time. It helps stop my nails from breaking with all the hard work around the boat and from being wet from swimming all the time.
Olivia, from Anything Goes, reads to me while my nails dry.
Things that seem normal (or almost normal) now.
TMI Warning. Those who are squeamish can skip ahead…
Taking freezing cold showers, outside, on our swim platform (although I sometimes take my freezing cold shower in our head).
Using (really using) public restrooms.
off to do laundry with Wendy. Don’t you feel bad for us?
Washing our clothes in Laundromats. It isn’t that bad. Just don’t drop anything on the floor and don’t make any other plans that day.
Not flushing toilet paper down the toilet. You can get used to anything if it means the head won’t smell.
Anchoring: No bigs. Pick a spot, drop it. Maybe reset it. Go swim into the beach.
Doing dishes like someone has a gun to your head and will blow your brains out if you use more than 1 gallon of water.
Flipping switches and contemplating the current state of power in order to: flush; turn on the stove; find the depth of the water; keep our food cold; use the internet; turn on lights; charge our _____ (fill in anything here); wash our hands; or listen to music.
Pulling our dinghy up to the boat and throwing the outboard into neutral as I swing sideways alongside the swim platform, lines in hand, ready to kill the engine while I casually step off the dinghy and tie it up. All with a drink in my hand. Or two bags of laundry. Or $900 worth of food (ie. 2 rolls of paper towels and a loaf of bread).
Things We Are Still Adjusting To:
Chris wants to know why I’m smiling after dropping loads of cash on gifts, food, and a new teapot and then carrying it a mile in 90 degree heat. Probably because it still beats holiday shopping at the Garden State Plaza.
Paying $900 for two rolls of paper towels and a loaf of bread. If you can find a store. Which is probably 2 miles away.
Paying $0.20 per gallon to fill our 220 gallon water tanks. If you can find a water dock. That doesn’t have a mega-yacht taking up all the space, filling their tanks with 50,000 gallons of fuel.
Being hot and sweaty. All day. All night. All the time. (the first person to complain about snow on Facebook this winter is going to get an earful from me!)
Moving twelve things to get to the cinnamon.
The smell of holding tanks.
No mail: we managed nicely in the states, always having a place to have mail sent to, but here in the Caribbean, packages could take up to two months to get to us. (but we don’t stay put for that long.)
Bugs: um, have I mentioned that critters really like biting me?
Things We Are Having Absolutely No Issues Adjusting To:
Being with our beautiful children all the time. We truly get it that our time with these amazing little people is short-lived. We are soaking them up, answering their 2,000 questions a day, teaching them what we know, and learning even more from them. We are experiencing the world together and creating memories that will last all of us a lifetime. It isn’t always “smooth sailing”, but we are present and doing our best, and always remembering that the most important thing is to just love them.
visitors come and go all day via dinghy
Meeting new people everywhere we go. Tonight it took us 45 minutes to leave Saba Rock because we were chatting with a family we met yesterday, and then met a foursome from England, with whom we chatted about our trip and their charter vacation.
Sitting on the beach, watching the kids play in the water with new friends they have made, while drinking Painkillers. All afternoon.
Bryson showing he can set up his own tank
Swimming, snorkeling, and diving everyday. Right off our “back porch”. A few days ago I swam along with a giant sea turtle while time stopped and I focused on swimming with the same grace and strength as him or her. Two weeks ago, Bryson and I completed our SCUBA certification and got to swim for two days with giant tarpon, magnificent corals in every color, enormous Caribbean lobsters, blue tang, trumpetfish, angelfish, and so much more. But the best part was watching Bryson’s face light up when we saw something new and exciting. Yesterday, I snorkeled with Reese, who skin dives as naturally as a mermaid. She sees everything under the sea and knows the names of dozens of fish already. (I still miss my bike, though. There’s just no pleasing some people.)
Sailing on aqua blue waters, in our moving home, in no rush at all, to get to the next perfect beach, which is only 3 miles away.
Friends with Painkillers.
Staying up late with our friends Wendy and Craig, playing cards, drinking wine, listening to music, letting our kids stay up way too late, trading stories, and arguing about which perfect beach to sail to tomorrow.
Seeing new places, meeting new people, and opening our minds and hearts to the juicy, hot, lyrical, spicy culture of the Caribbean…
