FAQ - Living Aboard

What do you do with your garbage? How much garbage do you accumulate on a typical month?

Funny, when we first started reading about cruising there was a lot of text dedicated to trash, and it wasn’t until then that it dawned on us what a huge deal it is! As it turns out it is very manageable. Some of this might seem obvious, but we’ll state it anyway …

First, whenever we bring new provisions onboard we try to eliminate most trash then and there. Almost all outer packaging goes – if the inner bags are not clearly labeled or see-through we just mark the contents with a magic marker. Rice, pasta, and other grains all go into Rubbermaid or Snap-Ware containers. Besides reducing trash this also helps with bug control. Ugh bugs! Sorry if you weren’t ready for it, but bugs are about to become a big part of your life. Now I might be a little anal, because I HATE bugs, so you’ll have to figure out your own tolerance level and go from there. Bugs and their eggs (especially roaches) love cardboard – this is one of the reasons we remove all the packaging and get it off the boat asap. Rice, pasta, and grains are breeding grounds for weevils. By keeping these products in airtight sealed containers we do not have to worry about bugs escaping and contaminating all our stores should one batch sprout weevils. Also if bugs get aboard via another route then our food stores are protected from entry. More information on our preferred containers can be found here.

Back to the trash – when on passage we keep two bags of trash going, one “overboard” and one “on board”. In the beginning we were very against throwing any trash into the ocean that was not a food product. That ends when you arrive at your first small island and bring in your trash only to see it floating through the harbor a few hours later because their method of trash disposal is to dump it into the ocean!!! So, on passage we throw just about everything that is NOT PLASTIC overboard. We break all bottles and make sure cans have holes so that they’ll sink. Paper and cardboard (should there still be any) are torn into smaller pieces, making it easier for them to sink or disintegrate in the sun. Any trash that stays on board (everything plastic) we rinse out so that the trash doesn’t stink. Upon arriving at land we try to find the best dumping location – by best we mean the place we believe has the least chance of it ending up back in the ocean. On really small islands, where it is apparent they are not equipped to handle trash, we try to hold on to our trash until we get to a larger port. Also you should be aware that in the smaller islands, any trash you bring ashore will be picked through. If you have the room you can actually save glass jars and other types of containers, rinse them out, and take them in separately – you’ll be a big hit!

How often and where do you do your laundry? (I read on your website that you have a little hand-cranked wash machine, do you still use that?)

I use the hand-cranked washer all the time.  I’m a procrastinator when it comes to laundry. Ideally I’d do it weekly or maybe even twice a week, this would mean that I’d only have to do a little bit at a time. But in reality I wait until I’m out of underwear and the dirty clothes basket is bursting at the seams! Then I spend a few hours, or sometimes an entire morning, doing load after load.

As for the wash-whiz hand cranked “machine” – I love it.  The one we have is called "Mini Pressure Wash" by Innovations. Unfortunately I just did a web search and couldn't find them. They are also commonly known as "Wash Whiz".  I found the equivalent by "Wonderwash Mini Washing Machine".  I don't think the exact brand matters -- they are all pretty much identical. The key words when looking for one are "hand cranked pressure washer".  I really like ours, but I will tell you that they get mixed reviews out in the fleet ... mostly because they are made of plastic and there are a few weak points you have to be careful of to ensure it doesn't crack/break (such as the handle connection and part of the base).  Mine is holding together nicely, but sometimes I get the clothes "off balance" and I have to either rearrange things or take out a few items to get the machine turning right. I found one online chat where someone used to own a sturdy aluminum one ... not sure where you could get that, but it would be stronger than the plastic. The only other 'complaint' in the fleet about the machines is storing them ... we keep our empty beer bottles (we make our own beer) in ours, so storing isn't really an issue.  Try looking for one in second hand stores, especially if you are located near a marina.

Our first year cruising I did NOT have the crank machine so I have used both methods. One boat I know would do a bucket twice a week, and her method was to just throw some stuff in a bucket and let it soak for a few hours – every time she walked by she would agitate the clothes a bit. I think this too would work well (soaking does wonders), but I always have too much to do for that type of soaking time. A lot of places – even the smaller islands – have some type of laundry services. Many places it is very affordable, however there are a few locations where there is no way I’d pay that much to have my laundry done (like here in Turkey)! Before turning in laundry, try to get a review from a cruiser that may have already had theirs done. Sometimes they don’t do such a great job, ruining or losing clothes. Also be aware that sometimes they will scrub your clothes pretty violently, even using wire brushes, so this can do some damage or create nice little holes!

Usually I try to do most of our clothes, especially any ‘good’ clothes we might have, and save the services for bulky items like sweatshirts, sheets, towels and so on. Also some locations have fresh water springs, or water taps that you can use to do your laundry – it means lugging in the clothes, but it also means you can use more water without worrying about how full your tanks are. And one more thing, if you do go for a hand-cranked machine, it works by building up a pressure that pushes water & soap through the clothes. The pressure builds up better with warm or hot water (although they say cold is good to) – so I actually heat water in a kettle.

A couple of other laundry hints: when hanging your clothes, hang them inside out as the sun is brutal and fading occurs quickly; buy cold water laundry detergent and/or low-suds detergent; use a touch of fabric software for less wrinkles and a better smell. Finally we have Downey Wrinkle Release onboard – and love it … I’ve never seen it outside the States though.

Do you have to deal with a lot of mechanical problems on-board? Are most of them minor or major?

We haven’t had any major issues to date (knock on wood). We are a bit anal when it comes to maintenance always keeping a sharp eye on things, which we believe helps keep problems down. Also we carry just about every known spare part- so many that some people called us “Billabong’s hardware” for a while.

Some things we have had to do: recharge our refrigerator (multiple times), replace a cracked back lower shroud (we carry one of each old stays so we had a replacement handy), take apart the dingy outboard carbonator multiple times (seems to be a common problem amongst all cruisers), clean out the scale from the head hose (about once a year).

What are your eating habits? Do you consume full, square meals daily? Do you fish a lot?

I think you’ll find that eating habits vary with location & activity. The biggest difference is between passage eating and in-port (or anchorage) eating. Sometimes I try to pre-cook a few meals for passages, this makes life at sea that much easier. At sea I do want to make sure we are getting a some what full-balanced meal because that last thing I want is for us to get sick or be lethargic due to lack of nutrition. We also carry a large supply of quick-eat foods, like granola bars and dried fruits, as well as 2-minute noodles dishes and canned soup. This way if the weather gets bad we still have something we can eat.

When anchored we eat much like we did in the States (i.e. three meals a day). What we eat depends on our location. We love trying the local cuisines and will get adventurous in the markets (Chris will try just about anything once). Breakfast tends to be light & casual (cereal, fruits, yogurt, bread & cheese, granola bars, etc). Every once in awhile I’ll get motivated and make pancakes or muffins. For both passage & anchorage we LOVE the Bisquick Quick Packs, unfortunately we haven’t seen them outside the States. Easy muffin-mixes also work great. A lot of times I’ll try to make a big enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch the following day. Keep in mind that many of the locations you will be cruising are HOT – so you won’t want to run your stove/oven much. There are a few more "easy food" tips here.

Our first year we didn’t fish much, but once Chris got into our second year (and since) we fish ALL the time and LOVE it. There is nothing better than fresh fish – and even better yet it’s FREE!  Check out our fishing tips here.  Because I don’t like to cook much at sea, but do love fresh fish, one thing I do is try to carry tortillas or rotis (if I can’t find them in a store I make a batch before we set sail), then when Chris catches a fish all I have to do is chop up a fillet and cook it in a little butter (& garlic optional) and serve with the tortillas/roti and some sweet chili sauce (or lemon/lime, whatever). It’s easy, fast, and fantastic. If you buy ready-made curry paste and canned coconut milk, fish curry is also a fast and easy meal. For our first three years of cruising we didn’t have a freezer so we could only keep/catch what we could eat or share. Now that we have a freezer we fish even more and I like that I’ve got fish available while at anchor. Chris also fishes from the dinghy sometimes and a lot of cruisers spear fish.

How bad is the humidity on-board, especially in the tropical areas? Air-conditioning or fans?

I’ll be honest – it’s humid – real humid. Where do you currently live? I’m a dry-desert Arizona girl myself, but we had both lived in CA for about 14+ years before departing (not too humid in CA). Eventually you get a bit used to it, I think the two most humid places were the Marquesas Islands and some parts of Indonesia. Air-con would be nice but most (98%) boats don’t have one. Not sure about the maintenance or costs of having one (most likely it is not practical). Fans however are a MUST. You cannot have too many fans. Put them everywhere – especially in the galley and in your sleeping cabin. Also you’ll want a protected cockpit and probably even a boat awning. Finally you’ll want a way of getting air in when it’s raining, so some type of hatch covers block rain but allow air. See some additional tips here.

What do you think about animals (pets) on-board?

A number of boats have animals on board, and for the most part animals (cats & dogs) do quite well and make great companions at sea. There are two major downsides:

• Quarantine. Some smaller countries may not allow you to take the pet ashore unless it spends some time in quarantine. For a cat this might not be a big deal but it will be for a dog. New Zealand and Australia have some very strict pet quarantine rules – so much so that some cruisers with pets actually skip these countries. I think Noonsite might have some information about countries and pet restrictions, if not try Google searches on specific countries to see their restrictions.
• Land travel. If you think you might want to do any land travel, overnighters, or whatnot, then having a pet will be inconvenient. Also it will limit your ability to travel home (if you plan to).

All that said Chris and I both miss owning a dog and look forward to having a pet when we return home!

 Are you concerned about being taking hostage by "pirates" and being held for ransom? I have heard stories of Americans being held for quite long periods of time by not so nice people. What steps would you recommend to ensure personal safety on the high seas and abroad?

As for pirates and kidnappings, no we have never been seriously worried. While it is true that there has been cases of kidnappings and piracy the reality is that it is very uncommon. I don't know actual percentages or anything, but my GUESS would be you have a higher chance of being mugged, hurt, or murdered living in the States. That said, we do try to keep up with different "political situations" for various areas. Obviously on a boat, and disconnected, that can be hard to do, but rumors tend to get around and usually we feel aware of the situation. The only time we have seriously taken action "just in case" of piracy was when making the journey from Oman to Yemen and into the Red Sea. For this section of our trip we decided to travel in a group and hid a lot of our valuables. We never, never had a single problem or worry when in the South Pacific (we did try to stay aware of potential coups in Fiji however).

When you ask about personal safety - I'm assuming you are asking in the context of your question about piracy versus something like the boat sinking (gulp!)! With that in mind, first, as mentioned above we try to have some idea of political situations in places we are thinking about going. We try to distinguish between hyped news reports versus effects on cruisers/tourists. And we talk to other cruisers who have been before and/or who are going that year. In some locations I (KT here) do not walk alone, as a female I believe it's smart just to be safer (just as in some areas of the States). I base this on gut-feel when we arrive in an area. Onshore we follow the same principles as back home - based on location and environment we just try to be smart (i.e. in crowded "downtown" Tahiti we wouldn't walk down any dark alleys alone). What we have found is that the smaller islands are great - we are never worried and never even lock the boat. Bigger cities & countries are still fantastic, but we are more aware and do lock the boat when leaving it. Honestly we are usually more worried about stray dogs then people :) At sea, with exception of the Oman/Yemen area, we don't really "do" anything. Many fishing boats approach, but they are mostly just bored and checking us out - they might ask for cigarettes or something, but they are always nice. Our policy is that if someone wants to board or rob us, we will attempt to out run/maneuver them and call for help, but we do NOT carry weapons and we'll gladly be robbed over getting in a shoot out. We do carry pepper spray aboard, and our plan would be to use it if we thought we were in personal danger. It should be noted that guns are viewed poorly in most countries around the world - and it can be quite a hassle with customs/immigrations. But again, I want to reiterate that this has never been a concern for us. Most of the incidents we do know about are people's boats being robbed when they are away - and that is usually only of items lying out "in the open" (i.e. cockpit) that are easy to grab and run.

We have been continuously amazed by the friendliness and hospitality by the locals in EVERY country we have been too (ok, the Egyptians are a bit annoying, but that's a different story!). Noonsite has good up-to-date information on piracy.

With the Coopers Beer Kit do you use corn sugar with the can of malt ingredients?

We've tried regular table sugar, raw sugar, liquid corn sugar, powdered corn sugar, and malt extract. They all work, however we feel that a combination of malt extract with corn sugar gives the best flavor.

Pardon my total ignorance but what do you use baby wipes for?

Good for quick wipe downs, like a shower in a box. We also use them for what they were designed for, adds a little bit of extra freshness. FYI Most cruisers have a little waste can for toilet paper so they don't have to flush it or clog their holding tank.

Do you carry any powerful pain medications, i.e. morphine?

Yes

Do you carry suture materials or steri strips and glue?

Both

Did you take any first aid courses or medical classes before departing?

Yes.  We took the basic First Aid course.  This was informative, but much of the course is focused on stabilization in order to dial 911.  Obviously, dialing 911 while cruising isn't usually an option.  So, in addition we had a good friend [ER doctor] of ours also give us some basic suturing lessons, and provided us with additional medical information based specifically on things that could happen on a boat/yacht.

I am doing an Atlantic crossing from the Canaries to St. Lucia on an 80' sailboat next November. Are we likely to get fish hookups in the middle of the Atlantic, and how can we try to entice fish to hit far off shore (in the middle of nowhere and 10,000 ft depth)?

We haven't yet sailed the Atlantic, but from other experiences, yes, you should be able to catch fish even in the deep water of the Atlantic. Middle of the ocean is where the fun Pelagic fish are (like tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi, marlin). You do NOT need fancy gear ... just some handlines & good snubbers. Run multiple lines. Check out our fishing tips section on. Scroll through those categories - all the gear we talk about here are for the type of fishing you are asking about.

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