10 Lessons learned from the first time we lived aboard
I’m not sure that anyone is ever entirely prepared to live on a sailboat. Excited, yes; nervous, maybe; prepared for many things, sure… just not everything. So I’ve compiled a list of 9 lessons that we learned from the first time we moved onto our sailboat in part as a reminder for myself, but it may offer a handful of things you may not have already considered if it’s a move you are planning on for yourself.
#1 - Don’t Bring Anything On Board That You Can’t Replace
We’ve all seen the stories of people who sold everything to buy a sailboat (or an RV or tiny home) and move onto it with one bin of clothes and personal items each, plus necessities. We did… mostly. But we also stored items that we didn’t want to be completely rid of - artwork, photos, old journals from high school, pictures your kids drew, etc.
It’s worth storing those things with family or paying for a climate-controlled storage unit for items you cannot replace. Some items we brought got moldy/mildewy or just absorbed some less-than-stellar smells, which are WAY more noticeable on land, and they didn’t always go away. So if you don’t want it to be worn down by sea and sun and salt or end up thrown out when you take it off the boat, store it for later.
#2 - Make Copies of Everything
This may seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. Make copies of your driver’s licenses, passports, insurance cards or paperwork, and anything else that bureaucracy can make a pain in the ass to replace. Probably make several copies and leave one set in your storage and another set with a family member or friend who can get them to you if necessary.
#3 - Try to get an Epi-Pen… seriously
Your first aid kit should include, at bare minimum, Benedryl or Benedryl spray. If you can get a prescription for an epi-pen from your doctor, do it. I went into anaphylactic shock while we were on anchor in Hobe Sound. I may have still had to go to the hospital, but if I’d had an epi-pen on board, it’s possible we would have had time to move to an area with a dinghy dock rather than call 911 for an emergency evac off the boat. Even having Benedryl might have reduced the panic factor.
#4 - One Project At A Time
Everyone gives this advice but it’s sometimes tough to follow. At least it was for us. Unless you are buying a brand-new boat, there are probably going to be at least five smallish projects you want to tackle and a handful of large ones when you start. Don’t worry! There will always be more to do later. We installed solar panels first thing; then we got a composting toilet, lithium ion batteries, added AIS, a new anchor, etc, etc, etc. Every project takes five times longer than you expect so try not to make yourself crazy by doing a bunch all at once - especially if they aren’t related in any way. It feels good to accomplish each task. Take in that feeling and then tackle the next one.
#5 - Organize the Gear Your Boat Came With
Again, assuming your boat had previous owners, it’s going to come with a lot of stuff - often hidden away - and you may not have a clue what it’s all for. 75 miscellaneous fuses, four half-empty spray bottles of unidentifiable liquids, an old jar of putty-looking stuff, 18 different sized wooden plugs, and a gazillion other random items.
It may feel overwhelming at first, especially if you are totally new to boat life, but it is worth your time to go through it all. Throw out what you don’t want, organize what might be useful, and if it looks important, probably keep it. Or at least look up what it is and then decide. Then you can combine these extra goodies that are probably worth a small fortune with your own tools in a way that makes sense to you. We did not do that the first time around, so it’s advice based on what I wish we had done, but we are definitely going to do that before launching the boat back in the water.
#6 - Your Boat Came With Cool Stuff - But Does It All Work?
Maybe a lot of these “lessons” seem obvious, but when you first find your boat, it passes inspection, you’re super excited to start your adventure, it’s easy to assume that things like the RADAR system that your boat came with work the way you’d want them to.
Our boat came with RADAR but for all intents and purposes it was useless and ancient so we just removed it and it’s one of the things on our current wish list.
#7 - What the Heck Are All These Wires?
If you are buying an old(er) boat like ours, there’s a good chance that multiple owners have upgraded or added systems to it along the way. How accessible the motor, batteries, and all of the connections and components are and how easily you can maneuver in the spaces will probably determine how tidy and organized your wires are.
We need to reorganize and label every wire that we don’t tear out as part of the mini refit because our electrics are a hot mess. We chalk it up to the fact that to really clean it up, we will need to take up all the floors in the main cabin/kitchen area - and who on earth wants to deal with that just to install one thing? But over the course of 40 years, there have been a lot of “one thing”s installed or replaced.
#8 - Watch All the YouTube Videos You Can Especially AFTER You Buy Your Boat
Countless hours of sailing videos may have inspired you to leave land and live a nomadic ocean life, but we have learned that they become even more important later. Maybe it’s that a lot of the refit content wasn’t out the first time around for us; but now that we’ve been able to watch hundreds of videos of people putting holes in their hulls on purpose, there are a lot of bigger projects that we feel much more confident trying to tackle ourselves. We are no longer afraid of fiberglassing projects, gelcoating, or removing and rebuilding our second head to create tool storage. Well, maybe a little afraid of the price tag - but it’ll still be less expensive than getting a boatyard to do it for us.
#9 - Set Boundaries and Expectations
There are amazing couples and families living lives of freedom and adventure on the ocean and around the world. That could be us; that could be you! Obviously, it’s really important that everyone agrees on how that is going to happen but you should also discuss what happens if it’s not working out for everyone.
When we first set out, our 12-year old son was in 7th grade and homeschooling on board. Before we started, he wasn’t in love with living on the boat and we thought we could get beyond that once we got to the Bahamas. We were going to show him a life of snorkeling and sailing and meeting other families with kids and he would end up loving all of it. And so, we promised him that if he really wanted to go to a brick-and-mortar high school, we wouldn’t deny him that. COVID made it so that we never got to the Bahamas and since he was still not on board with living aboard, we made good on that promise.
So our cruising adventures were delayed, but so what? We still get to do it - just after our son graduates and can make his own decisions about where he wants to be. And given some life events that would have dragged us back to land anyway, I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
#10 - You May Never Find A Better Community Than the Sailing Community
Living on a sailboat will change you, not just your lifestyle. If you are anything like us (and I’m assuming since you’re perfectly fine living in a small space with your partner you probably are), you and your person (or people if you’re going with other family/friends) are perfectly happy attached at the hip, hanging out with one another pretty much all of the time, and maybe find it hard to make friends as adults - and maybe you don’t think you need to.
But the community of people we found ourselves amongst while living on our boat was the best we’ve ever experienced. Even the saltiest, crankiest old sailor will give you advice and be kind in a “get off my lawn” kind of way.
Stranded with a dead motor on your dinghy in a channel? No fewer than two other boaters will offer to help you out.
Just docked at a new place? You’ll probably be invited for a drink or even dinner.
Need a tool? Someone will share one they have.
You will suddenly find yourself surrounded by so many people and you will (probably) begin to think of them as your people. We have amazing family and friends and love them to pieces even though they think we’re a little bit batty for wanting to live on a boat. But we also really miss the sailing community, full of kindness to strangers and an understanding of why we want this life.
What are the things you wish you had known before you started? We miss the comeraderie and would love your feedback :)
