living aboard

[sailorflo]

For those who want to live aboard a boat, There are several things you should know

It's almost a quarter mile walk from boat to car.(if you have a car) or if you have a dock.
All boats leak, So be prepared to have pots and pans all over the place when it rains.
Propane is not delivered, Check before cooking Or you might be having cold food for supper.
If you use the head you are going to have to fix it either before or after you use it. And holding tanks smell,full or empty.
Water tanks are usually empty about the time the dishes are all dirty. And if you use disposable dinner ware the trash bag is always full.
Companion way doors do not swing open you have to pull them up and put them back every time you go in or out.

You guys can take it from here!!!!!!!!


The fact of the matter is I love every second of it.

[CharlieJ]

 ;D ;D ;D

You forgot about the icy docks!!

;D ;D ;D

[CapnK]

Boy, you got that right, CJ! Life out on the docks last night was *harsh*. Taking the CrewDogs up, I was fully zippered and snapped in pants and jacket, with gloves and hat, and it was borderline even then... ;)

The CrewDogs beat tracks heading *back* to the boat. Usually it's the other way around!  :D

We even had a little sleet last night. Sounded like a bunch of small birds hopping around on deck. :)

[sailorflo]

The dock condition is a whole new subject. Wet is not bad, Ice covered Bad, waves breaking over them stay at boat./

[CharlieJ]

lol- when I first lived aboard the tri, I was still working in an office. On the dock the boat was on there was one 10 foot long catwalk between wide docks that was slightly slanted. When THAT got a thin film of ice on it it was a real hoot walking across it!!!

Occasionally I just took a vacation day  ;D

[sailorflo]

Now if you are on the hook, (Thats putting the anchor down for you land lovers)
every thing that you do involves getting in and out of a boat.going to the store for a 12 pack of beer becomes a major issue.
Usually It happens in the worst weather, So you struggle to get into your wet weather gear and head for the companion way(remember the drop doors) Slide the hatch open and lift the first of three doors out while the rain pours in the hatch.after getting out of the boat you slide the doors back down (sounds easy don't it) They only go one way.And when the weather is pouring in.You never get it the first time. First job when you get back is to wipe the floor....
At last your out side in the rain and as you look at the dingy half full of water you see the cup you use to bail it out with floating in it. But you new you were going to get wet anyway.So now your off and running, After 27 pulls on the old 2hp, Half way to the dock it quits and on pull#29 the recoil rope snaps, So out come the oars for a brisk 100 yard row(all the while the rain keeps comming,
finally you get to the dock
(Its not like walking out and getting in your car)

[Captain Smollett]

every thing that you do involves getting in and out of a boat.going to the store for a 12 pack of beer becomes a major issue.

And add doing that with two small children - it sure gets fun... ;D

At last your out side in the rain and as you look at the dingy half full of water you see the cup you use to bail it out with floating in it.

Or, you realize the cup you use to bail the dink with is BELOW for some reason you cannot recall, so you get to go through the drop-board shuffle again.   ;D ;D

(True, I don't livaboard, but I sure do find a way to practice all the mistakes.... ;) )

BTW, welcome aboard sailfar, Flo.  Maybe see you in GT this weekend....you back at your old spot?

[sailorflo]

Nope, we are over on b dock.

[maxiSwede]

lol- when I first lived aboard the tri, I was still working in an office. On the dock the boat was on there was one 10 foot long catwalk between wide docks that was slightly slanted. When THAT got a thin film of ice on it it was a real hoot walking across it!!!

Occasionally I just took a vacation day  ;D

Ice?

Charlie, I thought you were a Texan boy?!  I can't figure ice around there... :-\

Anyway the weather has gone out of order. Yet no ice where I am and 4-5 degrees C for a whole month now, and no snow.

[CharlieJ]

lol- I AM  a Texan, but believe it or not, this was in Florida. Northern Florida occasionally gets that cold.

Hey, even here on the Texas Redneck Riviera we got snow on Christmas Eve several years ago- first measurable snow in 105 years. We got an entire foot of the stuff which for us is a blizzard.

Of course, I have a pic of Laura in shorts and a sleeveless top taken the following New Years day,  just 7 days later- it was 80 that day.

[Fortis]

I needed to live on board for only two weeks while they were re-doing the hardwood floors in the house.

Three days of that, the wind blew fomr a certain point that it only blows form once every 25 years or so (they said)...the resulting waves missed all the barriers and set my boat to rocking in nearly 45degree arcs for close to two days.  Several boat broke loose and marauded through the area, it was pandamonium (without the pandas).

Guess which evening I had invited friends on board to see how one could throw a dinner party using the galley?

As an alternate story. There is a small supermarket in Huonville, Tasmania that has its front built to the road and its back hard up to the river. They built a deck off the back of the building and a dock to tie up to. You can wake up one morning, realise you are out of eggs or butter or bacon for breakfast and just sail or motor the boat across the wide river and up a ways and then tie up at the supermarket. If they are not too busy, you're paying cash, and you know what you want then you do not even need to get off the boat, they will bring it out to you.
the alternative is about a 25 minute drive (if you even have a car) to go upriver and cross at the bridge, etc.

We did it one morning and thought it an incredibly civillised system. You can also just go over in the dinghy, of course.

Sasha

[Auspicious]

What a great market!

Aside from how far Tasmania is from me, Huonville is awfully far up the river.

For some reason the distance up the river seems more of a disincentive than the ocean crossing. <grin>

[Fortis]

sorry, that's what I get fopr typing too late at night....

Cygnet, not Huonville. Getting the mast under the bridge would have been tough.

You can dinghy up into Huonville quite nicely, and ther is a brilliant restuarant (Very very nice) that has its own dock just beyond the town's main bridge.
I just woudl nto recommend making the trip during toger snake season...as needing to avoid the buggers swimming threough the water as you make your way to dinner dressed in your best turns the outing into an ordeal. It is also a good idea to arrnage accomadation at the bed and breakfast next to the restuarant, rather then putter back, looking for your yacht, in the very late and tipsy hours!
:)

Alex

P.S The huon river, though a bit too silted up for tall ships and raceboats with 9 foot foil keels is still very navigable a very long way up stream to our kind of yachts. The supermarket I mentioned is actually an (or maybe just on the site of) an old apple transport shed where ships used to be loaded for taking fresh tasmanian apples all the way to England. Up from Cygnet it narrows down a lot and becomes a place to motor instead of sail...but is still huge amounts of fun and if you have a small sailing dinghy you can do Swallows And Amazons type stuff for days on end and have a great deal of fun exploring the area...Of course that bit about "not during tiger snake season" applies. Really.

[sailorflo]

Okay, if you are living aboard then you already know that the weather outside has alot to do with the weather inside. because of the cold we are running the heater, and with all the rain we have had the boat shut up tight,or at least as tight as one can get a boat. condensation everywhere, It seems that it is raining inside the boat. not only are there pots and pans everywhere. But now we have to wipe everything down. so after the rain stops ,now the fun begins. after bailing out the dingy for the fourth time. We get to wash all the stuff that got WET, bedding ,clothes, ect.......
Remember its a long walk to the car if you have one. And you are at a dock. If you are at anchor.{ refer to getting beer} 

LIFE IS GOOD LIVING ON A BOAT

[maxiSwede]

I'm glad you like it!  ;D 

Then next morning, when the sun shines, it's all great again and the problems from the day before seems long gone...

[sailorflo]

So here we are getting closer to the spring, Soon the companionway doors will be open and Eric stone will be playing on the stereo. the poles will be in the water and the beer will have to be on ice, Of coarse if you keep anything parishable that will have to be kept on ice also.such is life when you live aboard.                                                                                    life will be good once  again.  :o

[sailorflo]

So today is the day! Its off and running we get to go over and wait to get hauled out and have the bottom re-painted, there is so much to do, We have Been getting ready to do this for a year now and have all our ducks in a row, Im just really wondering what we for got. I know there is going to be something.

[sailorflo]

Well just when it comes time to take to the sea for the year there is always a  chance for something to go wrong, And in our case Marty has fallen and broke both bones in her lower left leg . After 7 screws and one plate to hold the shattered  fibula together , It looks like we will have to live on land this summer, The doctor says no boat for 6 weeks or more. >:( But if I can get her to the boat I will just strap her to the helm and have a new auto pilot :o Hope to see some of you all this year but it will be later in the season. Anyone got any good idea's on how to deal with a broken leg on a boat feel free to let us know so that we can get this show on the road sooner.

[Captain Smollett]

Holy cow, Flo.  Tell her we send our best wished for a full and speedy recovery.

[sailorflo]

Thanks for the get well Capt! she is doing great far as getting around I'm hoping for a 5 week recovery, but the doc says 6 weeks before she is able to put it on the ground. I figure there is no ground around a boat unless you really missread a chart.  ::) but really all joking aside we are hoping to get to the north we will just have to come back sooner and leave later I hope