spending time on the boat

[skylark]

I have been spending the last few days on the boat.  Unfortunately no sailing since the wind has been very strong.

The air pot coffee thermos works great for quick clean up and easy available hot water.

Nido instant milk is very good.

Getting cleaned up and brushing teeth is kind of a chore in a small space, need a bit more practice.

Using the portapotty is a pain, it is too small. its hard to know if you will 0hit your target. A pee bottle works.

There is a lot of charging of electronics, blackberry, pc, handheld vhf.  Need another 12 V outlet.

Sailfar.net is friendly for use on a blackberry.

Caught a few fish on a handline, no keepers thoughh. Need to find some crawlers today.

Excellent one pot meal:

Pour liquid from can of vegetables into pot, boil.  Add one cup instant rice, the vegetables and a can of tuna, juice and all. Simmer until rice is done.

Still learning garbage and water management.

[s/v Faith]

I have been spending the last few days on the boat.  Unfortunately no sailing since the wind has been very strong.

The air pot coffee thermos works great for quick clean up and easy available hot water.

Nido instant milk is very good.

Getting cleaned up and brushing teeth is kind of a chore in a small space, need a bit more practice.

Using the portapotty is a pain, it is too small. its hard to know if you will 0hit your target. A pee bottle works.

There is a lot of charging of electronics, blackberry, pc, handheld vhf.  Need another 12 V outlet.

Sailfar.net is friendly for use on a blackberry.

Caught a few fish on a handline, no keepers thoughh. Need to find some crawlers today.

Excellent one pot meal:

Pour liquid from can of vegetables into pot, boil.  Add one cup instant rice, the vegetables and a can of tuna, juice and all. Simmer until rice is done.

Still learning garbage and water management.

Paul,

   ;D


Can I say again....  ;D


  Not only a valuable exercise, (which it clearly is), but isn't there something just so satisfying about spending time on the boat? 


  What we did about the 12v power issue was to figure out exactly where things would 'live' and where we wanted them to stay and put outlets there.  That was much better then simply adding extra outlets where they were handy.

  For instance, the wonderful Camfarmo fan Kurt gave us rated it's own outlet... much better then having the cord strung across the boat.  The hand held VHF has an outlet inches away from it's nest (and I shortened the cord and soldered the contacts back on the connector so it was neat and tidy at the proper length).  There are a couple of outlets above the nav station for charging things like cell phones.

[Mario G]

Hey Paul we to are learning the ability to stay aboard the boat even when we don't go anywhere also.  We were very fortunate that the PO did a complete electrical retrofit, and works out for the boats layout and our needs. 

Are you planning on moving aboard? Does your 28 seem like enough room? (we are  at 26')

It seems what the 1st mate cooks on the boat is better then at home (no I don't think she reads these)  I will try your recipe next outting thanks.

[skylark]

I don't plan to move aboard but I would like to.  My wife doesn't like being on the boat much.

My boat is large enough to live aboard very comfortably.  It is a 29 footer with a lot of room in it. 

[skylark]

To be fair, I don't particularly like the chain of command issues when the wife is aboard, so its not really all her fault.

Admiral -> scurvy dog.

[tomwatt]

Aw. That's too bad.
I'm thankful (I think) that I'm single. No one to argue with but myself, but I usually lose the argument anyway.
;D

[skylark]

Well, I stayed on the boat Friday evening and most of Saturday.  Gale winds gusting to 30mph.  Didn't sleep too well but it might have been something that I ate.  Or one of the beers might have been a little off.

I think that in order to be really comfortable on a boat, you need to spend 3 days straight on it.  That gives you time to learn all the little things.  You start to realize what a creature of habit you are when you change your surroundings.  How do you brush your teeth without a stream of hot running water?  After 2 days, that was worked out, its pretty easy, scoop some hot water from a bowl into your hands.  How do you keep yourself clean with no shower?  Wet wipes and a washcloth with hot water.  How do you wash your clothes?  Cook up a gallon of river water in the pasta pot, pour it into a pail with a little water on the bottom, spray the clothes with a little soap and dump them into the pail.  Move them around with a stick every once and a while.  After an hour or two, pull them out and wring them out using the stern rail.  Hang them on the lifelines.  Is it raining? Don't wash the big stuff, but you can wash underwear and socks and hang them in the cabin above the diesel heater.  Quick drying synthetic fabrics are much better for this type of washing, cotton sucks. 

I think if I did this for 2 weeks I would not want to go back to a house.  It is so easy to simplify life by living aboard.  Yes there are comforts to living in a house but so many complications.

It is very difficult to go back to work today when I know I could live on very little money on the boat. 

[Oldrig]

Paul,

I've often spent time on the boat, at the mooring, even if I didn't actually go for a sail. I've never spent the night on the mooring, however.

BTW, get yourself a good stainless-steel vacuum jug: You fill it with boiling water in the morning, and you'll have hot water for washing all day long.

--Joe

[skylark]

Got away from the dock for my first sail this season.  The plan was to go out on a calm day and check everything out, however while it was calm in the harbor, it was rocking and rolling on the big lake.

Everything still seems to work.  I had to get used to holding on tight while going forward in the waves.

Finishing up my peas and rice, its great to have a vessel that works as a home and sails good too.

Don't plan on staying the night but I would like to.

[SV Wind Dancer]

Going on 3yrs aboard the old Hunter 27...don't think I'd be able to sleep in a house that didn't rock...or didn't have the sound of sheepshead nibbling in the basement...or an endless 'yard' of water reflecting the moon as I recline on the back porch.  Not anymore.  For some people, security is a box with a mortgage and a check in the mail when you get old.  I'll settle for this, though.

[matt195583]

I am planing on living on my next boat .... eventually (maybe soon). One thing that has shocked me is the cost of a marina berth here in Australia. The average within 2-3 hours of where I currently live is about $130 a week  and thats paying 6 months in advance  :o . what are berth rentals in your area(s)

[nowell]

$175 a month water/power included  ;D

[Mario G]

The presant marina is $220 a month + electric , but we are transient for the most part and didn't search the area.

[j d]

Hi matt, I was wondering if we are all talking the same currency here. there is a difference of 20 cents on the dollar between us and aus $.

slip fees here in California have allot of variables. When I kept my boat in Morro Bay I was paying 340 per month for my 27 footer. There was a state run marina there for half the price with a maybe 2 year waiting time. It did come up for me but I had to decline as there restrictions on the number of nights one could spend on there boats didn't fit my usage. Where I am now in the Delta area in Antioch is 160 per month. Also most marinas tack on a live aboard fee of around 200 bucks for live aboard if that's your choice and live aboard is hard come by here. If you do live aboard for a while you will meet people and learn all the ins and outs and things will get cheaper and easier.  John

[newt]

Currently the USD is about 1.16 Australian dollars. I think you are getting hosed. What about anchoring out?

[CharlieJ]

We were paying $90 month for Tehani in Port Lavaca, Texas. There was a liveaboard fee of I think $15 month.

There was also a monthly fee for electric if you used it. We didn't.

[skylark]

I bought a condo dock for $20,000.  It is about $500 taxes and $500 condo fee a year. 

[matt195583]

Interesting. We most certainly are getting hosed. swing moorings are nearly impossible to lease and run at about $200 a month. The cheapest marina berth I could find was $340 a month + $45 for utilitys.

  One option I have is getting my own swing mooring It is about $140 to apply and $2000 to have one put in with $38 a year to after that. Although you are not supposed to stay over night on a private swing mooring. I am still in the proccess of buying a 28-30 footer. and unfortunatly I have the best part of 2 years before i finish my trade qualifications.

sorry to hijack the thread but it is relative in a hypothetical way  ;D

[skylark]

Enjoying another night on the boat. 

A question regarding hot weather and rain.  A few hours ago, it was very hot and a thunderstorm came through with high winds and rain.  I closed the boat up and was very hot and uncomfortable, but dry.

How do you deal with this situation?

[nowell]

I have a canvas tarp tied over my boom, and rig one off the forstay halyard to cover the front hatch, that way I can leave both hatches open.