Well, I will simply start this article by saying it has been a really long day! Ellouise and I were up at 3:00am to begin our day - For me this was 3:30 hours of sleep. It is now 8:00 pm and Ellouise is sound asleep in the main cabin of our sailboat. I wanted to take the moment of silence to write this short recap of our first day before I crash like the Titanic.
We arrived at Pittsburgh International for the first leg of our flight and surprisingly everything went smooth. We had one stop on our way to Exuma and that was in Charlotte - You know we could not get by without at least one minor hiccup. During our layover they claimed that "Due to Weather" they needed 6 volunteer to give up their seats to "lighten" the plane. While in many cases this might be ok, we definitely did not want to volunteer since they would not be able to get the volunteers out until the same flight the next day! We are on a quick four day trip and losing a whole day was just not worth it for us. Needless to say, they did not get any passengers willing to volunteer, so they were forced to choose who would be left behind. We made the cut - so other than the fear of being picked and the plane leaving about 15 minutes behind schedule all was good in our journey to Exuma.
Upon arriving we quickly made our way through customs and grabbed a taxi for the 12 minute ride to the center of Georgetown. Here we were supposed to "WhatsApp" our host so that he could meets us and take us out the our new home for the next four nights. So after Ellouise sends him several messages with no response she realized she never took her phone out of airplane mode or connected to any local Wi-Fi - Tough to get an answer when the messages were never sent! It only took Mathieu a few minutes to arrive at the docks which was perfect as it gave us time to do some basic grocery shopping for the boat. After a quick five minute ride out towards Stocking Island we arrived and got a quick rundown of the basic systems on the boat and how to operate everything - As I sit here in the dark typing, I realize I am not a very good student!! I can't find / remember what switches I need to turn on make the cabin lights work :( Good thing is it will be an early night so I really do not mind not having any lights...
I am sure most people who don't know me probably are not aware that there is always a method to my madness. I have wanted to buy a boat and sail off into the sunset since I was 23 years old. Back then I bought a 1969 Pacemaker (38ft motor yacht) and lived on in Lake Michigan. It was an attempt at living on the water and learning about boats with the hopes of trading it in within a few years to buy "the perfect" sailboat. Anyway, life happens and dreams get pushed aside for the realities of everyday life. Now that I am 50, I still long for the warm sea and fresh salt breezes that can only be found on a small boat. This trip is a trial run to determine if the dream could even be a reality at this point in my life...
I chose to rent a small sailboat so that both Ellouise and I could experience just how difficult (or easy) life might be - a tiny house has nothing on these boats, lol. So, the burning question in all of your minds has to be: What have I learned so far and will I be leaving everything behind for a life at sea?
First... What have I learned after the first 8 short hours?
I am not as young as I think I am and I am way too fat! These are not factors to rule out the lifestyle, but definitely things that need to be considered and changed before I could even contemplate the idea further. I need to begin by losing about 50 pounds to start with and also begin walking everyday or doing some cardio to get in better shape for this lifestyle - that would be step one! I learned that climbing in and out of the dingy, climbing up the ladder onto the boat (discussed later), and the constant motion of the water coupled with the heat and humidity of the Bahamas all require you to be in at least decent shape. The second thing both Ellouise and I agree on is that this particular boat would not be a viable choice for a long term liveaboard with the quality of life I would want. We are on a 30ft Catalina that has very little room on deck or even down below. To make it worse, if I truly wanted to add the amenities that would make it viable for us to live on for any amount of time it would only get smaller.
It has no shower capability in the head or on the deck of the boat - strike 1.
It has no dedicated freezer capability making provisioning for more than a few days at a time very difficult - strike 2.
Its capability of producing electricity is way too low and would require probably twice the solar panels it currently has - strike 3.
Now that the boat has struck out on the basics there are still several things I quickly realized I would need. Don't get me wrong, the boat is nice for a few days, and might work well for some but for me I would need to be looking for a boat in the 38 ft - 40 ft range as that extra 8-10 feet makes a world of difference in comfort. 30 ft can be done for some but not what I would find comfortable for longer periods. Just like camping - some like tents, others want a decked out RV, and then others want a hotel!! A walk through transom would be a must - at my age and especially Elouise's age. We could never handle the 5 foot climb up the ladder onto the rear of the boat - it will be tough even for just these 4 nights. I would require both a fresh water maker and a generator to make life much easier. Last but certainly not least - I would like some kind of small marine AC unit to at least cool the berth areas (big electric draw - but vital to sleep well in the Caribbean).
The Second half of the question: Will I be leaving everything behind for a life at sea?
Well most likely that will never really become reality even if everything went perfect! There are quite a few obstacles that I would have to overcome... I would need to develop a way to create an income remotely (I have a plan) or win the lottery (don't buy tickets - so not going to happen). I would not want to sell my home just incase I needed to come back to land for health reasons, so that would require even more financial commitment to make it work. I have a 4 year old dog that I would not get rid of and I do not think he could adapt to sea life - so I have quite a few years before he would not be an issue. If waiting several years - it would be almost impossible for Ellouise to come and I do not think this is something I would want to do alone. However with all that said - what could be possible is a boat that is moored somewhere in the Caribbean or Bahamas that we use for 2-3 months at a time a couple times a year. Then having the ability to rent it out (Airbnb style) on the months we would not be using it (excluding Hurricane Season of course). This would be the best of both worlds - time away, a place to go and a way to maintain my current home and income!
This article went a bit longer that I planned. Check back in a few days for updates on how we are doing and what we have experienced here in Exuma!!
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