Or, ever have
that funny feeling you’ve forgotten something?
So there I was, standing at the dock, a cat carrier in each
hand. I’d planned for this day, and two days earlier, had bought the 31’ Hunter
I was going to live on. It was November 15, 2010 and I was about to either
dazzle or confuse everyone I knew.
I was certain I had thought of everything. I had prepared. I
researched living aboard extensively. I knew some people who either had lived
aboard a sailboat or were currently living that way, and I quizzed them until
their eyes glazed over.
Meanwhile, I bought three plastic storage bins. I put in
them the clothes I thought I absolutely had to have. For the next three months,
those plastic bins were my closet. If I wanted to wear something that wasn’t in
one of the bins, something had to come out (and stay out). So by the time I was
ready to move aboard, I had my wardrobe whittled down to a manageable level.
Next, I took a hard look at what I was able to afford. I
wanted a boat about 30’ long, because I thought that was the most I could sail
safely by myself if caught in a storm. With my budget, I quickly realized that
if I got a sound boat, it was unlikely to have a lot of amenities. So … I
stopped using my refrigerator and started using an ice chest in the kitchen. I
had a friend who lived on his boat without a refrigerator, so I knew it was
possible. My sailing club membership includes ice and wasn’t far away, so ice wasn’t
a budget-buster.
Finally, I found my boat, and took possession of it on Nov.
13, 2010! I rapidly moved the things I felt I could not live without: my
collection of DVD’s, a few pots and pans, herbs and spices. The things I needed
to take care of my two cats. Not much.
It didn’t hit me until I stepped into the cockpit with the
cats: there was one very serious issue I hadn’t addressed – the possibility of
seasickness! As I moved the cats into the cabin, it dawned on me: plenty of
people who don’t get seasick in the cockpit get quite sick when they’ve gone below. And I
had spent virtually all my time on sailboats in the cockpit. In the cockpit, I had only gotten seasick once,
while anchored for five hours in extremely rough water. However, I was spectacularly sick. Many
people who don’t normally get seasick do so in the cabin. What if I was one of
those people? All my preparation and I
didn’t know the answer to that question. I thought, “This may be a very
short life style change!”
Fortunately, it turns out that I don’t get seasick in the
cabin. Neither did the cats, but it was just pure luck.
LESSON LEARNED: if you’re going to live aboard, spend time
in the cabin and make sure you can be comfortable on your boat -- everywhere on the boat.
Susan I really like what you are doing here. I think you are on the right course. (By the way, your Robert Frost quote fits you perfectly! But you already know that!) Matt
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt! It's turning out to be a lot of fun. Dan is going to contribute some sections on weather for newer sailors. Fairly soon I hope to move it to my own domain, and that should improve the site considerably.
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