I’m just going to share a few tidbits with you about our living on a monohull experience – because, honestly, I expect our future cruising adventures to be significantly different on a different boat and I don’t want to forget the reality of it all. So I’m leaving these little nuggets of newly acquired wisdom here for you to peruse for all time. Or until I’m too cheap to pay for this non-income generating blog. And if you are planning to pursue this same lifestyle, you should know it’s not all rosey romantic sunsets and cocktails living on a monohull.
Space
We truly like each other. I mean, we love each other also, but we actually like each other. That being said, there were multiple times I was tempted to toss Mark overboard. But then I’d have to retrieve him. Or sail alone. Both seemed like a lot of effort.
I am 100% certain Mark never wanted to toss me over. Nevermind that one time he mentioned that if you toss a dead body over, it’s good to stab a few holes in it so that it sinks… I’m sure that little juicy morsel of Google research was completely unrelated to me.
I am easily entertained. That could also be translated to Lazy (see above). But whatevs… I’m totally content to hang out and read in the cockpit. Or float off the stern. Or sit at the beach. Or even better – do any of those things with a couple of other Boat Babes. But I also enjoy my Jenn Time. While groups are fun, I need to be fully alone to recharge. And that just rarely happens in 300 square feet. Maybe when I have my own hull…
A bored Mark is not a fun Mark. Mark needs a little more action. And more brain stimulation. Anytime I lost him in Grenada, I just had to figure out who had a boat project, and that’s pretty much a guarantee of where I’d find him – helping out, solving boat puzzles, using his brain and his hands. (Or volleyball, because there was SO MUCH VOLLEYBALL) Don’t get me wrong – this is an excellent companion to have on a boat! But more space for more hobbies for Mark is a solid requirement. Or maybe a (gasp) part time, remote job might be an even better solution.
Budget!
Speaking of a part time, remote job: we would thoroughly enjoy a bigger budget. Turns out we like going out to eat more than once a week. And an occasional Air Bnb at whatever island we are visiting wouldn’t be a bad thing. Want to upgrade something random and just happen to run into it on a remote island? Throw that sucker in the shopping cart and carry on with your day. Renting cars and scooters really is the best way to see bigger islands. But this does not happen on $1000 to $1500 per month. It just doesn’t. Every single purchase has to be weighed. Each additional beer has to be added up – even when they are less than US$2 and all of your friends are ordering another round…
Downwinding Sucks
Sure, I complained about easting as we headed, well, east. Bashing into the oncoming waves and winds for hours at a time, with the loud diesel engine droning on and on. (So maybe I’m lazy and a complainer.) But it turns out that going downwind in a monohull for long periods of time is seriously nausea inducing. It just took us years to figure this out because we were spending all of our time doing glorious day hops or, well, easting. Not until we headed from Antigua to St. Croix did we do a long, truly downwind sail. And while our girl was speedy as all get out, we never could find a comfortable position or get any rest whatsoever. Rumor has it that we won’t have that problem with our as-yet-to-be-found-and-purchased catamaran.
Clutter
Ok, you got me. This is technically a repeat of the above mentioned Space issue, just vaguely disguised as a new subject. But it turns out I may be a neat freak. Making a place for something (whether on a boat or on land) I kind of expect that thing to live in it’s place. But even so, living on a monohull that space was often out in the open. And no quantity of cute baskets could camouflage the fact that half of the items we own were in exposed areas of the boat. I didn’t clearly understand how much this affected me until we moved onto land (Temporary Land Life) and everything neatly fit into covered areas (aka Cabinets and Closets) I fully intend for Every. Single. Thing. We. Own to be stowed away in its proper place on the next boat. (Remind me of this when you come over and see junk everywhere. Just know that I will not hesitate to blame it on Mark. Because he will be off fixing someone else’s boat and won’t be around to refute my lies)
Would I do it all again?
Abso-freaking-lutely. Our first boat was hands down the right choice for us. She was solid and trustworthy. At 1/3 the cost of what we will likely spend on our 2nd boat (aka Number 2) it was the best way for us to get out there and confirm that we truly love this lifestyle. Both of us feel at home on the water, exploring new places, playing with other like minded boat friends and occasionally finding secluded bays to hide from all of those friends. We know we can live and travel on a small budget. We know we can live in a small space with each other and manage not to accidentally push the other into the sea. But that being said, we’re certainly taking these lessons and applying them to the next boat. Because we know now that this is the life we’re meant to live.
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Great post Jenn!
Thanks, Alex!