Where you explore

I have often wondered how many people are undertaking long voyages by boat, and I'm really glad someone has taken the effort to find out. Jimmy Cornell has done a very interesting study (Cruising World, November 2011, page 36 - 41) into the number of boats actually engaged in world cruising. Below you see his summary map (click to enlarge) with the total number of boats per region. He estimates 10.000 boats in total, of which 200 complete a circumnavigation every year. The numbers have been pretty stable over the last few decades, but due to the piracy threat in the Indian Ocean behavior has changed. The Pacific has seen an increase for instance.

Who needs a watermaker?

One of the things I am still considering before we start living aboard is whether or not we should install a watermaker. I prefer not to do so, and to try to catch the rain instead. After chlorinating and filtering we should be able to use and drink it. Sim and Rosie aboard Alianna explain how that works for them as well.

"We try to make sure that our decks are always kept clean. Before we put any water in the tanks we always check it by collecting buckets of water that are pouring out from the scuppers before we divert it. We put a filter in the scupper, which we made, to prevent any particles to slip through. We also chlorinate our water with regular household bleach. Approximately 5 ml per 50 gallons. Our galley tap then has a water filter on it to make the water taste better."

What we learn from leaving the dock?

I don't think everybody will experience cruising like the Rasmus people do, but they are definitely worth following. They just got started and are truly sharing their experiences. Should inspire people to leave the dock themselves.

I don't know what it will take for you to see your dreams as something more, but you should do it.  It is an incredibly freeing way to live.  Scott and I feel like kids in a candy store who found a ten dollar bill on the floor.  It's like nobody knows our secret, yet it's so simple and easy.  How come we have this ten dollars when so many people don't?  There really is power in dreaming.  There really is another way to live.  There really is a way to live a life less ordinary.  You just need to step aside and extricate yourself from the status quo, it's designed to keep you there!  Easier for some than for others, for sure.  But I am a firm believer that where there is a will, there is a way.

Things you never knew about cruising

I read a lot of blog posts and magazine articles on the topic of what it is like to be sailing around the world. Many learnings come back again and again. The Aspen crew has summed (some of) them up, so you at least know these things before you leave the dock;-) A few examples:

Half of the crew will read a lot of books
Half of the crew will watch a lot of DVD's
Half of the crew will have no time to read books or watch DVD's; they are reading repair manuals

The storage and provisioning challenge

Where does it all go? Totem tries to answer that question based on their extensive cruising experiences, and they are obviously not the only one having to deal with the issue of having too little space for all the stuff we want to take with us. Bella Star compares it to playing a game of Tetris, and I think that is something we all recognize;-) But they have a tip for us as well, Snapware.

Beyond stackabilty, the containers are airtight, leak-proof and have secure tabs that latch on each side, keeping them closed no matter what.  After dealing with the results of a feta cheese catastrophe last week, the part about the latching tabs is important (see, a package of crumbled feta decided to explode in the darkest recesses of the fridge, which I discovered at 6:15am while blearily making Aaron’s lunch  -- what a treat that was).

The lookie bucket

Want to check on the set of your anchor without getting wet? Here's a good tip from the Katana folks.

You've got a rudder

Yes, when sailing, you have a rudder. But that doesn't mean rules don't count anymore. I would be a bit surprised as well when someone would give me a response like it was given to the Knotty Cat.

There was one fishing boat that was trolling along with huge lines out in all directions and it even had a kite flying way off its stern that apparently dangles bait in the water in order to draw more fish in. We were under sail and when we got too close they screamed, got on the radio, and when Hans told them we were under sail and they were powering, they said, "You've got a rudder don't you? You effing sailing people are all alike!" We then watched a couple of other boats come close but we didn't hear anything on the radio. Now keep in mind these were not commercial fisherman which we do have to stay away from. I just don't know why they didn't go further out and avoid all the smaller boats.