Diane's Thoughts

As I sat in a salon having a pedicure in Great Kills, New York, I exchanged pleasantries with my companion in the next chair and realized that land lovers and maybe some sailors, have no idea how we live on a boat during such a long trip. It is probably very close to living in a RV except we do it on water at a much slower pace. You could probably run faster than sail on our boat. Imagine walking over 1200 miles! It takes approximately 1 hour to travel 5 miles. The size of the boat does not matter that much; you must speculate on how much you need for YOUR comfort. Some

I like to cook; therefore if the seas are cooperative, I try to prepare the evening meal as much as possible during the day. Storing and working areas are limited therefore you must be organize when cooking on a boat. Every cruiser has his way of storing food. I found that keeping a “working bin” with canned food, one for dry food, one for spices, etc. works well for me. The surplus is stored in the out of the way compartments and as needed, I replenish the working cupboards. I keep a list of each storing place. Some cruisers stop in a marina every night or stay in a secluded anchorage. Depending on their quality, most marinas are equipped with washrooms, showers, and other facilities. If at anchor quite often a marina will let you use their facilities; some charge a fee.

Time restriction often defines the cruising area. Depending on the location, we usually travel 4 to 6 hours per day and stop every night. Boats that sail in the Atlantic may travel for 2-3 days, overnight. We preferred to be tourists and visit the numerous places along the way. You learn to go with the flow! We used to worry each time we prepare to dock in unfamiliar and/or unfriendly conditions. Now we WAIT for the best conditions. We have traveled through cold weather, but at the end of each day we have always found warm smiling faces waiting to great us with a cup of tea or hot or cold rum drinks.

We have traveled with a group of 5-10 boats depending of the locations and have formed lasting friendships with some of our companions. We have come across the complainers that are never happy and never will be. Sadly, they usually have the larger and more luxurious boat On the brighter side you have the ship that appears out of the darkness with the skipper’s wearing winter hat with ear flaps, crashing into the dock and jumping ashore, exclaiming: “Isn’t it great, another successful landing. What a great life. I love it.”