Living Aboard a Boat
Reflections on Cruising
X is for (e)Xceptional: Things We Love About Living-Aboard and Cruising
Thursday, April 28, 2016TheCambrians
During the month of April, we're
participating in the Blogging From A to Z Challenge where every day (excluding Sundays) we'll be posting to
the blog . . . alphabetically. The overall theme we've chosen to tie all the
entries together is living aboard a boat and cruising – things
we've learned along the way: our thoughts, reflections, and tips for those just
starting out or who are interested in this lifestyle.
We’re down to the final days of the Blogging from A to Z
Challenge and I wanted to use the last
letters of the alphabet to reflect more on our 15 years of living-aboard and
cruising rather than pass along tips from things we’ve learned. I’ve already
written about how we became regional cruisers, some of the difficulties I faced
when transitioning to living-aboard, some of the side effects of cruising, and
what cruising means to us. And now I want to get down to the specifics. Like
everything else, living-aboard a boat and cruising has its pros and cons. I’ll
address both, but in this post I look at some of the things we love about this
lifestyle that’s captivated us for so many years.
Anchoring
We
love to sail. We love to travel. We love new experiences. But spending time at
anchor is where all of our hard work pays off. For us, it doesn’t get much
better than swinging free with million dollar views all around. And the best
part is, if we get tired of the neighbourhood (or the neighbours), we can up
anchor and move.
Exploring
New Places
We
love to travel and cruising has allowed us to visit so many new places over the
last 15 years, many of which can’t be reached by land and look like they’ve
never seen the touch of man. It’s been extraordinary.
Freedom
We
have no phones that need to be answered, no lesson plans to be made, no clients
to please, no alarm clocks to set. We are our own bosses now and that’s been a
liberating experience.
Kayaking
Kayaking
is one of those things I hadn’t realized I loved until we based ourselves in
the Pacific Northwest , and the Inside Passage
is the ideal location for it. Honestly, it’s hard to beat the feeling you get
from the seat of a kayak when you’re surrounded by 6,000-foot cliffs or
following bears as they forage along the shore.
Living
off the Grid
Living
Simply
Living on a boat requires
a simpler way of life, there’s no way around it. Limited space means we had to
downsize and get rid of most of the things that weighed us down on land – TVs,
cars, houses, furniture, appliances. Now that we carry everything we own with
us, we cook and eat more simply. We walk and take public transportation (except
during the winter months when we have access to our truck). We rarely have
phone coverage or access to the internet. Basically, if we don’t have it
aboard, it’s likely that we don’t need it.
No Lawn
to Mow
This
is a favourite of David’s, but I’m not sure why. When we lived on land, I mowed
the lawn (he says he did, but he’s wrong).
The
People We Meet
You
hear this a lot from just about everyone who lives on the water, and it’s true.
The people that we’ve met over the years are from all walks of life, but have
one thing in common: openness. Friendships form fast and are built to
last.
The
Perspective from the Water
The
world looks different from the water and we can’t get enough of this unique
perspective, especially sailing up narrow fjords where the mountains rise
straight out of the sea and tower overhead.
Quality
Time Together
When
travelling at the neck-breaking speed of seven knots, there’s one thing you
have a lot of and that’s time to spend together . . .and that’s a good thing.
Travelling
in our Own Home
Both
David and I are homebodies and cruising allows us the opportunity to travel in
the comfort of our own home with everything we own and need within arm’s reach.
There’s no longer a need to pack a suitcase or hop a plane . . . we are where
we’re going.
Sailing
One
of the best things about living on a sailboat is that you can go sailing any
time the wind’s blowing.
Something
New Every Day
As
long as we’re open to the experience, there’s something new to discover every
single day. Sometimes it’s on a personal level, like a previously unknown talent
or learning something new about ourselves and each other. Sometimes it’s being
faced with a problem and finding a way to solve it. And other times it’s an
encounter with wildlife or a walk on the beach. Whatever it is, big or small,
our days are filled with new experiences and opportunities to learn. And for
me, that’s one of the best things about this lifestyle.
Sunrises
and Sunsets
It’s
hard to beat a good show put on by Mother Nature and sunsets rank up at the
top. Not only does cruising give us a front row seat, the lifestyle allows us
the time to slow down and enjoy them.
Wildlife
My
love of animals is nothing new. When I was young, my dream was to be a
veterinarian (until I heard I had to dissect a cat in physiology class). Whales,
bears, wolves, sea otters, eagles, dolphins – are all wildlife experiences this
lifestyle has opened up to us.
What do you like best about living-aboard and cruising? Or if you don’t
live-aboard, what do you think you would like about it? Join the conversation
below in the comments section or on our Facebook page.
21 comments
Sounds like heaven to me.
ReplyDelete@Kathleen01930
Meet My Imaginary Friends
#AtoZchallenge
I think you're right, Kathleen!
DeleteWe are staring at the end of a year-long sabbatical aboard in the PNW and I have to agree 100% with all of the above (except the kayaking—we don't have one but I am sure I would love it up in the Broughtons). Hopefully we will be able to come back eventually and make it a permanent thing...
ReplyDeleteBruce
http://neverforever.ca
I hope so too. As you already know, there's so much to see and do here.
DeleteGreat blog, by the way, I've bookmarked your link and am looking forward to reading about your time in the PNW and hope to find a place or two to discover that we've missed.
I love the slower pace and quiet nights at anchor. The PNW tourism board should be paying you royalties! - Lucy
ReplyDeleteLol. It really is an amazing place.
DeleteWe love anchoring out and exploring new places. Also love pretty much everything you wrote about. We are really looking forward to being able to cut loose from here for awhile, or forever, who knows? I have a hard kayak that I love. Mike does not, but we would like to have two kayaks when we leave. Have you liked your inflatables? What have you not liked about them? We still want to meet you guys before you leave for the season. And see Cambria.
ReplyDeleteWe do like our inflatables because they're more stable than fibreglass and easier to get into from the boat. BUT I have a leak in mine that we can't seem to fix. I wouldn't mind so much but I get wet every time I go kayaking now. With that said, I've had it since 2002.
DeleteWe'd love to meet you guys too. We'll be around until Monday and don't have much going on this weekend. There's plenty of beer in the frig! :)
You guys really should meet up and have a West Coast A to Z meet-up! Lucy and Matt from Larks of Independence just stopped by today and Jaye and Dan from Life Afloat stopped by this weekend. I already met Keith and Nikki a couple of months ago when they checked out Indiantown Marina. Now I just have to meet Liesbet from Roaming About and I'll have the whole East Coast gang covered :-)
DeleteIt is great that you are living your dream. How do you post? I guess you have access some when you come ashore. Thanks for sharing the great photos. It sounds like you are living a wonderful life.
ReplyDeletehttp://maryanderingcreatively.com/x-saint-xenia-xena/
We use T-Mobile for our cellular provider which gives us unlimited data in Canada so we tether the phone to the computer to post online. The only problem is that we aren't in coverage very often so it's difficult to keep up during the cruising season.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnother great post! all resonate with us too. When I'm out on the water I forget about all the drama on land. Particularly my busy job. The wind blows away the cobwebs. I can't wait to move on board full time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Viki! "The wind blows away the cobwebs" -- I love that!
DeleteFor the first time since leaving our boat and moving on land (temporarily), you make me miss the cruising lifestyle with your list. It is so well-phrased that I cannot think of anything to add. So, my answer to your question would be "all of the above" (except not having to mow the lawn, since I never had one).
ReplyDeleteLiesbet @ Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary
Thanks, Liesbet!
DeleteThe quiet. I even used that for my "Q" post. The chance to hang at anchor and hear NO human sounds... Priceless!
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that once you get a taste for it, you crave it. I'm not sure how we'll survive when the day comes that we move back to land.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of all of that, although I would miss making with glass as that wouldn't be something that would translate to life on board!
ReplyDeleteSo glad I found you from the list!
Mars xx
@TrollbeadBlog from
Curling Stones for Lego People
Same here, Mars. I'm so intrigued by your chosen art form.
Delete