Fitness Aboard

 Let's face it. Our cruising lifestyle is intense. We must be mentally prepared but we must maintain physical strength as well! We spend long days in the elements, we raise sails, lift over sized laundry bags, climb out of our tenders and lug provisions to and fro. BUT we are also blessed with some amazing locations to burn some calories!! We could go for a swim, a hike or a paddle even! Check out what the amazing variety of cruisers do to stay in "Ship Shape!!"

Rubbish

Rubbish! No matter how simply we try to live we still create it. Living on land or at the marina disposing of it requires just a short walk to the rubbish bin. But what about when we're at sea or at anchor in beautiful, remote parts of the world? What do we do with our rubbish then? Burn it? Dump it over the side? or stash it on the boat somewhere? Or a combination of all three?

As cruisers we spend our lives on the sea. We see the effects of irresponsible practices, such as fishing nets and lines cast off and left to drift, harmful plastics injuring animals or entering their food chain, oil and fuels left to spill and kill.  As inhabitants and lovers of the oceans we have a duty to make responsible and sustainable decisions about our trash. Making us in effect the ocean's custodians. With that in mind we've put together a collection of blog posts that explain how fellow cruisers deal with rubbish onboard. 

What I Learned on My First Cruise

Shoals and currents and inlets on the chart can seem quite daunting on your first passage
(Plodding in Paradise) 

It doesn't matter how much - or how little - experience you had before you set out, there was something, or many somethings, that you didn't expect.  The lessons our bloggers learned on their first trip were in some cases about nautical technique, and in other cases philosophical.

Dogs on Board

Dyna and Dylan keep tabs on marina comings and goings (TakingPaws)

Call me Ishmael. Or, Fido, or even Spot. No matter, a dog by any other name is a sailor's soulmate upon the sea. Brave, loyal, trustworthy and enthusiastic--always. You couldn't ask for a better crewmate. Still, there are times when finding our best friend a safer harbor is the most loving--and hardest--thing to do.

In this topic, our bloggers talk about the dog days of cruising.

Kids as Crew

Here at The Monkey's Fist, our goal is to continually provide a place for newbies, wanna-be's, dreamers and planners to find information from real cruisers with experience. The topic "Kids as Crew" explores what it's like to have our children aboard and what types of jobs, responsibilities and chores they assume. Because like my mother always said, "Why do you think I had three girls? So, I'd never have to do the dishes again!!"

More Moving Aboard Transitions

Photo from The Life Nomadik 

Wow!  We got so many great responses to our first call for blog posts on moving aboard, that we decided to make a second post!  Here are more stories written by folks who are in that confusing, high-energy period as they became new liveaboards.

Living Aboard in Winter

Photo by Helen McAdory

Sure, the most comfortable way to live on your boat in wintertime is to sail it to the tropics in autumn, but not everyone has that luxury.  If instead you stay aboard as the snow flies and the water beneath your hull turns hard, tell us how you make it work!

Does Size Really Matter?

We have all fantasized about a bigger... boat, right?! Be honest. But does size really matter? When utilizing our small spaces to our advantage is the name of the cruising game what's to be said for the size of the ship? Is it really all about the motion in the ocean? Is it really about square footage? Can sailing around the on a 27' boat be just as comfortable as say, a 50' boat? Let's see what you -  the people, had to say. 

Image found here.

Protection Against Thieves: What Are Your Safety Precautions?

Permanent markings on a dinghy help deter thieves.

(Photo courtesy of Matt & Jessica's Sailing Page)

It's a sad but true fact.  Any place you travel, there is a chance you might encounter thieves.  They may be after all kinds of different things in varying degrees: your wallet; your outboard, your dinghy, or anything they can get their hands on should they board your boat. What precautions do you take to keep yourself, your belongings and your boat safe?  Whether it's locking everything down, traveling in groups, or staying away from certain locations, almost everyone has some kind of safety plan.  Read below to find out what others are doing, and tips you could pick up for yourself.

A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama

Bill and Caroline (s/v Juffa) celebrate a successful transit

In Google Reader, you can "star" posts that you want to save for later.  And when you know you're eventually going to transit the Panama Canal, the transit stories get "starred," right?  So here we are in Shelter Bay Marina, finally, and we'll be heading through the canal as soon as most of the broken things are fixed, so... we're reading all the starred transit stories.  Here are the ones we've collected so far; they're in chronological order, with the most recent transits at the top.  Great pictures, lots of details and advice, a bit of humor and terror mixed in. [5/22/13 - Update: now we're on the other side, getting more broken things fixed, so we're in a prime position to collect new transit posts, since we meet these folks when they pop out on this side.]

Shoppers in a Strange Land

Welcome to Odd-Mart! (Whether they know it or not) our buyers continually scour the globe to bring you an ever-expanding selection of products sure to meet all of your provisioning needs.

Going it Alone

Singlehanders go it alone. What does that mean for them regarding relationships, friendships, and family? Was it a choice or did the other half back out? Would you rather be alone, are you looking for a long-term partner, or perhaps looking for the occasional buddy boat? What are the emotional and practical realities of going it alone in what is often a coupled-up cruising world?

Bruce Glass of s/v Scuttle Butt clips to a jackline for safety when sailing solo
(photo copyright Bruce Glass)

Below are links to a variety of blog posts from singlehanders, some practical, some emotional, some a bit of both, and some just a peek inside a day in the life of a singlehander. It was more difficult than I expected to corral together posts on this topic. Perhaps many singlehanders are too busy doing everything on their own to have time to blog, perhaps many are simply somewhat private, introspective folk not as prone to sharing their life online. In soliciting blog posts by singlehanders I received comments that blogging defeats the purpose of being a singlehander, that singlehanders who blog have an ulterior motive, and that singlehanders who blog sound desperate because they are. I do not think we are all antisocial hermits or desperate; we are, like most liveaboards, unconventional folks who don't readily fit in society's mold.

Moving Aboard: Transitions

People move onto boats for a surprising variety of reasons: to live close to nature, to go cruising and see the world, to save money, and more.  The practical aspects of the transition were, in many cases, easier to manage than the emotional.  (Contributions are listed in alphabetical order by blog name.)

Image from here.

Cats on Board

Charlie on s/v Ceilydh

For nearly as long as sailors have been going to sea, their cats have been going with them. Whether as miracle workers, mousers, or mates, nary a crew member has been more valued than the ship's cat. Certainly, why we live aboard has changed throughout the course of history, but who we bring along to keep us company appears to be timeless. (Friends of Fido: Standby, dogs on board is an upcoming topic!)

Divisions of Labor: Who Does What on Board?

The ladies, they fix the head while men are baking bread

and women deal with feds but guys are making beds

and everyone sews...

(with sincerest apologies to Cole Porter's, Anything Goes) 

Oh, these modren times we live in! On a boat, traditional gender roles get tossed right out the porthole...or do they?

Did We Leave That Behind?

On s/v More Joy Everywhere, CATS are the big space-wasters

"Wow, this boat is so much bigger than our house!" said no cruiser, ever. If there's one thing cruisers have in common, it's that we gave up a lot to do this: not just our relationships and our careers, but our stuff. Every thing that was culled fell victim to a sometimes painful decision-making process. In this post, our bloggers discuss how they decided what "made the cut." (Thanks to Steph of s/v Norna Biron for the title of this post.)

Is There Jif in Vanuatu?

From S/V Bella Vita: If ya gotta have Grey Poupon, better bring it with.

"Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard...And when she got there, the cupboard was bare..." Or maybe not.  When it comes to provisioning, our bloggers explain that there are a lot more options than the weevil-y hardtack and grog that sailors survived on in the olden days.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Tammy (plodding in paradise) describes fear as a many-headed beast

Mariners have always known it: life at sea has its dangers. Things can happen out here. We take every precaution to make sure they don't, but still.... In this collection of posts, our bloggers write candidly about their fears, great and small, and a few that might surprise you.

How Do You Do Laundry on a Boat? Clothes for Cruisers

s/v Ceilydh has a wringer on board, and laundry is an all-hands-on-deck job

No, we don't beat them against a rock. It's nearly impossible to secure a rock on a moving vessel. So how do cruisers do laundry on a boat? And what about those now dreaded events? You know, like going out in public. In this combined topic, cruisers discuss how they wash and what they wear.

Are We Sailors or Travelers?

This way?  or That way?  (Jaye, Life Afloat Archives)

"Sailors or travelers?"  Sailing is more about the journey - do you enjoy your time at sea?  Traveling is more about the destination - is it the ports that you look forward to?  Are the passages your passion, or are they just a way to get from point A to point B?  Cruisers mostly agree that they enjoy both the sailing and the traveling; but the question is: which way do you lean?  Are you a seafarer who travels, or a traveler who sails to get there?

What Do Cruisers DO All Day?

"what cruisers do" on s/v Totem

Contrary to popular belief, living aboard doesn't have to be all work and no play. Here are some of the ways cruisers spend their spare time. Spoiler Alert: reading is a biggie.  (Thanks to Behan, s/v Totem, for title of this post.)