So you want to live on a boat? Because it is like living in a postcard? Sure, sometimes it is. <\/p>\n
But along with the breathtaking bays and beaches, come a few struggles. <\/p>\n
Here is what might give you a hard time, while cruising and living aboard. We did not enjoy these much. I especially struggled with a few. <\/p>\n\n
For all our liveaboard life tips \u2013 Boat Life \u2013 no texting & tacking<\/a><\/p>\n It was not the hot water that we missed aboard. Who needs to be hot in the tropics!<\/p>\n Fresh water is a precious commodity aboard. We need solar to make water and it can take days to fill the large tanks \u2013 for drinking, washing, bathing and laundry. <\/p>\n Sure, you can soap up and jump in the water to rinse off, but it\u2019s still salty water. Nothing beats a nice fresh-water shower. <\/p>\n Do not even get me started on how a girl handles periods aboard (send me an e-mail, we can chat).<\/p>\n You will also like these: When you absolutely crave a nice, long, warm shower, thank goodness for marinas.<\/p>\n However, not all marinas are equally clean and well-maintained. I was mostly worried about the kids using the facilities.<\/p>\n Will they forget to wear flip-flops end up with athlete\u2019s foot?<\/p>\n Is there a clean place to hang my toiletry bag \u2013 buy one, which hangs. Sometimes the only surface you can use to place it, is the lid of the toilet \u2013 gross. <\/p>\n You will also like these: We felt that we owed it to our kids to offer an adventure of a lifetime. <\/p>\n Because we pulled them away from a life they loved, friends they loved, schools they loved, gadgets the loved\u2026<\/p>\n We went out of our way to find friends, make homeschooling not a chore, take them to cool places.<\/p>\n Yet, our kids struggled with boat-life at times. And I am not talking about whining. <\/p>\n The \u201cgoodbye\u2019s\u201d are a given when you cruise full time. <\/p>\n Unreliable internet and gorgeous remote islands would often clash. <\/p>\n With growing teens, living on a boat meant no organized activities, no time away from the parents and few opportunities for dating and drama. <\/p>\n Going to bed in damp sheets is a weird feeling. Noone liked it. <\/p>\n The breeze was always welcome and much appreciated aboard, but it would not blow away the humidity. <\/p>\n Guess what happened when it rained? All the breeze hatches are located above the beds\u2026<\/p>\n You will also like these: As a mom, that was my number one fear and struggle. <\/p>\n When two of the kids ended up vomiting and having diarrhea in the beautiful DR, I lost sleep for a bit \u2013 shall we wait it out? What if it gets worse? How many days to the closest hospital?<\/p>\n When we marked those creeping lines after a benign cut on the beach, I was praying the redness would not go passed the sharpie borders\u2026<\/p>\n Land life scares me even more, especially with teen drivers, so the health fears never really go away. <\/p>\n You will also like these: Guess who was in charge of emptying pee buckets daily!<\/p>\n Nothing composts when you use the toilet daily. Nothing. <\/p>\n Composting toilets are OK, but next time we live aboard, we are getting flushing ones. We will save the plant in other ways. <\/p>\n I love cooking. To do it well, I need good knives and good spices. <\/p>\n Spices are a bit hard to keep dry. You can use a few grains of salt in the saltshaker, but it does not work. <\/p>\n You will also like these: We used the oven quite a lot aboard. <\/p>\n Cooking stews and baking breads aboard is hard. For the chef that is. <\/p>\n There are only so many cold sandwiches I can handle or allow the crew to live on. Cooking from scratch also saved us tons of money, even in cheaper destinations. <\/p>\n But there is no way to escape the heat in the galley. <\/p>\n Try telling teens to wear long sleeves outside. <\/p>\n Or the captain, for that matter, \u201cI\u2019m fine, this job will only take like 15min\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n With family history of problematic skin formations, I was extra careful to nag about covering up. Sunscreen is fine, but too much of it comes with its own risks. <\/p>\n We all ended up a few shades darker. Some burned more than others. <\/p>\n There was nothing I could do to prevent that, so prophylactic visits to the dermatologist were our only plan.51 Classic Gifts for Boaters. 2024 Guide. no texting & tacking (notextingandtacking.com)<\/a>There was nothing I could do to prevent that, so prophylactic visits to the dermatologist were our only plan.<\/p>\n You will also like these: I am not just talking about storms, while cruising. Storms at anchor were not the best either. <\/p>\n It was not so much safety that worried me, but the chance of lightning killing our navigation instruments. <\/p>\n It has happened quite a few times. Especially on catamarans. <\/p>\n And we did not carry insurance once we left the US. <\/p>\n You will also like these: Boat life is not an easy life. It lacks almost everything, which makes life comfortable on land. <\/p>\n If you want an adventure \u2013 it will be more than you ever wished for.<\/p>\n If you cherish conveniences \u2013 stay grounded. <\/p>\n Want more helpful tips? Subscribe to my newsletter!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So you want to live on a boat? Because it is like living in a postcard? Sure, sometimes it is. But along with the breathtaking bays and beaches, come a few struggles. Here is what might give you a hard time, while cruising and living aboard. We did not enjoy these much. I especially struggled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":273116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99428,11889],"tags":[1338,3333,63418,99429,15550,34522],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-273115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-default","category-lifestyle","tag-hard","tag-life","tag-liveaboard","tag-tacking","tag-texting","tag-truths"],"yoast_head":"\n1. Lack of long showers.<\/h2>\n
![\"El](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/img_7271-1.jpg\")
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Why We Never Missed Space, While Living on a Sailboat<\/a>
Pros and Cons of Living on a Boat. By Experienced Boaters.<\/a><\/p>\n2. Questionably clean marina facilities.<\/h2>\n
![\"boat](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5832.jpg\")
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Sailing and Socializing Kids \u2013 8 Ways to Find Friends on the High Seas<\/a>
20 Unique Games and Activities for Sailing Kids<\/a><\/p>\n3. Unhappy kids.<\/h2>\n
![\"three](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_0965-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n4. Humidity at night.<\/h2>\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/aft-starboard-cabin-Grand-Soleil-39-768x1024.jpg\")
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<\/strong>Storing and Organizing Food Aboard \u2013 Beat Heat, Moisture and Motion!<\/a>
How to Live on a Boat (if Sailing is Not Your Thing).<\/a><\/p>\n5. Sicknesses in remote places.<\/h2>\n
![\"foot](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/img_5415.jpg\")
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<\/strong>First Aid Kit Aboard, by a Boat Mom and RN. Supplies and Organization.<\/a>
Seasickness Sucks \u2013 21 Tried and Tested Tips to Stop it.<\/a><\/p>\n6. Composting toilet cleaning.<\/h2>\n
![\"Air](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/img_9626-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n7. Wet salt and spices.<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>25 Galley Gear Essentials (We Used All the Time).<\/a>
19 Best Boating Bags. Tips How to Use Them.<\/a><\/p>\n8. Hot cooking space.<\/h2>\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/img_0805-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n9. Sunburn.<\/h2>\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Life-jacket-featured-image-768x1024.jpg\")
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<\/strong>9 Sailing Outfits for any Season and Reason<\/a>
51 Classic Gifts for Boaters.<\/a><\/p>\n10. Storms<\/h2>\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.notextingandtacking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/img_4901.jpg\")
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<\/strong>15 Safety Gear Essentials for the High Seas.<\/a>
27 Important Tools for Boaters. Our Captain\u2019s Favorite Toys.<\/a><\/p>\nFinal Words<\/h2>\n