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    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 7: Do you have a real kitchen?

      Posted at 8:55 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 13, 2018

      “You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity? How about fresh water? Do you have a real kitchen? How do you deal with waste? Are you connected to cable and WiFi? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”

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      Do you have a real kitchen? Yes, it’s real, but it’s tiny. (It’s called a galley on a boat.) I have about four feet by 6 feet, plus cabinet space, to work with.  And in that small space I have a stove with three burners and an oven, refrigerator, double sink and counter space. The counter space also doubles as covers for my sink, fridge, storage and dish drainer, so clearing any clutter is always the first step to prepping/cooking. Heidi and Aaron have opted not to have a freezer any longer in order to save electricity, and the space will soon be used to store everyday pots and pans for easy access. It’s not uncommon for the steps from the galley to the cockpit and the navigation station to also be used in the prep process. 🙂

      My stove, a Seaward Princess II, was built specially for a boat and operates on propane. It replaced my original stove (also a Seaward Princess) in 2014 and cared for properly will last over 20 years.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 2 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 6: What about fresh water?

      Posted at 12:05 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 6, 2018

      “You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity? How about fresh water? Do you have a real kitchen? How do you deal with waste? Are you connected to cable and WiFi? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”

      How about fresh water? Fresh water is essential to life. Living on a boat is considered “roughing it” by some, but I am not only equipped with the crucial elements taken for granted by land-lubbers, I am able to generate my own electricity (as shared last week) and water.

      Having access to clean, drinkable water is something that most people in America (and other developed countries) take for granted. In a house, you turn on a faucet and clean water flows! It’s not that simple on a boat. When we are traveling in foreign waters, it is vital that we have the ability to obtain and stock clean water, either by purchasing on land or collecting and/or making onboard.

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      Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink – James Casey, Poet

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 2 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, DogOnboard, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 5: Do you have electricity?

      Posted at 9:02 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 31, 2018

      “You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity? How about fresh water?Do you have a real kitchen? How do you deal with waste? Are you connected to cable and WiFi? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”

      IMG_0379Do you have electricity and water? Heidi and Aaron get this question quite often. Yes, I am a boat. But I’m a finely appointed vessel, built to cruise the world. So although I don’t offer amenities such as a dishwasher and washing machine, I have systems that provide far more than a roughing-it camping experience. These systems are quite complex though, and we are very fortunate that our Captain is an electrician who understands the intricacies of maintaining my electrical system and will be well-versed on my new water-maker in the coming months.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 3 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, DogOnboard, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, VivoOSonho
    • The Sea’s in Their Veins

      Posted at 10:10 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 23, 2018

      img_0485.jpgAaron and Heidi were both raised by sailing fathers and being on or around water is as natural as walking on a sidewalk for landlubbers for them. Their prior spouses both enjoyed boating … at a much faster speed than sailing generally allows. And definitely not on a full time basis. So, neither got as much water time as they craved until they bought me. Now it’s water-time all the time!

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      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, DogOnboard, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • A Nautical Wedding

      Posted at 9:30 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 2, 2018

      Four years ago on June 28, 2014, Aaron and Heidi tied the knot and became Captain and First Mate for Life. It was a wonderful weekend in Ayala Cove at Angel Island, filled with friends and family … a Thursday night dinner onboard dear friends Dave & Speranza’s boat, Buoyant … Friday couple pedicures in Tiburon, wedding prep (which included constructing a six foot arbor that had been lashed in a box to the rail for the trip over and then balanced precariously on a dinghy to get it to shore), and a potluck with our boating community who arrived early to help set-up … and Saturday, Wedding Day: mimosas and boater friends decorating before the festivities.

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      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, Tayana, VivoOSonho
    • Boat – Life Balance

      Posted at 9:42 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 5, 2018


      34321066_10216194796644007_1630616168223997952_oBoats require work. Lots of it. Being exposed to the elements 24/7 means that Aaron and Heidi have to constantly be on the lookout for damage by rain or sun, as well as keeping up on regular chores and replacing my worn parts. I guess you could say that I’m a high maintenance sort of girl. 😉 

      This past weekend Aaron replaced one of my 39-year-old bronze portholes with a brand new stainless steel one. I have three portholes, all accessed by the cockpit; two look into the cabin, one on either side of the companionway (our front door), and the third looks from the cockpit well (side of the floor) into the aft stateroom. Portholes are windows that open. Portlights are windows that are permanently fixed. All leak if not installed and sealed properly, which is not a good thing. I also have four hatches (windows that open up from my cabin top) for ventilation.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, DogOnboard, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, VivoOSonho
    • “Hard” Work

      Posted at 8:58 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on May 29, 2018

      Why do Heidi and Aaron bust their butts to do work on me that they can pay someone else to do? We get that question often. The major reason is peace of mind.

      I’m not just a pleasure craft for weekend sailing. I am Home. Boatwork is very specialized and we want to make sure it is done to our high standards. It’s not like having a new roof put on and then discovering that it leaks and calling a company to come fix it. We won’t have that option in the middle of the ocean if I take on water because of a poorly installed thru-hull. Knowing that my bottom is sturdy and sealed tight is essential to our peace of mind. 

      Every three years I need to be put on the “hard” so my hull, keel and rudder can be inspected, repaired if needed, and painted. It’s also a good time to check out the propellor and all through-hulls. Being on the “hard” is taking a boat out of the water via a hoist and propping her up on stilts in a boat yard.

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      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, Tayana, VivoOSonho
    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 4: Where do you keep your stuff?

      Posted at 9:56 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on May 21, 2018

      “You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity? How about fresh water? Do you have a real kitchen? How do you deal with waste? Are you connected to cable and WiFi? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”

      Where do you keep your stuff? Heidi and Aaron had just came out of long marriages in houses filled with lots of material possessions when they moved aboard in 2009. They left their furniture with the exes, so there really wasn’t any big purge to move onboard. They do have a storage loft with stuff that doesn’t belong or fit on me … Breakable items, photo albums, cherished childhood mementos and a bunch of accumulated crap in general. They are slowly going through the lot to pass on to family, donate or trash. Their goal is to have perhaps four boxes of items that will be stored with Aaron’s dad when we go cruising. That’s it. Everything else will fit in or on me.

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      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, VivoOSonho
    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 3: How does the weather affect you?

      Posted at 7:52 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on May 14, 2018

      “You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity? How about fresh water? Do you have a real kitchen? How do you deal with waste? Are you connected to cable and WiFi? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”

      Back to our series of answers to the questions Heidi and Aaron get when people find out they live on a sailboat full-time.

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      How does the weather affect you? Living on a boat is living in tune with Mother Nature and Father Neptune. We all adore the dry, warm summer months because it means having the hatches and doors open to the air and light. Heidi, Aaron and Tiki spend lots of time having meals in the cockpit and laying in bean bags and the hammock on deck. In the winter, we mainly stay closed up and the only contact with the weather is the quarter mile walk Heidi and Aaron have from my berth to the parking lot. (Which is why we will be circumnavigating primarily to warm climates!)

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      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 2 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, VivoOSonho
    • GrandBoys on Board!

      Posted at 10:29 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on May 7, 2018

      Taking a break from the “You Live on a Boat?!” series this week to write about our favorite honorary crew: Cody and Matthew.

      I’m large in terms of the average cruising boat. I’m 42 ft long, and a reasonable size for typical cruisers is 36 ft. Of course, many have gone cruising in both smaller and larger boats. Aaron specifically looked for a boat in the 40 ft range, knowing that the majority of time they are sailing, it is just the two of them.

      Wood ArtMy raised cabin top and wide girth add to the spaciousness below, while the small, fully enclosed cockpit doesn’t invite sloppy waves or confused seas onboard. With only one full stateroom, the aft quarterberth is cozy for visitors but a bit tough for long-term living aboard. (Ask Heidi’s son … he lived part-time with us during his pre- and early teens, but wanted far more privacy when he got older.)

      I’ve been told that I’m the perfect boat for double-handed circumnavigating, which we’ll put to the test next year. For now, Heidi and Aaron have found that my overall living space is perfect for dockside life for the two of them and Tiki.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 2 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, VivoOSonho
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    Heidi Benson Stagg

    Heidi Benson Stagg

    I live aboard a 42 ft Tayana Vancouver sailboat, hull #5 laid in 1979, with my husband and little dog. We are preparing to circumnavigate the globe in Fall 2020 and I enjoy blogging about our preparations for our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

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