Aaron 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!
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.
Boats 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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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!)
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.
My 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.
“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?”
Does it move all the time? No. When I am on the hard (on stilts) in dry dock I am perfectly still. (Joke!) Yes, I’m a boat … as long as I float, I move. All. The. Time.
We don’t notice it as we are accustomed to the small movements at the dock or in a quiet anchorage. Wind, boats passing and causing waves, and the simple tidal action all affect my motion. But when the wind picks up or we have rain, I can really get a-rocking at the berth. And when I’m off sailing, well, there’s all kinds of motion going on, naturally. Most guests are fine as long as they are outside and can see the horizon, but some get a bit nauseous when they go below. Many who spend a day sailing with us often find themselves “rocking” in the shower that evening or the next day because their bodies worked at getting accustomed to the motion and then they returned to land. Heidi has gotten “land sick” a few times; feeling nauseous when off the boat for more than a few days. But she recovers quick when she’s back onboard.
“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?”
Heidi and Aaron get those questions virtually every time someone finds out they live on a sailboat. We don’t think about it very often … It’s the lifestyle Heidi and Aaron chose almost nine years ago and for me, well, I am the boat. 🙂
Our first few blogs will focus on living aboard in general and the way of life that we take for granted but is often considered strange by landlubbers. Over the summer, we’ll share the transition as we prepare to shift from life at Marina Village Yacht Harbor in Alameda, California, to a vagabond lifestyle at sea and anchor when we begin our circumnavigation next year.
This is our view today. Exactly one year from now we will cut the docklines and begin to live our dream of circumnavigating the globe and experiencing sunsets around the world.
We … that would be me, Sonho, Captain Aaron, First Mate/Admiral Heidi, and First Dog Tiki.
Vivo O Sonho 