Vivo O Sonho

Living the Dream
Vivo O Sonho
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    • Life Happens … Change of Course, Again

      Posted at 9:00 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on March 4, 2020

      IMG_9711When we purchased our 42 ft 1979 Tayana Vancouver sailboat in 2009 we had hoped to take a sabbatical from our jobs in 2015 to do some cruising. We chose to name our boat Sonho, as it means “Dream” in Portuguese and adopted the motto, “Vivo O Sonho” … Living the Dream. 

      But Life Happened: lay-offs and, most importantly, my care for my beloved Nana kept us tied to the dock. There was no way I’d leave her; we just didn’t expect her to live as long as she fortunately did. After Nana passed in the fall of 2017 just shy of her 99th birthday, my sister and I made the decision to sell her home that we had inherited. Aaron and I would use our share of the proceeds to finish the work on the boat and invest the rest to take early retirement.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged Cruising, DogOnboard, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingWriter, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • You Live on a Boat?! Part 8: How’s the sleeping situation?

      Posted at 5:55 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 3, 2019

      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? How’s the sleeping situation? 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_5266Yes, it’s true. Sleeping on a boat is like being rocked to sleep every night. We keep our stateroom hatch open a crack year-round and can hear the waves and seabirds as we drift off and awaken. When it’s stormy it can be a wild ride, but still so comfy to be cocooned in our bunk while Mother Nature and Father Neptune battle it out.

      After nine years of doing the “mattress mambo” and changing out varieties of foam combinations, we made the investment in a real mattress for our bunk! This is not a “run down to the local mattress store, spend a few hours laying on samples, move a few pieces of furniture to clear a path for the delivery guys to set up” kind of situation. As everything else on a boat, it is more complicated and expensive than that.

      To start with, boat beds are not like home beds. At all. Boat beds, called bunks or berths, are in staterooms (bedrooms) built into the superstructure of the boat. They are a wooden or fiberglass box frame usually built on top of drawers and/or storage space and are immobile.

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      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, DogOnboard, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, VivoOSonho
    • Lost and Found

      Posted at 5:44 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on November 29, 2018

      229340_2073924609104_1689002_nAmy saw the poster tacked to the phone pole at the bus stop.

      LOST: Female Dog.
      Beloved Family Pet.
      Sat., Oct. 6
      near Grand and Otis.
      Answers to Cookie.

      The picture below the text showed two adorable little boys with their arms around an even more adorable little brown dog. Her heart sank. It looked exactly like the dog she had found just after midnight two days ago.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged AlamedaAnimalShelter, BoatingLife, DogOnboard, FAAS, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, ShortStory, Tiki, TLWA, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • 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?”

      IMG_7894

      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.

      1625796_1198429002261_2920915_n

      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!

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, DogOnboard, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, 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
    • 365 Days and Counting …

      Posted at 12:01 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on April 16, 2018

      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.

       

      Sonho on the mooring balls at Angel Island. Photo by HBS
      Sonho on the mooring balls at Angel Island. Photo by HBS
      Heidi & Aaron on vacay in Akumal, Mexico. Photo by HBS
      Heidi & Aaron on vacay in Akumal, Mexico. Photo by HBS

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 10 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, DogOnboard, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, Tiki, 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 head to Mexico in Fall 2022 and I enjoy blogging about our preparations for our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

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