How we live on the hook

Years before leaving, Steve read everything he could find on living and cruising on a sailboat, especially if it was the “old” way. He likes to be as self sufficient as possible. Meaning as long as I agree. 

He would ramble his findings to me and what he felt was the best strategy for us. I took it all in and looked around myself and we came up with our lists of priorities for living on the hook before leaving. 

On the top of our list was ground tackle. My thoughts were go big or go home. Steve is the frugal partner where I am all about the moment. So we hunted for somewhere in the middle. He agreed with me about the importance so he had to give in on spending the money because it made sense for the future. He went between two of the newer models in anchors, the mantus and rocna. 

Mantus got scratched off the list because the mantus’ dealer couldn't figure out how to fit it on our boat. So the Rocna was our choice and we went up on the suggest weight, go big or go home. He also explained to me about the two choices we had in chain or rope and how some people use a combination of the two.  We went with all chain but our second anchor has rope. 

When living on the hook ground tackle is your foundation of your home. I want to sleep when winds are high and that can be an issue when you are depending on it so greatly. I appreciate our AIS’ anchor watch feature. It helps me sleep because I know if we move from the perimeter we set it will alert us in time give us to start the engine and reset or find somewhere safe before dragging into a fellow cruiser or worse reefs or land. 

The second thing on our list is power source. You need power, well I need power. I like having my electronics and refrigerator. So solar panels are how we regenerate power.   

Steve installed six T105 Trojan batteries because they are reliable, cheaper and easy to find around the world. He uses the charger that is matched with our Honda 2000 generator that we use to operate power tools, shop vacuum and to top the batteries off when the solar panels. Our panels are two 140 wts each. He has them where he can rotate them down in rough seas or to catch the sun better. He has a Victron monitor to view the state of charge and a Morning Star 45 amp solar regulator smart charge 10 amp. I have links to these items under our treasure chest tab. 

Next on our must have when living on the hook is a reliable dinghy. We chose the Portland Pudgy. Simple reason, she can't pop or leak air, she is stable, she rows easily, you can sail her and she is a certified life raft. She is slow but we both agree that we rather have all of the above for the price of speed. 

Another important necessity is water.  Saga Sea holds 150 gallons. We use the Seagul water filter system for our drinking water. We haven't had any problems finding free or almost free local water. Yes, Steve has to gerry can it to the boat but he says he is young and needs the exercise. So far this is working well for us. 

We enjoy living on the hook over marinas. Marinas have their place in our life, we use them when leaving our boat for any length of time. We will use them if I am left with the boat alone, simply because I don't want to handle the boat. Remember I'm not the sailor, Steve is and this is his choice, I would have a narrow boat or RV, Lol.  But, I prefer the breeze at anchor and the gentle motion. As well as the privacy and less bugs. 

In regards to sewage when living aboard we follow what the rules state in the area. We have an operating holding tank that can be emptied at a pump out station or we can manually empty it with a hand pump out at sea. 

We have a LVAC toilet with a huge hand pump. Steve loves those bilge hand pumps. We have them everywhere and many back ups. I dont mind the LAVAC system but I dont care for cleaning it because of all the caskets. 

Our laundry is usually taken to a local or business that washes and folds for a resemble price. If a place is not available I do it in the bucket. I have started using the amonia technique with my towels and sheets. 

1/4 cup of amonia with a bucket of water

I soak the items over night then in the morning I wringer them out and hange on the life lines. No need to rinse. So far so good. Luckily there is usually someone who does it so it hasn't been too much of an issue. 

Sun shades are a priority for me but it would be the same at a marina. Steve and I go around and around in regards to the shades. He knows they are needed but he also knows they are vulnerable. All I know is I want shade and protection from the elements.  One day I will have a decent place to sit outside but it might not be on Saga Sea, or with Steve. Hahah 

I can't think of anything else that might be questioned when living on the hook. If you have any please feel free to ask. I want to help you get out here as well 

We Flew and I threw, up that is.

Made it to Providencia Colombia. Left Sunday morning and arrived Wednesday morning. We have never seen Saga Sea move so fast. Maybe from all the work being completely made her feel like a Filly running free at last.  She felt great, I didn't. This was a two bucket trip for me. Not fun!  Steve was a single handed pro. I was better by the third day. Guess it was just getting around that corner. 

In any case we are here in Beautiful Providencia Colombia. We might not leave... Im not too eager to do any sailing anytime soon for sure. 

Schooner giving me I love you eyes in the cockpit on the third day. It was less of a wet day 

My peeps that got me back online

Schooner chilling while daddy puts the boat back together 

Walking sidewalk. Thank you Colombia 

Our anchorage this afternoon 

Brisge over to Catalina Island where we left the dinghy so I could walk some. I miss walking on sidewalks 

Tourists wanting a pic with Schooner 

Locals getting their fade on. Hahaha. Oh I swear the port captain looks like Ice cube. Ill post a picture if he will let me take one. 

Heading to Providencia Colombia

Well we are packing up and preparing to leave in the morning for Colombia, well for two Islands owed by Colombia, Isla Providencia and Isla San Andres. They are actually closer  to Honduras and Nicaragua and only about 280 nm from the Panama Canal. 

This trip will probably take around five or more days. We plan to stay over night in Cayo Vivorillo, just to rest midway. 

So that is the plan, stan. We really are not completely sure what we will do after this place. We first planned to head to Panama but after experiencing summer in the Rio Dulce I think I will pass. Plus, we hear the fees have risen greatly and there is so much confusion on what is being charged. Another reason is our savings is running down pretty quickly. So this means we may have to be work chumps for a bit to fill our cruising kitty back up and being closer to the States makes more sense.  So we shall see. Let's face it, we know we are too young to think we can do this forever but we will be very happy to get a couple of years of freedom at this age than none at all. That is why we agree with the saying "Go Small, Go Now"!

We always enjoy our time in Guanaja. The people are great and it is beautiful 

Steve's mother celebrated her 84 birthday this year. I sent her some books, she calls homework. I want to suck all her wisdom out before she leaves us. Hahah. I know I sound terrible but It is said with love.  Happy Birthday Jean. We love and miss you. 

She is my June Cleaver

Here are some photos of our dear friends coming over to say hello. This is Rosalinda and Shana. They own a restaurant on the Cay called Rosalinda's over on Vietnam street. It is a must try place. Best friend chicken and I hear their liver and onions are great as well. Honestly, I havent had a bad meal there ever. And they are the sweetest people. They just need a sign outside and there needs to be a map made of all the retail places in the area and given out atthe  Immigration office.   There is my request! 

Dont you love how they travel. Hahah 

Shana and her babies 

Ok im finally putting the last row on my crochet throw blanket. It has taken me forever to complete because it is made with a 1.5 needle and small thread.  I take long breaks to keep my hand from cramping.  Now I will have to finish Steve's. 

Here is a shot at my herbs Im growing in plastic soda bottles. I tried starting my seeds in an egg carton but it didnt work well so I just put them in the containers they will stay in, so far so good. That is a mint plant I bought but almost killed because I left it hanging during strong winds. It looks to be coming back. The seeds are basil in one and rosemary in the other. We will see how it goes. 

Schooner wanting to take her morning nap with her dog treats. Got to include the cute baby picture. 

Well guess I will let you all know how the trip goes in a week or so. Take care of yourselves and love one another 

 

Sunrises in French Harbor Roatan

Life isn't the same on the east end as it is on the west end of Roatan. East end is more rural and greener, so less white sand beaches. I don't believe Schooner much cared for it so we left and now in the middle of Roatan, French Harbor. 

We did have a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with the Trico Peeps before leaving, http://tricoshrimpco.com.  Mr. Gala was sweet enough to include us, we enjoyed it very much. It's always difficult this time of year to be away from family and friends. 

Steve has keep up with a few things. He replaced the step we use when boarding the boat from the dinghy. He replaced it with teak so it should last a long time. 

I refurbished my sun umbrella with some colorful duck tape and paint pens. I always like sprucing things like this up, anything to bring attention. Hahaha I know Steve loves it. Hahah 

Our plans are to spend the holiday here in Roatan. As soon as we see a good weather window to go east we will head to Providencia Columbia.  For now we will enjoy Roatan's sunrises. 

What mistakes WE made before setting off to cruise the Caribbean

Provisions for the passage- I found we are not like the other cruisers. Some call us minimalist, but I think we are somewhere in the middle of the extremes in the cruising world.  

We have friends getting ready to take off and was wondering what we advise.  Looking back on what we did and what we know now I think it can help if you know your crew and how they react during passages. 

I wish we had more passage experience in our own boat. It would have been helpful to know how Steve handles the stress. While on our ten day passage from Texas to Isla Mujeres, Steve lost his appetite. 

I expected us to have at least two meals plus snacks on the passage. So I precooked a large roast, a ham and some bacon. My thoughts were to use these to make meals easier to make underway, which it did. The problem was Steve would barely eat one meal a day. He would sometimes accept the snacks I brought. 

I knew I wouldnt eat three meals a day. Despite my size, Steve eats way more than I do on a daily basis.  So his change in behavior cause me to throw out a lot of food when we got to our destination. Now, I plan on one meal a day with snacks. 

Snacks were another thing I have changed. Before leaving I made this big trip to Costco attempting to prepare to never get the good stuff again and for the long passage. I bought all kinds of snacks, many of them were items we never eat, all wasted. Well I gave them away later so I suppose they were wasted. 

So for passages I take cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, onions and crackers, Lots of ready to eat fruit, something sweet and crunchy and lots of drinks. I concentrate on keeping him hydrated. 

Now, I can only speak about my knowledge of the Western Caribbean, but there are stores in all of the ports we went to, at least so far. Also, the locals eat similar dishes as we do in the United States. They also use toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, dish soap and other cleaning supplies. So I did not need to bring a year's supply of it when we left. If you are like me, I do like to keep a good supply of these things but not a year’s worth. I still have three quarters of tide in a bilge compartment. 

Things I advise to bring are special seasons, sauces or salad dresses, things that can be stored in your dried goods cabinet. Or special brand items that you need that might be difficult to find here. You can find “gringo” brands here but they can be higher priced than in the states. 

I also took too many clothes, despite all the posts I read advising against it, and I don't even have as many clothes as other women. I confess I like to buy new things from time to time. So to satisfy that urge I shop at secondhand stores or items clearanced items. When I bring it aboard I find something to donate. This is no hard since this lifestyle can be hard on clothes, especially if they were already used. 

I do this in the kitchen also. I go through my cabinets and drawers cleaning and tossing things I have not used like I thought I would. This gives me room to find special local items to use in our daily life. Things that will bring back past memories of our time there. 

Steve says he wished he installed a radio and speaker in the cabin. He felt having a portable speaker was more efficient. The problem we have had with using portable speakers is where you plug in the cord for recharging. We keep breaking it leaving us no way of charging the device. I believe we are on our third speaker.

He also wished he had thought to buy a few LED Davis lights for anchor lights. We have since bought a few and brought them back from the States. He says he has no good reason of why he didn't think of it except that he was overwhelmed with all the other things. It wasn't an extremely important item, we do have an anchor light and we did have a regular Davis light we used but the LEDs are more power efficient

Another thing, he thought it would be easier find replacement parts for the Honda 2000 generator and Honda 2.3 outboard motor. Yet, it has been a challenge. We could get products that are similar but we rather not, so we brought back replacements on our last trip to the states. 

For what it is worth, we feel we were pretty prepared for this lifestyle, thanks to all that went before us and were willing to share their wisdom and opinions. This is why I try to think of things to pass along to people that are like us. There a ton of people out here living their lives cruising and they are all so different from each other just like life on land. I feel we should all share and help one another. There is someone like you out here I am sure. 

Bare Teak and Feet

So we have decided to go bare. Lol. We love the looks of teak but salt water really hates varnish. So we are going natural. Steve will scrub lightly the teak with salt water weekly. He says this will keep the teak clean from mold and will help keep it from cracking. We will continue to varnish inside as well as use Teak Guard inside the cockpit and on the hatches. 

West End Roatan

We took off from French Harbor yesterday and arrived in lovely West End. Gorgeous! 

Water is clear and blue. Not too many other cruisers here at the moment. We did meet a female solo curiser that has been cruising the Caribbean in her 37 Tayana, when we arrived. She came over and offered help in connecting to a mooring ball that is provided to protect the turtle grass. Steve passed of course. Haha

It was awesome to meet a female single sailor. We meet male sailors all the time but not female. Another amazing thing is she is in her 70s. She likes it when I say she is older than dirt. She is an inspiration!

Today we ventured out to find the store and water. We found the store and the veggie stand that had outstanding produce. 

This is an interesting idea

We loved this guy at the produce stand 

Never found water but we did produce

I decided to put out a hummingbird feeder. We will be here at least a month, maybe one will come by

Steve keeping busy. Making a cover for the machete. 

He is set now