FAQ
About this web site
Why did you create this site?
Good question. The short answer is that this web site is one of the forms of my self-expression. It is me lost in the ocean of virtuality.
To elaborate a bit, it is about a dream that is coming true - the dream to sail around the world. There are people who dream about adventure, remote islands and wonderlands. I hope that my experience will help these people to fulfill their dreams. Sometimes a little push or a tiny fluctuation is enough to change things dramatically. I believe that this web site may become a stimulation for someone to start a new life, perhaps, unknown, full of questions, puzzles but hence attractive and interesting.
Often, the dreamers are stopped by a fear to unknown. For people residing far from a shore, the first question is usually this:
Does someone live on a boat?
Living aboard is quite popular in many countries in the world. There are a lot of resources available on the Internet that answer questions about living aboard. I posted some of them in the Links section of the web site. One may also just google for "living aboard".
Living aboard is not new. Folks have been doing this from the ancient ages. One of the purposes of this site is to remind myself and you about eternal values that got lost in a modern society built on a consumer philosophy, to perhaps, restore what has been lost in the progress of our civilization, which became the pure engine of human weaknesses satisfaction, to return the belief in a human being itself, not a god - a human being, who is the part of the nature, to return a joy of meeting other people, mixing with other cultures, to return love and pass it to the next generations through our children.
This web site is my payback to the Internet community, if you wish, a "thank you" for the web sites of other people who inspired me and to whom I am very grateful.
The author is a boaster and is puffed up with conceit!
Really? Ok, I won't try to make you think otherwise.
You don't think so? Thank you. You'll be my friend.
Are you looking for sponsors?
Oh, please, no offense!
Where are the ads?
I am an advocate of the ad-free web sites. Please, do not offer me to put your ad on my web site. Thank you.
Most common misconceptions about sailing and living aboard
Myth number one: a sailboat is for rich people!
No, no! Not at all. Hmmm, perhaps, not always for rich. Used sailboats, say, 30 to 35-foot long, 20 to 30 years old, cost no more than a middle size car. Keep in mind that this "car" would become a country house and a three-star hotel in Caribbean or Mediterranean sea or somewhere in Indonesia or French Polynesia or wherever your dream destination is to be. Moreover, an airfare is already included in the "hotel" price!
I don't want to say that rich people don't have yachts. They do except that they usually don't live on them. Many people chose living aboard because it is more affordable. Buying and maintaining a house is usually more expensive.
Myth number two: sailing is for men
Well, quite the opposite. Most crews are families with kids.
Myth number three: kids need to go to school
There are many schools in the world that offer distant education and/or home school curriculums. The good example is Calvert school in the US, which exists over 100 years. Home schooling is popular and legal in many countries.
Studing such subjects as geography, history, nature, botany, zoology, ethnography, languages and science on a boat during an around the world voyage has many advantages over a school class lessons. Knowledge gained through a practical experience is much more valuable compared to just a textbook reading. Parents have a unique opportunity to organize their kids education according to their route.
Myth number four: I'll get seasick
In a storm, yes, or at least, it is very likely. Many people are susceptible to a motion sickness. People that don't get seasick are rare. I'm lucky to be one of them. There probably are people who get sick even in a moderately fresh wind. A few ways exist to prevent or minimize the effect of motion, like seasick medication or standing watches. From other sailor's experience, I can tell that it is possible to get used to it. After a certain number of days at sea, a body adapts to the motion and the symptoms are gone.
I would also like to cite a famous sailing author Hall Ross who lived with his wife on a boat for 35 years and sailed in many places in the world. Here is what he writes in his book "How to sail around the world":
There are far fewer storms than people think, and those that occur are over-publicized. To cover themselves, weathermen always predict the worst, the most sever, the longest lasting. What often happens is that the rain is fleeting, the strong wind is transitory, and the big gale has headed off somewhere else. But in the popular imagination, it's one tempest after another.
Journalists and authors are no better. If you read a dozen books about sailors at sea, nine or ten of them will tire you out with talk about giant waves, blown-out sails, smashed masts, exhaustion, desperation, and worse.
A favorite tactic is to recount one horror story after another. By stacking up these tales, writers try for blanket effects, perhaps thinking they're influencing juries in murder cases. On television, meteorologists turn up the sound, and show us the same storm footage over and over.
Sailors are not entirely innocent either. When they're interviewed about their experiences, waves 15 feet high grow into 30-footers. A gale becomes a storm-force wind. Unpleasantness turns into misery. Half the time, sailors laugh behind thier listeners' backs as they recount the ferocity and frequency of storms. Of course there are some, but sailing is not all storms. If the conditions were like what we read about, no one would ever go to sea.
In my experience I've found more light winds and calms than gales. During my last trip around the world, I kept accurate records of weather, and when I added up the numbers, I was surprised to learn that I was becalmed 11 percent of the time. Dead calm. No wind. No seas. Nothing! And this voyage was mostly in the Southern Ocean. Of course there were a few storms, but there were also weeks of pleasant sailing in winds of 10-25 knots.
Myth number five: cruising is expensive
Living aboard is cheaper than on land. Therefore, to support such living one would need to work less. Hence, more time is left for cruising. Simple! Hall Ross calculated his expenses to be $20,000 a year per a family of two. I think such an income would put you among very poor people on land but it is quite reasonable at sea.
My personal experience shows that it is possible to live aboard for about $500 a month. Remember, you already have your "car", just get a bike for occasional shore tours!
Myth number six: without visas they won't let you stay in a foreign country
Yes, visas are required in some countries for some nationalities. This is sad to admit by many tourists. Sailors, on the other hand, are in a slightly better position. Often, it is possible to get a visa in the port of entry. Even if you&339;re denied the visa, normally you're allowed to stay for a couple of days to get food and water to continue your trip or to make the necessary repairs.
Myth number seven: living aboard is absurd!
Eh... why?
Well, because how can you live in the middle of the ocean?
(Smiling and nodding) Of course not. And nobody lives in the middle of the ocean. Usually, you stay on your boat anchored in a habour or a protected bay, or docked in a marina or a yachtclub where there are all the conveniencies of the civilization such as toilets, showers, a laundry, etc. Most time sailors spend on shore, working or resting, and return to a boat to prepair food and for a sleep. Not much of a difference from a conventional lifestyle of waking up in the morning and leaving for work, then returning home for the same reason: to eat and to sleep. Oh, there is one difference though! House mortgage! How many years have you still to pay it?