When I bought my boat, I was caught up in the excitement, and signed the papers with starry eyes. As far as I was aware, she floated. Which was a good start. The surveyor seemed happy and that was good enough for me. Now, plenty of you will be thinking how naive I seemed. And you’d be right. I was. But I was also determined, hardworking, and had an ache to prove to people that I could handle this. Don’t get me wrong, I did extensive research. I spent time googling, talking to experienced sailors, and practised my knot tying skills with my dressing gown belt. I drew up budgets, I made spreadsheets, I joined forums. So on paper, I was good to go. But after moving aboard and setting sail, this was where the real lessons began. This was where I learned things you can only learn by biting the bullet and giving it a go. So I’m going to share with you the 10 things that I wish I had known before buying the boat.
1- Not all advice is good advice
As a novice, I spent a lot of time listening to salty sea dogs and their opinions. A lot were helpful- how to secure lines faster, tips on trimming sails and reading the wind. All of this was great, but I should have taken some advice with a pinch of salt. Being new to boats, the re-rigging process was foreign to me. We were advised by a seasoned sailor to urgently get a second opinion on our new rigging. Panicking, we booked a second rigger. He did the inspection, pointed out that nothing was amiss, and told us to trust the process. I inwardly groaned at not sticking to my gut. By assuming the experienced sailor knew better, it cost us a lot of money. The lesson is to listen to all advice, but don’t just blindly take it.
2- Sailing plus time does not always equal wisdom
One thing I had to learn very quickly is that just because I see myself as a beginner, this does not necessarily mean everyone else is better than me. When anchoring, we are considerate of other people- make sure to put out enough chain, set anchor alarms, take bearings, and keep a general eye out. We assume everyone else does likewise. But after watching one boat crash into the rocks, and another sailboat crash into us while we were at anchor, we realise that actually, being new to the process meant we were more cautious and considerate. So trust yourselves, and don’t put too much trust in others on the water.
3- Calculate your budget, and triple it
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
The rule of thumb is 15-20% of sale price is a good estimate of maintenance costs per year. However this does fluctuate. When calculating a budget, you want a really good safety buffer in case you have to cover some unexpected repairs; for us it was the engine. We paid out more than expected, and this wasn’t included in our maintenance budget, so it ate into our savings. General grocery costs. You tend to eat differently when you live aboard, and when creating the budget, you work out your average weekly grocery shop at your local supermarket. You won’t always be near bigger shops, and a lot of the time you end up having to pay a lot more than you expect. So calculate. Calculate again. Double it. And add a bit more. You may not need it, but having a safety buffer puts your mind at ease and gives you more freedom.
4- Emotional investment
Once you move aboard, this is now not only a sailboat, it’s your home. All your favourite things are now in a floating tub, bobbing about on the ocean. When I’m away from the boat, I worry about how she’s doing. If she’s comfortable bobbing around, if maybe I should go back and check on her. I don’t have kids, but I now understand my uncle’s obsession with his state of the art baby monitor. But felt I should maybe not insult him by asking where he got it from. The boat becomes part of your family, you become annoying and constantly bombard people with unwanted photos of her, you get defensive if someone talks about another nice boat, you lose sleep checking on her at night. You get boaty brain.
5- I’d love to go for a hike today but…
Friendships become more difficult to maintain as you can’t just leave the boat at a moment’s notice. The amount of plans we’ve had to pass up because it’s too windy to leave the boat, or we can’t justify forking out for a marina for the day. As far as non-boaty friends understand, it’s like leaving a car. “It’ll be alright, just for a few hours.” Chances are it will be, but is it worth risking it? We’re usually spontaneous and carefree, but are now forced to plan our lives out a bit more these days.
6- Location is key
Everything is slower than you expect. The whole point of having a boat is you can move it when and where you like. Unfortunately this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. So make sure you’re genuinely happy with where you are. There’s a lot of waiting around for weather windows, for parts to arrive. Honestly, I regret where I bought the boat. It meant that I was stuck in a place I’d been trying to leave, and I stopped appreciating it as much as I would if I'd bought it somewhere I was more interested in.
7- I’m now a sailor… and an electrician, a mechanic and cleaner
Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash
When you live aboard, you tend to spend less time around civilisation. The beautiful anchorages, the beaches, the islands tend to be away from the hustle and bustle of “real life”. And obviously, this is exactly where things like to break down. Instead of calling an electrician, a mechanic or nipping to the dry cleaners, you have to learn how to fix the engine, how to sort out the batteries, what tricks work whenboat goop ruins your favourite shirt. I never expected to know my engine inside out, I never expected to be able to give advice on diesel engine forums. Undoubtedly, it does make me feel like a bad ass, but it does come with a price. I learned all this the hard way. And so I advise you to get down and dirty with the nitty gritty electronics and the engine. Learn your systems inside out, before you have to.
8- Exercise and dingy rides
Exercise routines on a boat are hard. I know Riley from Sailing La Vagabond make it look easy, but when they’re happily living on their 60 foot trimaran, they have the space and stability to keep their perfectly toned swimwear bodies happy. For those of us with slightly more humble boats, this isn’t a luxury we have. I’m usually extremely active, but have struggled with a routine. Going to shore everyday is clearly not an option, and when it is, the soggy dingy ride before even starting isn’t an easy choice to make. So work out what space you have, how you can keep healthy, maybe it’s possible to install a pullup bar. Alternatively, I’ve found resistant bands and “home workout” apps work a treat in the meantime.
9- Unfortunately we’re not pirates
Laws vary in different states and countries. Some are enforced, some more lenient. Some anchorages in Europe charge a fee for certain sized boats. Some areas in Australia don’t allow you to live aboard at all. Before finding yourself in these positions, do your research. Check forums for those locations. This can alleviate the stress of potential uncomfortable conversations, and put you at ease when some areas happily look the other way if you’re bending rules.
10- Rocky relationship
A good relationship requires communication. But when you throw the constant rocking of an unprotected anchorage in the mix, things can get tense. I’m incredibly lucky as myself and my partner have exactly the same amount of sailing experience. We make all the decisions together, know when to take over, and generally work well as a team. This isn’t always the case for people, after overhearing a number of families yelling at each other while sailing, blaming each other when things go wrong. The way I see it is you’re a team. You’re working together, and when things go wrong, that‘s just something to learn from. Unless the “mistake” is intentional, nobody is to blame. Communication is key. And at the end of the day, you’re embarking on this adventure together.
Cover image by ehsan ahmadnejad
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