Living onboard full-time is an amazing experience but you have to have a high tolerance for change. Here are a few oddities that those on land may never think of (or consider doing...)
1. The weather radio sounds off in the middle of making dinner. 70mph winds, quarter-inch hail, rain, the works on the way. We turn off the burners, onions are mid-sautee. Go outside and check that the second anchor is free just in case, clear the cockpit, secure the grill, etc. Batten down the hatches and prepare. Then head back in, turn the gas back on, and finish making dinner. We're like Pavlov's dogs when we hear the weather alert buzz, we just stop what we're doing and hop-to. That was last night.
2. How are we charging? Living off the grid can be a challenge when the weather is in conspiracy against us. The last few days have been cloudy with near-calm wind. Very little charge. This is the first time we've had to run the genset to run the fridge in ages. So today we have full sun and a great 15-20kt wind, yay! But now, when to run the fridge? It has a heavy draw but only runs for 20-30 min (between every day and every other day.) So when and for how long do we turn the compressor on? We want the batteries to get back to full charge but will the wind keep up all day? Will tonight's clouds roll in early? There are logistics involved. So we put up the mizzen, double reefed, to use as a riding sail, keep us directly into the wind, forget current. The fridge cooled enough for 2 days and the wind is still howling. Weather worked with us today.
3. Be prepared. The Boy Scouts motto as well as the seasoned cruiser. Rain in the foreacst but the skies are hazy-blue. Wind hasn't switched around yet and it's still warm-ish. We're heading into town for a few with a few others (car travel! haha) We arrive in our dinghy at Moonrise's spot on the dock with hooded sweatshirts and foul weather jackets as well as our ever present day-pack in-tow. Dock folk look at us like we're prepared for a hurricane. It can be a very long, wet dink ride back home (and a very cold strip-down in the cockpit) if you're caught without foulies.
Just a few random thoughts. | 