"Living the dream" is one of those cliché expressions for cruising. It's come up a couple of times in the last couple of days, through blogs, postings, emails, and it got me to thinking. And when I think long enough about something like that, it pretty much always becomes a blog. These are the unabashed musings of the crew of 'Silverheels III'.

I guess when people talk about living the dream, it is in reference to having no job, no schedule, no "responsibilities", and all of it in the idyllic world of the Tropics, where we sip rum punches on the beach watching the sun set on another perfect day. We snorkel in turquoise waters, live in our bathing suits (or less) and travel from island to island, each sail being perfect. The picture is of a secluded beach with one or two sailboats anchored off, palm trees swaying in the trade winds. If there was a soundtrack to this, it would probably be some insipid Jimmy Buffett song or two. Then you would hear the screech of the needle getting dragged over the record...

This is not everyone's dream. My mother, God rest her soul, would get seasick looking at the back of a Canadian dime, and this would be hell for her. Here is the reality check on the "dream".

Boats are not as convenient to live in as houses. Often seating covers valuable storage space, so "Honey, could you move so I can get XYZ" is not uncommonly heard on many boats. Many dirt dwellers (and some cruisers) have no sense of humour when it comes time to excavate part of your living space to get at the extra provisions or the little used, but necessary, tool. On our boat, it seems that the starboard quarterberth is always having to be emptied when any job needs to be done. This often limits access to the head, depending on the extent of the excavation. There have been times that we have had to sleep on the settees during a particularly in depth job, as dismantling and reassembling the quarterberth repeatedly just wastes too much time.
In the galley, the best counter space is also where the fridge access is, so we either have to think carefully and plan ahead, or move things when cooking. Can you imagine that in a house or apartment? The designer wouldn't be hired for a dog house after that! It is also one of the better flat surfaces for tools and the socket set, so getting a cold drink through the course of the day might be hindered. But we are used to it.
Things get buried in strange places on a boat, and there must be a place to securely store everything. When underway, boats move, and there are waves encouraging that movement, so everything must be put away, tied down, or otherwise kept from becoming a projectile. At least on our boat, we need a little time to get ready to go, and some things get shifted into their travel positions just before we leave. Things get put back in their "anchorage" spot after we arrive. Not exactly a get up and go scenario. However, if we are in an anchorage that is rolly, or busy with traffic, then some things stay in travel mode. And yes, boats can move even in "protected" places. Actually, movement is the norm, dead calm is not. Not everyone wants to live in a funhouse.

Long, luxurious showers with hot, steaming water does not fit into the dream. Water needs to be carried, caught or created on a boat. There is no unlimited water supply, especially hot water. Many cruisers do their washing in the sea, then rinse with the fresh water. This conserves a lot of water. Even with a water maker, water conservation is a regular practice, as even water makers need power and parts. If you have to carry the water by jerry can, you become very aware of the fact that 5 US gallons of water weighs 40 pounds (topped up jerry cans run around 50 pounds).

Power conservation of electricity is another consideration. We live off of batteries that need charging. Solar panels can do the job for some boats, but many use diesel generators. Cruisers tend to think of what they are doing when it comes to electricity, since it, too, doesn't come out of a wall like it does in the dirt world.

We get to travel to different places as the whim strikes us... sort of. We need to keep an eye on the weather to make sure that we aren't going out in bad conditions, and that the place we are going to will be well enough protected from the weather conditions that we will be expecting. This, thankfully, has become much easier with WiFi, smartphones and much more accurate weather forecasts. This concept isn't so far removed from people who are from areas that experience snow storms - long trips always necessitate keeping a weather eye there, too. At least snow isn't a problem for us!

Then there is the concept of being at anchor. Not everyone can trust having their home on a length of chain and a chunk of carefully designed metal to keep them in one place. And the odds of you being surrounded by other boats is more likely than being one of the only boats there. A good anchorage attracts other boats. This concept throws a number of people off, and even long term cruisers will prairie dog it when the wind pipes up, or the sound of an anchor being deployed close by occurs. I suppose one could go from marina to marina, but that can get very expensive, although some choose to do that for the hurricane season for various reasons.
When you get to the "new" place, groceries are going to become a concern at some point or another. While cruising guides assist with finding the stores (sometimes) it doesn't mean that they will have what you are looking for. We eat so much chicken, because it is one of the things that is easily available and affordable, that there are times I swear we are going to grow feathers. Some places are great because fresh fish is easy to get, and the prices are fantastic, but you need to find it. I find that there is a fair amount of time "hunting and foraging" when we are in a new place until I know what is available. And don't assume you will find what you want. I've seen times when "basics" are hard to come by, and what might be acceptable by local standards might not be what you would normally deem worthy. Watch out for eggs... Also, here you buy things when they are season, enjoy them while you can, because next week they might be gone, or what is left of this year's crop will be double the price you paid last week! Some places are better than others, and North American-style supermarkets are cropping up more frequently, especially since there are so many "medical schools" in the Eastern Caribbean, and the students are looking for that taste of home, too. Just expect to pay a premium for that stuff. However, if you are happy using local produce and products, it is quite affordable here.

I am spoiled when it comes to laundry, though. Ken and I have agreed that it is worthwhile to pay someone to do our laundry. I never would have done that back home! However, some people do it by hand and hang it out to dry, some have washers on their boats (power and water consumption we can't afford on 'Silverheels III'). We average about $20 USD/week to get the laundry done (wash, dry, fold). We can live with that. I also can't get it that clean by hand, and it still requires water that we need to carry or catch.

I don't think it takes all that long for the long timers to ditch hair dryers, and possibly clothes irons. If hat head, or that wind-blown look doesn't do it for you, this dream may not be for you. And hair cuts can be hit or miss. If you are moving a lot, good luck using the same hair dresser for every cut. Ken cuts mine, I cut his. It works for us. We haven't owned a clothes iron in 10 years (since we moved aboard), and I don't know when I have last used a blow dryer. Cruisers have two types of clothes: wrinkled, and stained and wrinkled.

And of course, there is the fact that we live in a smaller space than even some of the smallest apartments available. If you need room to swing a cat, buy a catamaran. Yes, there are some big boats out there (the average size of cruising boats has increased a lot since the 90's), but it still isn't the same as dirt dwelling.

So are we living the dream? Well, we are living our dream, warts and all. Is it someone else's dream? I can't say.