summer vacation

What kind of boat does a family of four live on? How big is it? How hard is it to move it around? How safe is it? In some ways it was easier to decide to pull the kids out of school and switch to homeschool/distance learning than it was to answer all those other boat questions. We knew we wanted to go, but three of us had never been on a boat and the fourth was really rusty when it came to sailing. There are as many different types of boat as there are sailors, and none of them is perfect for everything. We thought we wanted a catamaran for several reasons. They have a lot of space in them. Each of the two hulls has one or two cabins. Each cabin has a full or queen size bed in it. That would give each child their own room. Each hull also has a head (bathroom) with a toilet and sink. The faucet from the sink can be pulled out and used as a hand shower. We would have two bathrooms. Some of the boats we are looking at have a larger head in one hull that allows for a separate shower stall. We really want one of those. Catamarans also sail fairly level, not leaning far to one side or the other as the wind and waves push them around. They are much more comfortable and have a lot more room to lounge around on than single hulled boats of the same length.

So now we have to find out if this idea will really work. We decided that the best way would be to book a sailing 'vacation' with a sailing school. We would get to stay on a catamaran for a week with an instructor that would teach us what we needed to know for basic sailing. This would let us answer several questions at the same time. The class would be on a 37' catamaran. We would be able to verify that a catamaran would work. We would also be able to tell if the boat we were on was too big or too small for us. We would be on the boat for a full week, sailing every day on the coast of Florida. Brenda and Alex would be learning to sail, while I would be learning how to sail a boat that big for the first time. We would be sleeping, cooking and eating on board. That would let us see a glimpse of the lifestyle that we thought we wanted. How would we feel after a week?

That was our summer vacation in July 2014. The week went well overall. We did answer most of our questions, at least well enough. The boat was a little cramped, mostly because we had to accommodate a fifth person, our Captain and instructor. If there had been just the four of us, we think it would have been fine. The first day out sailing we were in and out of thunderstorms all day. It was July after all. All four of us were a little queasy at various times as the boat got tossed around, but we all handled it ok. We did sing the Gilligan's Island theme to get through it, though. After that the rest was fairly easy. Sailing the boat is a one person operation unless you need to adjust the sails. Then a second person is really helpful. I'm not saying I'm ready to cross an ocean, but all four of us feel we would be able to sail up and down the coast or between islands safely. It took two nights to get used to sleeping on a boat at anchor. While the boat is technically tied down to the ground by the anchor, it still bobs and moves with the waves and wind. By the third night we had gotten used to it and slept well. By the end of the week the four of us took the boat back to the dock without help from the Captain.

We also learned several valuable lessons about things we would want on our boat. Boats generally do not have air-conditioning. It takes too much electricity. We actually adjusted to this fairly quickly. It was warm at night, but the boat had at least one large opening hatch or window in each cabin, plus small electric fans. What it did not have was window screens. While we feel ok about no a/c, we have to have screens to keep the bugs out. We also feel that we have to have a watermaker on board. The boat we were on only carried about one hundred gallons of water. Plenty to cook and clean with, but not enough for real showers. We think that constantly having to watch water usage and look for places to refill is not how we want to live. With a watermaker and a small portable generator we can 'make' twenty to thirty gallons per hour of fresh water as needed. That is the way to go for us. This boat also had a 'no paper in the head' rule. That means that all toilet paper had to be thrown away, not flushed. It wasn't as bad as you might think. It is possible to fold or roll used paper up to minimize the odor. Still this is not something we want to live with. As long as the hoses and tanks are kept in good condition, there is no reason that septic safe toilet paper cannot be flushed.

Overall it was a very productive and successful trip. We verified that we could live on a boat like we wanted. We learned that we can sail that boat safely. Since it was a real school, we got certifications that allow us to charter a boat like the one we sailed if we wanted.