Our one year anniversary on the boat is tomorrow, I can't believe how fast time has flown by! So we're not in South America yet, but considering one year ago I didn't even know how to sail I'm not too dissapointed with our progress. Here are some of our top hit and misses after on year at sea.....
HIT!- Solar panels. We live a cushy cruising lifestyle thanks to the forethought and electrician skills of my guy. Our eight, yes eight, solar panels, have already paid for themselves. Imagine never having to put gas in your car, or pay an electric bill ever. We have so much extra juice when we're at anchor that we can power an ice-maker. Yep we make ice from the sun on a boat! It's a rarity in the sailing community, and makes us very popular at happy hour.
Miss- Leaks, Leaks, and more Leaks! We try to cover our tracks with all the repairs, and remodeling we've been doing but sometimes a little crack or hole gets overlooked. That's until we discover mold and mildew in our clothes or pancake batter. I just completed a three day project of drying out, cleaning and hopefully plugging up our spare room. We'll find out this weekend how good of job I did.
Hit!- No rent! Usually the first of the months comes and goes without a thought because for the first time in, dare I say, almost 20 years, I don't have to rent due. No phone, no cable or electric to pay it's nice!
Hit/Miss- Being on the move constantly. I love traveling and seeing new places, meeting new people, but that also means lots of goodbye. We also rarely know where things are i.e markets and fresh water at new places. And having our own two feet as the only form of land transportation,well sometimes just down the road as turned into several miles. It's nice when you have friends in the area to help point you in the right direction, and sometimes give you rides. Plus they always know the best places for meat/fresh produce, and we love to cook for guests on our boat!
Hit/Miss- Electric Motor! It's so nice not having that loud engine, and stinky diesel smell! Plus the extra room in the engine room makes working down there cushy compared to other boats. And it doesn't cost us $1000s of dollars in gas to go back and forth to the Bahamas, in fact it doesn't cost us anything! But the down side is we don't have the power of a regular engine. That requires lots of planning, planning, and sailing. We can't cheat and turn on our motors to outrun a storm. So we play it safe, even if it means sitting tight for an extra week or two while Ernesto figures out what he wants to do.
Hit/Miss- Not having internet all the time. It's a hit not having that distraction when things need to get done around the boat. Or when we just want to shut out the rest of the world and enjoy a full moon on deck like the other night. It's a miss at times like now when I'm in the middle of a blog with 20 minutes of power left and no power outlet in sight...
I guess that's all for now folks.....
