Question

My biggest fear and concern about dropping everything and taking my wife (who is more enthusiastic than I am) and three kids cruising is $.

• Will I have enough?
• How much is enough?
• Will I be able to earn anything underway with dive gear and being a licensed captain with systems experience?

This is always my main stumbling block.

– Tom

4 Answers

Pam Wall, s/v KANDARIK

My husband, Andy, and I were working parents of necessity. When we planned to circumnavigate we had the very same questions that actually kept us from departing for a whole year after our intended time to be able to sail away from an income. And that was a mistake. We had a little stash of money, not much, but we knew if we lingered until we had enough money, we would never leave!

So, after a year’s delay, when our children were a year older, then 4 and 7, we did finally just cast off with what little we had, and we knew we would have to make it do! We just knew! So, with that in mind, and the free air filling our sails as we headed for the great South Pacific, all care disappeared with that first breath of wind filling our sails for the voyage around the world. The reality was that we had to be very careful of what we had with us. We never felt as if we were missing anything! We were careful and smart, and found that we could survive easily on our 39 foot sloop with much much less than we anticipated. We were actually happy and proud that we could curb our land bound appetites and still sail and see the wonderful places that we made as landfalls around the world.

We did find work when we stopped in a few places. We put the two children in real schools which was great for them as they met children and teachers from different cultures. We worked while the children were in school and replenished some of what we had spent. Then we took off again, westbound, and found other work further down the Trades and again put the children in real schools which was marvelous for them and allowed us to get more in the piggy bank, and then carry on again further west.

This was how we lived and paid for the most fantastic life a family could ever ever have together!!!

It was not a flamboyant life of spending, it was a carefully thought out of what we could spend and what we did spend. Our biggest expenditures were eating out, which we just did not do often, renting cars to really get inland and see the countries not just the harbors and we always rented from RENT A WRECK type of places, and haul outs for our boat’s maintenance. Food was carefully chosen when needing replenishment and we fished and fished and fished and had a love of fresh fish that makes eating on land almost impossible now as we only could eat FRESH CAUGHT FISH that tasted completely different and so much better than any store bought or restaurant could offer.

We found work, and work found us. We had to be careful and thoughtful of the countries laws where we worked, but we always seemed to be able to work and not break any laws, which is the only way to do it.

If you asked me how much was in our budget, I could not tell you. If you asked me how much we spent, I never kept track. If you asked me how much the experience was worth, I would not hesitate to say a million trillion dollars!!! We made what we had, and believe me it was not much, work for us. We never were without what we needed and we saw the world from our cockpits and our children met and got to know people from around the world which I feel is the only hope for that elusive “World Peace”

Don’t put it off, go while you can, go before it is too late, and handle the situation as it happens. I have learned that you can make all the excuses in the world to not cast off, and believe me, don’t do that. Just go and make it work with what you have and remember your family is the greatest asset you can possibly hope for in life!

Pam Wall
S/V Kandarik
www.pamwall.com

• On this website:
Pam Wall  Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Nadine Slavinski, S/V NAMANI

 I have two answers.

1. One is the general cost of cruising, which is an excerpt from my book, Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor’s Guide to the Coconut Milk Run (by Nadine Slavinski & Markus Schweitzer).

The most difficult question to answer is how much cruising costs, because every sailor has his or her own definition of “necessity” and “comfort.” The best answer may be Bernadette Bernon’s “it costs what you’ve got.”

We know sailors who have crossed the Pacific on an average of US$500 per month and others who might multiply that number by five, ten, or even more. A frugal crew with an older vessel that never ties up at a marina, goes out for a meal, or hires help for repairs will be able to go on a long way on a tight budget. Their principal expenses will be boat parts, food, cruising permits, fuel, and insurance (if they purchase insurance at all). Of these, the latter two are highly discretionary. Given fair conditions, we often chose to drift along for days instead of motoring through hundreds of dollars of diesel just to make landfall sooner.

Similarly, the costs of outfitting a boat vary widely. Some crews spend top dollar for safety gadgets, electronics, and creature comforts, while others are happy with a back- to-basics approach. All in all, most cruisers report that they spend a fraction of what they do back home since transportation and accommodation costs are essentially zero. After all, anchoring is free, wind is our primary source of propulsion, and deserted atolls offer limited opportunities to spend money.

We consider ourselves cost-conscious sailors. We pay for boat and health insurance and treat ourselves to the occasional meal out while making our own repairs and otherwise watching our wallets closely. We cruised the Pacific from 2011-2014 for an average of US$90 per day – which included everything but the cost of the boat itself: food, fuel, insurance pro-rated by day, cruising fees, and parts/repairs. (We paid approximately US$1700 per year for boat insurance and US$1500 per person per year in health insurance.) Our normal daily operating expenses were much lower than that $90 average, but the overall average is skewed by periodic investments in the boat: new rigging, haul- outs and bottom paint, new engine mounts, plus one-time costs such as transiting the Panama Canal. We saved a great deal of money by cruising on a sturdy older vessel: our 1981 sloop (loaded with many extras) cost C50,000 in 2006 and sold for the equivalent of C44,000 in 2014.

That’s us. You can compare the cruising costs of various crews on Bill Dietrich’s website. Just remember, it doesn’t have to cost a king’s ransom to cruise the Pacific – unless you want it to.

2. The second is a link to an article I wrote about working while cruising, including an interview with a scuba diver and an engine mechanic. It can be found here: Here, Kitty Kitty (Blue Water Sailing website)

I also have many other information articles about cruising as a family on my author website, here.

Nadine Slavinski
s/v Namani
www.nslavinski.com

• On this website:
Nadine SLAVINSKI Answers 12 Questions on Sailing as a Family

Diane Selkirk, S/V CEILYDH

Having enough money is pretty essential.

But as Tom figured out, knowing what counts as enough can be hard to gauge. I think it also depends on how comfortable you are with risk. When we hit Australia we were down to six months of money and didn’t have the guarantee Evan would get a job. Our worst case scenario was this would be the end of our cruise and we’d sell the boat in Australia. So I was comfortable with the risk.

My personal rule of thumb is I want enough money for a however long I want to cruise plus six months for resettling, plus a 5-15%-of-the boat’s-value maintenance/repair budget for each year we’re out. Short-term cruisers can often defer this maintenance–but once you’re out for more than two years, or cross an ocean, big ticket items need repair or replacement pretty regularly.

As far as how much money you need to live–this really varies too. There are families that manage basic expenses for $1000 a month and others who spend 5K. It depends on where you travel, if you stay in marinas, how much inland travel you do, schooling expenses etc…

As far as what you can earn with your skills–I’m not sure. It probably depends on where you plan to cruise and exactly what services you intend to offer. We know diesel mechanics, electricians and refrigeration technicians that manage to find steady work with in the cruising community. Most cruisers tend to be jack-of-all-trade types so you would probably need specific expertise to be hired.

Diane Selkirk
SV Ceilydh
maiaaboard.blogspot.com

• On this website:
The CEILYDH Family Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Aimee Nance, S/V TERRAPIN

Hi Tom,

This is also the most pressing question we had before we set off to go cruising.

So far, we have found that the answer really depends on the cruisers themselves, rather than location or circumstance. We have seen families that get by on less than $2000 per month and families that seem to have unlimited budgets. It really comes down to what comforts are you willing to sacrifice for your cruising adventure. For example, we have found that marinas and restaurants are some of our biggest budget killers. Are you willing to anchor out 99% of the time? Do you plan to catch and eat your meals or are you the type that loves to eat out?

We budget about $2100 per month for everything and seem to get pretty close to that when we are in the water here in Mexico.

Also, do you plan to be on your boat the whole time? Right now, we are in San Miguel de Allende to wait out hurricane season. Many cruisers in the Sea of Cortez haul out in Guaymas/San Carlos to avoid the heat and hurricane danger of the upper sea. For us, this has been pretty expensive since we now have rent and substantial transportation expenses. However, there are a few boats that head up into the Sea and sweat it out and there is hardly a cheaper place to be.

We have also met cruisers who have had significant expenses for boat/ and or dinghy repairs. We have been lucky in this category so far (knock on wood), but having to rebuild a diesel engine on the move could obviously be a budget killer. This is something to take into consideration when boat shopping and also a reason to get a mechanical survey and rigging survey in addition to the general survey.

As far as working while cruising, there are certainly those who do it. You probably won’t make very much with your dive gear if you are talking about cleaning hulls. Most cruisers that anchor out do this themselves and you may tick off the locals if you try to do this in a marina.

There are certainly those that make money with a captain’s license. Scott from Windtraveler picked up some work in the Caribbean for a while. Also, if you can fix outboards or diesels, you will always be in high demand. I would caution you on this type of “working” only because some folks end up getting stuck in certain places for the sake of the job and for me, this is not what cruising is about. That being said, when we start running low on funds who knows what we will do to keep it going!

I hope this information is helpful to you. We post our “Cost to Cruise” every month in an effort to help those with questions like yours.

Good luck with your transition to the cruising life and hopefully we see you and your family out there one day! Best,

Aimee and Phil Nance
S/V Terrapin
www.sailingwithterrapin.com

• On this website:
The TERRAPIN Sailing Family Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Links

• Here, Kitty Kitty, by Nadine Slavinski (Blue Water Sailing)
• Costs to cruise (Mexico, 2015), by Aimee Nance   (Sailing with Terrapin)
• The cruising kitty, by Brittany Stephen-Meyers (Windtraveler)
• Earning while cruising, by Brittany Stephen-Meyers (Windtraveler)
• The Cost of Cruising, by Livia Gilstrap (The Giddyup Plan)
• Cruising Expenses (Mexico, 2012-13), by Verena Kellner (Pacific Sailors)
• How do we earn money while sailing? Is going into the charter business a good option? (Women & Cruising)

I don’t have a pressure cooker and have never used one. Do you think it’s worth it to get one? We will be sailing in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. I love to cook but currently cook most things at home and then freeze them for longer vacations or bring them to the boat for the weekend. We tend to eat on the boat primarily. I am a bit concerned about having the oven running all of the time to cook in the heat of the Caribbean. Just curious about what you think are the biggest advantages to having one. Janet

Gwen Hamlin, Beth Leonard, Kathy Parsons and Lisa Schofield answer.

1) Gwen Hamlin: I didn’t use my pressure cooker as much as some people.

Not every cruiser chooses to use them, but I would guess the majority do, for just the reason you list: reducing the heat you generate in the boat.

Also for getting the most out of your propane supply. Cruisers on boats with limited propane storage and limited refrigeration use them alot. You can cook a one pot meal for several days and just bring it back up to pressure and then let it sit on the stove top. You can use it for canning. You can even bake bread in them.

I didn’t use my pressure cooker as much as some people. My charter years had oriented me more to grilling and stir-frying, and our boat carried lots of propane in two tanks, each lasting 3 months, so we didn’t have to worry as much as others about using it up. But I did use it. Particularly when I got to Fiji and became interested in curries.

I think pressure cooking is a skill you need to work at a bit to get a handle on it. It’s easy to over-cook things if you aren’t precise about about timing! But it’s very persuasive when you want to make a stew, or cook beans. It’s also nice just to have it around to use as a big pot!

If the world were perfect you would get a large stainless steel one.

I started with a smaller one to save space, but that wasn’t so satisfactory. When you cook beans, or worse split peas, you don’t want the pot too full in order to ensure the vent stays clear! I ended up with an aluminum pot from French Polynesia, and was very satisfied with it. But I worry a bit about cooking with uncoated aluminum!

2) Beth Leonard: I have never used the pressure cooker for anything else than canning.

I have used the pressure cooker extensively for canning and would not be without it for that reason.

But I have never used it for anything else. When we left on our first circumnavigation in 1992 we had a very nice one aboard, but I hadn’t used it by the time we reached New Zealand and so I sold it.

I have not taken any sort of a survey, but in talking to women on cruising boats it seems to me that your cooking style lends itself to the pressure cooker or it does not. Those who do a lot of cooking with potatoes and beans, and those who enjoy soups and stews are more likely to use it than those who eat a lot of salads, fresh vegetables and grilled meat/fish (a grill off the stern is another great way to keep the cooking heat out of the boat).

If you’re not sure which way you’ll fall, having a pressure cooker aboard as your largest pot has no downside.

But if you have limited room, I’d suggest buying a pressure cooker a few months before you leave and using it for anything that can be cooked in it. That way you can see not only how much you might use it, but whether or not you like the way it cooks things. By the time you untie the docklines, you’ll have a pretty good idea of whether or not you’ll make use of it aboard.

Pressure cooker canning: everything ready to start  (Photo from Beth Leonard’s website: www.bethandevans.com)	Pressure cooker canning: finished product (Photo from Beth Leonard’s website: www.bethandevans.com)

3) Kathy Parsons: Check out our feature article “Galley Advice from 18 Cruising Women”.

Here is some “data” for you from our Women and Cruising website. When we did our “Tell us about your Galley” project (Galley Advice from 18 Cruising Women), 9 of the 18 women participating listed their pressure cooker as one of the top 5 essential items in their galley, so clearly many (but not all) women find them handy aboard.

To read what the women had to say about their cookers, check out the contributions of  Ann Vanderhoof, Kathy Parsons, Lisa Schofield, Sylvie Branton, Barb Theisen, Corinne Kanter, Diana Simon, Marcie Lynn, and Judy Knape (Question 4: What are the 5 items that you consider essential in your galley?)

Reading through their answers, it looks like 6-quart is the most popular size, and a number of women (like me) prefer stainless steel. Another feature that I like is the ability to release the pressure by pressing a button on the top. It is awkward to have to carry the pressure cooker to the sink to run water over it to release steam, and besides it would waste water.

By the way, Pam Wall and Gwen Hamlin also mentioned that they had one aboard. Amanda Swan Neal didn’t mention the pressure cooker but I notice she is cooking with a pressure cooker in one of her photos!

On the other hand, both Heather Stockard and Sheri Schneider said that they initially carried pressure cookers but never used them. And 4 women didn’t mention them so we don’t know if they use them.

These days I use my pressure cooker mostly for beans, chilis, stews and stocks (fish and lobster!). All of these would use lots of propane and create lots of heat in the galley if I cooked them without pressure. I am one of those women who find them very useful!

4) Lisa Schofield: I am in the “absolutely must have and use one aboard” category.

Oh, boy – anytime someone asks me a cooking and cruising question, I get very excited. And, pressure cooker’s is right up there among my favorite subjects. I am in the “absolutely must have and use one aboard” category.

Now, having said that, I do realize that there are folks who just don’t and won’t use one, or who have memories of Grandma’s cooker exploding in the kitchen, leaving dinner on the ceiling. These days, there are lots of safety features and those accidents are not a worry.

The Captain bought me one about a year before we departed, and it sat for a year in the cupboard at home before I moved it aboard about 10 years ago. I had never used one before, and although my mother had one, she only used it as a big pot.

Fortunately, my husband had also gifted me a pressure cooker cookbook, so once settled aboard, I started perusing the book. It was actually some yummy recipes that initiated me, and once I discovered how easy and fast it actually was for traditionally long cooking meals, I was sold. I remember regretting that I didn’t use it while I was working!

Although I tended to use it less in the very warm places, mostly because soups and stews were less appetizing in those conditions, when I did use it, I was extremely happy that I didn’t have to use the oven, or run the stove as long as I might have with a regular cooking method. In those conditions, I use it for hummus, tuna and white bean salad, spaghetti sauce, curry and risotto, among other things. I find that I prefer the traditional method of preparing risotto, but the pressure cooker method is a reasonable substitute, especially when you don’t have the ability to stand and stir. Provisioning with dried beans versus canned saves weight and space. I even know of people who bake bread in it, although I haven’t yet tried that. When you are in areas that don’t have the finest cuts of meat, the pressure cooker will give you a tender and tasty product.

Now that we are in the cold water climes, I use my cooker so often, I don’t even put in away in the locker. Those type of dishes really hit the spot when you are chilled. We tend to use more propane in British Columbia so my pressure cooker helps with conserving. I’m looking forward to trying some desserts in it this coming season, with bread pudding taking about 1/2 the time it takes in the oven.

Using a pressure cooker (mine is an 8 qt stainless steel Fagor) is also very helpful and convenient during a passage. Food is contained in the pot in bouncy seas, and I usually am able to keep the leftovers in the cooker and transfer back and forth from the frig, just bringing back up to pressure before serving again. The pot is great for steaming seafood (with or without pressure) and I have even “roasted” a whole chicken in it.

Last year, I bought a second pressure cooker to keep at home, so I have one to use during the “off” season!

Read also on this website

• Galley Advice from 18 Cruising Women
  
• Good Cookin’: Why I Love My Solar Oven, by Ann Patterson

More information (external links)

• Pressure cooker canning. An easy way to have great meals when the shops are few and far between. By Beth Leonard (pdf)

Do you use a pressure cooker aboard?

Let us know. Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Question:

I am new to the cruising lifestyle and would appreciate your advice. I will be going to the Bahamas with my boyfriend soon and we plan to shower in saltwater in the cockpit then rinse in fresh water.

What soap works best for body washing in salt water?

What shampoo do you recommend for color treated blonde hair?

Pam Wall and Kathy Parsons responded here.
Here are 3 more responses to this question from readers of Women and Cruising and many comments, including a discussion on shaving legs aboard. 

Dierdre Wogaman

Dierdre Wogaman in the Bahamas

I use regular shampoo and conditioner on my hair.

To get extra conditioning, I place a shower cap on after the conditioner is worked in. By having the conditioner stay on longer with out dilution, I feel that it must be better for my hair. Rinsing my hair, after my body, comes last.

By using a sun shower, we use less water than using the pressure water from the boat.

When I color my hair, I do everything in the boat and then climb down into the salt water to rinse. Therefore, I can use plenty of water to rinse. The last rinse is done back on the boat so I can do it with fresh water. I have a black colored towel in case I have not gotten all the color out of my hair; that way it will not stain the towel.

I have found that the liquid soap is easier to use on the boat, than bar soap, as it leaves less of a mess. No worries about the soap bar sliding overboard either.

Sue Lamar

Sue Lamar

I have found that Joy dish washing soap and a bar soap by the name of Kirk’s Castle (coconut soap) is very useful in salt water.

Only ones I’ve found to soap up in the salt water.

Sylvie Branton

Wherever you are, ask the local fishermen or their wives!

They always know what is the best local soap (and dish washing liquid) for salt water.

2 more reasons for having Johnson’s Baby Shampoo aboard (see Pam Wall’s response):

• you can use it to wash your diving mask’s glass (does not make your eyes sting)
• it is gentle on your hair and so is ideal when you must wash your hair frequently (either with fresh or salt water), as we do aboard.

Related articles (on this website)

• Shampoo and soap for bathing in salt water? Tips (first responses, from Pam Wall and Kathy Parsons)
• Staying pink in a blue world, by Clare Collins
• Lipstick Sailor, by Lanea Riley
• Beauty and Da Boat,  by Gwen Hamlin:  Keeping ourselves looking good is not so hard, but it’s different! (Admiral’s Angle column#20)

What do you use for bathing and shampooing in salt water? Leave a comment below or email us: kathy@forcruisers.com

Question:

I am new to the cruising lifestyle and would appreciate your advice. I will be going to the Bahamas with my boyfriend soon and we plan to shower in saltwater in the cockpit then rinse in fresh water.

What soap works best for body washing in salt water?

What shampoo do you recommend for color treated blonde hair?

Pam Wall

Response from Pam Wall:

I have spent a lot of time out cruising where fresh water was at a premium, and especially in the Bahamas!  You lucky girl to be going there!

I always washed body and hair in Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.  It is the best thing to use for sensitive skin as it will not give you any bad reactions if a little is left on.

I would wash and shampoo on a lovely beach, or from the boat in the water, and then thoroughly rinse in sea water, especially your hair.

IT IS DEFINITELY BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS for anything!

Then after I was back aboard I would take an old milk carton and fill it only half way (to conserve fresh water!) and pour over my head and the dripping fresh water would go over the rest of my body.

This is all I ever did and it worked really well!  As a matter of fact, when home and bathing in fresh water only, I found my skin got very dry, unlike when in the Bahamas using mostly sea water and a tiny fresh water rinse.

IT IS DEFINITELY BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS for anything!

There is a new wonderful sea water soap and shampoo on the market called Savon de Mer.  It is supposed to be terrific, but I have not had the opportunity to use it.

Kathy Parsons enjoying that clear Bahamas water

Kathy Parsons throws in her two cents:

I usually wash my hair aboard in fresh water, but when I do shampoo in salt water, I just use my regular shampoo for color-treated hair.

I have to use more shampoo than in fresh water, but it’s simpler, and I assume it washes out my color less.

Related articles (on this website)

• Shampoo and soap for bathing in salt water? More tips (more responses, and many readers comments including a discussion on shaving legs aboard)
• Staying pink in a blue world, by Clare Collins
• Lipstick Sailor, by Lanea Riley
• Beauty and Da Boat, by Gwen Hamlin:  Keeping ourselves looking good is not so hard, but it’s different! (Admiral’s Angle column#20)

More info

• Visit the Savon de Mer website: www.savondemer.com

What do you use for bathing and shampooing in salt water? Leave a comment below or email us: kathy@forcruisers.com