DOWNSIZING: FROM LAND TO SEA

St. Helena, CA

How do you get rid of a house full of stuff? When we started back in 2008, we seriously had no idea. Our 5-year plan to sell everything and go sailing was 2 years from fruition, and 1400-square-feet of stuff stood between us and the water. My problem was that I didn't know anyone who had gone sailing or who planned to go sailing. Back then, there were very few blogs, and the few sailing blogs that were out there started with "we threw the lines and sailed away."

So, as I faced the gargantuan task, I had two goals:

1. To mindfully dispose of a 4-bedroom house full of belongings, a thriving business, a too-small sailboat and two cars.
2. To log the process for those who came after me.

Thus began my old blog, ploddingTOparadise.blogspot.com.

Since that blog has 394 posts and was not exclusively about downsizing, I've compiled the downsizing posts here in chronological order to make it easier for those coming after. 

PHASE ONE: Getting the house ready to sell.

Going Off the Grid -- The first post from a wide-eyed, hopeful me, who had no idea how much work lay ahead.

Two Steps Back -- A cringe-worthy TO DO list -- even now that it's done.

Do You Need a Stapler on a Boat? -- Puzzling over what to keep for a life I knew nothing about.

Some Days -- The stress of downsizing and other first world problems.

Blame It On August -- My kingdom for a cardboard box. @#!#@

Wind In Our Sails -- Making real progress.

A Long Trip -- The emotional toll of going through all my stuff.

Lonely at the Edge -- When nobody shares your vision.

Taking Measure -- Marking progress.

Step 842 -- Reality and other epiphanies.

Salon Refusé -- When downsizing hurts.

Running Toward Empty -- A banjo and a pasta maker, the bizarre dregs of a life.

Who's Watching My TV Tonight? -- The first garage sale.

The Sad, Sad Measuring Cup -- Blindsided by emotion, the happy/sad realization that life is a one-way trip.

The Incredibleness of Being Light -- The beauty of being clutter free.

Junking the Junk -- The last $#&*# garage sale and a mammoth trip to Goodwill.

The Last Can in the Pantry -- Saving the hardest for last.

A Time in September -- The gut-wrenching stress of dissolving a life.

Stir It Up -- Bad economic news but progress on the downsizing.

Messy Curtains & Missing Flyers -- How do you measure waiting?

Random Objects -- The things I chose to keep.

PHASE TWO: Final downsizing after house sold.

Getting Things in Line -- Organizing the move.

Tammy's Shopping Channel -- The great Facebook giveaway, my stuff goes nationwide.

Clearing House -- Selling furniture on Craigslist.

Shrink, Shrink Not -- Big progress in getting small

PHASE THREE: Transition from land to boat

Training Ground -- Camping in a small apartment.

You've Got Mail -- Figuring out how to handle mail.

Finding Focus -- More paring down: Books

Between a Rock and the Water -- Ill-equipped for land and sea.

On the Move -- The short list of belongings and a final move on land.

Let It Go, Girl -- A sad, sad requiem for a tiny spoon.

PHASE FOUR: Moving onboard

Just Enough -- Moving onboard -- a real boat is smaller than a fictional boat!

The Price of Playing -- Emotional freefall.

Buddha, an Ashtray and a Mouse in a Red Gingham Dress -- The things that make a home.

Galley Ho! -- Downsizing from a full kitchen to a wee galley.

The Last Load -- Hallelujah, the last stuff goes onboard!

Car-Pay Diem -- SOLD! Car number one.

On October 22, 2010, we handed over the keys to our last land possession: a car. Two days later, we sailed away on our 38' boat with everything we owned in the world onboard, yet again wide-eyed and hopeful with no idea what lay ahead.

MORE ABOUT: downsizing | living small

GOODBYE, GIRL!

Annapolis, MD

Cara Mia peeking out from behind a little blue boat.

The winter sun cut across the water, casting our sweet girl, Cara Mia, in warm, gold light. She was looking spectacular.

We put the last of our belongings on a dock cart and took a moment to tell her goodbye. She will be left in the hands of our broker as we take a four-month driving tour of the U.S. Will she still be ours when we return? Nobody knows.

Just in case, we told her goodbye.

A bittersweet moment for us, leaving her behind as we plan for our next big adventure -- the one we haven't announced yet. In the meantime, we are setting off on a cruise across the U.S. by car, departure as soon as we have a weather window.

That yellow line is our path.

Seriously. Do you think Chris Parker does land routing?

So buckle up, folks, and get ready for plodding in land paradise. There are surprises ahead.

Goodbye, East Coast. Take care of our beautiful girl.

CLASSIC YACHT: THE SIMPLEST REMINDER

"This tiny island was proof that dreams are not granted based on gender or youth but rather on the tenacity of your spirit and the strength of your grasp."

If you're new around here, you might not know about my obsession with freediving. We happened upon a world competition in the Bahamas our first year of cruising. At the time, I wrote an article about it that was published in the New York Times.

Now I've written about it in my column (PDF version) in the November/December issue of Classic Yacht magazine. This is a much more personal account of watching Natalia Molchanova, a Russian freediver, attempting to set a world record. But at its heart, it is about reaching just beyond your grasp.

If you catch the bug too, see more of my freediving world here:

The awesome Women of Freediving.

Photos of Dean's Blue Hole.

Thoughts on the sport of Freediving.

The Men of Freediving. 

My Freediving Board on Pinterest where I post all the latest news and videos from the freedivingsphere.

CLASSIC YACHT: A LESSON IN SEAKINDLINESS

"Just before 9 a.m., we headed downwind out of the anchorage flying the main and jib side by side in my favorite point of sail, wing on wing. Cara Mia, our Island Packet 380, glided over placid turquoise water. Then we rounded Sandy Cay, and things went south."

READ MORE...

[Low bandwidth pdf here]

Sailing's learning curve is a steep one, and we tumbled off it many times. Our first year we were clambering to develop processes and protocols, learning how to work together instead of at odds, but oh so often, we got it wrong. Fortunately, our most experienced crew member was on hand to show us the way.

For the real-time back story on this, here are the links to my blog posts:
OH SHEET, that windy day
REWARD FOR A JOB DONE, the details of sewing the sail, actually more interesting than the rending.


NOTE TO CARA MIA's NEW OWNERS: That rending incident was not actually a rip in the sail but in the sacrificial cloth, which has subsequently been replaced. :-)

FOOTNOTE FOR WORD PEOPLE: Seakindly is, in fact, a word. It is a nautical term for a boat with gentle motion -- as opposed to a tender one that rolls around in an unkind way. Seakindliness is the noun form, and used here for all its entendres (which, with an 's,' is not a word). Seakindly and seakindliness should probably be hyphenated, so I'll throw a few in here -----

A WORD FOR NEW CRUISERS

Annapolis, MD

Congratulations, you are embarking on a voyage that will have many adjectives attached to it: exhilarating, energizing, terrifying, confusing, exhausting, challenging, exquisite, joyful. Come back here a year from now and add a few more of your own.

As part of the Monkey's Fist topic "Advice for the Freshman Cruiser," you will get some great tips about anchoring, navigating, passages and marine heads, all valuable. So, instead of piling onto the teetering mound of things you think you should know, I thought I'd take a different tack.

1. Trust yourself. You have great instincts. They've just been buried under a heavy coating of civilization. Listen to your body, that small voice in the back of your head, that intangible feeling in your gut. Nobody, no matter how long they've been sailing, is wiser than your own instinct. If it doesn't seem right, don't do it. Period. Just smile and wave as everyone else leaves the anchorage, pour yourself a big cup of coffee and enjoy the day.


2. Listen respectfully. You will get tons of advice, most of it welcome and all of it well-meaning. Take it all in, then go below, just the two of you, and make your own decisions. Learning to be a good listener will serve you well in all aspects of cruising -- and life.


3. Pay attention. Retrospect will always tell you there were signals. Be particularly on guard when you say, 'that's strange,' like when the engine makes an unusual noise, or when the boat ahead of you going out the inlet is being tossed around like a child's toy. Pay attention, process the info, act on it. Don't hesitate to hesitate. Slow down, stop, turn around, question, regroup.


4. Be open. You are going to meet hundreds of kindred spirits and many of them will turn into lifelong friends. Engage. Ask people about their lives, their families, their boats, their stories. (See #2.) Be prepared to tell your own story over and over and over. (You'll be SO HAPPY next time you see an old friend who already knows your story.)


5. Slow down. This was one of my hardest lessons in breaking away from land. I was all goal-oriented and get there, get there! Then I realized I was already there, and I wasn't enjoying it. Cruising has taught me to enjoy now, to stay where I am until it's not fun any more, then meander to the next spot, sometimes only five miles away. Read #3 again.


6. Go alone. With 1 through 5 in mind, go it alone. It's important to make your own decisions, and learn your own lessons. Don't let other people's plans or decisions interfere with your experience. (This is SO difficult your first year.) Every boat and crew has its own strengths, limitations and comfort zone. Meet up with friends at the next stop or the next. Keep in touch. Have a blast. Just make your own decisions and movements.


7. Embrace everything. This isn't going to be fun all the time. That pristine anchorage in turquoise water off a deserted island comes with a price. You'll have moments when you hate the boat, the ocean, the wind, the waves, your spouse, yourself and sometimes all at once. It's okay. It will pass -- and it will make a great story. 


8. Savor it. You'll never have another first year of cruising, where everything is crackling with newness, where you learn something every waking moment (damn it!), where nature electrifies you with its beauty and its power, where you are over-prepared, over-stimulated, overwhelmed and overjoyed. You have done an amazing thing. You had a dream, and you made it happen. You are the elite -- when you leave the dock the first day, when you sail into your first foreign port, when you raise that brand new Q flag and even when you're yakking over the rail into the Gulf Stream. You are awesome. Enjoy every single second of it.

Every

single

second.

who are these people? me | chip | cara mia | our very long timeline

my column | my pre-cruising blog | contact us | blog log | resources

CHECKLISTS: GETTING UNDERWAY

Annapolis, MD

I should have named this post "Checklist of Things Learned the Hard Way," which seems to be the way we learn everything. This dog-eared list, usually taped beside the companionway, has served us well as a reminder of everything that needs to be done before moving the boat. It has grown over our three years of living aboard and obviously needs a rewrite.

Here it is in a more organized format.

ENGINE

• Check oil
• Look at Racor clarity
• Check fuel level
• Look around in engine compartment to make sure nothing's amiss
• Check raw water filter
• Make sure engine intake seacock is open
• Check engine coolant level
• Turn on engine battery
• Check transmission -- before pulling out, engage both forward and reverse
• Monitor packing gland (once underway)

BELOW

• Close hatches (definitely learned the hard way with boarding waves in the Tongue of the Ocean)
• Double-check hatches (see above)
• Lock drawers
• Stow
• Turn on VHF to 16
• Turn on electronics switch
• Toilet bowl dry
• Check battery charge
• Stow companionway boards (unless leaving them in place)

COCKPIT

• Binoculars at hand
• Handheld VHF in place and on 16
• Covers off helm electronics and stowed
• Covers off dodger
• Life jackets in place
• Make sure plug is out of dinghy
• Check dinghy securing
• Charts in place as needed
• Route pulled up on GPS
• Gates closed and locked

AT ANCHOR

• Turn on windlass power
• Check chain in locker/pull back to make room as needed

AT DOCK

• Turn off AC main and unplug from shore power
• Stow shore power cord.
• Stow water hose if out
• Discuss undocking plan

SAILING

• Remove main sail cover
• Unlock jib
• Untie boom (secured to keep from moving)
• Remove forward dorade horn (gets caught in staysail lines)
• Attach main halyard
• Sailing gloves 

OFFSHORE

• Offshore jackets on
• Tethers in place
• Heavy duty stowing
• Check that cockpit lockers, gear clear of autohelm and life raft accessible
• Pray ;-)

NAUTICAL TERMS: HOLLOW SEA

Annapolis, MD

The Great Wave off of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1830 ish)

Hollow Sea A condition usually occurring where there is shoaling or a current setting against the waves. The line from crest to trough makes a sharp angle, and consequently the sea is very dangerous.


I wish I could say I have never experienced this. It left my stomach rather hollow.

WORDPLAY: UNEXPECTED NAUTICAL ROOTS

Annapolis, MD

"I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes..." Walden, Henry David Thoreau

Could the same be said for enterprises that require a new vocabulary? I've already written about my philosophy on unnecessary nautical terms, which I eschew. But others have secretly sneaked right into our everyday parlance. For instance ...


beachcomber
A sailor without a berth or a shipboard assignment.

clean bill of health
A document issued to early ships on their departure showing that the port they sailed from was free of epidemic or infection at the time of departure.

show your true colors
Some early warships carried an array of national flags onboard to deceive the enemy, but the rules of civilized warfare called for ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot, showing their true colors.

taken aback
When a boat's sails are unexpectedly caught by the wind and filled from the opposite side, it slows the forward motion of the boat. This is called 'backing,' thus 'taken aback' has come to mean 'startled' or 'shocked.'


Also, from a previous post: aboveboard and footloose.

TOP FIVE FAVORITE TOOLS

Annapolis, MD

Drill in use for installing solar panels back in 2010, prelaunch.

1. A lanyard.
This might not technically be a tool, but I put it here first, because, if it weren't for lanyards we would have no tools. Don't leave home without it. Actually, you can just use string, but we like to encourage lanyard use. The easier it is to clip in, the better.

2. Cordless Drill

We LOVE our Makita cordless drill and use it for many things. What? A drill on a boat? Don't you want to FILL holes? Here are some of the ways we use it:

• Screwdriver attachments
• To operate the little drill pump - for pumping out water filters, the bilge (sometimes), etc.
• Installing solar panels!
• Yes, sometimes drilling holes in things, like the lid of my sprouter....

3. Mega wrench

I admit I've never used this. Chip, however, loves it for anything that requires major league torch (autocorrect's version of 'torque'). He has used it to remove a stubborn anchor shackle and taking off collar bolts on the windlass. This is also #1 on our Most Borrowed Tool list.

Chip feeding his wrench. Wrenches eat wrappers.

4. Detail sander

This is our favorite tool that we don't own yet, but we borrowed one recently. It's awesome. Lots of attachments/uses, little hacksaws, wood saws, that could get in those hard to reach spots a.k.a. all spots on a boat. And it's a great sander for those challenging spots that need to be sanded.

5. Sheets of rubber 

We've used this stuff, found at marine and hardware stores, for all kinds of McGyverish applications, most recently to fix the cockpit circuit breaker. In that photo, Chip was making a new washer for the engine raw water filter. (This photo was taken just before I yelled at him for using the kitchen cutting board for a boat chore.)

In case you don't think we have the full gamut of run-of-the-mill tools, this post will dispel that.


You might also like:
Tammy's Ten Things ... That Crossover for Life on a Boat
Tammy's Ten Things ... That Make Life Better

COMING SOON: Our favorite McGyver tools.

HEADING SOUTH?

Annapolis, MD

It's late August, and time to think about flying south for the winter. At least, my blog readers seem to be thinking about it, coming to me on Google searches for 'bahamas provisioning,' 'normans cay' and 'icw anchorages.' Let's make this easy.

I've created some new directories to help you find information and destinations around here.

1. Places Along the ICW -- This is a Pinterest board with many of our hops down the ICW. Anchorages are not necessarily described but our coordinates are on the posts. Questions about cities or anchorages? Just ask.
2. Bahamas Posts -- You don't have to search around, just use this Pinterest board to follow our track through the Bahamas. Bimini, Nassau, The Berries, Exumas, Abacos, Eleuthera and Long Island.
3. Places We've Visited -- If you want a broader brushstroke of places we've travelled, including Paris and New York, you'll find a good visual reference with links on this board.
4. And because I know you're looking, here's a link to my Bahamas Provisioning post recently and one earlier this year.

And, finally, if you need a boat to head south in, Cara Mia is for sale!

FLASHBACK TO 2009: 10 WHAT?!?!

Annapolis, MD

With the boat on the market, we have to be ready to show it on short notice, staged, clean, perfect. This week, with guests onboard, I'm thinking that's going to be even more challenging than usual.

This perpetual preparedness got me feeling all deja vu-ish, remembering back to 2009 when we had our house on the market and were playing this same staging game. I fished up this blog post from my old, landbound blog, ploddingTOparadise, about getting 'the call' to show the house.

Guess I'll be reenacting this a few times ...



FLASHBACK:Thursday, January 22, 2009

10 WHAT!!?!?

Our realtor called this morning to ask if another realtor could "preview" our house for a client.

"Of course," I said. "When?"

"In 10 minutes."

"Oh, shit," I said (paraphrased).

There are times in your life when you realize how far the apple really does fall from the tree. I used to call my mother Hurricane Marge for the way she would spin through a room cleaning, fluffing, dusting, leaving a sparkling, photo-shoot-ready room in her wake. Okay, technically that's more like a reverse hurricane creating order from chaos. If George Bush had only sent mom in after Hurricane Katrina, she might have secured a better place for him in history.

Once my mom found her longtime friend Dene, a friend who is more "terrestrial" in her housekeeping, on her knees peering under the bed in the guest room.

"What are you doing?" Mom asked.

Dene replied seriously, "Trying to find where the heck you keep the dirt."

That apple must have fallen somewhere else, because I did not inherit this trait. I leave a wake behind me that consists more of rumpled couches, fingerprints and dirty dishes and less of sparkle and shine. I've tried to convince my mother that low standards are much easier to maintain.

READ MORE ...

SAILING BLOGS ON PINTEREST

Annapolis, MD

Need a little Hump Day distraction? I've already told you about my old-school Sailing Blog Log link list, a long, boring list of links. Now you can see it in a beautiful visual form on Pinterest -- without signing up for Pinterest.

Just click on that graphic above or here. As of today, there are 121 sailing blogs, but I add more every day. Enjoy!



Have a sailing blog that's not on there? Put your URL in the comments below.

TIP: Please make sure you're NOT already there. Let the page load completely. Then hit Control F (or Control Command on a Mac) to get a search box in your browser. Search to make sure your blog isn't already there.

CARA MIA ON YACHTWORLD!

Annapolis, MD

This could be your view -- this winter! Our magic carpet will take you there.

Check out the listing on MagicCarpetWorld.com.

Some of the recent upgrades we've already done for you this year:

New standing rigging (preventative)
New AGM batteries
Rebuilt windlass
Chainplates rebedded
New dinghy motor: Tohatsu 6hp
Bottom paint and hull wax

With those new batteries, 350 watts of solar panels and a Honda 2000 watt generator, you can hang out in remote spots like this until you run out of food!

Cara Mia is in Annapolis and chomping at the dock lines, ready to head south.


And for you ploddingINparadise fans, don't worry. The next grand adventure is in the works. It involves plodding and water and paradise in a new way that we think you'll love. Stay tuned ...

POWER FAILURE = SUCCESS

Annapolis, MD

When we bought Cara Mia, one of our To Do items from the surveyor's tick list was 'Replace Shore Power Circuit Breaker.' Well, three years later, that was still on the our To Do list. LOL

Chip decided to conquer this 'small' item, but the chore followed the old adage about working on boats: Triple the amount of time you estimate it should take.

The circuit breaker was working -- or was it not working? Well, the circuit part was working, because all these years, we've been able to use shore power. However, the breaker part was not. When flipped to the off position, it didn't turn off.

He removed the casing to find a number of problems.

Ugh.

1. It was wired wrong. Both wires, hot and neutral, were wired to the top post. Nothing on the bottom, which rendered the breaker useless.
2. The plastic plate attaching the breaker to the casing was broken (that black disk).
3. Water had infiltrated through the break causing the whole breaker to corrode.

SO, he called around about replacing the 'thingy' that was broken. Have you ever tried to explain boat parts on the phone? Very embarrassing. After several long conversations, he found that they don't sell the single piece, you have to buy the whole setup for close to $100.

At this point, we had a little brainstorming conflab, not to say our brains are little. We pondered options -- while the inside temperature of the boat slowly rose. No power = No AC. 

We thought about gluing the little plastic piece together. We thought about gluing the plastic piece to something strong and thin. We thought about finding plastic and cutting our own piece. Then we decided to use one of our favorite go-to fixes: make one out of a sheet of rubber gasket. 

It worked great, and it might seal the breaker better than the old one. The stainless steel cap keeps the whole thing out of the sun and weather, so it should up beautifully -- for about 69 cents. YAY, Chip!

TAMMY'S TEN THINGS ...

Annapolis, MD

... that crossover for use on a boat.

Now you're probably wondering why there's a picture of a Nerf football there. Who would guess it's a valuable tool on the boat?

There are a lot of things we use that are not technically marine products. Here are my Top Ten.

1. Nerf football

The Coast Guard actually gave us this tip. Instead of spending $20+ on a TruPlug, just get a Nerf football to plug any unwanted, gaping hole in the hull. (Note to self: Never make a hole in the boat large than a Nerf football.) Fortunately, we've never used it for its secondary purpose, but we've found yet another. When it's cold out, and we want to keep the warm air inside the boat, we use it to stuff the dorade vent:

2. Nylon Climbing Ladder

Our boat is hard to get onto from the water. We have a transom ladder, but when the dinghy is on its davits, the ladder can't be lowered. I bought this as an emergency ladder in case on of us went overboard, and thankfully have never used it for that secondary purpose. We keep it right at hand under the companionway door, just in case. Instead, we use it often for guests boarding from the side deck. If our dinghy is raised, and thus no ladder, we just throw this ladder over a wench and wanted guests climb aboard.

We also enlisted it once after a hurricane when the water was too high for us to climb aboard from the dock. Great to have -- and in perfect boat style, it collapses down to a small package.

Oh, and if you have trouble climbing into the dinghy from the water, it's great for that too!

3. Pickup/Car Straps

It took me an entire year to figure out how to secure our dinghy to the davits satisfactorily. Drove me crazy. Then I learned to shop in auto parts stores. They have a great array of straps that are heavy duty and somewhat weather resistant. Me = happy. (They have some good cigarette-lighter light options too -- and spray paints for various materials.)

4. Climbing Carabiners

I bought these at REI. I don't really know their strength or weight specs, so I don't use them for anything critical -- like strapping anyone I like to anything. However, they have come in handy for many things, including a quick, easy way to secure the anchor on deck. (Our windlass locks it in place, but I use the carabiner on a line as a backup.) Mine has been in full-on sun and saltwater(!) for over a year and shows no wear. That hinged closure is good for attaching a lanyard lest it go for a swim. I admit to donating one to Neptune before I figured this out...

5. Plastic Clip-On Clothespins

I know it sounds extreme, but I don't know how I'd get by without these little treasures. They are made to snap onto plastic hangers, but that little inside bracket that attaches to hangers fits perfectly on lifelines. YES! I try not to leave them out in the sun, because the sun takes a toll. We clip them under the Bimini, so they're close at hand.

I have found them at Walmart, at hardware stores and once at the Container Store.


6. Solar Lawn Lights

Most cruisers have discovered the many applications of solar lawn lights. We keep some lashed to the back of the boat for easy identification in a dark, crowded anchorage. I do have to put socks over them on night passages, because they kill my night vision. Amazing how much light they emit.

Lots of us use them as makeshift 'navigation lights' for the dinghy in Florida, where they require an all-around light after dark. Just hold it over your head like the Statue of Liberty. Here's a funny blog post about that.

7. Insecticide Sprayer

This treasure came with our boat. It took me a long time to learn why. I now use it for lots of things: bleaching the mildew out of the anchor locker; washing anything when I need to conserve water; cleaning up the deck after a muddy anchor raising; holding an extra few gallons of water in places where it's scarce. LOVE THIS THING.

8. Egg Timer

The old fashioned, turn the knob kind. No batteries required. Yes, we use it for cooking, but it reminds me that my laundry is ready to switch to the dryer at marinas. It wakes me at regular intervals on tough night watches. It makes me stir around every hour when I've been sitting for too long. It is my friend.

9. Locking Bins

The entire contents of our boat are contained in these things, food, tools, spare parts, paperwork, etc. I have tried every brand -- every one -- and I like the Lock & Lock brand the best, because, 1. They last and don't break. 2. They come in a lot of practical sizes -- and even an egg holder. 3. They have squarish bottoms unlike the Rubbermaid brand. This means you can get a lot more in them, and they stack more efficiently. Just remember the mantra: It's round, put it down!

10. Headlamp

Yes, you can look foolish too. Just get one -- or two. We've only had to anchor at night two times, but how could I have managed without my headlamp? It's also great for nighttime dinghy rides -- as long as you don't turn to look back at the driver. LOL

On night passages, we keep it handy for any potential need to go forward. It's impossible on a pitching boat to dedicate one hand to a flashlight. Of course, the foredeck light on our boat works for most things, but if you don't have time to run down there and turn it on ....

We use it for working on things in hard to reach places (and isn't everything on a boat?). Another valuable opportunity to blind your mate here. Night bike rides.

My favorite use of the headlamp: Our Norwegian friends on s/v To Be use the blinking feature for their weekly, onboard disco night.

Hi Norwegians! Hope to dance with you again soon...

What are your crossover products? TELL ME!

See also: TAMMY'S TOP TEN THINGS ... that make my life onboard better.

LOVERS OF LEAVING

Come, come, whoever you are.

Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.

It doesn't matter.

Ours is not a caravan of despair.

Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.

Come, yet again, come, come.

-- rumi

TAMMY'S TEN THINGS....

Annapolis, MD

... THAT MAKE MY LIFE BETTER. At least these are the ones for today!


1. GO TOOBS -- NOT the knockoff brands -- in that photo above.

I remember pondering over these little tubes in REI three years ago, wondering if they were really worth the money. Now having used them daily for the intervening three years, I know they are an amazing bargain. These little tubes are impervious to heat, cold and salt water. The liquid only comes out if you heartily squeeze the tube. They are irregularly shaped and slightly grippy, so they don't go flying off in showers. They float, so when I'm washing my hair in the biggest bath tub on earth, they just float there next to me. My only tiny complaint with them is that the lids crack. Small beans after three years of daily use!

ONE OTHER TIP: If you add some fresh water to your shampoo, it lathers up better -- even on land.


2. STATIC CLING WINDOW FILM

I found a roll of this stuff at Home Depot and have been using it ever since. Window coverings for boat portholes are confounding and often incredibly expensive. I did my whole boat including overhead hatches for less than $30, and it's UV protected.

At a private anchorage? Pull them off. When you tie up at a dock, just wet the film or the glass and stick it back on. So A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

The only challenge is cutting to fit. It has to be a wee bit too small or air gets under the edges. Mine are plain frosted, but the film comes in designs and colors. For this price, you could change every season!

This helps keep the cabin cooler, blocking out direct sun.

Type 'static cling window film' in Google for an array of options. I like this etched leaf design. Wouldn't this be nice in the bedroom or bathroom.


3. ICE GLASSES

I read this tip in the book Why Didn't I Think of That? You fill your glasses a third of the way with water and put them in the freezer. The next day, voila, pre-iced glasses.

We pop the ice out and store it in a gallon Ziploc for backup. They are much bigger than cubes, so therefore last a lot longer without watering down your drink so much. No fuss ice, a.k.a. sailboat diamonds. For mixers, freeze the juice!


4. HOMEMADE SPROUTER

We love sprouts. I just drilled holes in a plastic peanut jar lid, and there's my free sprouter. I had a much better one using a squared container but gifted it to a fellow cruiser. My general policy for buying any storage container on the boat: IT'S ROUND, PUT IT DOWN!


5. GOOD OLD FASHIONED ICE PACK

My trusty little friend is great for a quick cool down on a hot day, a swift antidote for hot flashes and for putting on booboos. God knows, there are a lot of those onboard -- at least on ours! Keeps swelling and bruising to a minimum.

And if you'll set it on something curved in the freezer, like a bottle laying on its side, the ice will freeze into a body-friendly shape that's easier to keep in place.


6. GOOD OLD FASHIONED HOT WATER BOTTLE

Remember hot water bottles? When you have limited AC power, it serves nicely as a heating pad. Soothing for sore muscles and is such a delicious treat at the foot of the bed on a cold night. They are a little hard to find in stores, but Amazon has a bunch.


7. DISH DRYING PAD

You probably already know about these. Not much to report, except they're awesome, and they politely fold up and tuck away out of sight when not in use. I soak mine in a bit of bleach water every week or so to keep the cooties away.


8. HAIR BANDS

I use these for so many things. They last longer and are easier to find than big-ass rubber bands. They are nice and firm for holding the bag around the trash can. I attach duty-specific rags to their matching cleaning agent (clean towel attached to spray cleaner for dodger windows, polishing rag to stainless polish). Cuts down on rags, washing them and potentially using a dirty rag to clean, I mean scratch, your dodger windows. No rifling around for a rag.


9. DISPOSABLE FOAM BRUSHES

Chip actually thought of this. When dusting or oiling the teak louvres on doors, it's hard to get in those little slots. A small foam brush makes it easy.


10. AQUIS HIGH TECH TOWELS

I've tried every brand of high tech (quick-drying) towel I could find and hated all of them but Aquis. We absolutely love these waffle weave ones. They are pricier than most others, but more than worth the money. After using them every day for almost 5 years now, they are just starting to look tired. As a bonus, they feel sort of like real towels but roll up very small. I've learned the hard way to dry them separately at the laundromat, because they absorb the water from everything else and just get wetter! Often I hang them in the cockpit or on the lifelines if we're in a place where that won't look too ghetto. They dry super fast and rarely mildew. Amazon's are cheapest: Aquis on amazon (Don't be tricked by cheaper "hair towels" from Aquis. They are not bath towels.)


Other lists you might enjoy:
Our Five Favorite Tools
Tammy's Top Ten crossover products


Have your own list to add? Share it with us in the comments or on my topic in development at Monkey's Fist.

LETTER TO CARA MIA'S NEW OWNER

Dear New Owner of Cara Mia (I know you're out there somewhere),

I hope you are having a relaxing summer, because we have been really busy getting your boat ready for cruising season. Start packing those bathing suits, your snorkel gear and a lot of good books, for soon you'll be here:

With nothing more to do than this:

You might have already seen the posts from last month at the boatyard in Deltaville. The bottom is freshly painted, the prop is coated and the topsides are shiny.

After leaving the boatyard, we then sailed Cara Mia's shiny self up to Annapolis via Solomons. Since arriving in Annapolis, we've been polishing, sanding, varnishing, cleaning. You'll be so pleased.

First, we raised eyebrows:

I somehow never got motivated to refinish them for us, but I did for you!

Chip sanded and refinished the bowsprit for you:

The companionway and combings got a fresh coat of varnish and the cockpit, a waxing -- along with everything else, including the nonskid.

We'll have her all ready for you this fall. You can just hop aboard and fly south.

We'll be so happy and so sad to wave goodbye to you and Cara Mia from the dock -- and very jealous to think where you'll be bound.

Just tell Cara Mia 'The Bahamas,' and she'll show you the way. She might also track down some of the awesome boats she knows out there and introduce you to your new friends.

In the meantime, don't be surprised if we take her out joy sailing in the Chesapeake!

Your chariot awaits.

Cheers from Annapolis,

Tammy

Cara Mia's listing in Yachtworld
Cara Mia's page on this blog
Places We've Been where you can go too!