Coming Aboard S/V Curiosity – What You Need to Know

Inviting guests aboard our sailboat is nothing like inviting them to a sticks and bricks home.  At a house most people generally understand how everything works and can make themselves comfortable.  Life on a boat is a different world with all kinds of systems that need to be explained.

Something as seemingly simple as showering or using the toilet requires its own orientation and training.  Yes, nothing sets the tone for an adventure like a full-on toilet training.

It’s a lot to think about and cover but, if we do a good job of setting realistic expectations all should be grand.  At least that’s what we’re hoping for.

Traveling and living on a sailboat is an incredible experience and we’re crazy excited to share it with others.  (We announce crew opportunities to our Patreons first)

There is a big difference between inviting people on as crew and having paying guests as a charter. We are not and will not be chartering.  For us this is about sharing the adventure, meeting people and making lifelong friends.

Why are we telling you all of this?  Because maybe you want to come aboard, you have a sailing friend you’ll be joining or have a boat and are thinking about inviting people on.  Whatever the case, we can all learn from and help each other.

What You Need To Know

Without further ado, here is our What You Need To Know letter.  If you think of something we should add, let us know.

Dear soon-to-be Curiosity Crew,

We are so very excited to have you come and stay with us aboard S/V Curiosity.  We love sharing our lifestyle and floating home!  But our lifestyle and home is very different from the norm, so I want to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into here.  And, you know us…we’re very particular about the way we like things.

Please know this is not us trying to scare you out of coming, if that were the case, we wouldn’t have extended the invitation. We really, really want you to come join us, but we also want to make sure we all like each other when you leave.

So, we feel brutal honesty is the best way to go here.  We have gone through a bit of a brain dump trying to give you the full scoop.   Look it all over and then we can talk about any concerns you may have.  If all looks good, we’ll see you soon!

The Captain Rules

Jason and I are the acting captains of our ship and the captain always gets the final say.  Period.  We are liable for our vessel.  It’s a great responsibility and one we take seriously.

We’re Off The Grid Yo!

We have limited resources that we carefully manage.  The sun provides our electricity and it doesn’t shine all the time. You must be cautious about using anything that requires electricity and ask before using it (i.e. hair dryer, flat iron, chargers).

We turn sea water into drinking water and that is no small feat.  We take quick (sometimes room temp) showers, use minimal water when washing dishes and brush our teeth using sea water…just kidding.  We use water but do so thoughtfully.  However, if we see you leave the faucet running while brushing your teeth, we really will make you use sea water.

Don’t be trashy.  We hold onto every piece of trash, load it up in the dinghy and then find somewhere to properly dispose of it once we hit land.  The goal is to try and create as little trash as possible.  We use very few paper towels (as in one roll a year) and avoid buying things with lots of packaging or discard of the packaging before bringing it to the boat.  This way of thinking is also super helpful for shrinking our carbon footprint.  So, its two birds one stone!

Floating Foodies

We’re completely comfortable admitting that we are food snobs.  We cook 90% of our meals on board and love to make a big event out of it.   We’ll provision and plan meals together but just in case you didn’t already know, we are vegetarians.  If you want to get specific, we’re pesca-ovo-laco vegetarians. That is fancy speak for we eat a diet that consists of fruits, veggies, dairy products, eggs, and fish. We do not eat any meat.  We’re 100% cool with you eating meat and having deli meat in the fridge. But don’t expect to be cooking any bacon (or other high grease meats) on board, you’ll have to save those hankerings for when we get to land.

Potty Talk

Toilets are called heads on a boat…and they aren’t like most.  We really hate typical marine toilets and holding tanks so we took it a step further and installed composting toilets.  They are very different from what you are probably used.  Good news is, they are simple to use, don’t smell and don’t use any water.  We’ll go over it all in person but you can see what they are and how they work here: gonewiththewynns.com/all-composting-toilet

Expectations are Evil

Expectations and schedules are a joy killer.  If you come with an open mind, prepared for anything, we will have a great time!

Your cabin will sometimes feel cramped and your personal space will be small. Sometimes it’s hot, wet, cold or all around miserable weather.  Other times it’s like something out of a dream, with perfect clear blue skies and water.  Think of it like camping on the sea with a really, really nice tent.

Being cooped up in a small space will cause us at some point to get irritated with each other.  There will also be indescribable moments of connection and bonding.  No matter what, at the end of the journey, we will have stories worthy of sharing for years to come.

The Best Things in Life are Free

We typically stay at anchor because it’s free, offers the most privacy and is usually the most scenic. Your lovely cabin room complete with ocean view is provided by us.  A lot of our entertainment and adventures will be based around nature and also free.

Let’s Talk Money

Prepare to go dutch.  Some people love to take paid tours and excursions, others not so much.  Some people don’t drink while others like to test their liver capacity daily.  Most of our meals are cooked on board and we’ll shop and spit the costs because that makes it cheaper for everyone. To give you an idea, we currently give ourselves a budget of $10 per day per person.

We Speak Mariner

It is important you know some of the boat lingo basics before you come aboard.  It’s for safety reasons and cool factor (we want you to look and feel like a nautical pro).  Familiarize yourself with the following terms and know what they mean.  There won’t be a pop quiz or anything, it’s just good to know.

• Port/starboard
• Fender
• Galley, Salon, Cockpit, Cabin, Head
• Forward/Aft
• Bow/Stern

Bonus points and special treats if you know how to tie these two knots by the time you come aboard: Bowline, Clove Hitch.

Smoked Fish is Awesome, Smoking on our Boat is Not

There is no smoking on board.  You’ll have to go to land or be willing to risk burning a hole in your floatie while you wade in the ocean.  Not that I think we will have a problem but I still feel it’s important to say: do not bring any illegal drugs on board.  As the boat owners, we are responsible for anything on board and we would be the ones in trouble. Having our boat seized for drugs would completely ruin your trip in all aspects.

Last, But Certainly Not Least…

We’re going sailing!  Whoop whoop! There will be wind, water, swimming, diving, fishing and you will get wet.  Make sure to read over our sailboat packing list so you don’t forget anything important or bring more than you need.

See you on the water,

Nikki (Jason, Singa and Cleo too)