Cruising Life Revealed: Answers to Our 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

When we first revealed our cruising plan to our friends and families, they were full of questions. Regardless of how we phrased it, explaining that we were quitting our jobs and selling our house so we could sail the Caribbean with our two dogs made us sound crazy. A cruising lifestyle can be strange and has its own challenges. For us, it’s all a part of the adventure. Below are the answers to our 10 most frequently asked questions.

1. Why did you decide to take this sailing adventure?

For some, their passion for sailing makes them choose a life at sea. Others know at an early age that they were born to live on the water. Neither of those were true for us. We were married in July (I can’t believe it’s nearly been a year) and wanted to celebrate with an adventure of a life time. When we started brainstorming ideas, a few things became apparent: 1) we couldn’t leave our two furry anchors behind, 2) we’re hard workers and needed an adventure that would challenge us, and 3) we wanted to travel to new places. A sailing adventure met all these criteria. At times, it has been more challenging than we expected, but that only makes us appreciate the good days and beautiful places more.

 2.Do the dogs enjoy living on the boat?

Dogs are incredibly adaptable. When we first moved onto the boat, Jaela was scared to leave her cushion in the cockpit. The sound of a hatch closing would cause her to flee in panic. Now she is a little too comfortable on the boat. Just last week she hopped over the lifelines and swam to shore to search for us. They love all the beach time they get and have become excellent swimmers. I’m sure there are things about land life that the pups miss. But nothing makes them happier than spending time with us and we all get plenty of face time with each other.

3. Where do the dogs use the bathroom?

We get this question all the time and the answer is the same as when we lived in Denver. Our dogs poop on our walks. The only difference is that now our walks include a quick dinghy ride or swim to shore. We walk the pups 2-3 times a day. We’ve had a handful of long overnight passages and the pups were forced to relieve themselves on the bow of the boat. We have a piece of turf for just this reason. But typically they wait to do their business on their walks and it forces us to get off the boat and stretch our legs.

4. Aren’t you a little young to be retired?

Work is a four letter word here in the Caribbean cruising community, but we are far from retired. We were fortunate enough to make a nice profit after we sold our house in Denver. This funded our cruising kitty. We’re going to wait out hurricane season in Puerto Rico. Next season we’ll sail down island for a bit before turning around and returning Kairos to the States. We’ll then be job hunting. Fingers crossed that the energy job market improves before our return.

5. Surely you had a lot of sailing experience prior to his adventure, right?

Ummm…no. I had been on a sailboat a handful of times. The first of which I got seasick and the boat turned around so I could get Dramamine. Rob sailed some Sunfish and Lasers (small dinghies) growing up. He also helped his dad a few of times when his family chartered some larger monohulls. But neither of us had any ocean sailing experience. After we purchased Kairos, we took lessons from a certified captain. Having someone else there when we tested out the whisker pole for the first time or practiced sailing at each point of sail proved to be extremely valuable. After that, it’s been a lot of hands on training. We are still learning new things about Kairos and how she likes to sail, but the last 5 months have certainly been a sailing crash course.

6. Are you worried about the Zika virus?

Of course. Zika sucks. The mosquito borne virus can be sexually transmitted, may go undetected, and can cause microcephaly and other birth defects if contracted during pregnancy. That’s some scary stuff. Young people who are traveling in affected areas need to stay informed and understand the risks.

Here is what the CDS recommends:

1) The CDC recommends that “couples with men or women who traveled to an area with Zika, but did not develop symptoms should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least 8 weeks after their return in order to minimize risk.”

2) The CDC recommends that “couples with men who have confirmed Zika or symptoms of Zika should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least 6 months after symptoms begin.”

3) These recommendations are conservative. “In making these recommendations, the CDC considered the longest known risk period for these categories. They then allowed for three times the known period of time.”

4) A Zika virus infection in a woman who is not pregnant would not pose a risk for birth defects in future pregnancies after the virus has cleared from her blood.

5) Once a person has been infected with Zika virus, he or she is likely to be protected from a future Zika infection.

We want to start a family in the future, but not until we return to the States. Waiting for the recommended amount of time is not an issue for us. In addition to leaving affected areas prior to trying to start a family, we are also taking precautions to avoid contracting the virus while we are traveling. Mosquitos are usually not an issue while we are at anchor on the water, especially on breezy nights. And ever since my noseeum attack, which left me with 2,000 bug bites, we never go to shore without 30% DEET.

Sure Zika is a risk, but life is full of risks. We take calculated risks every day. We’d have to live in a bubble if we didn’t. We will continue to read the news and will take any CDC updates very seriously. As new information is discovered, we may change our minds and return to the States early. But we are not planning to get pregnant on this trip and therefore Zika doesn’t pose a serious threat to our future plans.

7. Are you concerned about having a gap in your resume?

Our engineering skills aren’t going anywhere. Will it be difficult for us to return to a 9-5 job? Sure. At first it probably will be difficult. Will it be difficult for us to troubleshoot issues and solve problems? Nope. That is something we do on the boat every day. Before this trip, I barely knew how to use a multimeter. Now I’m comfortable troubleshooting electrical issues and rewiring 12 volt systems. We are both constantly learning new things and troubleshooting new issues. Even more so than a house, a boat is constant work. The marine environment is harsh and systems fail. And of course these systems never fail in convenient places, so we have to address them with the tools and parts we have on hand.

In addition to our boat maintenance issues keeping our troubleshooting skills sharp, sailing Kairos 1600 miles through some very difficult seas has increased our self-confidence (okay, well at least mine—Rob’s was already pretty high) and taught us how to remain calm in stressful situations. Navigating and route planning have contributed to our organization and management skills. Living in a small space with someone 24/7 has taught us the importance of compromise. There’s no shortage of hard and soft skills that we have continued to improve while aboard Kairos. We will walk away from this experience with new perspectives, new skills, incredible memories, and hands on experience. If a future employer can’t find merit in this type of experience, then it’s probably not an employer we want to work for anyway.

8. Have you tried killing each other yet?

I am pleased to announce that no one has been forced to walk the plank yet. Have we wanted to kill each other at times? You betcha! We live in a very small space and over the last five months we’ve only spent a few hours apart. A FEW HOURS! We are with each other all the time. We get aggravated with each other, we fight, we say things we don’t mean. We are human.

Rarely can we walk away from a fight. There’s nowhere to go. So we’ve learned how to quickly get through an argument. It’s easier to point a finger and blame the other person than to reflect and admit your fault in the situation. Almost always, we both have fault in an argument. Being able to recognize it and apologize for our part is the first step. Being able to forgive the other person for their part is the second step. Living aboard hasn’t taught us how to avoid fighting, but it has taught us how to apologize and forgive.

9. Is sailing at night scary? 

No, it’s actually really peaceful. Well, expect for the time we crossed the Mona passage and spent the entire night in a lightning storm. But our other nighttime sailing experiences have been positive. If we are sailing at night, it’s because we are traveling a long distance that we can’t cover during daylight hours. Therefore, we are typically crossing a passage instead of sailing near land. This means that there are less obstacles and ships to avoid. We have to be extra cautious when sailing at night, so we ensure all of our safety gear is in place before the sun goes down. After dinner we start taking two hour shifts behind the helm. Even though it’s difficult to sleep while underway, taking turns on break helps us stay sharp. There’s not much to look at while on night shift. We keep an eye out for other ships, but we usually go the entire night without passing another boat. I like to listen to audio books so I don’t die of boredom and Rob rocks out to music. Usually the most excitement we see is from the bioluminescence in the water. Some times the nights are long, but watching the sky lighten as the sun rises is one of the most satisfying feelings I’ve experienced on this journey.

10. What do you miss most about landlubber life?

It’s impossible to pick just one thing. Some days it’s air conditioning and a real mattress. Other days I long for a toilet that flushes with a flick of a handle or a hot shower that I can leave running. Life aboard is fun, exciting, and freeing. One thing it is not, is comfortable. There are hot, sticky nights and wet dinghy rides to shore. We have a hard time going to sleep in rolly anchorages and then wake up with cramped necks. We have to haul our dirty laundry by foot to the laundromat or wash it in buckets. There are a lot of comforts that we miss.

Back in Denver, we would spend our weekends backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. Sleeping on the ground and lugging around our tent and all of our food was not comfortable. However, it was challenging and allowed us to visit some incredible places. Sailing is no different. Gorgeous sunsets, pristine beaches, and clear water makes giving up long, hot showers worth it.