Living on a Sailing Yacht – Top 5 Questions
Guest Post: Linda Jackson, Shellphone Chronicles
After 14 years of full-time life on the ocean, the last 5 of which have been on SV Duende – our 80-foot expedition class sailing yacht, we’ve collected a long list of FAQs from people who are curious about our lifestyle.
Here are the Top 5.
Where are you from?
People are always curious about our origins and always want to know where we are from. “From” meaning, “Where is your home? Where do you live?” Our answer – here. On Duende.
When we made the move to live aboard full time, we went all in. We sold the house, the furniture, the cars. We purged our “stuff”. Ruthlessly. We didn’t even keep a storage unit. Everything we own is with us here on the boat.
Many people that decide to try living on a boat also keep a house somewhere, and that’s where they consider home. We’re different – wherever we are is where our home is. It moves with us, no matter where we go on our ocean adventure.
What about storms?
Weather is likely the biggest challenge we face. Luckily, weather forecasting is pretty accurate, and we know what to watch for.
We mostly stay in the tropics, and we move with the seasons to stay safe from cyclones and tropical storms. Sometimes we leave the cyclone zone for the season, sometimes we ride it out.
We hope for the best and prepare for the worst and always have a storm plan so we’re ready for whatever comes our way.
Where do you stop at night on a passage?
There are no marinas or moorings that you can tie up to in the middle of the ocean, so we don’t stop – we just keep sailing. Our average daily range is between 150 and 250 miles. The distance varies with our speed, which depends on wind and sea conditions.
We optimize our sail set before sundown, and overnight we do watches in shifts of 3 hours on, 3 hours off. Autopilot does the steering, our job on watch is to look for other traffic and monitor for any change in conditions. And to be astonished at the night sky.
Is it expensive?
It certainly can be. Maintenance and marina fees are the biggest expense for most boat owners, especially on larger yachts. But not for us. We anchor out 99% of the time, so we don’t waste money on marinas.
Because we live aboard, we stay on top of our maintenance and repairs. We do all our work ourselves. We make our own water and electricity. Our biggest expense is diesel – if we could make that, it would be perfect!
And even though we travel to very exotic places, our luxury accommodation is always covered, and we don’t eat out a lot. Duende’s galley is fully equipped, and our pantry and freezer are stocked with all our favorite foods. I love to cook, and we eat like kings. When we do go out to eat, it’s local street food, not over-priced tourist fare.
So, when we are sitting at anchor on our beautifully built yacht, be it in a pristine tropical lagoon on a remote island or anchored off the thousands of dollars a night villas in a dream vacation spot like Bora Bora or Fiji – we live economically. Our annual living expenses are far less than they were back in the real world. And we ARE the view.
Aren’t you afraid of pirates?
This is my all-time favorite question. And the answer is, “YES! Of course. Aren’t you?” But we’ve never seen one. The closest we’ve come are a couple of drunken marineros when we were anchored offshore in Panama City on a New Year’s Eve. They pulled up alongside, and one of them tried to board, but I clocked him in the head with a flashlight. He fell back into their boat, and they drove off laughing.
That said, pirates are a serious concern in some places, but we stay away from the danger zones. We are cautious, we keep a low profile, and we always lock up when we leave the boat.
There is a lot to be afraid of in this world, but I’m more afraid of driving on a freeway or flying in an airplane than I am of encountering pirates or going anywhere on the open ocean.
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Linda Jackson, full time ocean sailor and OG Digital Nomad, writes Shellphone Chronicles, a Substack newsletter about two people exploring the ocean on an 80-foot expedition class sailing yacht, without full-time crew or a fat wallet. She shares practical advice and unfiltered experiences of how they run this big boat independently and live autonomously.
Whether you dream of exploring the ocean on your own boat, want honest insights into cruising life, or just enjoy reading about authentic adventures at sea and in exotic locations, Shellphone Chronicles is worth reading.
Note from Erin: As someone who loves all things water, I’m a huge fan of Linda’s writing about her sailing adventures and subscribe to Shellphone Chronicles. 😊
Nice work with the flashlight, Linda! 😁