Homesteading on the Ocean

[belizesailor]

Re fishing...some places require a liscence for recreational fishing, but many dont. In some places the locals wont appreciate you taking "their" fish...sometimes its politically more pragmatic just to buy from the locals.

Some places, rare, prohibit foreigners from fishing.

[Wave_Rider]

Re: Fishing

I'm not too worried about that. I doubt most people in foreign countries I visit would even know if I'm fishing or not lol.

But if it becomes a problem, I'll just buy fish from their local market.

[ohdrinkboy]

Looking forward to hearing how you anchor "offshore." The water can be pretty deep out there....you must be planning on a lot of anchor chain.

[Wave_Rider]

Oh yeah, at least 200-300 feet, plus another 100-200 feet additional, just in case.

[boatpoker]

OP, what is your cruising experience and what kind of boat do you plan to attempt this on ?

[UNCIVILIZED]

I mentioned boat types in my comments in past threads on this topics, but Wharram's seem popular choices for this. Given their good load carrying ability for a multi. Deck space. Ability to have a fire pit. Etcetera.

Also, for more info sources on the subject, it's worth digging into the logs & writings of folks who've spent long stretches at sea. Recently, as well as historically. For example Reid Stow & his 1,000 days at sea thing, a few years ago. And explorers of old, racers of the mid 1900's, cultures which traded amongst & or migrated to new islands, in Oceana & other places.

[newhaul]

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ad-174073.html
Lots of useful info in this one.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Wave_Rider

Oh yeah, at least 200-300 feet, plus another 100-200 feet additional, just in case.

So you are going to anchor offshore with between 300 and 500' total of anchor line/chain in 500' of water? You do realize that offshore is typically in the hundreds of feet deep and when you factor in scope, 500' of chain is only good for around 100-150' depths because you can't have it hang straight down or it won't hold (plus 500' of chain weigh upwards of 500lbs. Not insignificant sitting in the bow of a small boat)

Myself and few others here have been trying to get and hinting around to see what you are really proposing. Your terminology is causing issues with communications. Example: Offshore typically means many miles from land and depths are in the 600'+ range.

On a related note, when you say "seasteading" most people's first though is some wack job who thinks he's going set up something a la water world.

I think you are implying full time cruising, which a significant percentage of the members already do. No hard and fast definitions but:
- Anchor for long periods but not offshore. They typically anchor in harbors or small protected backwaters where depths are less and holding is better. This comes with having to play by the local rules which vary by country and includes meeting visa requirements. Depending on finances, time may be spent in marinas.
- Doing some fishing, beach combing, maybe even grow some herbs. One year we even grew some tomato plants but we were stationary for the summer in a marina. They aren't growing the bulk of their food. Particularly if you are going off shore (you mentioned crossing to the med), growing substantial amounts of food is just not going to happen.
- Generally move around fairly regularly. Rarely more than a month or two in a location and often moving a couple times per week.

I suggest reading some threads for a while and learning the terminology. Unfortunately a lot of the terms don't have official meanings. For example, in Florida we always avoided the term "liveaboard" as that was typically (but not always) used to define someone who basically set up in a marina or anchorage and rarely if ever moved the boat. They would wind up with a lot of junk piled up on deck and were often though of poorly (even the good ones often got lumped in). On the other hand by saying we were cruisers (which we were), you were typically welcomed as tourist and because we were on the move, the deck was generally kept clear and the boat in serviceable condition.

If your goal is to live simply and cheaply, it can be done on a boat but it comes with it's challenges.

[Wave_Rider]

No doubt. Every living situation comes with both challenges and benefits.

But I've got a few years before I'm ready to move onto a sailboat and live full-time. So, I've got some more planning to do.

I hear all the time about liveaboards who save money by anchoring away from the marina - just anchor, not mooring.

[a64pilot]

Forget Chartering, do not plug it in as income in your planing, the equipment required, Insurence etc. almost certainly won't make it break even.
However not being cute here, but I believe it's acceptable legally for you and a friend to share expenses.

Homesteading means living on land for a set period of time at which you obtain ownership of that land.

Nearly impossible to do what I think you want to do, you have to have some form of income to live on a boat, best to take some kind of job to provide that income.

People really do Homestead in Alaska and I assume other places, however even there they need some form of income. It's either that or live in the Stone Age. Bartering is sometimes acceptable, of course you have to have something the other person wants, some skill maybe

[Papasail]

Wave Rider,
(Reeeeaaallly thought about hobby farming here):

So.... ideas:
Grow vertically: vine crops, or "wall" crops. Boats are already humid... add flora and you will have a rain forest (inside) your living quarters without a/c. And it will smell very earthy. Jar-grow: like bean sprouts (stinky). Easy-peasy: go buy plastic sack of topsoil (it's already been sterilized of fungus, no borers or beetles) find a spot where you won't move it: poke 12 fair sized drainage holes, on the top plant vine tomatoes or basil/ whatever, by makin (small x-cuts) in the top keep the top plastic intact as much as possible to retain moisture, and keep out salty rain water. You'll need a small plastic jug of vegetable fertilizer: this setup has been known to last 6 years with zero weeding. Most vegetables want (full sun). Little shade. Potatoe cages could work in a novel way: buy poe-ta-toes, cut them in pieces wherever there is an "eye," layer on newspaper, cover w/soil, do it all over again: layer, layer, layer -vertically. Do NOT eat leaves: they are poisonous. Not every part of a plant is edible: root/stem/flower/fruit... do your homework.

Saw french dude who carried a
chicken (named it momo) on sailboat: laid eggs all the time, then he finally ate it.

Hydroponics don't save the world, and final thought of all my experience is this... nature cannot stay stagnant. On land all crops must be rotated (typically a 4 year pattern) or (something) will kill them: fungus, mold, borers, caterpillars, worms, flies, moths, same with animal husbandry, only add virus, bacteria, predators, theives, etc.

On land this is HARD!
At sea? Whew! Good luck.
Maybe limited to herbs/ mushrooms (you can buy kits), small time.
Underwater... why not (learn) what to forage, and go there... same with islands.

I hear there's a place where the pigs come right up to you (laughing), and on Kauai the chickens run free. Like to eat dragons? I got just the place (if you're really fast).

I'd go for foraging.
BTW - learn NOW what is happening with Algea in the ocean (see Washington State's serious 2015 issue) (really better know what you're sticking in your mouth) (like ciguatera toxin).

*Try.... but go (small), then scale if it works.

[toddster8]

Um... A nomad is pretty much the complete opposite of a homesteader.

[Zven]

Farming is poorly paid almost everywhere.
It is hard work, dirty, vulnerable, unpredictable, dangerous at times ... and still does not pay well, especially at smaller scales.
Many governments pay subsidies to keep consumer prices low, or just to make sure someone does this messy business within their borders at all. (Yes that money comes out of your taxes.)
Also, the art of preserving food in various ways - drying, salting, freezing, canning and so on - has been perfected over millenia.
Hence ...
For almost all of us, it's probably best to stay out of it, ensure an income from elsewhere, and just buy the food we need.

[UNCIVILIZED]

How does one tell if there is, or recently has been a red tide, which renders shellfish unsafe to eat? Mussels, oysters, clams, and ??? And does it ever affect regular fish too? Also, what effect on normally edible seaborne plantlife does it have? What types?

[a64pilot]

I know of you get a Fl fishing license and give them your email, you will get voluminous quantities of red tide reports, I had no idea it was so common.