FEMALES: Live Aboard Essentials Help Please

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Any pics?

I think this is the type of vest top that Saucy was referring to :

[avb3]

Although cotton works reasonably well, I find linen is much more comfortable in the tropics.

Linen's only problem is that it wrinkles a lot.

[Coops]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I think this is the type of vest top that Saucy was referring to :

It must be the right one, it's got a tick.

Coops.

[Auspicious]

Something else occurs to me: while Janet uses less make-up cruising than ashore she does use some. Even on our boat with an insulated hull and ventilated doors, lockers against the hull can get pretty warm. Make-up that might melt in high temperatures should be kept in a basket or similar away from the hull and not in lockers that will get hot.

[SimplerLife]

All such great information...I'm taking it all in like a sponge HA HA HA

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

You can buy a toaster anywhere--but in Europe anything electrical or electronic will be WAY more expensive than in North America. Plus, for anything electrical you need to be thinking of the appropriate plugs & whether it is 110 or 220 v. Also, you aren't going to be going to your favourite discount store--you'll be going to the first & perhaps only store you find that carries what you need. If that is in or close to the marina it will be expensive.

Cheapest toaster on Amazon Uk 6 quid
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orbit-Titus-...ywords=toaster

Cheapest toaster on Amazon US 15 dollars, about 10 quid !!!!!!!
Amazon.com: Oster 6346 2-Slice Toaster with Retractable Cord, Black: Kitchen & Dining

In Europe compared to the US, good food is cheaper, as is alcohol etc , in general you'll find both places are very similar in overall costs , even if certain things are very different. ( I found cheap cloths like denim good value in US, but high quality clothes/materials much more expensive in US)

The cost of experimenting to find brands you like can be high, and even if you find a brand you know & trust it may be a different formula than what you knew at home. I haul enough Dove antiperspirant with me as I've found the Dove in Europe is the pits, and all others I've tried I've ended up tossing out. Similarly, I never found any tampons in Spain that I liked and hauled those with me too. Because we go back & forth twice a year I have that luxury. On the other hand, the European Special K tastes better than the American version, and we haul tubes of mustard home because we prefer it.

You buy mustard in tubes , dear God!.

[goboatingnow]

I do feel personally that certainly if you are cruising the med, it world be madness to bring anything in suitcases. You can get everything you want, It never fails to amuse me that people get hung up on a particular "cereal"

In less developed areas, you may need some stuff "ferried" in. but I always get concerned when home stores are brought in, as what happens when you run out of them , ( or all your favourite tampons get wet or something)

Where possible , learn to adapt. thats the secret of living on a boat,

Dave

[JPA Cate]

If you carry sanitary napkins, be aware there is nothing better for catching surprise port leaks if you really want to sog up the salt water!

Ann

[JK n Smitty]

Originally Posted by SimplerLife

Guess I said too much!!! LOL I was trying to be somewhat under the radar Yes, Wildcard is us. We have a great boat, excellent guidance and are stocking up to have more spares and backups onboard than creature comforts...as our mentor yachtsman taught us LOL

LOL Sorry. Didn't mean to blowup your spot. I should have sent you a PM instead.

I was just a little aggravated with an honest, direct question being hit with off topic answers.

Good luck.

Jesse

[Reach]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Why do people keep talking about women living in swimsuits on a boat? That is such a stupid idea. Granted, I was a diving instructor for ten years, also as a commercial diver and a watersports instructor etc, so I have perhaps spent more time around the water than most women in less nautical jobs... BUT it does mean that I know that wearing swimsuits all day in wet hot conditions is NOT a good thing to do.

Well it's one thing to share your experiences as I did earlier and quite another to call someone else's stupid. I do wear a bikini every day and find them very comfortable.

If moisture is an issue, I would never sit around in a wet swimsuit & always change after swimming to a dry one. For sun protection, I stay in the shade under the bimini, use swim shirts or use sunscreen, so sunburn is not an issue.

In fact, the worst sunburn I recently got was on a 50 *F day all bundled up in many layers and forgot to put sunscreen on my face - duh!

[SimplerLife]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

LOL Sorry. Didn't mean to blowup your spot. I should have sent you a PM instead.

I was just a little aggravated with an honest, direct question being hit with off topic answers.

Good luck.

Jesse

No problem. We love Wild Card but we are no Fatty and Carolyn...big shoes to fill so I try to avoid telling people who we are so we don't embarrass the boat! LOL

[SimplerLife]

This has all been very helpful. My questions around personal hygiene items was really more about cost rather than product preference. I don't really have anything I MUST have...BF either except maybe contact lense solution. So it looks like I need to figure out a small yet versatile wardrobe of primarily cotton and wicking fabrics, stock the kitchen in a way that suits how we cook, make sure I don't have any MUST HAVE products and if so stock up on them and we will be good to go. The rest we will learn as we go!

[Southern Spirit]

As far as clothing and bedding items are concerned, invest in a small vacuum (the kind with a hose) and those vacuum storage bags. Wow we can carry so much more cause they really go flat even with pillows and comforters. We can carry so much more clothing because of this. Even bulky coats flatten like pancakes.

[RedFeather]

Originally Posted by zeehag

...most everywhere is civilized.

and

Originally Posted by zeehag

....most everything is available. EXCEPT:...root beer...

do NOT go together. Both cannot be true.

[svmariane]

SimplerLife:

My wife has a "little black dress" for those special evenings. Sexy. It rolls up the size of a cricket ball for storage but when she just shakes it out it looks like new. (I have no idea how that is possible.)

She also has a few mid-calf cotton sleeveless dresses and leather sandals for use when checking in with the port captain / immigration etc, with a super-light-weight "jacket" that matches for when situation requires.

I can't keep T-shirts - she sleeps in them.

We've lived on the boat for nine years now, the past seven outside of the US. From Mexico to New Zealand and islands between my wife has managed to find what's needed for the galley or for personal hygiene. The brands might change, we might have to wait for the next supply ship, we might switch to what the locals use, but it works out.

Cruising means leaving a lot of the old "stuff" in your wake.