Life Aboard a (Very) Small Sailboat in Scandinavia

[sabray]

Håll dig berättelserna din engelska är ganska bra. Du kanske vill prova Google Översätt och se om hur det fungerar

Keep up the stories your english is quite good. You may want to try google translate and see if how that works

[KillerBoo]

It´s been a while since the last update but it´s been a nice summer and I figure living on board a boat in these weather circumstances isn´t much different from any boating vacation.. so I haven´t bothered with the everyday issues that you all know anyway, from your own experiences

Anyway, since I first picked up the boat in the spring I have had a total of 10-12 nights in a bed ashore and the rest on the boat. I never slept very well when away and I´m still "enjoying the hell out of me". Yes, of course there had been days when I´ve said to myself: "What the fck are you doing here?" But I said that very same thing to myself 3-4 days per week before I launched this little "project" so it´s really nothing to pay any attention to. It´s mainle when it´s rained for a week or so straight, that I´ve wanted away. You know, dripping wet clothes and anything else that makes anyone feel miserable. But once I did go away -even for a night- I couldn´t get back soon enough. I´ve realized that not everyday is sunshine and happy thoughts but hey.. life isn´t all that fun all the time regardless of what you do, where you live and who you are. I used to be a geek when it came to stuff.. if it´s electronic and goes "beep" I wanted it. Now, I´m satisfied with what makes life easier. I dont need 3 TVs, nor do I need 4 computers, 3 cell phones or mile long shelves filled w books I´ve read at least twice. All I need to do is to look around myself. A new back yard every day if that´s what I want. New neighbors every day too.. again if I want them. If not.. there are plenty of islands with no boats moored. I´m lucky and I know it.

I installed the shore power system a while back and I have now made some additions with outlets here and there, an oil filled 230V radiator in the cabin and a heater fan for those days that will be extra cold. The meth stove will make room for a 230V ditto during the time I will be "frozen in" and I have bought a tiny 230V oven.

Over time I have met problems, dealt with them and moved on. most of the time the simplest solutions proved to be the best ones: Fishing gear hanging from the roof, A lot of space allocated for the unused sails will be free once I get the furler. Wardrobes nowadays only contain about a weeks supply of clothes, the rest of them are packed down in bags and cases stowed away from everyday space. It´s all about planning. Now I know exactly where what is so after a week I but the dirty clothes in one bag, refill with clean ones and I´m good to go again. After 3 weeks -maybe 4 in wintertime- I do the washing up thing and so it goes.
I used to have things packed by item but found it was easier to store by "week" or time if you know what I mean? It was absolute hell to have to open stowage after stowage to get t-shirts here, undies there etc etc.

After having done a few rougher trips with stuff everywhere as a result, I have attached cargo nets to the shelves. Maybe not the most elegant solution, but it works, and it cost practically nothing. The things stay in place even at the toughest angles. The TV is in permanent place, with a swinging wall mount. It´s strapped down to the wall when sailing, and swings out when I wanna watch it.

Me and my brother-in-law have a tradition to do an annual trip every fall. Sometimes in a tent by a small lake, sometimes in their caravan and this year in my boat.
We started out in 17 m/s, very rough sea and total darkness and rain on a friday night. 110% genoa and reefed down main gave us quite a ride. I´m still not all that experienced when it comes to sailing, but the Maxi is a sturdy boat that rarely gives you any unpleasant surprises so it was never uncomfortable in any way. The weather cleared up and we had a wonderful 4 days out. My dad passed away 2 weeks ago and this trip was in his memory. We followed that same trail that I used to do with my father when I was a kid. From my marina, to the small bay where we had the summer house, further more east towards the northeast most sity at the shores of Vanern, called Kristinehamn, where we bought that same kind of sausage we used to do some 35 years ago, completed with my fathers favorite vodka, Smirnoff. A trip I wouldn´t have wanted undone for anything.

Now, everyone, tell me what I have forgotten on my checklist for the "ice age"
1) I will place a frost guard in the engine room so I dont have to do anything with the raw water inlet to the engine
2) Same thing with the outlet for the sink, a 60W lightbulb next to the outlet would probably prevent this from being clogged with ice, right?
3) Mast will remain on, not releasing any of the tension to the rigging?
4) cock pit drain will be closed unless I can find a cock pit tent soon enough, and same will go with the valve for this: A frostguard will be installed in the stern stowage compartment where the cockpit drain exits through the hull. Necessarry or not?
5) Anything else I need to think about?

Fair winds, now I´m off sailing

[KillerBoo]

And here are the repliest to whe questions I made:
1) Probably a good idea, even tho antifreeze in the valve would do the job too

2) I did this the first year, but haven´t bothered the last few.

3) I would leave the mast on yes, and not slacking the rig either to avoid pumping in the autumn storms

4) FIND A TENT, its priceless with the extra space you will get. As for the frost guard, it´s a good idea. Also, you could avoid all these things with a simple pump in the water, to keep open water around your boat.

5) Nothing that comes to my mind at the time

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by sabray

Håll dig berättelserna din engelska är ganska bra. Du kanske vill prova Google Översätt och se om hur det fungerar

Keep up the stories your english is quite good. You may want to try google translate and see if how that works

Hell no, Google translate is even worse than I am Also, there´s a lot of stuff that´s of no interest here -mostly small comments and off-topic stuff- that I can sort out if I translate manually

[KillerBoo]

It will be interesting to see how well I have succeeded in winterizing the boat as the cold gets closer. So far it´s mainly been positive to live aboard. A few nights spent with friends or at my sister and her hubby didn´t exactly blow my mind and made me long for an apartment. But, I imagine, there will come a day when I question my choice, i.e. when the quicksilver drops to 25-30 below zero C, but I´ll deal with that when it´s time. At least I have a good deal with the marina, which let´s me use "all the power I want" so I wont have to freeze my ass off regardless of temp. If worse comes to worse, I´ll get another heating fan in addition to those I already have: 2x 1200W plus an oil filled 500W radiator. To this I also have the 4.2KW dieselheater and also invested in a 4KW LPG heater to use under the cockpit tent (that still has to be aquired). Nah, I wont freeze

[KillerBoo]

A small update with what I have done to prepare for the cold days to come:

* The hull is completely isolated along w wardrobes and stowage compts
* Flooring and berths also isolated along with heating under matresses
* A 60W light bulb has been installed at every valve that goes through hull
* An extra radiator has been aquired and installed in the bow sleeping area
* Cockpit tent purchased, geez it really gave me an extra room.
* A garden like box will have its place in cockpit to store anchor, ropes etc
* All summer gear now stored with my sister and winter clothes etc aboard
* Cockpit lighting arranged
* Engine winterized, with oil changed and antifreeze checked
* Furler is ordered, and will be installed before winter comes.
* Winter pass-time like auto pilot, plotter, VHF ordered from the US
* Fuel tank drained and refilled along with anti bacteria fluid (Grotamar)
* 5 degrees below freeze outside tonight, 23 C inside on low heat makes me confident I wont freeze to death.

I guess in a way I´m sick.. almost longing for the winter. Still there are at least 5-6 weeks of good sailing left on this season.

[aegean adrift]

Thank you KillerBoo! Will be following this now ...

[KillerBoo]

I´ve had some mixed reactions to my choice, now when the time has come that most boats are out of the water, and people really can see I´m serious about this. It´s been everything from "You must be insane" to "I wish I had your determination and guts to go ahead with it" And everything in between of course

I still have no regrets. Sure the Maxi isnt the biggest boat but that too has it advantages: I don´t have to run myself tired to move from one place to another

Almost looking forward to my first christmas on board. My sister will make some of the food for me since I don´t have all the facilities to make the christmas specials. Christmas itself will be spent shared between my sister and my ex mother in law, so I get to see the kids. (They have been around much btw, but not as frequent as when it was summer and warm enough to take a swim) Hard to say if I´ve seen more or less of the kids cos of my choice to live aboard. I have no intention of finding out though haha.

In reply to a question about the costs:
I´ve never been to keen on budgets etc, keeping records just isnt my thing but as i said earlier, I am lucky enough to have a good deal with the marina so it´s cheap enough I´ll try to make an estimate though:
Marina, incl shore power, water, and garbage collecting 2K SEK (appx 350 USD) for the entire year

Laundry: Free (I collect it and dump it at my sister and sometimes my ex
haha)

Food: I have never ever calculated on food, but sure.. probably en extra pizza now and then, compared to before.

Boat insurance: The cost is the same regardless of the fact that I´m in water all year round. Dont remember exact sum, but around 2K SEK per year, incl all the extra stuff I have insured that´s not covered normally.

LPG for the heater in the cockpit tent is about 150 SEK/month (appx 20 USD)

One service lift and winterizing with radiators, isolation etc totalled maybe 4K SEK, but those things are bought and paid for when the next winter comes.. and the next.. so I´m not really sure what the annual cost will be

All in all, so far its cheaper than anything else, but above all: It´s freedom, it´s great and it´s my LIFE I play poker to make a living and even tho it wont make me fat, it keeps me alive, and I have no worries about not being able to pay bills.... I love it

I´ve bought a PS3 unit so now I can´t wait for my youngest boy to come here so I can kick his *** at Tekken 5

Gadgets etc: The worst chase after gadgets calmed down after a while: Soon I came to realize that if I dont NEED it for one reason or another, it´s not really necessarry to get it... I have the basic: TV, Laptop, Playstation, Internet and a lot of fishing gear.. what else can one ask for? Water boiler and coffemaker are 2 things I can´t live without too.

Hot running water is on my wish list, but with a water boiler it´s not something I think too much about. Sure, a bit bigger boat would maybe allow me to shower inside, but I rigged a water bag in the cockpit, and with the LPG heater on max, its possible to shower there, thos days I don´t ant to bother going to the common area w showers at the marina.

Sure, I don´t keep 8 pans, 7 whippers, or 12 plates but what I have is enough to cook and eat for 5 persons. I had all the kids here once this summer.. so we were 5 ppl AND the 40kg flatcoated retriever for 3 nights. It worked even though some logistics are necessarry

[KillerBoo]

My christmas presents to myself arrived today

Standard Horizon CPF180, plotter/fishfinder combo
Raymarine VHF
Raymarine ST1000 autopilot

A happy surprise too, was that the company I got the things from had marked the package as "Gift" and downsized the value AND giftwrapped the stuff inside so customs had opened and closed the package w/o charging customs fees and VAT. Saved me a bit of money (28% or so.) Total cost was half of what it would have been if I had bought it in Sweden
Will be fun to install and play with during those cold dark winter nights to come.

I have also mounted a furler. Went with a budget thing that allowed me to use my sails without changes. If it works it does, and if not it really was so cheap I can afford to throw it away and get a Furlex or Plastimo. So far it´s been fine though, but sailing season is almost over (first snow has come and gone) so I´ll use nest summer to evaluate. I got the furler from Välkommen till Rullfock.se! if anyone has any experiences from it, I´d appreciate some comments.

[KillerBoo]

It´s chrrrristmas tiiiime tralalala lalalaaaa..
Oh well, maybe not just yet, but I´ve started the decorating..

[KillerBoo]

My camera isnt the best of cameras... so, when it´s dark and no flash is used the pictures do get a bit crappy.. but at least it´s cosy. Picture shows the cockpit under the tent, with the LPG heater on

[KillerBoo]

Some interior pics. It´s not a castle. Not a mansion. It´s not even a cottage or a cabin but it´s my home and I like it there.

[KillerBoo]

A before and after pic of the galley and an exterior of the christmas edittion of Casa De KillerBoo, better known as Moon Race

[KillerBoo]

Just recovered from the "Bacon Fever" (This is what we called the last flu, quite nasty, but have no idea what its called in english, some international flu anyway)
4 days in horisontal position, with a fever that made me see ghosts and shiver all day long. Today I managed to get out of bed, and took a "sauna" in the cockpit. all electrical heaters, along with the LPG-heater gave m close to 80 degrees C which allowed me to sweat out a lot of nastiness. Well, I survived a flu that took some lives and I did it in a 7.7 meter boat If it doesnt kill you etc..

I just pray I don´t get a stomach flu too though.. THAT would be far from fun.

[KillerBoo]

The first layer of ice has come and gone.. On Lucia (swedish thing to celebrate??) I motored out to a small island nearby for a mug of hot Glögg (a swedish version of Gluhwein) All alone and with a wintery landscape it made me calm and satisfied with life.