Reworking a dream

[brookiesailor]

Steady Hand,

Our new budget is $100,000 cash or down payment. We have two kids in college next year and so a lesser down payment and financing is actually a better scenario for us.

Thanks for the idea of the trawler but I am not a big fan of the engine. My favorite moments in sailing are when you cut the engine and peacefully glide through the water.... There will be a point in time when we get there but it is not yet and I want to sail for as long as I can.





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[Schooner Chandlery]

Ah--I have to confess that for the first 5 years aboard we had a washer/dryer (with it's own pressure pump though we don't have pressure water) as we had space for it and already owned it for use in the apartment we rented while rebuilding the boat. It bit the dust last year and we've not bothered to replace it while we're coastal cruising. Having used it for the 2 years ashore and 5 years on the boat--I can say we never used the internal heater in it nor did we use the dryer function. Water doesn't need to be hot for clothes to get clean--though certainly the people need warm water (we heat a pot on the stovetop and put a warm mixture in the solar shower if we're not in warm weather.)

About washers on passage--if you have room for them, and power to support it, it's a nice and relatively simple thing compared to so many complex equipment that people choose to have aboard. Rarely is there space though. In our case, the boat had a huge CO2 storage closet for a fire protection system (remember pre-WWII) that no longer exists. We flip coins over whether to replace the washer or not. We will eventually but no hurry. In the meanwhile, upon the advice of a very experienced hand-washing cruiser, we've picked up a wringer and do our wash in a tub. It's a togetherness activity for my husband and I on the foredeck when we're anchored. When we're in a marina, we use a laundry mat.