Logistics as a Liveabord / World Cruiser

[heizer1]

Hi everybody,

first of all thank you very much for all the great and interesting information you provide in this forum, I'm a long-time un-registered reader an really enjoyed it.

At the moment me and my wife are planning a circumnavigation in about 2-3 years, eventually also living as digital nomads then.
So what could be a better preperation to watch all of these great youtube adventurers?

hat we hear those guys complaining a lot is when they need stuff from abroad shipped to their boat, could be spare parts, official mail, private belongings.... so often time things you need pretty fast and you're dependent on altough they are not heavy, super expensive orso.

So wondering if the community has also this problem and if you have any advise on how to solve that? I just thougt - outside of the pandemic there are so many people flying regular from, as an example, europe to carribbean islands, why not using them to carry you're stuff?

Appreciate any ideas and experiences, thank you very much
Timo

[LittleWing77]

One of the reasons people become cruisers/ liveaboards is that they seek a free, self-sufficient life. A side-effect of being free and self-sufficient is that no, other people can not be relied on to transport stuff for you.

We spent two weeks in Vanuatu once, waiting for a head gasket for our Volvo diesel to be shipped (via Fed Ex), then we hauled our engine, had it hanging in the saloon for a few days while we effected the repairs ourselves (with the help of a fellow cruiser).

At the risk of sounding trendy - suck it up buttercup. Stop watching YouTube; almost none of those "adventurers" could be characterized as great.

[grantmc]

Welcome to CF Timo. Do update your details so members know a little about you.
It's mostly unrealistic to have people carry things for you. Much is too heavy for airfreight anyway and just co-ordinating departures and arrivals might be unrealistic. And of course when cruising you're often having to manage on visitor's visas.
And there's often the problem of getting goods released from Customs, duty and local taxes.
Another issue you often don't have the flexibility of a vehicle to go and pick things up.

[seandepagnier]

I never waited on parts for the boat to be shipped to me. There are boats everywhere you can sail to, and so they have supplies for everything you need, even in backward parts of indonesia they had epoxy although it was a paste and not ideal for fiberglass repair it did work.


I sailed also to vanuatu. It is for sure an engine is not needed there or anywhere else. It always perplexes me when people have engine problems or wait for parts for them why they want to punish themselves like that. This australian spent 4 full days working on his in malaysia, when I was becalmed 20 minutes total sailing from there to usa. I tried to reason with him explaining he spent more time fixing that than it would possibly save him but although he agreed, he continues stubbornly why? It is for the same reason people use navionics instead of opencpn when opencpn has far more features. Same reason they choose windoze instead of linux operating system so their computer can spy on them. Same reason they use stainless steel rigging wire so they can pay more for something that will possibly break in the middle of the ocean and the mast falls down. None of these are good choices or the best option available, but people continue to do anyway making their lives harder because they refuse to try a different way. The list goes on:

bermuda vs junk rig
watermaker vs rain collection
generator vs solar panel
refrigerator vs sundry/pickle/canning
life raft vs unsinkable

if you choose the right option or at least switch to it you are less likely to get stuck

[Benz]

Please don't think that the YouTube bloggers represent an accurate picture of cruising life. They carefully curate and edit their videos so that you see what they want to present to you. Even a video of someone looking terrified in a squall while spray dashes against the dodger does not allow you to feel or know what it's like in that situation. A video cannot express to you the misery of a stuffy night in a swelly anchorage in the tropics, or the speed at which mold and critters can proliferate on the boat. There are all the things the videos show, of course (though in real life there's less booty--we're mostly slightly dumpy, unattractive people), but there's 95% other things--not all bad--that add up to make cruising what it is.
As to shipping things: I have waited for shipments only two or three times in all my cruising, and none of the shipments were essential. Books, once; a care package. I have known some who waited for parts for weeks and weeks, festering in a bad anchorage while hurricane season loomed--we chose to be self-sufficient or do without. It really crimps the style to wait around for packages. You get to know the places where mail is easily sent and Customs aren't a problem (Panama, for instance, rather than Colombia--neighbors geographically, but worlds apart for certain things), but it's best to order your cruising life so that you don't NEED things shipped to you.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Timo.

[valhalla360]

A few thoughts:
- Generally, if you get the kinks worked out before heading out, it's only occasionally, you need stuff shipped to you. So it's not a weekly problem. Usually with a bit of preplanning, you can schedule maintenance work in areas where it's relatively easy to get things shipped in.
- If you have friends visiting, they can be a good option if it's reasonable size. Had a friend bring a new water pump to us in Spain. It's not that we couldn't buy it in Spain but in Spain it was $800 vs $300 in the USA.
- If you are implying a business having random people carry stuff in their luggage, that gets tricky. Now the personal import exemptions don't apply as it's a commercial operation. You might fly under the radar for a while but once the authorities catch on, they likely won't be happy. You are effectively running a smuggling operation.
- Of course, a lot depends on where you are and what shipping method you use. If you are in a very remote area and try to save money using an off brand shipping company, much more likely things will get hung up and take longer. Best to check with others and see what methods they have had good luck with.

[Manateeman]

Nothing happens fast. That’s the whole point of voyages. More boats have been lost trying to make a timetable than for any other reason. Got to have the part fast and didn’t have a spare on board. That’s the norm. Fast repairs? LOL
We have far, far more spares and tools than most cruisers. Repairs always take more time and are more complex than they first appear.
Watching sailing blogs with Ken, Barbie and the cat ? It’s the digital Sunday Comics. You are going to be in for a rude awakening if you are planning a circumnavigation and think these blogs are representative of the sea conditions you will undoubtedly meet on ocean voyages.
Pay to go out on a commercial fishing vessel in weather they consider rough.
Just go sailing when everybody else is not. Practice getting into your Gumby suit in under a minute. It’s the only time you need to look at a clock.

Happy trails to you.
The manatee crew

[Jack C]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

I never waited on parts for the boat to be shipped to me. There are boats everywhere you can sail to, and so they have supplies for everything you need, even in backward parts of indonesia they had epoxy although it was a paste and not ideal for fiberglass repair it did work.


I sailed also to vanuatu. It is for sure an engine is not needed there or anywhere else. It always perplexes me when people have engine problems or wait for parts for them why they want to punish themselves like that. This australian spent 4 full days working on his in malaysia, when I was becalmed 20 minutes total sailing from there to usa. I tried to reason with him explaining he spent more time fixing that than it would possibly save him but although he agreed, he continues stubbornly why? It is for the same reason people use navionics instead of opencpn when opencpn has far more features. Same reason they choose windoze instead of linux operating system so their computer can spy on them. Same reason they use stainless steel rigging wire so they can pay more for something that will possibly break in the middle of the ocean and the mast falls down. None of these are good choices or the best option available, but people continue to do anyway making their lives harder because they refuse to try a different way. The list goes on:

bermuda vs junk rig
watermaker vs rain collection
generator vs solar panel
refrigerator vs sundry/pickle/canning
life raft vs unsinkable

if you choose the right option or at least switch to it you are less likely to get stuck

I love your post. Really makes sense.

[Adelie]

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Benz

Please don't think that the YouTube bloggers represent an accurate picture of cruising life. They carefully curate and edit their videos so that you see what they want to present to you. Even a video of someone looking terrified in a squall while spray dashes against the dodger does not allow you to feel or know what it's like in that situation. A video cannot express to you the misery of a stuffy night in a swelly anchorage in the tropics, or the speed at which mold and critters can proliferate on the boat. There are all the things the videos show, of course (though in real life there's less booty--we're mostly slightly dumpy, unattractive people), but there's 95% other things--not all bad--that add up to make cruising what it is.
As to shipping things: I have waited for shipments only two or three times in all my cruising, and none of the shipments were essential. Books, once; a care package. I have known some who waited for parts for weeks and weeks, festering in a bad anchorage while hurricane season loomed--we chose to be self-sufficient or do without. It really crimps the style to wait around for packages. You get to know the places where mail is easily sent and Customs aren't a problem (Panama, for instance, rather than Colombia--neighbors geographically, but worlds apart for certain things), but it's best to order your cruising life so that you don't NEED things shipped to you.

The OP asked about a real concern, and he is correct. Couple posters here just say, "oh, ok, redesign your boat or go without essentials like water, rigging, whatever, it will be just fine". Let's get on topic.

Realistically, you will sometimes need something large and heavy to be shipped to you. All cruising boats are a collection of complicated machinery which tends to break after a few years.

So to answer the OP's question, yes you can have friends or just some nice fellow cruisers bring in small parts for you. Parts that, unlike the other poster claims, are certainly not available easily in most parts of the world, at least where I want to cruise. We have had volunteers bring small parts for us - its a normal occurrence. You ask on the morning VHF net about where you might get something locally, and if someone very nice is listening he contacts you privately if he's planning a short trip back home. It's amazing how cruisers go out of their way to help.

But for the big heavy stuff, yes you can get anything shipped anywhere. Most of the cruisers who have been out there long enough have done this. We used MailboxesEtc in Panama to get a new transmission. Some other carrier to get a waterpump shipped to Mexico. Usually the US vendors have their own preferred way of shipping - they have done it before.

[HankOnthewater]

Similar to all the above replies...... Just treat Youtube videos for what they are: entertainment.

It takes a lot of time and effort to make those videos, so videos become slick and appealing. Like Netflix, Stan, Amazon, it is entertainment. A common reason for posting the videos, is that it can make money for them.
And the other reason is it might give the video makers (is "vloggers" the term for that?) a kick that their videos being watched. But NONE of the content is peer reviewed so to speak. Hehehe, unlike here on Cruisers Forum.

By all means watch as many videos as you like, the hard part is to distinguish between what are real and common scenarios, and what is made up or embellished, or...... what kind of things are left out. Hmmm, and many vloggers sprouting products because they getting paid for it. Just enjoy the videos as you would TV.

And of course ask any questions here on the forum. You will find many different opinions, that is OK, as there are many different kind of boats that sail in different seas and conditions. And really wacky ideas will always be questioned, hehehe and sometimes finding that even wacky ideas work for that person on his boat.
If someone sprouts a product, it is likely that he/she has that on his/her boat, and it is genuine ownership bias.

Anyway, a long way of saying "welcome to cruisers forum Heizer"

[Deep Blue Water]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

Same reason they choose windoze instead of linux operating system so their computer can spy on them

You've made many good points, however this is inaccurate - Windows doesn't spy on you - the software you opt to use (Facebook, "free" software, etc) does and it's independent of the Operating System. Many ports on the computer are open by default, however it's easy to close down the ones you don't need so nothing leaves your system other than what you expect, e.g. email and Internet browsing.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by heizer1

So what could be a better preperation to watch all of these great youtube adventurers?

Anything would be better than that!

[Benz]

Originally Posted by waterman46

The OP asked about a real concern, and he is correct. Couple posters here just say, "oh, ok, redesign your boat or go without essentials like water, rigging, whatever, it will be just fine". Let's get on topic.

Realistically, you will sometimes need something large and heavy to be shipped to you. All cruising boats are a collection of complicated machinery which tends to break after a few years.

So to answer the OP's question, yes you can have friends or just some nice fellow cruisers bring in small parts for you. Parts that, unlike the other poster claims, are certainly not available easily in most parts of the world, at least where I want to cruise. We have had volunteers bring small parts for us - its a normal occurrence. You ask on the morning VHF net about where you might get something locally, and if someone very nice is listening he contacts you privately if he's planning a short trip back home. It's amazing how cruisers go out of their way to help.

But for the big heavy stuff, yes you can get anything shipped anywhere. Most of the cruisers who have been out there long enough have done this. We used MailboxesEtc in Panama to get a new transmission. Some other carrier to get a waterpump shipped to Mexico. Usually the US vendors have their own preferred way of shipping - they have done it before.

I believe that it is on topic to urge the OP to minimize the need for shipped parts because that is often a huge hassle and holdup. A simple boat with simple systems will need less maintenance, thus less logistics. There are many different ways to get things brought, depending on location: some cruisers in Baja make "Part Runs" to San Diego by bus; the post office in Panama receives General Delivery US mail; so also do several post offices in the San Blas Islands. Colombia will hold you up for massive import duties; Jackson's shipping will bring things from Florida to Roatan, but they might get hung up in Guanaja--you get the picture. Anything is possible with enough money and patience (and know-how), but whichever way you slice it, getting stuff sent is a hassle.