Must Haves

[alana9573]

OK I have given this some thought here and I totally know this is the next chapter in my life.

Here is my question for you guys, well especially women.

What is your essential must haves for surviving on a boat. If you were to crew on other boats and you knew you had to pack light what is it you just have to have to get by?? I want to know the best sunblock and other vital necessities like that. How do you keep your hair from getting dried out and things such as that.

[Kokanee]

Cut it off and put it in a sealed bag?

Sorry - but hair products aren't on my Must Haves list for surviving on a boat..

[Cuttyhunk]

Ok, this is for crewing on other boats or going with my hubby on that 1 1/2 day tuna trip we did last summer with 30 guys and me…or on our own boat on our various adventures:

1) My PLB -- I have an ACR Resqlink+
2) A sharp knife
3) Good foulies… for warm weather, I have an NRS kayaking jacket and LL Bean windpants. The windpants are so-so for the water, and I think a pair of Grunden's are in my near future.
4) I separate a couple of sets of t-shirt, undies and socks, each day's worth in a ziploc bag -- this is so when I get hopelessly wet and miserable, I have something dry to change into when I get a chance. Just knowing I have these is enough to let me soldier on.
5) a facecloth or two or three. Um, you can get really dirty on a passage.
6) A hat with a brim wide enough to shield me from the sun, but not so wide that the wind catches it all the time. Also good sunglasses. I am old now and just got my first pair of polarized bifocal sunglasses!

As far as sunblock, I am partial to Neutrogena. i have some spf 55 liquid for my face first thing in the am, and various other strengths of the water resistant cream versions. I find having several of them is good, because I want to be able to apply it several times a day. Also a thin beach towel is very useful, both for toweling and for putting over my legs when I am out in the sun for long periods of time. I burn easily. You want a thin one so it will dry quickly.

Advice for any woman on a boat with a head: Learn how to use it; if it's your boat, learn how to repair it. Learn what you can toss down it and what you can't. Gross though this may sound, it may be that you have to flush your feces before you use any TP, so that you get one part of the load through before the next and don't overtax everything. Also, get used to using maybe three little squares of TP max every time you use it. (Now you get why having multiple facecloths can come in handy.) And if the boat uses fresh water to flush (which makes everything smell less bad), be careful how much you use to flush. You can go through a lot of water with that head without realizing it. I am seriously considering changing to a composting head to simplify much of the above.

Another must have for me on any boat of mine is a propane stove. No alcohol, or any other lame thing. I have gas at home and I want gas on the boat. Cooks fast. I also have two pressure cookers that I bought over 20 years ago when going cruising the first time. They still work (I have replaced gaskets). A Swiss Kuhn-Rikon and a French T-Fal. Great for cooking in the tropics.

[gjordan]

Instead of extra face clothes ,Take a package of baby wipes. Use for the same purpose on adults as babies. They work good for a quick wipe of salt off of your face also, without trying to remember if that face cloth was used for the other end already. 2 Cents worth. _____Grant.

[alana9573]

Originally Posted by Kokanee

Cut it off and put it in a sealed bag?

Sorry - but hair products aren't on my Must Haves list for surviving on a boat..

Sorry you may feel that way but cutting it off is a no go thank you very much. I'm sure I can come up with something

Originally Posted by bethflkys

1) My PLB -- I have an ACR Resqlink+
2) A sharp knife
3) Good foulies… for warm weather, I have an NRS kayaking jacket and LL Bean windpants. The windpants are so-so for the water, and I think a pair of Grunden's are in my near future.
4) I separate a couple of sets of t-shirt, undies and socks, each day's worth in a ziploc bag -- this is so when I get hopelessly wet and miserable, I have something dry to change into when I get a chance. Just knowing I have these is enough to let me soldier on.
5) a facecloth or two or three. Um, you can get really dirty on a passage.
6) A hat with a brim wide enough to shield me from the sun, but not so wide that the wind catches it all the time. Also good sunglasses. I am old now and just got my first pair of polarized bifocal sunglasses!

As far as sunblock, I am partial to Neutrogena. i have some spf 55 liquid for my face first thing in the am, and various other strengths of the water resistant cream versions. I find having several of them is good, because I want to be able to apply it several times a day. Also a thin beach towel is very useful, both for toweling and for putting over my legs when I am out in the sun for long periods of time. I burn easily. You want a thin one so it will dry quickly.

Advice for any woman on a boat with a head: Learn how to use it; if it's your boat, learn how to repair it. Learn what you can toss down it and what you can't. Gross though this may sound, it may be that you have to flush your feces before you use any TP, so that you get one part of the load through before the next and don't overtax everything. Also, get used to using maybe three little squares of TP max every time you use it. (Now you get why having multiple facecloths can come in handy.) And if the boat uses fresh water to flush (which makes everything smell less bad), be careful how much you use to flush. You can go through a lot of water with that head without realizing it. I am seriously considering changing to a composting head to simplify much of the above.

Another must have for me on any boat of mine is a propane stove. No alcohol, or any other lame thing. I have gas at home and I want gas on the boat. Cooks fast. I also have two pressure cookers that I bought over 20 years ago when going cruising the first time. They still work (I have replaced gaskets). A Swiss Kuhn-Rikon and a French T-Fal. Great for cooking in the tropics.

Some great advice thanks!!

Originally Posted by gjordan

Instead of extra face clothes ,Take a package of baby wipes. Use for the same purpose on adults as babies. They work good for a quick wipe of salt off of your face also, without trying to remember if that face cloth was used for the other end already. 2 Cents worth. _____Grant.

lol and soooo true I think I will bring a couple of pkgs of these just for that case. Lord knows I have used a lot of these in one way or another during my life.

[bobconnie]

First and formost! A boat that floats well!

[alana9573]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

First and formost! A boat that floats well!

lol I'll make sure to get on that. Unfortunately I'm not planing on getting my own anytime soon. As of now I'm looking for crewing with others to get more experience. I have been talking with people and right now I'm in the process of packing up and selling off my current life and looking to start my new one around the first of the year.

[mub]

This is a man's perspective of what the 4 women in my family find essential..

All the above..

Bulk pack hair scrunchies. If the wind doesn't tangle hair life is easier.
Conditioner. I figure on half a litre a week ( for all of them ). No i don't know what they do with it either! But they do have very fizzy hair.
A good understanding of the hot water tank capacity so that you can have your shower and use all the hot water. And an uncanny ability to know when there is enough hot water to have the next shower.

The next two are more sailing specific...
The ability to txt/facebook with friends/boyfriend at any heal angle.
Leecloths. (Or me depending on which woman it is ).

Mub

[carstenb]

Are you going blue water? or only coastal sailing? Big difference in what you pack (big difference in how adverse you are to cutting your hair too).

Coastal sailing, you'll have opportunities to bathe, if nothing else using a solar shower (you can buy and pack one of these yourself). Bluewater - a salt water wash with a half liter of fresh water to rinse in, may be all you get).

[goboatingnow]

having three women in my life , ( wife + 2D). I think Im a reasonable expert on whats needed.

If in warm waters, then I find all you need is an outdoor shower of cool fresh water, rarely the hot shower gets used. showers by diktat are kept to 3 minutes ( +- argument )

The girls tend to use a combination of high factor suncream, often the factor 20 liquid stuff and then a general moisturiser or after sun, Its mainly the wind thats the killer for dryness

after that baby wipes are a boaters best friend. A strict understand of marine heads and the fact that most have grown up on the boat has ensured only two head blockages in 20 years.


After that no one bothers too much about how they look, of course if you have daughters and they start to go out to local "joints" , then all bets are off and any attempts at control above fade to nothing……


Cold water sailing , no girls , just lads, beer, assorted out of date food, foulies that WHO have banned etc. great fun.

Dave

Dave

[Prairie Chicken]

You might check out the wet TP instead of the baby wipes. I suspect it's less expensive. Great follow-up to paper TP for the messy jobs. Those go in the garbage bag and not down the head. We "Must Have" these on board.

Our boat also has a selection of various strengths of Piz Bruin sun screens. I've found it by far the best sunscreen I've ever used. So effective it does not require frequent reapplications (effective for 6-7 hours), which reduces the pain of the initial cost. It is also a really good moisturizer. My skin always feels better in the summer when I'm using lots of Piz Bruin. It isn't cheap but I believe it's good value. It's not available in Canada; I don't know about the US or Caribbean.

Zip Locks of course for not only food but all sorts of things.

[Cuttyhunk]

I use baby wipes here in the US, where there is a trash can avaliable everywhere. In the Bahamas out islands, where you have to burn your trash, I'd rather use something I can wash out. The amount of trash we generate in a long weekend aboard here in New England is, well, too much for a month down island.

[Kenomac]

Fresh water! Women go through copius amounts of fresh water even when they try to conserve. Carry lots of fresh water or have the ability to make enough... at least twice what you think you'll need.

[zeehag]

hahahahaha as for women using so much fresh water...rodlmffao..i use exactly 85 gallons oif fresh water in 6 months.... i guess to a guy that may be considered a lot.
AND i have long hair i wont cut..rodlmffao.
dont forget i AM out here

baby wipes are great....except in mexico they smell like baby butt....pew baby powder smell and strong....tp smells like apple...egads....

[JPA Cate]

Some skippers have ways of having you on a water usage allowance. Try to save enough of your daily allotment to be able to wash your long hair once a week. Try to learn in advance how to conserve the resources of the boat in question: the skippers will invite you back.

Plan to take what you need for the time involved, but plan on 1/3 the bathing.