Want to join our crew?

In our first year and half of full-time cruising we haven't had any overnight visitors, but that could be changing soon!

When we lived in marinas we had a few friends that would spend a night here and there, grandma joined us for a few days underway on the Chesapeake Bay (she's adventurous!), and there was that one time where my sisters and families joined us for a 10-person overnight trip to Poulsbo, WA, but since 2019 it's just been the four of us. Why? Well, four people and all their belongings and food takes up a lot of space and a lot of boat resources (water, power, waste, etc.) on a 39' boat, and probably the biggest reason--LOGISTICS. But as our 2nd Mate prepares to leave us to study abroad for almost a year, leaving a whole cabin empty, the remainder of the crew has discussed sharing this life with some of our friends and family, whether solo or as a couple. 

The crew, August 2021-June 2022

What attributes would our ideal guest(s) have?

1. Be available. If there is a specific place (say, Acadia National Park, NYC, St. Augustine, the Berry Islands, the Exumas, etc.) you want to experience as a guest cruiser, you need to be able to travel there in the season we will be there. Retired, a digital nomad, or unemployed? Great! Only have a week of vacation and willing to join us wherever we are? Great! Only have one week of vacation and want to visit Bahamas in the summer? Not-so great. 

2. Be flexible (travel). There's a saying among cruisers, "You can pick a time or you can pick a place, but not both." Whether we are traveling in the U.S. or especially when we are in another country, our guests MUST be flexible. Once we plan to meet up with someone we will do our best to get the boat to the agreed meet-up, but weather and mechanical issues happen. If you can't go with the flow or spring for an unexpected night in a hotel, this is probably not for you. 

3. Pack small. Suitcases have no business on a boat! Whatever bag you bring will likely "live" in your bed with you, so small and flexible is best. If you're the master of traveling with only a backpack or carry-on, you'll do great on a sailboat! We also do laundry by hand, so bringing a wardrobe of swimwear, merino wool, capilene, bamboo, and quick-dry items will make the resident laundress happy.

4. Be flexible (activities) and adventurous. We are an active crew. We can have a rough plan of what we will do while you are on board, but weather drives EVERYTHING out here. Or maybe once you're here, you'll change your mind about what you want to do! We don't offer a glossy pamphlet of promised experiences. We are currently sitting in George Town, Exuma in the Bahamas in the middle of a 5-day blow. We know some boats that had guests join them right at the beginning of this. THAT is experiencing true cruising life for sure! Ideal crew aren't looking for lounge chairs and rum drinks, but rather hiking, snorkeling, fishing, and cultural immersion (and THEN rum drinks/beers), and they aren't afraid of getting dirty or salty.

5. Use a marine head. Ah, this one may be the deal-breaker for many...it was for one of my daughter's friends! The "guest" head on Lehe Paine is a manual, hand-pumped toilet that feeds to a blackwater tank. While gents are welcome to use the urinal on the leeward rail, there won't be trips ashore just so you can use a "real" toilet or dig a #2 hole on an island when nature calls. Nope. Not happening. If the manual head really freaks you out, you can opt for the composting toilet in the forward head, but I suspect that may be even less cool for some folks. 

6. Conserve water. Depending on where we are, this isn't a huge deal (we pretty easily make water in the Bahamas), but this is not the land of Hollywood showers. In fact, if you've served on a DDG or FFG in the Navy or are a current boater or RV’er, you've pretty much passed this wicket! We do cook, take showers, and do laundry on board so it's not like you'll be totally roughing it, but this is the time to bring out your super eco-friendly side.

7. Eat my cooking (and hopefully enjoy it!). Our menu spans American, Italian, Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean, and Indian cuisines, and I like to hit them all to keep it interesting. Some days are a simple grilled meat with rice and veggies, others are homemade hummus and veggies served with fresh naan. I can work with vegetarians (we are a 50-50 veg-meat crew at present), but rice, pasta, and bread are definitely part of the menu, especially when our fresh produce is running low (sorry, Keto folks!). I'm not the best cook, but I try. Breakfast is just coffee, maybe some eggs or oatmeal, and lunch is usually pretty simple, too. But sunset cocktails and a nice dinner usually round out the day. Oh, and you must like garlic! I was challenged while staying with my friend to not use onions in my cooking as she didn't like them--that was hard! Trent would mutiny if I didn't use garlic and he uses plenty when he cooks, so...

8. Don't smoke. That's a deal-breaker on our end. Certainly not on the boat, but also not ashore unless it's on your way to the airport to fly home. Can't deal with the stench! 

9. Be willing to help out. Whether it's taking a turn at the helm, carrying groceries, showing up with a part we need, holding that obscure boat part at an uncomfortable angle while we fix something, chopping veg with me before dinner, or letting Trent beat the crap out of you on some game on the Xbox, your help will be much appreciated!

10. Be fun and easy-going! Anyone that stays with us will be slammed right into our family life. It's close living--we will share routines, jokes, frustrations, potty humor--but surprisingly we all are able to have our own space. Be willing to share the blissful, sunny days along with the dreary, rainy days and you will fit right in with our crew. 

So what do you say friends and family? Do you have what it takes to join our crew?

Want to join us?

Some galley magic (I try!)

The fun

~ Jo, 1st Mate (with significant input from Frank & Trent)