FAQ for potential Flying Pig Visitors
How is life aboard Flying Pig different from my life ashore?
1: Flying Pig is a boat. Aside from times in the boatyard, where it's up on
stilts on shore, it's in constant motion. This takes some getting used to, but
most accommodate it very well.
2: "Local" transportation is by dinghy, a small inflatable boat. Depending on
weather conditions, sometimes we get wet going from the boat to any other
location. It's also nowhere near as fast as your car, so it takes longer.
Despite its small size and related small motor, the mileage on the dinghy is
far worse than the worst clunker you'll have ever driven, so frequent fillups
of the 6-gallon tank are needed during high activity periods. And, lest you be
worried, we've frequently carried 5 or six adults aboard the dinghy, so it's
not THAT small!
3: Electricity and water are not delivered through a pipe and wire, in as much
volume as you care to pay for; we have to make our own electricity, and carry
our water. In many locations, water is either unavailable, or we have to carry
it in via jugs, and, while in some areas it's free, most of the time we have to
pay for it. Electricity is stored in massive batteries, and has to be generated
to replace what's used. Accordingly, in both cases, we're extremely
conservative in what we use. See What Might I Not Like About Life Aboard Flying
Pig? below.
4: Accomodations, for a boat, are generous, but very small by home standards.
The best place on the boat for sleeping in "normal" (not rough seas) weather is
in what's called the VEE berth, so called because of its shape. It's a 7-foot
equilateral triangle, and accomodates most "normal" sized couples handily,
though, of necessity, the feet tend to be touching sometimes. Ventilation up
front, being faced into the wind most of the time at anchor, is the best in
that cabin. Better yet, it's got an 8" Tempur-Pedic mattress, described by many
of our guests as the best sleeping they've ever encountered, including having
back pain disappear. Secondary accommodations, for times when it might be too
rough for comfort (the front of the boat moves the most, in all
motion-sensitive conditions) are in the saloon, what boat people call their
family room/dining room/living room, in a pull-out double (48"x79" and tapering
to less at the foot). This is the best place for sleeping in rough conditions,
as it's nearly in the center of the boat, and has the least motion of any space
aboard.
5: Bathroom and shower space is combined. Nearly everything on a boat which is
expected to get water in it is waterproof, so the marine toilet and sink occupy
the shower space as well. As it's "imported"/stored water, see #3 above for
reference, fresh water showers are rare, so getting the "rest" of the space wet
usually isn't of any issue, and when it IS used for showering, a squeegie and
washcloth make all dry again. Being a marine head, it's got a smaller than
household seat, and there are some issues about its use which are different
from at home, which will be discussed in "What Might I Not Like About Life
Aboard Flying Pig?" below.
6: Refrigerator and freezer space is limited, and uses the power we so
jealously conserve. Accordingly, the amount of food which can be stored is less
than at home. Likewise, as it's not a household refrigerator/freezer, with its
unlimited power supply and auto-defrost mechanisms, openings are limited to as
few as possible. That said, cold stuff stays very cold, and frozen stuff stays
hard frozen.
7: "Closet" space is a misnomer. Every boat has challenges with storage, of
every sort, and, aside from the VEE, every otherwise-hanging space has been
converted into shelves-type storage aboard. While there IS a closet in the VEE,
storing typical checked hard luggage is nearly impossible, unless you want to
sleep with it. So, soft luggage which can be rolled, stuffed, compressed, or
otherwise compacted into flexible spaces is the order of the day.
8: For many reasons, we don't have a washer and dryer aboard, though some do.
Therefore, you can't just dump in a load and retrieve your clean laundry in a
while. Pretty much, what you bring goes back dirty with you.
9: Space aboard, while generous for most sailboats, is very much less than
landside living spaces. "Excuse me" because you need to get by someone while
going from "here" to "there" aboard is common. Nevertheless, our home was
designed originally as a charter boat, and in its original configuration, could
manage 11 people for sleeping (5 of those spaces have been converted to other
uses, now) and meals. Still, spaces are sometimes close for those accustomed to
multi-digit feet distances between them and other objects or people.
10: Because of #s 1, 4 and 9, not only will it make your life easier, but,
under way, safer, if everything not in active use is stored and secured. If you
trip over it, or, worse, it flies off where ever it was put and hits you, it's
a safety hazard to have stuff lying out in the open. That means we'll be "neat
nazis" about stuff left out when it's not being used.
11: We have neither TV nor broadband internet connectivity aboard, though we
frequently will have an excellent connection to the internet. Therefore,
there's none of the shoreside mind-numbers available.
So, that's about it for the major differences from shore to our home.
What Might I Not Like About Life Aboard Flying Pig?
1: Everything's more expensive than it is at home. That's because everything
must be flown in, boated in, or hand-carried, many times all three, to get it
from - for example, the US or Europe or elsewhere - source to destination. In
addition, most countries have no tax on purchases of any sort, so duties are
added to everything which comes in. That makes it difficult - usually
impossible - for merchants of all descriptions to provide the variety,
freshness, and affordability that most Americans take for granted. Generally
speaking, you can expect, WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE, that food, gasoline, clothing,
marine supplies, repair parts, souvenirs, yada, yada, will cost a minimum of
half again to as much as triple what you'd find stateside.
2: Food, in general: Because of #1, as much as possible, we bring what we can.
As we don't expect to be in the US again with our home (though we may visit
from time to time via air transport, provisioning by carrying-back stuff is
either impractical or impossible), eventually even what we have brought will be
used up. However, things that do well with long-term storage and take up a
minimum of space are basic staples to life aboard. Thus, fresh vegetables (see
above about availability and cost), most meats (ditto), and some other
foodstuffs taken for granted at home are many times unavailable, frequently
unstorable, and, always, much more expensive. So, we do lots of pasta, legumes,
rice and the like, along with PBJs. In the proper conditions (cooler weather,
calm seas), we bake fresh bread. Milk is made from freeze-dried; we enjoy it,
but you may not. Soft drinks, OJ, beer and other commercial beverages, when
available, are cold, but we can't carry very much stock; we drink mostly water
or lemonade/Gatorade made from lemon juice/Gatorade powder and water. When we
succeed at it (not nearly as often as we'd like) we very much enjoy fresh
(like, swimming an hour ago) fish, conch or other shellfish when we can find
it, and the Caribbean equivalent of lobster (no claws). In any event, likely
our diet will not be what you're accustomed to at home. While we don't ask our
guests to contribute to our costs of having them here, we also don't change our
lifestyles to accommodate their preferences. Some of our guests prefer to
provision (stock up on food for the voyage) to their taste on arrival, and
we'll then eat what it is they've provided, or to take us out to meals ashore,
but it's not required other than to suit your preferences. We can eat what we
normally do, or you can change that to suit your preferences. See #1 for impact
:)
3: Because fresh water is at such a premium both in amount we can carry,
availability/difficulty of transport and/or cost, we normally bathe in the sea.
We have salt-water friendly soap which lathers and rinses well in salt water,
and we've found that if you dry immediately after getting out from your rinse,
you don't get the salt stickies/residue from the salt water. We reserve those
towels for salt water use.
4: Similarly, we wash and rinse our dishes/cooking utensils in salt water (we
have a salt water tap in the kitchen sink), then rinse with fresh. They get
clean, and are rinsed, but it takes an additional step. Ditto for handwashing
(cleaning your hands, that is!). In addition, generally speaking, if there's
not something under the water stream being either filled or rinsed, we'll want
you to close the faucet. However, re: #s 3&4, we do carry a substantial amount
of fresh water, and in areas where there is a ready and easy (at a cost,
usually) supply, where, when we run out (it always does, eventually) it can be
simply refilled, if our guests want to provide it, we alter our salt-water
bathing/fresh-water use to as-you-like.
5: Electricity has to be made, and the storage (huge battery bank) we have
available, while ample under careful management, is finite. If the sun's not
brilliant (we have solar panels) and the wind piping (wind generator), we
sometimes have to run a small portable generator to replenish our electricity.
In addition to the cost and noise of that generation, if the batteries run down
too much before recharging, they're damaged. To limit the amount of electricity
needed, nearly all the lighting aboard is either high-efficiency fluorescent or
LED spot-lighting. You may not enjoy those lighting levels. In addition, we
limit electricity use to only as-needed. If you're not sitting under it, we'll
want you to turn off the light, for example. Sort of like your parents' "Turn
the light off when you leave the room" on steroids.
6: Limited space makes for strange bedfellows, so to speak. In addtion, the
foregoing may be a bit like camping for some folks - similar, perhaps to
RV'ing, other than the limitation that you can't just walk out the door and go
someplace else - and if you're not accustomed to it, it can be challenging.
Physical, mental and noise space is limited. You may find that uncomfortable.
That said, you have your own cabin, and, in settled weather, lots of space on
deck or on the platform at the stern of the boat, so you CAN "get away" from
others.
7: While there's not the always-on TV noise and distractions of the typical
shore life home, there are other noises present aboard. While we do what we can
to minimize it, "halyard slap" (a line hitting the mast, making a noise), wind,
sometimes, the aforementioned generator and other boat-related and unfamiliar
noises are pretty much a fact of life. None of these, other than to active
cruisers, are likely to be something you're accustomed to.
8: Most of the time, whether you have and bring a cell phone, you'll not be
able to pick up the phone and call someone at your whim (or get the calls
you're accustomed to receiving, of course). That's because of international
differences and the fact that we may be (usually) nowhere near a cell
connection point. We have a state-of-the-art WiFi system aboard Flying Pig and
are not usually without internet connectivity, even, many times, while we're
under way. However, sometimes the quality, consistency and continuity (always
there) is of the third world, which is basically where we are when we're
cruising. When we have an excellent internet connection AND there aren't a pile
of people already using it AND that connection has a good supply of bandwidth,
our Vonage internet telephone service does allow calling anywhere in the US,
Canada, UK and 4 other European countries (and anywhere to call us) at no
additional charge to our basic service. However, the foregoing conditions make
it such that those opportunities are limited. If you're accustomed to being
constantly connected via voice, you'll find that a distinct limitation.
9: We have a very small hand washer, capable of several T-shirts, to give you
an idea of size, but, at that, rarely use it due to water storage and
availability considerations. Because laundry isn't avaliable on board, and,
when available (only sometimes!) ashore, is not only inconvenient but
expensive, we ask our guests to bring their own linens - sheets, towels,
pillowcases and, sometimes, their own pillows, in addition to their own
clothing, of course. That allows us not to have to find a way to clean them
when they leave. However, see # 3 above; eventually, bedding will have some
salt residue accumulation, sometimes just from the salt air, let alone your own
bodies, and therefore it won't be the same as freshly laundered. If that's a
problem for you, you'll have to bring a change of linens to meet your comfort
standards, most likely.
10: Related to #9, and just generally, as it's our preference, as we're
predominantly in very warm (not uncomfortably so) climates, we tend to wear
very little clothing, not only for comfort but for laundry considerations.
Worse, Skip's and Lydia's preferred bathing suits are bikini-style. Skip's
gotten a new wardrobe of less-revealing bikinis, but, they're still bikinis -
just as you'll find the dominant swimwear for men in European countries (you
could google Euro beach sites for reference, if you're not familiar with the
type). Lydia's aren't thong/string style, either, but they are bikini bottoms
and tops. If you're uncomfortable with exposed skin, and/or form-fitting
swimwear for either or both of us, you're likely to be uncomfortable aboard.
11: Being a boat, motion is a fact of life. Sometimes that motion can be
uncomfortable if you're not accustomed to it. Seasickness, in its severe forms,
is a condition in which most folks first are afraid they might die, and then
afraid they might NOT die :) We have very effective seasickness prevention
medication aboard, and taken early, usually mitigates any effects. However, in
REALLY severe weather, even the most seasoned sailors sometimes suffer the
mal-de-mer. It will pass. However, if you're prone to seasickness, you may find
life aboard uncomfortable at times.
12: If you're not an active cruiser, marine toilets ("heads") can be both a
mystery and a nuisance. Not only is the seat smaller (altogether round, too),
unlike at home, where you just push the lever, it goes away, and the municipal
supply refills it, here, you have to work at sanitation. Sea water has to be
pumped into the bowl which was previously pumped dry (see below), using a
lever. Anything in the toilet is moved out via the same pump. However, unlike
ashore, it's not only a measly 1.5" instead of 4" like home sanitation , it has
to go through some interesting bends and devices designed to keep the waste
from returning to the toilet. More pumping :) and whatever it was which goes
down there has to come from something you ate and toilet paper. Anything else
won't fit and will jam up the works - and if it was you who jammed it up, we'll
show you how to rebuild the toilet (take the pump mechanism apart to free
whatever is caught - with it and any other substances unavoidably coming out
into the shower/toilet area - you probably get the picture on why you'll want
to avoid that!) so it will work again. Worse, because an innate feature of
combined salt water and urine is to create scale if it sits anywhere for any
length of time, a major rinse is done to keep the pipes from scale
accumulation, reducing the likelihood of diminishing from their already-small
size (more pumping). And, finally, to empty the pipe of all that rinse water,
where it goes above the waterline (the rest goes down from there, but you
wouldn't want the sea to make back pressure on the line), more pumps of just
air (not letting back in the seawater which does the flushing). You'll develop
muscles you didn't know you had in this process (it's not difficult, but very
repetitive).
13: Our time ashore is nearly all afoot and looky-loo. That is, we don't do
tours, rent cars, pay for museums, and the like. There's lots to see and do
without cash expenditures, so we don't, in light of our budget. If your idea of
cruising is marinas, tours, maybe hotels, dinners out/pub-bar entertainment and
the like, we're happy to join you as your guests :) - but we don't need it.
That's about it for what's not to like. For a humorous, but not very
inaccurate, view of living aboard, go to
http://www.rogerlongboats.com/Liveaboard.htm This was written by a good friend
of ours, Larry Butler, our HAM radio and component-level electronics repair
guru, and hosted by Roger Long, another good friend of ours who's a marine
architect. It's oriented toward marina living while not in transit, something
extremely rare for us due to the costs associated with it, so add going to
shore in the dinghy rather than just stepping onto the dock to all you see in
the simulator :)
If all that doesn't put you off, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time with us.
What will I do aboard?
Life aboard Flying Pig is greatly determined by the weather, so:
1: Weather permitting and location-appropriate, we love to dive/snorkel and,
where available, forage underwater for food (gather shellfish/spear
fish/lobster). Bring your flippers and mask/snorkel if that appeals to you
also. You might also like having an underwater camera, if you have one; we do,
and will share, if you don't. Many places have stunning photo-ops. Swimming,
usually in gin-clear water, too, if that's your thing.
2: Getting from one place to another is usually by sailing (we are, after all,
a SAILboat). However, sometimes, we'll either motorsail, or just motor our way
from one point to the next. We much prefer not to have our propulsion motor
going, not only for the noise, but for the cost, and, mostly, because sailing's
a lot more fun. If you like, you'll help with all that's associated with that,
or you can just watch. If you want, we'll teach you about the many different
"ropes" (all named something else aboard) and what they do - along with how
they control stuff, and how to recognize when things are set correctly or for
best performance, navigation, anchoring, reading the water, weather, the
various instruments aboard, radio communications and the like. Generally
speaking, we won't be under way if conditions are "difficult" to your comfort
level, unless you've joined us specifically for a passage, in which case, we
take what's delivered; unavoidably that sometimes includes nasty weather or
water or both.
3: Once "there" we usually like to explore ashore. Whether that's just
beachcombing, sightseeing (local attractions - artists, sculptors, lighthouses,
wildlife), walking (beaches, wilderness, little towns along the way, and their
architecture and shops), or anything else unusual.
4: Read. Bring paperback books. There's lots of down time, particularly if
you're not interested in helping or learning about the transit-related stuff.
If the weather stinks, we're largely cooped up aboard. If it's just blowing
like stink, as they say on the water, if the dinghy ride isn't too daunting
(distance, water conditions), we can go ashore, but otherwise, we can read in
such conditions. You may want to bring something waterproof, like a
windbreaker, for wet transits or times when we might be in rain conditions.
5: Cook, if you like. We have a propane grill, propane stove and oven, all of
which are reasonably close in behavior to those ashore. We also have a
reasonable assortment of the usual hardware associated with those activities.
If you like to cook or bake, we're happy to have you do so. If not, we're
happy, of course, to do that. However, sharing in the cleanup chores is
appreciated (see above about seawater washing/rinsing, and modifications to
that plan based on water realities).
6: Go rowing, if you like. We have a PortaBote, in addition to our inflatable,
which has dinghy oars as well as actual sculling sweeps (10' oars I used to use
in my rowing shell on Lake Lanier) which go in the modification I did to that
boat.
7: Go exploring on your own. Same PortaBote, we have a second outboard engine
suited to that dinghy, and it will readily plane 2 for quick transit.
Back to weather considerations, we usually recommend more than a week with us,
as you could be totally shut out of recreational (other than, perhaps, sailing)
activties if the weather was wrong. We've learned that 10-12 days is ideal, and
best if done when we're already somewhere that we have scouted for the best
"entertainment" activities, so that time doesn't interfere with your enjoyment.
What should I bring?
1: As above, linens. We suggest about three changes of clothing (unless you
want to be bathing-suited most of the time, as we are) plus, perhaps, extra
underwear, and at least two bathing suits (one on the line, drying, the other
to wear). Something to keep you dry if things get messy weatherwise, as in #2
in "What will I do aboard?". Mostly, other than coming from a very cold
climate, and you need something for your return, you won't need much in the way
of "warm" clothing, because we're mostly in warm areas. Sometimes it might get
to 50 degrees F, but that's rare. Life aboard isn't very different from camping
in regard to clothing, otherwise.
2: Snorkeling gear to suit, if you want to do that. We have several spare pairs
of flippers and a few masks and snorkels available aboard, but can't guarantee
that they'd fit you. If you're experienced, already, likely you have something
you'd prefer, in any event. Those items will generally live in the dinghy until
you leave, so it's not a space issue once you're aboard.
3: Books to suit you. We have a fairly extensive library aboard, but it may not
all appeal to you. Our books are mystery, marine (about boating) and classical
("great literature") in nature. For both this and #1, we have bins to store
stuff, as well as the closet, in your cabin. However, you should bring any
"stuff" in soft luggage which can be compressed or otherwise made to fit in
unusually shaped space so as to reserve as much as possible for your stuff you
want out of the soft luggage. Generally speaking, something which would travel
as carry-on luggage on the airline, for each of you, will easily fit in the
space you have available to you. And, just to relieve your mind somewhat, while
duffels are certainly the preference, the closet is substantial and will easily
handle a wheeled pull-behind.
3: Money to suit your lifestyle as relates to stuff to buy, of any sort. Your
time aboard is "on us" as above, but you may wish to buy stuff to take home, do
any ashore-adventure stuff other than our walkabouts mentioned, and the like.
4: Camera(s) - surface and underwater, if you have them. We can download any
digital images you have for backup, if you like.
5: Laptop(s) if you simply can't be without them. When we have internet
connectivity, we have a router aboard which will give you access. We turn off
the AC power (like at-home plugs - we're not ENTIRELY backwoods) when we aren't
using the computers, but you can keep your batteries up. Likewise, if you use
rechargeable batteries in your phone/camera/whatever, we have the power
available when we're running the computer, as Skip's screen requires AC.
6: Various items we might have to ask you to buy for us, which we'll of course
pay you for, because they're either not available where we are, or
exhorbitantly costly, or are emergency parts.
For detailed looks at our home, go to the gallery link below. Click on the
Flying Pig Interiors gallery front page for a look around, and, if you'd like,
browse through the various other galleries' front pages. In all cases, if
clicking the picture doesn't open more galleries (the picture in this case
would be the "front page"), clicking any image will allow you to look at larger
views.
That's about it. If you're still motivated, we look forward to having you
aboard!
L8R
Skip and Lydia
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog
and/or http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog
"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in
its hand
(Richard Bach)
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