Most cruising people who live aboard sailboats keep a very closely guarded secret. They know that they are living in paradise every day and are living a dream. It is a wonderful existence, but every one of us never feels we know enough. 

There is always the need to ask questions and learn more. Being a liveaboard on our boat is perfectly natural, but to others, we are somewhat of a curiosity. A bit like “roadkill”.

People not used to this life are usually a little apprehensive about asking questions, but once they start, they tend to get on a bit of a roll.

I am more than happy to answer any questions about our lifestyle and help anyone else with dreams of becoming a liveaboard.

Frequently Asked Questions:

We have listed the top ten frequently asked questions, but if there is anything more you want to know, just leave a comment below or send us a message.

People are always worried their questions may seem trivial or stupid but believe me, none ever are.

When you are out there alone on a boat out of sight of land, no one can hear you scream, which is probably a good thing.

Questions and Answers about being a liveaboard

Do you actually live on the boat all the time?

Yes. Well, not all the time. Since my parents have a house near the marina, I dock the boat, and they rarely use the use since retiring, I sometimes go and crush there if I am in the neighborhood. But I consider my boat to be my home and anything I could have done there I can do on our boat. I have to say we do have a few problems when it comes to growing trees and a lawn as we don’t have space for a mower. On the other hand, we have the biggest swimming pool and aquarium in the world.

Where are you going to be in a weeks/months time?

It is something I am always asked, but it is so difficult to answer since we have never had any plans on where we’ll be going. A lot of the places we had visited we had never heard of before we ended up there. If we like somewhere, we stay for a while, but if we don’t, we move on. Try doing that in a house!

We are also very dependant on the weather. We can sail in most conditions but obviously prefer to sail in calm sunny weather. What we now think of as good sailing weather would have scarred us to death a couple of years ago, but it is all about getting to know your boat and yourself.

So, in short, we don’t even know where we will be tomorrow let alone a month’s time, but if we have arranged to meet someone, we will try our best to get there.

What do you do at night when you liveaboard?

I remember once being asked if we anchored when it got dark. This is often difficult when you are in 4000m of water, and you only have 60m of anchor chain. 

It really depends on where we are. I personally love sailing at night. If we are out sailing we take it in turns at sleeping and taking watch. We do have a lot of electronics aboard that will steer the boat, tell us when other boats are close by and show us exactly where we are. We don’t have any form of headlights as they would be a waste of time in the blackness of the sea. 

There is nothing better in this world than sailing during the night when you are away from light pollution. There are literally millions of stars out there. The only light is some phosphorescent glow from the wake behind the boat and only the sound of the wind, and the sea under you. Often you will get dolphins playing under your boat. It is truly one of life’s magical moments.

When we are not sailing, we will usually be found at anchor in a bay, or if it is winter, we will be in a marina. We do have power on the boat and enough films on hard drives to keep us going for years. During winter, the marina has wi-fi, so we are all set there as well. Often we will take the dinghy into town or mellow out doing our own thing. One thing we do find is that there are never enough hours in the day to do everything we want.

Does it get cold aboard a boat?

Most boats will have some form of heating. Some run off diesel. Others use batteries, propane; you name it. Since we have been in the Mediterranean, we rarely need heating as the boat is very well insulated and the sea is often warmer than the air outside. An electric blanket during the night can do the trick as well with minimum effort.

The biggest problem we have in winter is condensation with the cold air outside and us warm and snug inside. A dehumidifier is a must.

For us, we have the opposite problem. Keeping ourselves cool during the summer. We do have air conditioning, but there are also a few tips and tricks we have learned on the way. Besides, can you imagine anything better than just being able to jump into crystal clear water any time you want?

For more details about living on your sailboat in the winter, you can check out this article.

What do you do about the toilet on a boat?

For people who live aboard their sailboats or yachts, the subject of toilets always comes up. We have two “heads” and showers aboard, three if you count the shower on the stern (back) for when you have been swimming. Both toilets have to be pumped by hand (we did have an electric one, but it set on fire). The toilets suck seawater in, and then it pumps them into a large tank so we can take it all with us. 

When we are well off the coast, we can literally “dump” it all in the sea. The fish love it. (I thought I would say that in case you are having a fish dinner).

If we are in a marina, they usually have facilities in place to pump the waste out and dispose of them.

The problem with marine toilets is that the seawater used to flush the system causes the pipes to fur up gradually. That means that you have to dismantle everything and install new pipes. Not a pleasant job, but get used to it.

The biggest problem we have with toilets is caused by “guests”. They never know how to use them, and no matter how many times you tell them not to put anything down them that has not first passed through the body they still do. One of our toilets (heads) is currently out of use waiting for me to dismantle it after the last guest blocked it with face wipes. Or at least I hope it was face wipes!

What are your biggest concerns about your lifestyle?

Humans need to worry, so there is always something new that concerns you. All of the problems we had with houses and jobs have vaporized, so we have to worry about something else.

When we sail off, we were going into the unknown, so I worried about my sailing skills, the boat, being abroad and numerous other things. 

Honestly, we are also worried about not feeling needed, missing our family and friends and what we would do. We overcome all these problems, so we have to find others to think about.

At the moment we are so content we don’t want to give this life aboard up. We know that one day we will have to move back ashore for one reason or another and we worry if we will be happy or could cope with it. We have even talked about living on a canal boat, but that is all in the future.

One concern we always have is family and getting back to them if something goes wrong. With so many airports and cheap flights we now realize we can be there in hours.

The one concern we have always had is money. We do live on a very tight budget, but there is little we can do about that so why worry?

What do you do when nasty weather is forecast?

The internet and boat radio are excellent for getting regular weather updates. When we are sailing it becomes a preoccupation not just for bad weather but for winds and sea state.

The more we have sailed on our boat, the more faith we have in her and ourselves. This summer, we had a guest aboard who was worried about how high the waves were. To us, we knew we could cope easily, but two years ago, we would never have left the marina.

We have been caught several times in unexpected bad weather and were bouncing up and down more than a kangaroos testicles, but we are still here to tell the tale. At the time we were pretty scared and talked a lot to the boat, promising her all sorts if she looked after us. She (my boat) always has, and I always have kept our promises to one another.

Of course, if bad weather is forecast, we will look to see if we can shelter in a bay or get out the way. If we have no choice, the best place to be is often at sea.

We are pretty lucky in that none of us get seasick. If you do try ginger, it is the best thing for it.

What do you do in the winter when you cannot sail?

Each winter, we book into a marina for several months. The prices are very low compared to summer. It may be surprising, but there are a lot of people out there of different nationalities that live on their boat. We all tend to go to the same marinas over winter and have our community.

There is a radio net each morning to say what is going on and make sure no one has any problems. We have writing clubs, music clubs, exercise clubs, film nights, excursions out, and general drinking nights, to name just a few activities.

There is a lot of drinking and meals on other boats when you learn so much about the lives of people from different countries and who can drink the most! (It is a tie between Canadians and the Irish)

It is hard to find time for yourself sometimes, but I have started my yoga class. There is only me in it; it takes place in my bed and consists of occasionally moving from side to side with your eyes closed. I say it is spiritual, but others may class it as sleep.

What do you do if you get sick when you are abroad?

I have to say that since we took up the liveaboard lifestyle on our boat, we have become far less prone to being sick. I don’t know if it is in the fresh air, a healthier diet or more exercise but whatever it is it seems to be working. If we do get sick, we can always visit the doctor or dentist who will usually speak English.

Of all the countries we have visited, we have found that health care is always good. The dentists are usually far cheaper, modern and it is quite easy to see one.

How much does it cost to live on a boat?

Probably the most frequently asked question and the hardest to answer. There are so many variables involved, and to a certain extent, it depends on your budget.

A smaller boat will be cheaper on maintenance, fuel, and docking fees at the marinas. It will also usually be more economical to buy in the first place.

We spent most of the last year anchoring rather than going into marinas which saved us a fortune. We don’t eat at restaurants and we prefer to cook local produce on the boat. Walking a lot and using the excellent and cheap buses to spend days out of sightseeing is a great and healthy method to save money

We do have to continually try and balance the books but being able to live this lifestyle on one of the best liveaboard boats makes it all worthwhile.

I hope this article answered a few of your questions and given you an insight into the Live Aboard lifestyle. If you want to know any more please just check out the rest of this site or leave a comment below.

We also tried to find out as much as possible about being a liveaboard before leaving, but reality can often be totally different from what you read.

Hopefully, this page of frequently asked questions will help.