After almost 10 months living aboard a boat in Ireland, my time here is getting to its end. It has all been part of a bigger plan that started way before buying the boat. All the research, savings, training, then buying the boat, then living aboard, getting to know her, fixing, upgrading and sailing the hell out of her so I could build the skills to set sail into the sunset.
An experience so far that has made me a less lazy person a little less. The boat needs constant attention and I have to do everything mostly by myself. Friends are giving a hand as well. Living on a boat is very different from living on a house Captain Obvious reporting for duty! Now seriously, moving to a small space makes you consider everything you own.
Nobody does. Humans just have a thing for hoarding stuff. Get rid of it! My head has found all the upper limits of the boat several times and I still hit my head now and then when moving around. You have to crouch and bend and move over things all the time. When there is more people on the boat then everyone has to move so you can move.
Compromise is key. Storage space is very limited on a boat in general and despite every part of it being designed to store stuff, there is never enough space. Things need to be foldable or retractable or simply tiny to fit in small places. And forget a nice and tidy wardrobe, shoe cabinet or a service area. At least the bilge is cold and you can store beer! This section is not available. Click here to find hotels in your area. Despite the boat having a toilet we should always use the marina facilities, which are great by the way!
The shower is better than all houses I lived in Ireland. Adjustable water temperature and pressure to perfection. Sewage at sea is a controversial subject and countries have different regulations regarding that. The only common agreement that I know is no sewage disposal inside harbours. I suggest googling about it if you are really interested, you will find that is considered to be acceptable to dump a lot of stuff in the ocean except plastic.
