Category: Boat Maintenance

One Year On The Boat

We moved onto Sava a year ago today! It seems like such a long time and we have been through a lot: good and bad. We love it most of the time and plan to continue living on the boat and exploring the Caribbean. These are some of the things we’ve learned after one year on the boat.

We Do Not Need Much

Seriously, none of us need much. We’ve been conditioned by advertisers and merchants to think we do, and then we’ll be happy.

We moved onto the boat and this lifestyle knowing it was completely different from our Toronto existence. There is not much room on board, and a lot of it goes to ship equipment and systems.

luggage for a boat
What we brought with us when we moved on board Sava one year ago today

At different times we have had to sacrifice what we thought were key elements of a life well lived. Things like heat and hot water, plentiful showers, ice cold beers, sleep, wifi, fresh veggies and sun protection were not always available. Now that we have put lots of work into Sava, and learned a thing or two, life has improved. Cold beers!

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Cruising Season 2 Is On

The end of hurricane season means we are moving north again. It’s Sailing Sava with Mel, Brian and Domino Season 2!

sunset
The sun has set on our first cruising season and season 2 is on!

We had lofty goals for our first season, many of which went by the wayside due to mechanical or weather issues. In the end, we got where we needed to be safe and sound and that’s what really matters.

Our latest plan for this year is to head partway back north the way we came and explore and enjoy the places we missed or rushed through on the way down to Grenada.

It’s funny how quickly plans can change: friend boats arrive in a harbor and you decide to stay for another day, or storms threaten and you leave for a more sheltered bay. We are getting better at going with the flow and we are enjoying it more than ever!

Where We’ve Been in Season 2.0

We left Grenada in mid October. Since then, we have travelled less than 200 nautical miles, but we’ve done so much I can’t fit it into one blog post!

We explored anchorages in Carriacou, took a deeper dive into the Grenadines, and actually got to explore a lot of Saint Lucia. Thanksgiving Day is today in the U.S. (Happy Thanksgiving everyone!) and we are stuffing ourselves with delicious French food in Martinique.

Here is a little map of the stops we took since we left Mount Hartman Bay (our favorite anchorage) in Grenada on October 17th.

Our leisurely trip north to Martinique included a lot of stops
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Constant Boat Work

“Living on a sailboat is doing boat work in exotic places”

Sad but true. After living aboard Sava for nearly 10 months, we are constantly doing boat work.

One step forward..

We have some good news, but I am afraid to celebrate too much for fear of jinxing us. We are embroiled in what feels like constant boat work but have some good news: the engine and auto pilot are still working!

And several steps back

Just because I haven’t posted recently about breakdowns doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I will recount the latest issues we’ve had with Sava.

Recent Boat Work

Windlass

We tried to anchor in a new spot a few weeks ago only to have the windlass fail again. We moved onto a mooring ball at a lovely marina with a great restaurant, Whisper Cove, while trying to fix the windlass.

Brian dismantled the windlass, unwound the entire anchor chain, and consulted professionals. They cleaned it and couldn’t find anything wrong.

When Brian reinstalled it, it worked better than ever. While we don’t know what was wrong with our windlass, it’s raising and dropping the anchor perfectly so we are happy.

STATUS: Working

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