We live in a tiny home, and what we bring aboard matters. When outfitting a boat, there’s so much to think of – gear, spares, provisions – and it all takes up space. There are very few things aboard Windara that don’t serve a purpose, and we’re constantly revisiting what’s aboard and what we really use/need. I’m always keeping an eye out for better ways to do things, and I love visiting cruising friends’ boats to see what gear and gadgets they have to make life aboard easier. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few of our favorite things. We’re not affiliated with any of the companies below – these are honest-to-god, tried-and-true things we use that have made our lives easier.
Books
There are plenty of reference books/manuals that every cruiser should have in their library, and those can be found in lots of other places (such as this list from Sailing Totem). These are (mostly) supplemental to that list.
Waterway Guides – THE go-to when cruising the east coast. They contain a wealth of information on hazards to navigation, bridges/locks, anchorages, marinas, attractions, services and more. These were indispensable when we did the ICW and as we planned our first trip to the Bahamas, and we still use the Bahamas guide regularly.
Boat Galley Guides – these simple little guides cut out all the detail mentioned above and function as a fantastic quick reference. Need to know that bridge height/opening schedule/VHF channel? Flip to the appropriate tab and it’s right there.
The Cruiser’s Handbook of Fishing – tons of great information on fishing from your sailboat under way or at anchor, your dinghy, or reef diving, including choosing the right gear and maintaining it, avoiding and treating common fishing-related injuries, identifying various species of fish, and preparing your catch. (We were psyched to find this one at Nauti Nell’s consignment shop in Deltaville!)
Nature guides – Peterson Field Guide To Birds Of Eastern & Central North America, by Roger Torey Peterson and Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, by Ned Deloach and Paul Humann. I’m a nature nerd, and I love learning more about the various species we see. I’m always excited to find a new-to-me bird or to come back from a snorkeling trip and figure out what we saw. I also have a book on the trees of the Bahamas and Florida that seems to be out of print (I picked mine up at Sid’s Grocery on Green Turtle our first year cruising here).
Resources
The Boat Galley – lots of great, practical information for cruisers, particularly those just starting out. There are articles, podcasts and courses available covering a variety of topics such as the basics of boat life, storage aboard, working with a tiny fridge (or no refrigeration at all), buying a boat and more. Carolyn also cultivated an extensive list of useful gear on Amazon. And they occasionally coordinate meet-ups, like the one we attended in West Palm Beach.
Facebook: Bahamas Land & Sea – the moderators do a good job of keeping the snark to a minimum, and you can (generally) crowdsource good information/current intel on pretty much anything you want to know about the Bahamas. The group’s about blurb: “We bring experienced Bahamas cruisers and newcomers together along with folks living in the islands. Our goal is share experiences, news and local knowledge with a spirit of friendship and mutual respect.”
Apps
No Foreign Land – founded by cruisers for cruisers. On this app, you can show your current position, track friends, and find a variety of services (marinas, docks, laundry, groceries, propane, etc) and recreational opportunities (dive/snorkel spots, hikes, nature reserves, museums and more) with reviews and photos as added to the app by other cruisers. If you know a great spot that’s not already listed, you can add it or create your own review of existing spots. What sets this apart from The Google? In the US, mainly the locations of garbage disposal and dinghy docks. Outside of the US, it’s great for finding the guy who sells propane from his back yard or the woman who makes that amazing bread you keep hearing about.
Aqua Map – the Master subscription is absolutely worth it. There are lots of great features (wind, wave, and current overlays, tide stations, ability to display USACE data, US Coast Guard ATON updates, ability to integrate Waterway Guide information, ability to integrate saved routes from others, etc.). Facebook group “ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423” turned me on to it, and that’s its own recommendation – super helpful if you’re going to run the ditch. But back to Aqua Map, we find the charts to be accurate, and we love having the aforementioned information all in one place.
Dockwa – makes reserving moorings and slips super easy. You can save your vessel and payment info, and add your Boat US details to receive automatic discounts at participating marinas. Note: each marina is responsible for maintaining their info, including availability, and for responding to requests/queries. I’ve seen lots of people blame Dockwa for slow responses and incorrect information, and that’s just not how it works.
PredictWind – we have the Pro subscription, and we feel it’s critical since our lives literally depend on the decisions we make around weather. With any wind/weather app, it’s crucial to understand where the data is coming from (i.e., what model the app is pulling their data from). PredictWind gives you access to several of the major weather models. Being able to assess wind, rain, CAPE and wave height/period information is key to making informed choices on when we move and when we don’t. You can also create routes and see how conditions are likely to impact you along your route according to the various weather models. In conjunction with having PredictWind, we recommend taking some courses on weather. Our cruising mentors hosted a seminar on weather, and we set up a private coaching session to learn more. NOAA also has a great weather learning resource on their site, JetStream.
Sun Protection
We live on, in and around the water, so protecting our skin is key. But so is protecting the ocean, so we try to choose products that minimize our impact.
Waterlust – protective swimwear for women and men that also helps support ocean conservation. The past couple years, I’ve been throwing a rash guard over my bathing suit when I snorkel (after learning the hard way just how easy it is to burn when you’re lost in the wonder of the world below), but it’s not ideal since they ride up and just feel heavy. So at the end of the summer, I picked up a sun suit (I chose the spotted eagle ray), and I love it. I also love that they show their products on people of various ages, ethnicities and body types.
Stream2Sea sunscreen – I can’t help thinking that if a product kills corals, it can’t be great for me either, right? But finding a truly reef-safe sunscreen is difficult at best, as several products claim to be reef-safe and aren’t. I like that it’s not greasy or sticky, it actually stays on in the water, and even though it’s only SPF30, it keeps me from burning. The one drawback is that it doesn’t rub in completely, creating a “Casper effect”, but I’d rather look like a ghost than a lobster. They also have a tinted sunscreen which may help with that.
Gear
Luci lights – we have the Outdoor 2.0 (up to 24 hours per charge) and the Base light (up to 50 hours/charge, ability to charge a cell phone) solar lanterns. They’re great for when we’re sitting out in the cockpit or working in poorly-lit corners of the boat, and we use them on anchor to make us more visible (we don’t trust people are paying enough attention to see the anchor light). The Base light also gives us a solar-powered option for charging a phone – a great emergency back-up. Which reminds me, I need to toss our spare into our ditch bag!
Rezip bags – our cruising mentors turned us on to these, and I LOVE them. They’re reusable food storage bags that come in a bunch of different sizes, seal tight enough to store liquid, and are freezer safe. I love that we don’t have to use aluminum foil/plastic wrap to store leftovers, and they do a great job at keeping delicate leafy herbs (like cilantro) fresh. They’re also easy to wash.
2Talk headsets – I mentioned these in a recent post, but worth mentioning again. They come already paired so you don’t have to mess around with pairing them – just turn them on and you’re ready to go. They have a range of 900m, a 10 hour talk time, and the sound is really clear. They’re designed to fit over your ears and around the back of your neck, so when you’re leaning over to pick up a mooring or set the anchor, you don’t have to worry about them sliding off.
Nite Ize gear ties – we use these to keep our shore power cord, fresh water hose and extension cords from becoming a tangled mess, and I keep meaning to pick up more of them (I’m thinking they’d be great for tying off our dinghy gas can too).
Small block of wood – yup, you read that right. We keep a couple aboard, and they’ve been hugely useful. If you find yourself with a stubborn, stuck part that could use some encouragement from a hammer but you’re worried about denting/marring the finish, a wood block works wonders. We’ve also used them when we need to drill through/Dremel something.
Flat fenders – we’re trialing these this year in the Bahamas. We don’t have enough data points just yet to actually recommend them, but so far, these are WAY better for fixed docks than our cylindrical fenders and we’re excited about their potential. Even with fender boards, our cylindrical fenders continually get squeezed out of place by the pilings, meaning lots of sleepless nights when the wind is blowing us onto the dock. For the couple of days we used them in West End, we found they stayed in place and held up to the rough wood piling. They’re a little squeaky, but that’s a minor inconvenience. Once we’ve had a chance to torture test them further, we’ll let you know what we think.
If you have a favorite piece of gear (hikers/campers/RVers, we want to hear from you too!), please share in the comments.