What do liveaboards do all day?

Yesterday was a relatively typical “moving” day for us. Got up with the sun and went for a walk to find a geocache about 2 miles from the boat. Great to walk at that time of day as it’s not too hot, so we always try and do that sort of thing first thing or just before last light. Back on board by about half nine we weighted anchor and set off for our next port of call. Weather forecast gave light winds, so we expected to motor. In the event by about eleven thirty the wind had got up enough to sail, so we did 90% of the trip under sail, putting in three large tacks to clear an island and set up the final tack in the port.
On arrival by about half five, moored up and took a breather. Read books, checked interweb and generally didn’t do much. Went ashore and had supper at about half eight, back to the boat and bed...
The day before that was a hang on the hook day. The Admiral spent much of the morning doing domestic chores; I checked the alternator belt tension as we’ve been getting transient charging alarms, then repaired a stanchion base which had corroded through. Temporary job involving drilling a hole through the base plus tow rail. Took the port side chaps off the dinghy and sewed a temporary repair into a tear: it’ll get a proper job over the winter with the sewing machine. Other than that, I’m reading a good book at the moment as is the Admiral.
Yes, there are occasionally days where we look at one another and say “not much to do today” but they’re not overly frequent. Since we came back to the boat in late July, we’ve been making our way round the Peloponnese; on the last leg of that now as we head north. Moving a bit more frequently than is our usual pattern but we’re a couple of days away from the southern Ionian and once we’re there we will probably spend three - four days at a time in any one place. We shop most days when there are shops nearby and that in itself takes up a not inconsiderable chunk of time. The there’ll be the spare part you need to either restock or repair a broken whatever: we might have to sail a day or three to get to somewhere which stocks said part. In the interim, I’ll probably have had to invent something as a get us there repair.
Anyhow, that’s a flavour of where we’re at. Read the blog if you need a cure for insomnia for further details....
 
duncan99210 said:
Yesterday was a relatively typical “moving” day for us. Got up with the sun and went for a walk to find a geocache about 2 miles from the boat. Great to walk at that time of day as it’s not too hot, so we always try and do that sort of thing first thing or just before last light. Back on board by about half nine we weighted anchor and set off for our next port of call. Weather forecast gave light winds, so we expected to motor. In the event by about eleven thirty the wind had got up enough to sail, so we did 90% of the trip under sail, putting in three large tacks to clear an island and set up the final tack in the port.
On arrival by about half five, moored up and took a breather. Read books, checked interweb and generally didn’t do much. Went ashore and had supper at about half eight, back to the boat and bed...
The day before that was a hang on the hook day. The Admiral spent much of the morning doing domestic chores; I checked the alternator belt tension as we’ve been getting transient charging alarms, then repaired a stanchion base which had corroded through. Temporary job involving drilling a hole through the base plus tow rail. Took the port side chaps off the dinghy and sewed a temporary repair into a tear: it’ll get a proper job over the winter with the sewing machine. Other than that, I’m reading a good book at the moment as is the Admiral.
Yes, there are occasionally days where we look at one another and say “not much to do today” but they’re not overly frequent. Since we came back to the boat in late July, we’ve been making our way round the Peloponnese; on the last leg of that now as we head north. Moving a bit more frequently than is our usual pattern but we’re a couple of days away from the southern Ionian and once we’re there we will probably spend three - four days at a time in any one place. We shop most days when there are shops nearby and that in itself takes up a not inconsiderable chunk of time. The there’ll be the spare part you need to either restock or repair a broken whatever: we might have to sail a day or three to get to somewhere which stocks said part. In the interim, I’ll probably have had to invent something as a get us there repair.
Anyhow, that’s a flavour of where we’re at. Read the blog if you need a cure for insomnia for further details....
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Just another day at the mill , Duncan :)
 
Funnily enough, yesterday I was asked that exact same question by two young strollers, one French and the other Dutch, as they were passing our boat in Roanne - we are not 'liveaboards' but cruisers spending six months at a time on the French canals and changing winter ports every year.

The question took me aback a bit and I suppose I should have asked what they do every day but being of working age, going to work would be a big consumer of their time. Being retired we do on the boat exactly as we do when at our land based home except we also
- sand and varnish
- derust, prep and paint
- cycle to supermarkets - we do not have a car here
- change our 'plot/erf' ever few days so that we have a new view
- fix punctures
- wash the 'house; at least weekly
- interact with many different nationalities
- enjoy many different types of regional cuisines and imbibations
- read a lot (here we have no TV by choice)
- fix leaking things and do regular engine preventative maintenance
- test skills against angry locks and enjoy sublime ones (at 15 minutes a lock this can take a few hours of any cruising day)
- we also see a lot of antiquity; churches, chateaux, aqueducts, viaducts and many magnificent structures both old and new. Never boring.
- Etcetera.

There are other 'keep busy' things but maybe the OP's question is somewhat answered - but otherwise just like being land based.
 
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Where I am at the moment it’s utc+7hrs so I have to wait until lunchtime before anybody starts posting, so the more early birds the better!
 
LadyInBed said:
0754 local is still bloody early in my book!
Just noticed, nearly 01:30 here, defo a late person.
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That's why we are liveaboard , while most are still wrapped In Your duval in dark cold morning ,
we on deck with our coffee watching a lovely sun rise in our short , not too after swimming in warn clear blue water .
At which point your making your way down some stairs wish its wasn't another working day .
But hey we have to suffer too , listening to water lapping our hull while slowly being rocking to sleep.
When you have the comfort of traffic roaring by or neighbour fighting .
 
sailaboutvic said:
That's why we are liveaboard , while most are still wrapped In Your duval in dark cold morning ,
we on deck with our coffee watching a lovely sun rise in our short , not too after swimming in warn clear blue water .
At which point your making your way down some stairs wish its wasn't another working day .
But hey we have to suffer too , listening to water lapping our hull while slowly being rocking to sleep.
When you have the comfort of traffic roaring by or neighbour fighting .
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You're not making life any easier Vic!!!! :encouragement:
 
John 32i said:
You're not making life any easier Vic!!!! :encouragement:
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Sorry John , but if any help we did have to sail 15 miles yesterday from the island of Aigina to the island of Salamina to find a lidi .
And we had to deal sail in 15 kts off wind off the beam in 31c of cool breeze, oh well we can't have it good all the time .
 
And I am sitting here on my weekend off planning driving 3 hrs to a meeting in Birmingham on Tuesday and then another 2 hrs to London on Thursday and then just got to cram 5 days work into the remaining 3 ... happy days....:nonchalance:Just googled Aigina and Salamina as I was not familiar with them .... looks fabulous....even more envious now :)
 
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