There’s a strange comfort in boatyard life—everyone’s a little tired, a little broke, and a little sunburned. But we’re all in it together, trading tips, tools, and beers. It’s the kind of shared misery that somehow turns into great memories later.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: we didn’t win the lottery and we aren’t trust-fund babies. We don’t have an endless pot of money funding our cruising lifestyle. We didn’t wait until we were retired with a solid nest egg either. Instead, we work, we tackle projects on our boat ourselves, and we’re always looking for ways to save money. Cruising can be expensive, but if you’re cruising on a budget, it’s absolutely doable. You just need to get creative.