What Surprised us most about living aboard full-time

“Oh. So we’re homeless now?”

“Well, I guess we’re moving on to the boat. In February.”

When we bought Raicilla back in 2021, we weren’t exactly planning to move aboard right away. We put our condo up for sale on a whim with what we thought was an overly high price tag. Surely it wouldn’t sell quickly, if at all. Two weeks later, the condo was gone, we were officially homeless, and suddenly selling nearly everything we owned. Just like that, we were moving aboard a sailboat full-time.

Life at the dock made for a gentle transition from land to sea. But once we untied the lines, things became very real. Beyond the obvious adjustments, like limited space, constant boat work, and weather, we discovered some surprising truths about full-time cruising life that no one, not even YouTube, warned us about.

The obvious challenges: boat work, space, and weather

Let’s start with what we expected. Boat work never ends. There’s always a list of things to repair, rebuild, or maintain. While haul-outs are reserved for the big jobs like bottom paint, the smaller projects, winch rebuilds, teak oiling, or emergency fixes, seem never-ending.

Then there’s space. Our sailboat is small by today’s standards, which means storage is always a puzzle. We’ve gotten creative: paddleboards and surfboards live on the aft rails, we’ve added extra fridge and freezer space, and our clothing is pared down to the essentials (meaning we need to buy pants every time we go back to Canada). Still, every purchase requires the question: “Where will it go, and what has to leave to make room?”

And of course, weather rules everything. Whether chasing the wind or hiding from it, our lives revolve around forecasts. We plan seasonal moves to avoid major storms like hurricanes and are constantly weighing the balance between comfort and safety.

We expected these things when we chose the sailboat lifestyle, but it wasn’t until leaving the dock that we truly felt them.

Finding homes for everything is a challenge.

The surprising realities: goodbyes and time

Two things surprised us most about living aboard full-time: constant goodbyes and how long everything takes.

The cruising community is wonderfully socia. You meet people quickly and form strong bonds. But every sailor is on their own unique journey. Some are circumnavigating, others are out for a season, and many sail part-time. Inevitably, we say goodbye at the end of each season, unsure if paths will ever cross again. Coming from land life, where friendships felt more permanent, the transient nature of cruising has been unexpectedly difficult.

Then there’s time. Everything takes longer. Groceries can take a full day. Checking into a country? Hours of paperwork and waiting. Boat projects stretch on indefinitely, often with a little bloodshed along the way. Even laundry becomes a production. If you don’t have a machine onboard, it’s a trip to the laundromat and the hope your clothes come back intact and within a day.

Seems like we’re always saying goodbye.

Life with the crew: human and animal dynamics

Living on land meant space to spread out. Multiple spaces, jobs that kept us apart during the day, and alone time. On the boat, we’re together all the time. All. The. Time. The dog thinks this is paradise. Luckily, we like each other enough to make living in a floating tube work.

But togetherness isn’t the only shift. Teamwork has become essential. Most boat projects require two sets of hands: sending someone up the mast, hoisting the dinghy, or even just docking safely.

Over time, we’ve naturally divided responsibilities. Mark prefers mechanics, while I handle cooking and sewing. Other jobs we share, whether we enjoy them or not. And Sprocket? His only duty is moving his bed around the boat to find the best napping spot.

Mark in his element.

Freedom and constraints: the dual nature of cruising life

One of the biggest appeals of life on a sailboat is freedom. The ability to move wherever the wind takes us. And while that’s true, we quickly learned it comes with caveats.

Weather often dictates our movements. Right now, for example, we’re in El Salvador, “stuck” until the conditions are safe enough to cross the shallow bar between the estuary and the Pacific Ocean. It’s been three months of waiting so far.

Beyond weather, there are visas to consider, limited access to supplies, and local realities that mean we can’t always go where we want, when we want. These constraints weren’t something we thought much about before setting off, but they’ve shaped our full-time cruising life just as much as the freedom we sought.

The joy of simple things

One of the most beautiful surprises of this lifestyle is how much joy we now find in simple tasks. On land, we never cared much about baking bread, servicing an engine, or sewing pillow covers. Aboard, these small accomplishments feel huge.

The rhythm of sailboat life has given us a new appreciation for the ordinary. Watching a sunset, fixing something with our own hands, or sharing a meal in a quiet anchorage. These moments carry a weight and meaning we never experienced in our old city life.

But evenings like this make it worth it.

Looking back on our surprises

When we first moved aboard, we imagined ourselves halfway around the world by now. Instead, we’re sitting in a river in El Salvador, waiting for the right conditions to sail on. It’s not what we pictured. But that’s part of the adventure.

Living aboard full-time has been full of unexpected cruising experiences. Some are challenging, others deeply rewarding, and all of them shape how we see this lifestyle.

Even with the surprises, the goodbyes, and the constraints, we wouldn’t trade this life afloat for one back in the city. Not yet, anyway. For now, the sailboat lifestyle continues to surprise us, and that’s exactly what keeps it exciting.