If you watched or listened to our recent Q&A, you’ll know we were asked about what we miss when we are not on the boat. As full-time liveaboards for almost two decades (yes, it really has been that long), not being on the boat is a strange thing. Do I miss it or does it give me a break?
Aerobic Exercise
Being on a boat is the opposite of being claustrophobic. Much of our time is spent on deck or in the water, with the sky our ceiling and the sea our garden, but unless I make a habit of swimming around the boat regularly, one of the things I miss is aerobic exercise. I claim to be fit from my neck down to my chest, with regular muscle exercise from pulling lines and winching, but aerobic exercise is something that falls by the wayside. Going for a walk involves dropping the dinghy in the water, putting on the outboard, locking up the boat, taking the dinghy ashore, finding somewhere to secure it, getting wet, and changing footwear, all before the exercise has started. It’s a faff.
One thing we have been doing more of recently is using the kayaks instead of the dinghy. Not only is this good aerobic exercise, but it makes going ashore easier, providing ‘ashore’ is not too far!
A Different Kind of Nature
Liz and I consider ourselves nature lovers. Here in the UK nature is right on my doorstep and the ability to nip out for a quick walk into the countryside is something that’s a little more complicated to do on a boat.
On the boat, however, we are also surrounded by nature, from schooling fish, to bobbing turtles, to birds (oh, so many birds), as well as creatures on board like our resident tokays and bats. Often the boat offers a vantage point that we can’t get on land but the two are incomparable. The boat offers certain types of nature, and land another. I’m just grateful that whether I am, on the boat or on land, nature is all around us.
My diet has completely changed!
I do miss the food in Asia, specifically the raw ingredients we buy at the market for cooking on board. Not only are vegetables cheaper and more tasty, but access to exotic fruit, sauces and spices that are more difficult, if not more expensive, to buy here in the UK. In this Sunday’s episode, we visit a recommended coffee shop on Karimunjawa and discover a breakfast you’d be hard-pushed to create in the UK.
All that said, one thing sailing teaches us is to change our diet as we move around. In the winter months in Turkey, our diet was root-based vegetables since that was all that was available in the market. In certain Indonesian islands, it’s fish and rice only, and that’s ok. In the UK there is a bias towards wheat-based savouries that we don’t find so common elsewhere in the world, so while I do miss those glorious fresh, spicy dishes, there are alternatives that keep my tummy sated while in the UK.
Missing the Sailing
One thing being on land doesn’t offer is the ability to move around and choose a different location to spend the night. Well, it is possible but it would require a lot of hotel bookings and driving around in traffic! Moving around on a boat is different. With favourable winds, the journey can be magical, and it’s made all the more enjoyable knowing that we will end up in a new location, ready to be discovered. That’s one thing living on land can’t beat. Since being back in the UK I’ve done quite a bit of driving, and getting around is a lot quicker, but it normally involves a return journey and waking up to the same view every morning. And, let’s face it, the act of sailing is far more thrilling than driving around the M25!
Missing each other
It goes without saying that we miss each other. Liz explained in our recent podcast that we are best friends who agree on everything (well, almost everything!) and because we spend 24-7 together, being apart could be a bit odd. But the great thing about our relationship is that we are comfortable not being together and have learned to just get on with things. We don’t spend hours on the phone, telling each other how miss each other, we accept that we’re apart, deal with it, and occupy ourselves. I think this says as much about ourselves as anything. I’m easily entertained and easily amused and don’t sit still for long. There’s always something to be getting on with.
And although I miss Liz’s company, I do get to spend time with my family. While on the boat, it’s the opposite way round, so you see everything balances out.
If you like our content and would like to support us, we will give you ad-free access to our videos before they go live to the public, discounts in our shop, access to Jamie’s iconic full-res photographs, and supporter-only blog posts. Click our ugly mugs for more info!
