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Reply to: Why did you start prepping? Posted December 10, 2020

Gideon, thanks for the reply. Yes, it can be an adventurous lifestyle living and cruising on a sailboat. If you’ve read my brief bio you can probably deduce that I already have some other survival skills in my toolbox. And yes, I do have some stories to tell… Greatest challenge at sea (on this boat): Losing the rudder in a storm around midnight in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay 2 years ago. Using the headsail/jib and a sea anchor trailed of the stern, was able to navigate 4 miles back toward the Virginia coast in 6-8 foot waves where I met the towing service (TowBoatUS).  As for moving back on land and what lessons I’ll take with me? Well, it will probably be that I’ll look at my house the same way that I look at my boat: Do 3 things everyday that improve the boat (cleaning doesn’t count), keep up with the maintenance because boats are a bit like women….touch them in all the right places and your life is going to be great. Don’t pay enough attention to them and they will ruin your day at the worst possible moment. And lastly: A house is nothing more than a boat that is so poorly built that it has to remain landlocked 😉 

Reply to: Why did you start prepping? Posted December 10, 2020

I really don’t consider myself a prepper. But after reading the BBC article about preppers going mainstream I found myself here as many of the points that I read in the article and on this forum fall in line with my lifestyle. You see, I live alone on a small sailboat (27-feet) and continually cruise along the East and Gulf coasts, so I continually have to be prepared for emergencies and being self sufficient for weeks at a time. This means, at least for me, 6-weeks of food and supplies onboard, 2-3 weeks of water, solar power, a month’s supply of diesel fuel (engine), gasoline (generator) and propane (heating and cooking). Add to that, maintenance and repair parts plus having all of the skills to conduct engine and electrical repairs, fiberglass, paint and carpentry work, sail and canvas repairs, among other things. Recently rode out the outer edge of Hurricane Zeta at anchor in Gulfport Lake, MS with no major damage while 2 larger sailboats near me (non-cruisers) were abandoned and eventually lost. Was prepared for 100+ MPH winds with enough anchors, chain and rode (anchor lines) put out…the other weren’t. So I guess my point here is that for those of us that cruise full time, “prepping” is an ingrained part of our daily lives. 

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Reply to: Why did you start prepping? Posted December 10, 2020

Gideon, thanks for the reply. Yes, it can be an adventurous lifestyle living and cruising on a sailboat. If you’ve read my brief bio you can probably deduce that I already have some other survival skills in my toolbox. And yes, I do have some stories to tell… Greatest challenge at sea (on this boat): Losing the rudder in a storm around midnight in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay 2 years ago. Using the headsail/jib and a sea anchor trailed of the stern, was able to navigate 4 miles back toward the Virginia coast in 6-8 foot waves where I met the towing service (TowBoatUS).  As for moving back on land and what lessons I’ll take with me? Well, it will probably be that I’ll look at my house the same way that I look at my boat: Do 3 things everyday that improve the boat (cleaning doesn’t count), keep up with the maintenance because boats are a bit like women….touch them in all the right places and your life is going to be great. Don’t pay enough attention to them and they will ruin your day at the worst possible moment. And lastly: A house is nothing more than a boat that is so poorly built that it has to remain landlocked 😉 

Reply to: Why did you start prepping? Posted December 10, 2020

I really don’t consider myself a prepper. But after reading the BBC article about preppers going mainstream I found myself here as many of the points that I read in the article and on this forum fall in line with my lifestyle. You see, I live alone on a small sailboat (27-feet) and continually cruise along the East and Gulf coasts, so I continually have to be prepared for emergencies and being self sufficient for weeks at a time. This means, at least for me, 6-weeks of food and supplies onboard, 2-3 weeks of water, solar power, a month’s supply of diesel fuel (engine), gasoline (generator) and propane (heating and cooking). Add to that, maintenance and repair parts plus having all of the skills to conduct engine and electrical repairs, fiberglass, paint and carpentry work, sail and canvas repairs, among other things. Recently rode out the outer edge of Hurricane Zeta at anchor in Gulfport Lake, MS with no major damage while 2 larger sailboats near me (non-cruisers) were abandoned and eventually lost. Was prepared for 100+ MPH winds with enough anchors, chain and rode (anchor lines) put out…the other weren’t. So I guess my point here is that for those of us that cruise full time, “prepping” is an ingrained part of our daily lives.