Everybody on Twig showers every Friday, whether they need it or not. That’s what we’ve resorted to. Combined with our speed of travel, we’re slowly resembling old west settlers more than a 21st century family.
It started with conservation. When we first moved aboard, we didn’t know how far our water tanks would stretch, so we were afraid to waste it on something frivolous like a shower. I tried to start up our water maker to help out the situation, but it was kind enough to catch on fire instead. We’ve been told that fires on boats can be bad news, so that was out.
then everything on the boat started to smell. cushions got wet because helm enclosure was toast. whole boat smelled like diesel on port side after fill up. saltwater toilets stink. toilet paper in trash cans. Zulu’s poop bags. we had yet to figure out solutions for all of this, and it added up. the smell coming from us was the least of our concerns, so we sort of forgot about showers.
then we got a bit farther south, and started swimming every day. the need was reduced, but not eliminated. it was easy to forget, at least for the kids. When we moved on to the Bahamas, we discovered that we had forgotten to shower for over a week. Not by choice, it just didn’t occur to us. We were all in this together, and nobody noticed.
Eventually, we noticed the pattern and decided that there needed to be some sort of governor. So, we put in the every friday rule. We use the marina if it’s available, or run the engines a bit for hot water if not.
That led to noticing other patterns. Like the coffee pot. I had always given my parents a hard time for reheating coffee the next day. Now I’m making a new half pot on top of the remaining half pot from yesterday. a thermal carafe keeps it from getting nasty, but there’s limits. So, I empty and wash the coffee pot every Friday too.
Other items are starting to creep in that were never a thing before. Rust stain spray. Lubing the lines so that they don’t squeak. scrubbing off the forest growing on the sugar scoops.
The new normal?
Now we’re taking a little vacation in Iowa and Colorado, and our new habits are glaring. I’m noticing just how unkempt my hair is, and the kids are on day three of the same tshirts. Things like that just don’t occur to us anymore. I feel wasteful dumping out extra coffee. I can’t let the water run while doing dishes.
Maybe everybody needs to go cruising for a little while to learn a little conservation?
[gb] not sure I like this thread. too philosophical?[gb] the big question is, should they? Are there different rules “out there”? or are we a little too worried about what others think “on land”?