A few of our favorite things

**disclaimer: we are in no way being compensated for these horn-tootings. we just love this stuff. so, really no need for a disclaimer. (or capitalization, apparently)**

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to share some stuff we keep aboard that keeps us happy – items aren’t necessarily necessary (for safety or practical reasons) but we nonetheless make room for them aboard simply because they make us happy (as clams). After all, we’ve been travelling for over 2 years – we’re not camping any more – and it’s the little things in life that add up to a lifetime of happiness, right? Right.

Instead of putting it all up at once (the prospect of which I’ve found overwhelming and therefore procrastinated), I got the great idea (thanks, me!) to feature this stuff, over time. Ahhhh, doing things at a leisurely pace – how nice is that?

Even though I may be writing more specific posts (more words, please. okay!) about each of the items on “our favorite things” list at a later date, (which I’ll link to here, of course) I thought I’d provide our initial list here, for any of your immediate needs. Feel free to click on any of the links below to learn more about our recs. And, don’t be shy in letting us know what a few of your favorite things are – I’d love to hear it!

A few fave things for the ladies:

  • Chacos: “I don’t always wear shoes, but when I do, they’re Chacos” – me. The footbed of a Chaco is designed from the ankle up, offering support to the knee, hips and back. For everday wear, I love the Chaco flip. I go through about a pair a year, wearing them everyday, on rugged terrain, over miles of crappy roads and wet surfaces. My feet – and the rest of my body are super happy I do. For more rigorous hiking and/or swimming with shoes (urchins, rocks, etc), I love the ol’ classic Z-Strap, which can be re-treaded or re-soled anytime – it’s like the shoe that keeps on giving! (if you follow the links, you’ll notice I wear Chaco’s in a men’s width, cause I’m solid like that)
  • My LowePro Camera sling: I love that this camera bag doesn’t scream “I have an expensive camera in here”, protects my DSLR (and two lenses) AND it fits all the other non-camera junk I carry in this bag (like a netbook, water bottle, sarong, etc). After three years of travelling in the jungle and on the water, its zippers still work and the canvas is mold-free: Lowe Pro FTW!
  • Lands End swimsuits (coming soon)
  • A (salt)water-proof J-Lo-esque floppy hat like the one in this photo: A good sun hat is priceless. This one from Sun to Sand is virtually indestructable: it rolls up, gets wet, doesn’t mold or have grommets that rust, and, paired with huge sunglasses = instant movie star.
  • Diva Cup: TMI? No way! Comfortable, re-usable, convenient? Totally. HIGHLY recommend.
  • BodyGlide: In The Tropics, I’ve battled chafe from dryness and adult-diaper rash from too much moisture – sometimes at the same time! No more choosing to chafe from getting airflow with a skirt, enter BodyGlide. It rolls on like deodorant and has kept me chafe & diaper-rash free through many, many 98% humidity, tropical-sun baked provisioning runs. Word to the wise: it doesn’t taste great (don’t ask).
  • A Sensationail Gel Nail kit: Ok, confession time, I love to have great looking nails. But, on a boat, that’s hard. When I’m in port a while and there’s a slim possibility I won’t need to stuff my hands into a carberator on a Yamaha outboard, I love to get girly with it. Given the hard shellac of gels nails dry in 60 seconds (without damaging the nail underneath), it stands up to this LADY’s rough-and-tumble lifestyle aboard S/V Mother Jones. (ok, I don’t get the 2 weeks of great nails promised to land-lubbers, but I’ll take a week of shiny, chip-free nails anytime!)
  • Eyebrow tint: File this also in the “confession time” category 🙂 Eyebrows frame your face. like glasses. or eyebrows. But, if you’re of Nordic descent, like me, and spend your days in the sun, also like me, then you’re gonna lose your frames sooner or later. Simple solution: bust out some eye brow tint every six weeks or so. Sure, you’ll shock yourself with the day-of results, but 48 hours later, you’ll be right as rain (with naturally highlighted hair, but tinted brows, hmmm).
  • Laser hair removal: Razor shaving + salt water = a stinging, rusty mess. Do yourself a favor and zap that stuff. Lots of places have super-sales on sites like Groupon so keep your eyes peeled for an affordable investment. *note: the lasers look for the difference between skin and hair, so if you’re tan, it’ll burn you. Plus, it takes several sessions over a couple of weeks to be most effective. So, if you’re planning on getting lasered, get it before you get off the dock*
  • My SUP

A few of the Captain’s favorite things:

  • Floats sunglasses: Polarized sunglasses that float – need we say more?
  • Propeller Head Software: Propellerhead’s Reason, for me, makes it amazingly easy to get ideas out of my head and into my ears – and sounding the way I want. The kinetic interface has always attracted me to this software, but ever since the audio integration I’ve never looked back.
  • Axiom USB controller keyboard: the Axiom is incredibly easy to configure and is highly responsive. Life on a boat makes portability and versatility a must, and even the 61-key version I have stows easily in the aft cabin and is up and running in seconds when I’m ready to play.
  • Pelican Case: Saltwater is TOUGH on electronics, and storing my laptop in this watertight/air pressure-regulated case (along with a few silicone moisture-absorbing packets) has kept it safe on the open seas (especially when transporting my mac from big boat to dinghy to shore, and back).
  • Casio pathfinder watch: It maybe a bit overkill for a boat watch, but it’s rugged as all get out and packs a compass, barometer, 100M water resistance, and all kinds of other timers, settings, bells and whistles I’ve found uses for.
  • Eagle Creek secret pocket: Even though most of our time is spent on water, we always need to come ashore to clear in to new countries or purchase provisions, and I always feel safer with my passports and cash reserves tucked away in one of these babies.
  • Altec lansing speaker: This little bruiser handles the highs and lows with ease, and totally blows aways the built-ins on our laptops when movie watching. Also killer for MP3 players, it lasts for hours and hours and hours on three AAA batteries, and we keep rotating rechargeables handy whenever they start to run low.

Kemah’s fave things for salty dogs:

  • His super cool vet who gave us an awesome med kit for him
  • Homemade doggie swim step
  • RuffWear life jacket
  • Le Bistro waterer allows us not to fill up K’s dish every 5 minutes. It’s awesome at anchor! Learn-from-us-opportunity: empty it while underway lest your 5 gallons of water splash out -> fill up–>splash out–>fill up–>splash out–> fill up all.passage.long.
  • Being with us

A few sailing-specific faves:

  • The Wirie wifi booster is a central part of How We Stay In Touch
  • Open CPN is the bomb-diggity when it comes to marine navigation software. We use it with charts downloaded from NOAA and other sources with a GPS puck and it works great!
  • Chris Parker is an amazing resource to help with weather and route planning. He gives free forecasts on the SSB in the mornings and offers several subscriber options (daily, custom, etc). We’ve ordered a few custom passage forecasts over the years and they’ve been spot-on. We highly recommend working with Chris.

A few things for ship or shore:

A few things in the galley:

A few things for the wish list:

  • Underwater camera
  • SSB transceiver

Not so favorite things:

  • The following brands of dry sacks: (coming soon)

Favorite things for foodies:

  • Panama – Delidas
  • Guatemala/Honduras – Marie Sharps + avocados, radishes and fresh lemonade everywere!

Our fave blogs to follow from ship or shore

Our fave sailing guides – (coming soon)