If you are thinking about coming to spend time aboard Wonderstruck, that makes us very excited! But, you need to know a few things upfront before coming. You won’t be staying at a hotel. We don’t have unlimited water, electricity, food, drink, nor space. If possible, we typically “anchor out”…which means no hookup to shore power. So, we are very conservative in our usage of water and electricity. We do take limited hot water showers on board when we have a good supply of both electricity and water, or we use a sun shower. But know you may have to be flexible as to the type and frequency of your showers. We keep all lights and fans turned off when not in our cabins. All this being said, if we are in a marina…water, electricity, issues change. Marinas charge a nightly fee as well as a fee for electricity usage. The rare times we are docked at a marina, we typically plug in and enjoy the amenities while we are there. We do have air conditioning on the boat that we can use if plugged in. Marinas have shower facilities. You just need to understand that usually we will be “camping” vs. living in luxury, as marina luxury is expensive. But you will see, the view from the anchor is worth it!
How often and where we sail is impacted by weather issues. If you hope to sail, you may be disappointed as we may have to hunker down for a front coming through. We don’t sail in bad or potentially bad weather. So, all this being said…if we haven’t scared you off we do hope you come see us!
Bring only one soft sided, duffle type suitcase per person. Storage room is limited.
Bring two or three bathing suits: one on, one or two drying. Laundries are sometimes difficult to come by. So, medium colors & khaki fabrics vs. whites are the best choice. Sometimes we may have to wear shorts or shirts more than once. We generally live in t-shirts and shorts. We have plenty of towels and washcloths and basic toiletries if you aren’t picky.
Winds in the evening can cause one to feel a little chilly, as well as when we sail. A windbreaker or other lightweight, long sleeve shirt, jacket or sweater is advisable. You may never use it, but one is good to have just in case.
Shoes should be comfortable for a lot of walking. If you have them, Docksiders, Tevas, Crocs, and other brands of shoes that are waterproof all work well on the boat and in this environment. Shoes worn on shore/streets should not be worn aboard. You may want one pair of shoes to wear only on the boat–they must have non marking soles— (we just stay barefoot) and another pair to wear ashore.
We do not have a hair dryer or iron onboard, So, anticipate a “natural” hairstyle or wearing a hat during your stay aboard, and don’t plan on freshly pressed linen shirts/blouses!
The lifestyle is casual and our dinghy is used to go to shore. It is feasible you will get splashed/wet going to and from. You may have to “wade” into shore. So, make sure you have pocketbook/bag to carry personal items with you in these conditions.
We have our personal snorkle equipment onboard and some spares that we can share. But, to assure proper fits and availability of equipment, you may want to bring your own with you. We carry extra PFDs (life jackets), but please check with us if you have children or specific size requirements.
Other things to remember: polarized sunglasses, personal medications (in their original bottles if going out of the country), camera, books, specific shampoo/haircare products if wanted, fishing license (if in US), and if going out of the country– your passport.