Okay this is cool because I get to talk from all sides of the coin. I have lived on land, sailboat and powerboat. I have lived aboard while maintaining a job and cruised with no place of employment to report. All these require totally different types of clothing/laundry maintenance.
Land = endless opportunity for shopping, cleaning and storing clothing. End of story.
Sailboat while working = interesting choices of attire include wrinkle free, lose clothing that can dry easily after a thorough soaking due to wet dinghy ride into shore. Laundry includes a weekly trip to the nearest laundry facility be it marina or public facility. Other days you just do small loads of laundry every other day or as needed
like this.
Sailboat while cruising = generally speaking we were in our swimsuits until we had to throw on clothes which were typically dresses or shirts and shorts. Again, in foreign ports we keep our attire in mind; if it's a beach town one can get away with a flimsy dress or a ratty shirt. It's
very important to have a nice outfit to wear to meet the Customs & Immigration officials.
Powerboat = almost anything goes with the amount of space we now have in comparison to our first two sailboats. Laundry can be done on board with our washer/dryer combo making us completely self-sufficient. OR if we so choose we can use a marina/public facility.
CLOTHING
Impractical items? There ARE NO impractical items. I do not have a particular brand or anything. I buy most of our clothes second hand because I’d rather support local businesses and it is budget friendly. I have 3 persons to clothe onboardand we have differe nt needs. An ever-growing child needs newer items more often. The Captain needs more shirts and shorts to blow out as he constantly works on diesel engines and is usually pouring sweat. I can be seen wearing one of two types of outfits, yoga/athletic gear or super cute(if I may say so myself) bohemian fashions. If you like it and you will wear it; it’s practical.
When I shop for clothing I always look for something light and cool, something that will not wrinkle or can be unwrinkled easily, laundered either by hand or in a machine with everything else. I stay away from embellishments, metal decoration and fringe, material like silk, chiffon and velcro. Light colors to keep the sun from beating down on you, but not too much actually stays white on a boat for long.
I have broken our closets down into pieces for you.
Shoes - Originally I got rid of all my shoes (heels) and I missed them once! The occasion was a New Year’s Eve cocktail party onboard a new friend’s massive sailboat. As soon as we got onboard we all kicked off our shoes anyway so my desire for pumps was short lived. In the past seven years since I began cruising I have almost never worn anything other than flops and I love it that way. Come to think of it, in Guatemala I never even wore shoes; to the market, to the bank, to the bar. No one wore shoes and it was accepted. It became difficult to remember to wear shoes when we arrived back to the States. My inventory of shoes onboard consist of a pair of deck shoes, sneakers for jogging, flops (at least two pairs), a singular, cherished pair of Tommy Hilfiger Hemp Mary-Jane wedges (rarely worn but handy for those rare occasions that require dressing up), a pair of black Mary-Jane style Crocs and a pair of ballet flats. For the rest of my life I will never wear a pair of heels, and this is coming from a former career girl who used to rock the hottest heels.
Swimsuits – Swimsuits are the one thing we seem to go through the most of. You can never have too many and caring for them is key. The sun and sea are strong fighters against spandex, rayon and other unnatural materials. When I shop I stay away from embellishments, metallic details and fringe. You will get pulls from the non-skid decks on your bum creating a funny, fuzzy bottom.
Shirts/Shorts – Lose fitting, quick drying and modesty are key. While I enjoy wearing my bootie shorts onboard they don’t pass for acceptable on the shores of foreign countries. Skirts of all lengths are good. Shirts for The Captain are mostly lightweight tees that quickly turn into rags and a few button ups for those special occasions. You might go to church services, you might get invited to the home of some locals, you might meet some pretty important people so be prepared for those special occasions.
Foul Weather Gear – Don’t skimp on these, buy the expensive pair, the store brand are cheaper for a reason. You will spend very little time in these but at the moment when you have to wear them they pay for themselves immediately. My foulies are like an escape from the terrible conditions, I immediately feel safer and calmer in them. Finding children’s foulies can be difficult and expect to pay top dollar. Try swapping with other cruising families.
