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Island Life; Land versus Water

We have been in our cottage here in the Abacos for about 6 weeks and I thought I would write a short post on the difference of living on land versus living on the water on a boat. Some of the differences are obvious, but I thought I would point out the advantages and disadvantages of each lifestyle with regard to living on a small Bahamian island.

Cost:

The costs of either lifestyle can vary greatly, so this is one area that I cannot easily generalize. You would think that owning or renting an island home would be much more expensive than owning a boat. However, if you live on an expensive 65-foot power boat, the costs to buy and maintain your boat can be the more than renting or owning an island home.

             This is how we go shopping

Living Quarters:

Living space is undoubtedly where living in a cottage has real advantages. In a cottage here in the Bahamas most of the kitchens here are equipped similar to a 1950s kitchen (i.e., an 18 cubic foot refrigerator, no icemaker, no dishwasher, no garbage disposal). However, you usually do have the modern countertop appliances such as a microwave oven and coffeemaker. Most boats will have a similarly equipped galley; except everything will be smaller (the refrigerator is much smaller, usually between 5 and 10 cubic feet). If you live on a typical cruising sailboat (most are between 38 feet and 45 feet), food storage areas and countertop area are limited and some areas of the boat do double-duty. For example, the second bedroom is also a storage area. The cockpit area is your living room and outdoor deck.

       This is how we get around on land

One small thing my wife likes about living in a cottage is the trees and the wildlife. Every day we have all kinds of birds visiting the bird feeders we put out. We also get visits from the occasional rooster or neighbor’s dog.

However on a boat, if you do not like your neighbors, you can move the next day.

Shopping:

Depending on where you live on land, you may need a golf cart to do any shopping. Unlike the US all stores on the Bahamian out-islands are right in the village in the harbor. So if you are on a boat in the harbor, shopping is actually easier than living on land unless you live right in the village. From our cottage we actually have to take a boat from our dock to the harbor to shop as we do not have good access by land. To visit people or pick up something small at a store, we ride our bikes.

This is the path we take to get to the Hope Town Marina

Going to the Beach:

Even if your cottage is not on the water, the water is never more than a 2 or 3 city blocks away, so going to the beach is about the same whether you live on a boat or a cottage.

Snorkeling on a reef:

Most full time renters or cottage owners have a 15 to 25 foot powerboat. So when the weather is calm, they can easily go snorkeling on the many beautiful reefs in the Abacos. However, I think the advantage here goes to the person living on a boat. The boater can just anchor his vessel next to a nice reef and snorkel, eat lunch, and snorkel again, and again the next day if they want. Or the cruising boat can go straight to another reef the next day.

Bugs:

Dealing with bugs is the same whether you live in a cottage or a boat. If there is any wind, which there usually is, there are no bugs. If there is no wind, there are bugs.

Island Hopping:

Island hopping is fun to do since all the out-islands have events held at different times of the year. There is a pretty good ferry system here in the Abacos, so it is possible to take the ferry from one island to another. But someone living in a cottage will have to come back the same day and, depending on the island you visit, could take 3 to 4 hours round trip on the ferry. A boater can go and spend the night at the other island and come back when they feel like it. This is important if you have been drinking a lot at the island event which has been known to happen. Advantage boater.

Our neighcor’s dog “Schooner” is on deck ready to play

Social Life:

If, as a boater, you return to the same island every year, you will get to know everyone on the island, locals and Expats both, whether you like or not. So the social life of people living on boats and on land is good either way. I do not think there is any advantage here for either lifestyle.

So what will we do? Continue to rent a cottage or go back to cruising? We have not visited much of the Bahamas outside of the Abacos. If you really want to spend quality time in the many beautiful islands in the Bahamas, this is easier done if you are cruising on your own boat. Also, there is something special about the cruising community that is not the same if you live on land. Cruisers are like a fraternity. They help each other out, even if they have never met before.

Unlike most women, my wife likes living on a boat. She is right when she says, cruising gives us freedom that living on land can never do. So, after we come back from Italy in July, we will likely buy a (slightly) bigger sailboat and return to the Bahamas as full-time cruisers.

Regardless of where you live, these guys are always available for viewing

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