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Join the family, lend a helping hand.

About

Hello all! We are a family of 4 on a 50' sailboat and we are looking for people who are the same kind of crazy as us to become a part of the family.

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The Boat

Our boat is a 50' Hudson Force 50 Ketch Rig, built in 1986. She is an old boat, but a great boat. I should restate though that she is old, and thus requires a lot of love and maintenance. The boat has two *somewhat-private* cabins (we don't have doors, just curtains that create the privacy), a middle area that we refer to as the "boys' room/play room", a common area/kitchenette, and one bathroom. We technically have another bathroom forward, with a shower and a composting toilet, but both are currently out of commission. Since it is normally only us aboard, or like-minded people, we are normally okay with sharing the one toilet and we all bathe outside on deck...different times of course.

 

Our kitchenette has a small three burner propane stove/oven, a freezer, and a small fridge. We just decommissioned our second fridge because the compressor isn't running as it should, so it pulls more power from the batteries than it should be when it is working properly... opposite the kitchenette is the common area (salon), where the "dining table" is at, and we have an interior helm station here too. Our boat is almost fully "off the grid". We have a battery bank that powers the boat, and it is charged by solar panels most of the time. When there is no sunshine, we use the generator or the boat engine to charge the batteries. At the moment we are fairly careful about energy consumption, but perhaps someday when we can afford lithium batteries- we'll be less anal about when we charge devices and how we use our energy, For now though, the best time to charge USB devices is during the day. :)

 

Our boat holds 400L of fresh water. One of our big projects is to make larger tanks. One of our bigger projects is to buy a large water-maker. At the moment though this is what we hold, and we are careful to use the fresh water sparingly. (saltwater showers with fresh water rinses, dishes washed in saltwater and rinsed with fresh, etc....) I think that is the boat in a nutshell.

The Project

The boat is currently located in Tahiti, French Polynesia. We plan to sail to an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in May/June and live there - on the boat at first while we get a lay of the land - but long-term goals include building structures on the land that we can live in....a house someday when we can afford it. So our plan is not quite sailing/cruising around French Polynesia, but it also isn't completely land based....it is a bit of both worlds. This location will be fairly remote, we will only have two "close" neighbors, it'll mostly be just us out there on coconut tree covered land and pretty water. As my aunt who's land we'll be anchoring off of would say, "there is nothing". This isn't true though, there is a lot....but not in the way that most people would think.

 

Several big projects we plan to do upon arrival:

  • make a mooring for the boat (maybe a few) and drop them where they need to go

  • clean out cisterns already there (water catchment tanks) so we can use them for water collection

  • explore this area, and another area where I will hopefully be able to build my house someday

  • slowly tidy up the area to build a large garden/chicken farm

 

............we just want to be self sustainable with our own place living our lives......

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At the bottom of the page, I'll include a more in-depth write up of our "big dreams" for the motu, and the wish-list for people out there who might want to sponsor us.

What Kind of Help Are We Looking For?

The same kind of crazy that we are LOL responsible, adventurous, courteous, independent, curious, innovative, intuitive, minimalist like minded people who like kids. *we don't need the generic "boat crew" but we also don't need the generic "aupair"* ... we are looking for a combination of the two that will become family for the time with us and I'm sure long afterwards.

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​There will be some sailing involved, some boat projects, and lots of downtime with our two baby boys just hanging out with them during "work hours" having fun, exploring, changing diapers, handwashing kids laundry (I normally do the stomping in a bucket method) etc... I need another single mom I can tap in when I have to get work done, and then when I'm tapped back in we can hangout or the person can for adventure on land if wanted. For more details on the location, loose plans, and what we're looking for - contact me. I'm working on a little youtube video to communicate this more clearly....but in a nutshell just think of it as spending time on a deserted island with a family.

Duration

2 weeks + longer stays are nicer but people always have the option to leave if this just isn't one's cup of tea. There is an airport near by on the atoll. We will never ask someone to stay with us who isn't enjoying his/her time.

 

What does the Helper get out of this: lodging, eating with us, experiences that most people don't even know are out there... some sailing in french polynesia, occasional trips with us to the atoll's village where there will be lots of local interactions, adventure, solitude, headaches from young energetic boys, mosquito bites probably, lots of fresh fish, paddle boarding or kayaking, beautiful locations....it can be as beautiful or ugly an experience as you make it. I'm sure whoever stays with us will become family for life and always be welcome back.