It’s been relatively quiet on our end as we settle into life on the boat.

We recently left Ko Chang and sailed over to Ko Mak, a much smaller island nearby. While here, Toujan got her first deep cleaning…we finally put our power washer to use to wash off the salt (it seems like salt on a boat would be expected, but surprisingly, you don’t want it to build up).

Other than that, we’ve been filling our days with snorkeling, beach trips, and renting scooters to explore the island.

The Reality of Boat Life

As much as I’d love to say there’s a lot of downtime, the days seem to fly by, and even the smallest tasks take longer than expected. Something as simple as getting ice turns into a 30-minute mission:

1. Lower the dinghy

2. Get on the dinghy (still waiting for the day I fall in)

3. Motor over to the dock

4. Tie up the dinghy

5. Hope it doesn’t get loose (yes, that did happen to us—and we were lucky she ended up on shore with no damage).

6. Get the ice

7. Haul it back to the dinghy

8. Repeat the whole process in reverse

And then there’s the never-ending cleaning…maybe it’s the small space, but it feels like we are constantly vacuuming, wiping surfaces, and tidying up. Life on land definitely makes you take these mundane tasks for granted.

Adjusting to Boat Life – From All Three of Us

I didn’t want my perspective to be the only one here, so I asked Khalid and Eissa what this adjustment has been like for them.

Eissa’s Thoughts:

“One of my favorite things is snorkeling and sailing, and putting the door down. (I’ll have to take a video of this so everyone understands better). The hardest part was technically sailing for 10 hours. That is very uneventful and boring. Okay, I’m done talking now.”

Khalid’s Thoughts:

“The hardest part of adjusting to living on the boat has been keeping the boat clean. It has also been developing and adapting to learning this new procedural behavior for the smallest tasks, such as planning a route and choosing where to anchor, looking at weather forecasts, checking the bays we want to visit…Is there enough space for the boat? Is there enough depth to anchor? Are we sheltered well enough in case of bad weather? These are all things I have to think of now on a daily basis.”

My Perspective:

The hardest adjustment for me has been managing the cleaning and trying to stay on top of it. For those who aren’t aware, life in Kuwait is quite privileged in that having domestic staff for cleaning and laundry is the norm. Now, I’m doing it all myself, and it’s been an adjustment.

I’d also say another big challenge has been what I’ve started calling “close-proximity parenting.” Adjusting to the constant overstimulation that comes with living in such a small space…especially with a kid as active and independent as Eissa—has been intense. It’s forced me to do a lot of internal work and reflect on my own responses, patience, and ability to hold space for both myself and him.

This has also led to another version of this Substack that I’ve been thinking about—one that focuses not just on sailing, but on life itself. The good, the bad, therapy, reflection, and all the messy parts in between. This idea came from a conversation with one of my closest friends, Brittany, and it feels like something worth exploring.

What’s Next?

We are currently leaving Ko Mak and heading to the west side of Ko Chang to soak up our last few days before we make our way back to Pattaya. Once there, we’ll do our visa run and handle some necessary work on the boat.

For now, we’re enjoying these final moments of island time before getting back to the realities of maintenance, paperwork, and boat life logistics.

Until next time!

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