Boat Life

Having the right buddy boat can make the cruising experience even more fun, educational and memorable.

- MAGGIE HIRT AND HELEN PANK

FINDING YOUR People

Have you got your pants on?" Charlie shouts through a side hatch and into the galley of the 49-foot Westerly Selkie.

Nick wanders over to collect the delicious, crispy French baguettes that Charlie has brought over from Lucky Girl, which is anchored alongside.

"Thanks, Capt. Charlie. I'll make sure to put some pants on and come on over for some of that fresh-ground coffee," Nick tells him.

The four children aboard Selkie tear apart the bread. Crumbs fall everywhere, and tummies fill comfortably as the boats gently sway at anchor in the Caribbean waters of Antigua.

"Buddy boats are truly the best when food delivery is included," Nick whispers.

Fifteen months later, we all still wake to baguette deliveries from one boat to the other, and the endlessly repeating question about whether people are wearing pants on either boat at any given time. Like a catamaran that has been split in two, our monohulls have crossed oceans as a team. We have made it from the Atlantic to the Pacific as buddy boats.

HOW WE DO IT

Cruising is about seeing spectacular new places, experiencing different cultures, and meeting interesting peoplebut it's not a holiday. It's a lifestyle. You could sustain a few weeks, maybe even a few months, with just your own crew and transient friends, but it doesn't take long before you miss real, long-term human connections. You yearn for people you don't have to try to impress, people you can invite to a dinner of leftovers and half a bottle of wine.