FAQ

There are some questions that we are asked over and over.  We’re always happy to answer, but if you’d like to see some frequently asked questions and our responses, here you go.

1.  What is a trawler?

A trawler is displacement hull boat which means it is usually limited to a speed of 1.34 times the square root of its water line length (it’s called AfterMath for a reason!).  Therefore, a 48 foot trawler has a top speed of 9 knots an hour or 10.4 miles per hour.  The boat weighs 34 tons and is powered by twin 100 horsepower diesels.  On the other hand, a 48 foot planing hull, such as Sea Ray, weighs in at about 17 tons has a top speed of approximately 36 miles per hour and is powered by twin 540 horsepower diesels.  The Sea Ray is a coastal cruiser designed to cruise within 20 miles offshore or inland waterways and has a range of approximately 250 miles before it needs refueling.  The displacement hull of a trawler offers more tank capacity and has considerably more interior space for living area and fuel tankage.  Ours is designed to have a cruising range of better than four times that Sea Ray on the same amount of fuel which allows us to go far offshore to regions that would be unaccessible to planing hull type boats.  As you slow down, range increases and we will have a range of 2000 – 5000 miles, depending on the speed selected.  A boat such as this could have trans-Atlantic capabilities, especially with the water maker and stabilizer systems.

2.  Are you keeping your house?

No!  We have decided to sell it.  We don’t want to be worried about leaving it empty or finding renters.  We don’t want to have lawn maintenance and normal upkeep to be concerned with.  We don’t see the point in paying insurance and taxes on a house we are not living in.  We are excited to be setting out in our new house – it just happens to float.

3.  Are you taking the dogs?

Of course!  They are part of the family.  We will keep you updated as to how Jake, our senior citizen Golden Retriever, and Kirby, our 3 year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, do along the way.  Yes, they will have a spot to use for a “yard” on the boat.

4.  What will you do with all of your things?

This is a common question and a tough one!  Right now we are in the process of purging.  This means many trips to Goodwill, preparing for a tag sale, and lots of trash bags on collection day.  We will store some things that are really important to us, like photographs, antiques, and, depending on how it all goes, some furniture.  We are in the process of figuring it all out right now; we are investigating storage units, deciding what we can’t part with, and seeing what the kids want.  It is time to part with some things:  the crib and high chair our kids used and our grandchildren have used, tons of books that have been read and won’t be read again, decorative pictures that were up in the house in Connecticut and have been stored in our closets here for the last 10 years, clothes that we brought with us when we moved here that are still in boxes untouched, and so on.  We will keep you updated on the blog as to how all that goes, but I will say that I am better at purging than John is!  He likes to analyze every little thing and I like to just get rid of it.

5.  Will you get seasick?

Well, I have been known to get seasick, but John does not.  This boat, however, has stabilizers which virtually eliminate the rocking motion.  It was pretty rough the day we sea trialed the boat and as soon as the stabilizers were turned on, the boat rode as though it was calm as can be on the water.

6.  What is it like inside the boat?

AfterMath has four levels.  There is a nice salon with a couch and it will also have a love seat or a couple of chairs.  We are in the process of deciding what we want now.  It has a really pretty galley (kitchen) that has a counter top stove, a convection/microwave oven and an ice maker.  There is quite a lot of storage space for food, pots and pans, and other kitchen items.  The refrigerator is built in and consists of two large drawers.  There is a freezer outside in the cockpit along with a washer/dryer there as well.  Up a few stairs from the galley is the pilothouse.  You can steer the boat there and there is a large table and seating for four around it.  Also in the pilothouse is a bed for guests or night watches.  Downstairs from the galley there is a master stateroom and a guest room.  The master stateroom has a bathroom with a tub and shower.  There is another bathroom with a shower stall that opens to the hallway and the guest room.  Upstairs from the pilot house is a fly bridge – there is another steering station there and seating for a few others.  The view from up there is really great and I’m sure we will use it when the weather is good.  There is a large open space behind the fly bridge that looks perfect for another table and chairs.  That space also holds the dinghy when not in use and a crane to lift the dinghy.  Then, of course, there is the engine room.  I haven’t gone down there and I’m hoping I don’t have to.   I think it’s a guy thing.

7.  What about the more technical information?

I’ll get John to help out with this question.  The boat is powered with twin Detroit Diesels at 100 horsepower each.  There is a 1350 gallon fuel capacity that allows for long range cruising and it is ideally set up for anchoring out as it has a water maker, 2 generators, and a solar system to power everything onboard.  AfterMath is a Hatteras 48 Long Range Cruiser (LRC) that weighs 34 tons and cruises at 7 knots.  Her range is approximately 2000 miles.

8.  Where are you going and how long will you live on the boat?

We will start from Connecticut, head up the Hudson River to Canada where we will traverse the Rideau Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway, and then go into Georgian Bay.  Then we will return down the east coast to Florida and head to the Caribbean which will probably include parts of South and Latin America and Mexico for what we expect will be a two year loop.  Upon our return to the US we plan one more trip up to Canada via the Hudson, but this time we will steer east to Quebec and Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Maine for what is known as the Down East Loop.  By then four years will have passed and after that there is a big question mark.

9.  How will you get your mail?

We will use a mail forwarding service in Florida that is specifically designed for travelers.  We notify the company where we will be and when and they forward our mail to us.  They even throw our junk mail away for us!

9.  OK, but WHY are you doing this?

Cruising has been a long term goal of ours.  We would have loved to have done it on Solitude (our 30 foot Hunter that we owned in Connecticut) with the kids when they were young, but it was not financially a possibility at the time.  The dream never left us, though.  Over the past few years we have realized that life is short and we don’t want to go out of this world not having achieved our dreams.  So many people have told us that they have always wanted to live on a boat and do just what we are setting out to do, but something happened to stop them and now it is too late.  All we can offer for advice for all of you is to live your dreams. Here is a quote from an article I recently read;  it gives an insight to our perspective.

You must resist the confines of comfort. You must defy the idea of settled. You must never resign yourself to the ordinary or the easy. You must challenge tranquility for the promise of something greater.

To live is to be born and to continually live is to be reborn, again and again. As a new person, new lover, new friend, you must willingly evolve and transform into new versions of yourself.

You must never allow the new place you’ve created to become the final place. You must consistently defy the idea of comfort for the idea that you’ll never be fully satisfied unless you’re exploring, changing and moving.

(Staying Is Settling: Why You Need To Move At Least 5 Times In Your Life;  Lauren Martin, Wellness)

And off we go!