We’re still buried in the bowels of our little ship – renovating away, only popping up for air when we need feeding.
Below are galley progress-pictures from a month or so back (where has the time gone?). Some people liked the painted cupboards, but we changed them for several reasons:
1) The photos looked so much better than the real thing.
2) My eyes couldn’t stand all the hectic patterns and clashing of colours, stripes and frills (frilly net-curtains, red curtains, striped curtains, and the stencilled flowers on the sky-hatch windows) – something had to give!
3) I like fresh, simple decor that creates the feeling of space.
4) We didn’t like them!
Getting ready to sand
Some of the paint was very thick (dobbed on!), I was glad we had the electric sander!
I couldn’t wait to lighten this lot up!
First coat – there were five coats in total!
Sitting on the stove top!
Much better! (Ignore the timber door on the right, we currently have a vagrant door just sitting there in the way!)
That’s better on the eyes!
This one?
Or, this one?
Currently, we are finishing off the front cabin and that is the end of the renovations for now.
Photos appearing soon-ish!
Reality
Few authors make ‘good’ money – that’s the reality. For me, my sales graph provides great pleasure as it snakes across the page continually placing “Of Foreign Build” in the top ten rankings (and often at No. 1). Yes, I am quietly satisfied with my achievements. The reviews say it all.
Marketing can be just as hard as writing a book!
If people don’t know that your book exists, they aren’t going to buy it! This has become the little mantra in my head that keeps me going. Marketing costs money and time – lots and lots and lots of time!
FREE! ‘Give your book away for free’ is the advice these days. I am uncomfortable with this for several reasons:
1) How many other industries do people slog away for years and produce a product that people expect you to give them?
2) My work has value!
We experienced the world
I won’t disregard all my options, maybe by my twentieth book I’ll consider a freebie to the masses. I have held (and will hold) many giveaway competitions, but they’ve all been within my control – so far. Keep an eye on my website and sign up here to be the first to know about freebies.
Promotions are important
I do understand that due to the vast choice readers have, it’s important to promote, and I am really excited about this promotion!
We made beautiful friendships
My Promotion
This week (7th March – 14th March) I am reducing the Kindle version of “Of Foreign Build” to 99 cents/pence (for the UK and USA).
That’s just 99 cents or pence for over 400 pages of:
Adventure
Fear
Love
Storms
Pirates
Finding out why my husband worked in a brothel!
Whale-smash!
Abduction
Redemption… … a nine-year odyssey
Experience the world right now from the eyes of a corporate girl that morphed into a sea-gypsy woman!
All for 99 cents / pence. Not convinced yet? Read an excerpt here.
** New Release ** May 2015 *** A Standard Journey ***
**5 horses, 2 people and a tent **
50% of proceeds going to help rescue more horses! Details here.
A little while ago I wrote about the mysteries of the maritime world and how to get through your first few times on a boat at the helm.
I received many great comments – one, in particular, is important:
“Great encouragement and advice, Jackie!
Also, want to toss in the thought that not all women are the ones being persuaded to go sailing/cruising! While most sailors are super friendly, etc. it really does bug me when I run across people who just assume that I’m only there (or any woman is only there) because her husband persuaded her to be!”
Thanks Ellen You are right. It isn’t always the man’s dream to sail off into the sunset. Women are leading the way too and taking their partners or single-handing.
Ellen goes on to say, “It’s a lack of recognition of the fact that I am (or other women are) realizing dreams that we’ve had since childhood, and the sense of accomplishment that it gives us. So my bit of advice is, when you meet people in an anchorage, to wait and hear their story before jumping to the conclusion that Girl is valiantly supporting Boy’s dream :)”
Pink and Blue Jobs
Well said! And leads me nicely into blue/pink jobs. I can understand some jobs fall to the woman and some to the man. But on our boats both of us could and can handle every job necessary, from every aspect of maintenance to navigation. For us it was the safety aspect, for me it was independence. That’s just our choice; many couples have wonderful years on board with defined jobs.
Ellen adds “That’s not to discount the bravery of those who do fit that narrative, just to point out that it’s not the only one! E.g. we met the skipper and cook on a luxury chart yacht where she was the captain/engineer and he the cook!”
Men vs. Women
A recent FB post on a sailing group made me smile, the magnitude and range comments that followed this question were hysterical, some thoughtless, but many were thoughtful:
Image courtesy of kjnnt at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
“Sailors, what do you say to a woman who gives you lip about drinking rum on your boat before noon, and then also tells you that your plan on someday circumnavigating is ‘scary’ and ‘inconceivable’?”
Responses varied from “throw her overboard” to “go to AA!”
Image courtesy of bplanet at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My response was along the lines of, “I wonder why so many men tell us their partner won’t sail with them? How about showing her how conceivable your plans are and proving they are not scary…. as for the rum, well, sometimes it is important and sometimes not, however – never at sea!”
Living on board a compact ten metre boat is not for the faint-hearted!
Cruising is not all about calm seas, wind propulsion and dolphins at sunset. For a start moving from land to boat is confusing, frustrating and tough! You have to sell or store all of your belongings and live without ninety percent of what you usually live with!
Here’s more cruising realities you may not be aware of:
Flexibility is a must. Even with a large engine room you’ll have to learn to bend yourself into a pretzel.
Once in the engine room, you’ll learn how to perform miracles to unscrew, twist, replace…
The top of the mast sways a lot, even at anchor in dead flat water.
Bruises accumulate. The vice in the workshop bit me every time (until I told him to stop!)
Finding free WiFi on anchor is incredibly exciting.
It’s possible to live cheaply on board (read Cruisers’ AA to find out what I am talking about).
While preparing your boat for oceans, riding your bicycle sixty-seventy miles a week while balancing the equivalent of a small truck load, will become perfectly normal.
Movies, concerts and shows are replaced by slowly swinging on anchor, devouring the three-sixty-degree moving vista, and watching the sunset.
Barbados!
Just a couple more knots of wind can make the difference between a peaceful sleep and a fitful one.
Resourcefulness becomes your middle name.
It is a fantastic relief to be cut off from emails and phonecalls (which is how we cruised).
You will never have enough rags on board.
The laptop and camera become cherished items, to constantly capture those memories that fade with wine, oops, time!
Life on board is hard work, but immensely satisfying.
After a ‘sticky’ start, the renovations are starting to show promise. Here’s what caused the delays:
The new holding tank – made from one of water tanks. Sourcing the right welder was a rather frustrating project. Having to cut the big tank up INSIDE the boat, made the boat filthy. It was too big to get out, so Noel cut it into four pieces, two were the holding tank (including lid), the other two pieces were superfluous. The plumbing parts were purchased on-line and all in French. Other bits-and-pieces from the Brico-marche, eight kilometres away, hauling all purchases by bike.
Noel drilling a hole for the vent.
There’s a hole in my hull!
A neat job – we now know what’s behind all the walls – good insulation and good wiring (now!) – we replaced all the old wiring.
Another hole, this time in the deck, for the new water tanks. These will be situated under the bed.
We’ve been lucky with the weather, Noel chooses the outside-projects in time with the better days.
“What’s the very best, top-tip you have for doing boat renovations,” I said to my hard working husband, who is grappling with two loos right now, as I type.
Without hesitation or thought he dished up these wise-words of wisdom:
“Buy a house!”
We are in a mess, cabin full of welding fumes!
And, here’s more…
When taking the toilet apart, do not consume a large mug off coffee prior to the deed!
Seek good value gear – the renovations will cost you three-times what you originally calculated. You’d better try to make some savings somewhere.
Don’t become annoyed when the welding equipment sits on top of the loo all day!
His and hers!
Really try not to get irritated when the welding equipment then sits in the shower!
Don’t walk in bare feet after the grinder has been used.
Spread the dust sheet carefully, that one bit of paint you drop will do it’s best to find the tiny gap! Wear shoes when painting – you’ll find out why!
Drink vast quantities of wine or meditate (or both) – after the day’s work is done please!
New holding tank – done!
Turn up the Radio.
Have a day off – at some point (someone gave me this tip, not sure what it means though!)
… and as with all boat work, double the time you think the work will take, triple that figure, and you’ll be about halfway to a good estimate on the time it will take to do the work! (More great boat/cruising tips here, from boat maintenance to make-up!)
Make time for fun – Noel’s birthday!
More humorous (house) renovation observations, here.
We’ve made the decision to stay on board this winter. This is our first winter on a boat in the northern hemisphere.
We feel that every moment that passes is nostalgic, important and gone, so whatever we’re doing, we must enjoy it, and keeping warm is part of the enjoyment!
Seven-thirty in the morning – the frost stayed with us all day.
We still have a few months(!) of this winter to go, so I will post more tips, for now – here are our top tips so far:
Don’t turn the heating off, just turn it down.
On those really chilly days, it takes too long to warm the whole boat up again if you turn the heating off. Just turn it down and let it simmer, keeping the boat warm all day.
Have project to keep you entertained.
We are renovating the interior. It is bedlam on board, we are focussed on the job at hand and not indulging in the cold. We finished the exterior painting just before winter set in – perfect timing.
Noel cutting ‘bits’ off -making a waste tank from old water tank.
Buy good gear to wear for those times you have to step outside!
This doesn’t mean spend lots of money. The charity shop near us has an abundance of great clothes – layering is the key. Hats, scarves and good gloves and socks are a must – heat escapes at your extremities.
Watch the weather – be prepared.
If you are totally independent, like us (ie without the constraints of a car), the weather will be important for days you want to go shopping. We cycle seven kilometres to the nearest large town. It’s an easy ride, but we time it with bright, dry days.
Insulate with rugs
We’ve tucked in the curtain (the rods will be painted – one day!)
Insulate all areas – not just the hull
In the autumn we bought half-a-dozen thick floor rugs, which insulate the floor brilliantly. We have plastic ‘blinds’ outside our portholes which we clip down each night. The curtains are tucked in (yet to be painted) to prevent the warm air being sucked up to the windows and cooling. Under our mattress, we’ve placed a layer of carpet – it all helps.
Extra protection on the outside of the windows
Eat little and often.
Food keeps you warm and energised. We tend to eat small meals often. Tea and toast in the morning, porridge mid-morning, a light-lunch, a snack mid-afternoon (fruit perhaps) and then dinner. It helps keep our tummies warm and therefore keep us warmer.
What tips and ideas do you have to surviving winter in Europe?
Noel has received his Carte de Sejour. What should have been a relatively easy process did become a bit of a nightmare. We learned a lot – this may help you!
Our Circumstances
I have a European passport, Noel has an Australian passport. I read so much information on this, my head was spinning, examples:
If he/she has a European passport then their partner is entitled to stay without a visa.
If he/she has a European passport the partner is entitled to stay, with a visa.
Okay, you get the idea, here’s a quick breakdown of the process we went through:
We applied for a visa within three months of arriving (as per the rules – IF the partner has a European visa).
Australians are entitled to visit France (or anywhere in Europe for three months).
We applied in Dijon, as that was our nearest Prefecture.
We were asked to stay in the area (we didn’t – read on).
We went to the Prefecture (in Dijon) and they searched my European passport for a visa – but eventually worked out that I had a European passport!
They presented us with a form and told us to fill it out and mail it back.
We filled out the form and mailed it, they mailed it all back, asking for more, we mailed it back, this went on for five months.
We could not talk to anyone in the Prefecture, by telephone, personal visit or email, they just kept telling us to mail our documents.
They eventually started asking for paperwork that was not listed on the application form, and that we had already sent.
By this time we had moved south – they didn’t comment on a new address.
We reached the end of our tether and went to Agen Prefecture (now, our nearest).
At the train station at 7 am after a refreshing bike ride in the dark!
Here’s what happened at Agen:
After initial contact via email, we were invited to attend (with no pre-arranged date/appointment), so we took that (emailed) invite with us.
We talked to a real live person, (she had enough English and I had enough French (and a dictionary), to get by.
She gave us a list of five additional bits of paper she wanted and said ‘when you return with those, I will issue your visa.’
She fined us 50 Euros for over-staying the three months (despite our process with Dijon) – we would have to pay it on the next visit.
Two weeks later we returned to Agen (we had missed our arranged appointment as we were waiting for paperwork – we tried to obtain another appointment by email but received no response, so we just turned up).
On the day we got the visa
We rolled up with all the paperwork requested.
They were miffed we didn’t have an appointment, but after we explained that we had tried to arrange one via email (and that we had no car and travelled there by bike and train) – they felt sorry for us and put us in a room.
“This is either very good, or very bad!” we said!
The interviewer understood we had been trying to obtain the visa since we arrived, and ‘deleted’ the 50 Euro fine!
She checked through our paperwork, nodded, made positive comments and GAVE US THE VISA!
It is a temporary visa until the card (like a credit card) is processed at another location, they will write to us when they have received the card and we can collect it.
We have to collect it within three months, it will be ready in January sometime.
The paperwork
Dijon gave us one form: ‘Premiere Demande ou Renouvellement – ressortissant de l’union europeene – MEMBRE DE FAMILLE -.
Agen gave us another: Carte de Sejour.
Dijon wanted (all copies):
Copies of passports.
Birth certificate (translated to English – I did this on Google, but they do ask it is done by an official translator).
Proof of where you stayed (and why) in France, for first three months.
‘Family’ proof (marriage certificate for us).
Proof of funds (bank statements).
Health Insurance.
4 x photos (like passport photos).
SSAEs
This was for the applicant – they then asked for health insurance for me also, but at this point we had given up with Dijon.
Agen wanted (they also wanted to view originals and keep a copy)
A different form requiring the names of Noel’s parents, DOB and any children.
All of the above Dijon requirements, plus Noel’s entire passport photocopied.
BUT, they wanted the health insurance and bank statements translated to English too.
We have a French bank account, which seemed to help. They wanted to see a minimum of 1,000 Euros in there.
By this time I had my European Health card (EHIC), which helped (they wanted to see some kind of insurance for me too).
Rumour/Fact
You MUST apply before going to France – Not true – if one of you has a EU passport
You will need a medical – Nope
You have to leave the country straight away, as we had been here five months! (advice from Australian Embassy) -Nope
Fine for over-staying three months – Nope – If you have been trying to gain your visa already and have dated correspondence.
It was a good day – Noel found his very own beer!
Our Advice & Top 10 tips on the French Visa process
Do not go to Dijon Prefecture or any large city’s Prefecture.
Find a smaller Prefecture, somewhere where you can actually talk to someone.
Take the research with a pinch of salt – different websites (that looked official) all had conflicting information.
If someone says “this is how you do it” be aware that:
everyone’s circumstances are different.
each Prefecture is like dealing with a different country, they all have different agendas.
nothing is set in stone, it depends who you deal with on the day too!
If you need to translate Health Insurance documents, ask your insurer, ours gave us a French translation within
twenty-four hours (not google translated either!).
Try and arrange a French bank account – this helped! If not, ensure your statements are translated to English.
If one of you is a UK citizen, ensure you have your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).
Research & learn some questions/answers in French before you go, to make the interview easier.
Create a ‘contents’ page at the top of your application, so everything can be found quickly.
If you disagree with what is happening (as we did with the initial fine), ask to see someone more senior. We were just lucky, and on our second appointment we were seen by a senior employee, who ‘let us off’ the fine as she deemed it unnecessary in our circumstances.
The visa is FREE, we had to pay for a lot of postage (our application became quite ‘thick’ and heavy).
More help/contacts
Solutions to problems with your EU rights here. This is a great European Visa Resource. They had already told us they would take on our case if we were fined. Health insurance at a very good price (and they translated our docs into French!).
UK Citizens applying for your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) here.
In Summary
If we had gone to a Prefecture, such as Agen, first, the whole thing would have been done and dusted in two visits, and with little pain.
Jackie Parry - author 