Sail Swim & Sundowners Our Offgrid Liveaboard Sailing Life: Preparing to Sail Around the World Ep104

Hi and welcome aboard @SailingAstridTheWombat We are Gav and Shezz and two and a half years ago we bought our Beneteau Oceanis 430 sailboat with absolutely no sailing experience and jumped straight into the deep end of liveaboard sailing. Our very first passage was just over 700 nautical miles, launching us headfirst into the world of bluewater cruising, learning to sail, and real life at sea. Since that moment, we’ve been fully immersed in boat life, documenting the journey of turning a production cruising sailboat into a capable, self-sufficient home as we prepare for full-time liveaboard life. From major sailboat upgrades and off-grid power systems to everyday maintenance and skills building, we’re learning what it truly takes to own, sail, and live on a boat while working toward our goal of sailing around the world. If you’re into sailing adventures, beginner sailing, sailboat ownership, cruising lifestyle, and traveling the world by sailboat, our journey is all about real-time learning, ocean freedom, and building the confidence to chase long-term world cruising under sail. In this episode of our liveaboard sailing journey, we drop anchor in a beautiful island anchorage for a few days of true off-grid sailing life — and it’s the perfect chance to properly test our brand-new solar upgrade on our sailboat. This is real cruising sailboat life as we prepare for sailing around the world, balancing boat systems, ocean living, and a little bit of paradise. We’ve recently upgraded our solar panels, batteries, and onboard power system, and now it’s time to see how our off-grid power setup handles everyday liveaboard life. From running the fridge and charging devices to powering our essential gear, we’re closely monitoring how our sailboat electrical system performs while we live at anchor like we would on a long-term bluewater cruising adventure. But this episode isn’t just about boat upgrades and sailboat systems — it’s about the lifestyle that comes with living on a sailboat. We spend our days swimming straight off the boat, exploring the island beach, and enjoying the freedom that comes with anchoring in remote locations. This is the dream of cruising life, slow travel by sailboat, and world travel by boat. As the sun goes down, we share sundowners with friends in the anchorage — one of our favourite parts of the sailing community and liveaboard lifestyle. These moments are what make cruising under sail so special: simple living, ocean views, good company, and complete freedom from life on land. If you’re interested in sailboat living, liveaboard sailing, boat life, beginner sailing, or you’re a sailboat owner dreaming of sailing the world, this episode shows both sides of the journey — the practical side of building a capable, self-sufficient cruising boat, and the incredible lifestyle that comes with it. Follow along as we turn our boat into an ocean-ready home and take more steps toward our goal of sailing around the world. This is real liveaboard cruising life — solar power, saltwater swims, island beaches, and sunsets at anchor. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:28 Arriving at the Anchorage 03:31 Swimming Off the Boat 04:16 Tender Off The Deck 05:06 To the Beach 06:28 Sundowners 07:45 Cockpit Lights 08:12 Early Morning Swims 10:23 Breakfast on the Sailboat 10:45 Anchor Up Please leave a comment, like and subscribe to follow our journey. Join us now as we settle into liveaboard life and get our boat ready to take off and sail around the world. As new sailors we want to share all of our learnings and keep it real in our videos. We want to show step by step what it takes to choose a boat, buy the boat and learn how to sail. Our sailing learning curve is steep so come along with us as we learn and grow as liveaboard sailors. We promise you will have a laugh! Welcome aboard Astrid The Wombat Gav and Shezz You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook: Sailing Astrid the Wombat #sailing #liveaboard #sailingaustralia #sailingadventures #sailboat