This is Boat Life: Endless Jobs, Sailboat Maintenance and Our Plans For a Sailboat Solar Upgrade

Life on a liveaboard sailboat isn’t just sunsets and smooth sailing — it’s constant maintenance, problem-solving, and a never-ending list of boat jobs. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of real liveaboard sailing life as we tackle the everyday jobs that keep our sailboat moving, safe, and ready for long-term cruising. From fixing small issues that pop up without warning, to staying ahead of preventative maintenance, this is what full-time sailboat living really looks like. When you live on a boat, you quickly learn that every system matters — electrical, rigging, plumbing, deck hardware, and everything in between. There’s no calling a tradesperson when you’re anchored out, so you become the mechanic, electrician, and problem-solver all in one. We also dive into our solar upgrade plans, a crucial step toward energy independence for anyone living aboard or planning to sail around the world. Reliable solar power on a sailboat means fewer engine hours, quieter anchorages, and the ability to live off-grid for longer. We talk through why we’re upgrading, what we’re hoping to achieve, and how improving our boat electrical system supports long-term cruising and life at anchor. If you’re interested in liveaboard sailing, sailboat maintenance, cruising upgrades, or learning what it really takes to travel the world by sailboat, this episode offers an honest look at the work that happens between passages. These are the jobs that don’t make the highlight reel, but they’re essential for safety, comfort, and self-sufficiency at sea. Whether you’re a beginner sailor, a sailboat owner, or someone dreaming about quitting land life to live on a boat, this video will give you realistic insight into the lifestyle. Boat projects, upgrades, and maintenance are all part of the journey — and they’re just as important as the sailing itself. Thanks for joining us as we continue preparing our sailboat for long-term cruising and life as full-time liveaboard sailors. If you enjoy real sailing content, boat projects, and honest cruising life, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow along as we sail toward our goal of exploring the world by wind power. It's been two years since our first sail in @SailingAstridTheWombat actually that means it's been a year and a half since our first sail ever. That's right a year ago we bought this Beneteau Oceanis 430 and pulled the sail up for the first time ever when we brought her home. A sail that stretched 700 nautical miles from Townsville in Far North Queensland Australia to Moreton Bay in Brisbane Queensland. We are now preparing to move onboard and to sail around the world. Join us to see the challenges as we continue to learn to sail, prepare our boat and make changes so our boat feels like a home. We are moving onboard in just a few weeks so our sailing dream is getting closer and closer. Each experience we have and each new sailing skill learnt just keeps bringing us closer to taking off to sail around the world in our Beneteau Oceanis 430 @SailingAstridTheWombat living our boat life dream. We hope you enjoy our content. Please hit subscribe and follow our journey to full time sailing around the world. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:36 Fire in the Marina 02:23 Less Weight on the Sailboat 03:36 Boat Jobs 06:49 Storms on the Sailboat 07:16 Camping Show 07:57 New Outboard Harness 12:04 Outboard Lessons 15:44 Thermal Cooking 17:59 Sailboat Solar Upgrade Please leave a comment, like and subscribe to follow our journey. We are Gav and Shezz an Aussie couple with a dream to sail and scuba dive around the world. We bought our Beneteau Oceanis 430 in October 2023 with zero sailing experience but the belief that we can do this. We have filmed our journey from looking for boats, buying the boat and downsizing our house so we can liveaboard and all the messy wonderful life stuff in between. Join us now as we start to get our boat prepared for liveaboard life. 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