Working remotely from a boat is within your reach! Cruising used to be reserved for retirees, as getting remote work and staying connected was an often insurmountable challenge. Now, as many companies offer remote work options and Starlink offers fabulous connectivity, more and more of us are looking for the perfect work / life balance on the water.
I started working remotely on my boat in 2017. The year prior, my husband and I had quit our university jobs to go on a cruising sabbatical. At the time, we thought we’d blow through our savings, have a heck of a time, and then go back to in-person jobs.
But cruising spoiled us! I couldn’t imagine putting my sandy feet back into work-appropriate shoes, driving to work, and missing sunsets. We still had a few months of savings left when I started working as a contract ESL teacher 20 hours a week. This was an incredible job that helped us stay cruising while paying the bills. I now work a full-time remote job at a university while Matt continues his freelance work.
Does Anyone Work a Full Time Remote Job on a Boat?
While there are still many cruisers who are retired, the pandemic and Starlink have opened up the work from your boat home office option. Most remote workers we meet simply work their regular jobs in their field of expertise, but remotely.
Can you work remotely from a yacht?
Think of working from your sailboat or trawler like working from home. Only your home floats! A traditional land-side house probably has more comfortable workspaces, quiet spaces, and easily accessible internet, but you can make working from your boat work for you.
Considerations When You Work From Your Boat
Setting up your boat to be a remote workspace will take ingenuity, flexibility, and patience. You’ll need to find a comfortable place to work, set up your work desk, get connected to the internet, and figure out how to enjoy cruising while getting all your life and boat chores done.
Workspace Set Up
Ideally, you’ll have a massive, comfortable office with an ergonomic seat, large windows, climate control, an espresso maker, and a soundproof door, right?
Back to reality! Most boats are small and lacking in space. A salon table, v-berth, or chart desk might be your best options. We live on a 38-foot monohull, and I work from the salon table while Matt works from the chart table. We modified that space last year to be a multi-purpose refrigerator and workspace. I had the idea of using the fridge desk as a stand-up desk, but that just doesn’t quite work.
Computer and Monitor Set Up
I need at least one extra monitor. Attaching the monitor with an arm instead of a stand saves space, gives me the flexibility to move the monitor at will, lets the monitor move to be a movie screen, and keeps it safe when the boat is heeling or hit by a wake.
Privacy
If you both video conference or make calls, or you just don’t want to listen to your partner drone on about widgets all day, a separate space with a door would be ideal. We don’t have that option! Sometimes, Matt often works in the cockpit on his laptop to get a little farther away from me.
If you can’t get behind a door, think of boat work like cubicle life. It’s not ideal, but millions of people do it. My boat cubicle comes with a changing landscape, visiting wildlife, a home kitchen, and an emotional support pet who gets me through the day.
Headset for Working on a Boat
Headsets are a must so that you don’t annoy your boat coworker with endless email chimes and work conversations. If you already have a headset for your phone, this will probably work. I prefer a one-ear headset so I can hear myself talk and hear boat noises like dolphins frolicking without me. The best headsets have a noise-canceling mic to dampen the noise of, say, my dog barking at the dolphins.
Ways to Get Internet on Your Boat
I use Starlink for work and can’t recommend it enough. It’s fast, and it works when swinging at anchor and even offshore. It works in remote areas where we don’t have cell service. We would never have been comfortable cruising in Maine without Starlink. See my more extensive article about using Starlink on a boat.
Working While Underway
It is not my preference to work while the boat is moving. If we are motoring, the engine is loud. If we are sailing, the heeling makes it harder to concentrate. I hate to miss the scenery and wildlife sightings, and letting Matt handle everything annoys the controller in me.
However, it can be done, especially if one person isn’t working. Matt is freelance, so, on occasion, he has reorganized his working hours to drive the boat while I work. Starlink stays connected, I can get my work done, and I save my vacation time.
We’ve even worked while on an overnight passage. We wanted to get south quickly to get out of a hurricane watch, and I didn’t want to take vacation time at the last minute. I did my night shifts and then went to work while 50 miles offshore! Starlink worked well, but I did wind up feeling pretty exhausted. Next time, I’ll definitely make sure to take a day off to recover from overnight sailing before getting back to work.
Tips to Balance Cruising and Working Remote Jobs
Cruising is, of course, fun, exciting, and a dream lifestyle. However, it can be a full-time job. Planning, thinking, moving the boat, and getting chores done on top of a paid full-time job can feel overwhelming.
To keep from burning out, here are some things that can help you balance cruising, working, and boat ownership. Consider doing less, cruising part-time, utilizing lunch breaks and evenings to do chores, and sharing tasks to make cruising more enjoyable.
Do Less
There are people who cross oceans while working full time, circumnavigate in a year or two, and spend only a night in each new stop before moving on. This type of schedule would be far too much work for me, and I wouldn’t enjoy it. Working a full time job, taking care of boat chores, life chores, and moving the boat 50 miles every day to a new location isn’t my cup of tea. It’s okay to do less!
We like to move the boat once a week (or even once every two weeks) to a new anchorage. This gives us time to settle in, get to know the new spot, and not feel overwhelmed. Every move takes planning: looking up the weather, finding protection from the weather, looking up places to take the dog, and finding places to do boat chores like laundry, get groceries, propane, diesel, etc.
Sometimes, we need to move the boat during the week. This might be to get better protection for forecast weather conditions, to get a grocery delivery, or just to position the boat better for a weekend trip. We usually move the boat after work, but sometimes Matt will drive while I work.
Make Passages
We try to make longer passages when the weather is good in order to make miles. For example, when sailing from Virginia to Maine, we made the trip in 3 weekends rather than doing a series of day-only hops. For me, it’s easier to focus on the cruising area we want to get to (Maine or the Bahamas) rather than planning and doing a bunch of smaller trips.
Focus on What You Like
Consider what it is you like about cruising and focus on those aspects. For instance, if you love kayaking, make time to go kayaking!
If you don’t make time for what you love, cruising can feel like a chore list: move the boat, do the chores, go to work, etc.
Cruising Part-Time
If you have a land-side home, you might choose the best boating season, make the most of it while working, and then move into your land-side home for the off-season. This would mean a lot fewer miles of travel than those that move with the seasons and can help protect against cruising/working burnout.
We know a lot of cruisers who enjoy spending the winter in The Bahamas, but don’t want to travel outside of the hurricane zone the rest of the year. So they leave their boat in a boatyard or at a safe-ish marina in Florida or Georgia, and then spend the summer basking in the air conditioning of their land home or RV.
Other friends love summers in Maine, haul the boat there, and find an inexpensive, off-season rental in Maine.
Taking a Marina Break
Another option for avoiding burnout is settling into a marina for an extended stay.
After cruising full-time for seven years, we took a year off and stayed at a Virginia marina. The year after, we spent the winter months at a marina in North Carolina.
Taking an extended marina stay gives a break from all the cruise planning and hyper-focusing on the weather. It’s a good option to catch up on boat projects, fit in all your medical appointments, meet with family and friends, and recharge.
Working Remotely on a Boat — It Gets Easier
Cruising and working remotely is a whole new ballgame. You have to manage a full-time job, boat maintenance, and your life-sustaining chores take more planning and time. As with anything new, it gets easier as you do it. Be kind to yourself, and don’t try to compare yourself to other cruisers who may be doing more.
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