If you are thinking about coming to spend time aboard MTB, that makes us very happy! But, you need to know a few things up front before coming. You won't be staying at a hotel. We don't have unlimited water, electricity, food, drink, nor space. We typically "anchor out"...which means no hook up to shore power. So, we are very conservative in our usage of water and electricity. We can make more of both, but in limited quantities and not quickly. We often bath by jumping off the back of the vessel. Then, we do our first rinse in sea water, followed by a quick fresh water rinse with the hose at the back of MTB. We do take hot water showers in our cabins when we have a good supply of both electricity and water. But, know you may have to be flexible as to the type and frequency of your showers. We typically do dishes once a day, and pre-wash them off the back of the boat, to minimize the water we use. We keep all lights and fans turned off when not in our cabins. And, we typically don't use the air conditioning....breezes usually keep things comfortable enough. All this being said, if we are in a marina.....water, electricity, and air conditioning issues change. Marinas typically have nice showers that we use. Marinas charge for both water and electricity usage. But, if we are at a dock, we typically plug in and enjoy the amenities. You just need to understand that sometimes, we will be "camping" vs. living in luxury. MTB is very comfortable though "different" than a hotel. And, the back yard is generally spectacular! Also, we are often impacted by weather issues. If you hope to sail, you may be disappointed as we may have to hunker down for a front coming through. We don't sail in bad or potentially bad weather. So, all this being said...if we haven't scared you off (we do hope you come see us!):
Bring only one soft sided, duffle type suitcase per person. Storage room is limited.
Bring two or three bathing suits: one on, one or two drying.
Though we have a hair dryer and iron onboard, using these things really drains the onboard power unless we run the generator. The generator is noisy and using it depletes our diesel fuel supply. So, anticipate a "natural" hairstyle or wearing a hat during your stay aboard, and don't plan on freshly pressed linen shirts/blouses!
The lifestyle is casual and often our dinghy is used to go to shore. It is feasible you will get splashed/wet going to and from. You may have to "wade" into shore. So, make sure you have pocketbook/bag to carry personal items with you in these conditions.
Visitors to the islands are expected to be respectful and COVERED. Ladies should not go into a village in a bathing suit, even if wearing a sarrong or short coverup of some type. Shorts and T-shirts are the standard "outfit" around the islands.
Laundries are sometime difficult to come by. So, medium colors & khaki fabrics vs. whites are the best choice. Sometimes we may have to wear shorts or shirts more than once.
Winds in the evening can cause one to feel a little chill, as well as when we sail. A windbreaker or other lightweight, long sleeve shirt, jacket or sweater is advisable. You may never use it, but one is good to have just in case.
Shoes should be comfortable for alot of walkng, and waterproof. Docksiders, Tevas, Crocs all work well on the boat and in this environment. Shoes worn on shore/streets should not be worn aboard. We've found that our soles get filthy in some of the small villages we visit. They have lots of oily residue on their streets. You may want one pair of shoes to wear only on the boat (we just stay barefoot) and another pair to wear ashore.
We have our personal snorkle equipment onboard. But, to assure proper fits and availability of equipment, you may want to bring your own with you. We have no diving equipment.
Supplies - islands import most everything that is sold in their stores, except local produce, eggs, etc. As such, costs are inflated compared to US prices. Although, rum, French wines and butter are inexpensive! So, coordinate with us to see if there are things you may need to bring with you or buy locally. Some items are hard for us to get and we may have limited onboard reserves. So, we need to work together relative to provisions. (thanks)
Other things - polarized sunglasses, personal medications in their original bottles (all LEGAL please!), camera, books, favorite music, shampoo/haircare products, fishing license (if in US), passport, etc.