Visiting Us?

We welcome our friends and family, and encourage you to contact us to check our current port of call, planned length of stay and availability for visitors. Also before you plan your visit, please refer to our "visitor guidelines" which follow.

We want to make sure that we do our best to prepare you for an enjoyable time visiting with us aboard S/V BeBe. We can’t guarantee you a good time – you’re on your own in the attitude category – however, we will do our best to give our landlubber friends an outline of expectations and overview of living aboard so that you arrive as well-informed as possible.

This isn’t like staying in a hotel, but it isn’t quite camping either. It’s just a little different.

Plan on nothing dressier than casual and heels no higher than “tennis shoes”. You really don’t need jewelry, resort wear or “bling” to vacation with us. This is a time to get away from all that. If that is not what you seek, we are not the get-away for you. If there is a restaurant in the area or a local yacht club that we will be patronizing, we will let you know before you start packing; otherwise, leave the hair gel, the curling and flat irons and the glam at home. If you are American, those appliances won't work aboard S/V BeBe anyway. Our yacht is 220v and the bathroom you will be using is equipped with the appropriate type hair dryer.

First of all, here is the scoop on what to bring and what to avoid when packing for your journey.

• Make sure your passport is up to date, and that it is not within 6 months of Expiration.
• You might want to bring along some cash in either USD or the local currency. Some places take credit cards but many require cash only. We use ATMs to obtain local currency worldwide, and you might find this the easiest manner to obtain foreign currency.
• PLEASE NO HARD SIDED LUGGAGE OR SUITCASES. Use collapsible luggage (duffel bag, back pack, etc.). We have no room to store suitcases on the boat. Rolling luggage is fine; but unless it breaks down flat you will be sleeping with it. We use rolling duffel bags that collapse flat for easy storage.
• Pack light so you can easily hoist your bag. You don’t need much anyway: For daytime: shorts, capri's, bathing suit, t-shirts, cover-ups, etc. For nighttime, blue jeans, sweat shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, lightweight jacket, etc. We will not generally have a reason to “dress up”, by this we mean fancier than very, very casual.
• Remember a hat or cap and good sunglasses.
• SHOES: One pair to wear on the boat.
  
  
  • Your boat shoes should have a non marking, non slip sole.
  • If the boat shoes you bring are ones you are wearing now, be sure to thoroughly clean the bottom so the gravel and rocks in the grooves will not scratch the decks. Be aware that the brown fiberglass "faux teak" decks on S/V BeBe get extremely hot in the tropics. You will not go barefoot aboard S/V BeBe as you might on other boats.
  • Your other shoes or sandals should be comfortable for walking and for wearing on the beach, etc.
• Bring your preferred brand of insect repellent and whatever suntan lotion you generally use.
• Bring your personal toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving items, deodorant, etc), however; we will provide bath soap. And seriously, don’t bring a bunch of electrical gadgets. Remember that your 110v appliances normally will not work on our 220v system. Electric shavers and computers are often exceptions and might work on 220v. Check and confirm yours are 220-240v compatible before lugging it along.
• If you are prone to motion sickness we encourage you to bring the appropriate medication or personal treatment that best suits you. We do keep a supply of Scopalomine patches and Scopace pills on board; but if you prefer different medications, please bring it.
• Do not bring any food that is not sealed by the manufacturer, and please no cardboard containers, they are a haven for bugs to lay their eggs. We don’t want them hatching in the middle of the ocean.
• If you prefer a particular brand of liquor or think you might want to enjoy a bottle or two of your favorite wine while visiting with us, please feel free to bring what your luggage and the visiting country laws allow. If you want something special, a visit to the duty-free shop at the airport might be in order.
• If you have visited us on board previously as a 'couple' and we assigned you the rear cabin, please be aware that any future visits by couples will NOT enjoy that comfortable bed in the back. We now have so much stuff on the boat that it is too much work to empty our clothes from the lockers in the rear cabin for your visit. In the future, all guests will be accommodated in the forward cabin and the passage berth and pilot berth. We can accommodate 5 guests comfortably, and we will not be giving up our aft cabin any more.

Now, a few living-on-board pointers for those of you not familiar with sea life.

Equipment on a boat is more delicate than one might think, and is much more expensive to replace or to repair than the average home items, and replacements parts are often hard to find; therefore, we have a few HOUSEKEEPING RULES. Violations of rules may result in one of the following: confinement to quarters, “WALKING THE PLANK”, food rationing, guests being Hung, Drawn and Quartered, etc. Get the picture?

• NOTHING GOES IN THE TOILETS BUT WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR BODY and the appropriate toilet paper. – no feminine products, gum – not even a matchstick. And, most importantly, NO HAIR.......not one single strand!!! Our toilets are equipped with a macerater (kind of like a tiny blender blade) that is activated every time the 'flush' button is depressed. The macerater cuts all waste matter and paper into tiny bits before it is dumped into the holding tank. It is very important to depress the 'flush' button for a minimum of 12 seconds. Our toilet system flushes with sea water. Urine and salt water combine to form rock-hard 'crystals' that will block the discharge hoses; so it is very important to flush long enough to evacuate all urine from the discharge hoses and into the holding tank. Strands of hair wrap around the macerater blades and stop the flushing action. This is a very nasty job to clean and will break the macerater. Bill will not be very happy with you if he has to take apart the sewer line to clean up your mistake.
• Nothing but liquid goes down any sink drain. Our kitchen sink drains into a deep container that is automatically pumped overboard when the contents accumulate to a certain level. To avoid smells developing in that bilge area, we pour no food liquids down the kitchen sink. Please discuss with Judy if you have any questions and she will show you how to handle food waste disposal.
  
• Refrigerator and freezer doors should be closed quickly and not left open or unlatched. The freezer is not self-defrosting.
  
• Another boat thing: When using the shower, turn WATER ON and wet yourself and your wash cloth or shower scrunge thoroughly, TURN WATER OFF and lather up, AND LAST TURN WATER ON AND RINSE SOAP OFF. A side note from Judy for women visitors: I have found that it works well to wet myself thoroughly; shampoo my hair; rinse and apply conditioner; then open the rear side of the shower curtain and use the toilet seat to prop my foot upon when shaving my legs, using the sink faucet to rinse the razor as needed; close the shower curtain; rinse out hair conditioner; then scrub down body and rinse overall. Trying to shave your legs while balanced on one foot inside the closed shower curtain on a boat is just asking for a fall. Even tied in a marina slip the boat does move a bit and might make those not familiar with this movement to lose their balance inside the confines of a closed shower.
  
• Cooking, cleaning and general clean up are shared duties among the entire crew. Feel free to step right in and offer your assistance or to prepare your own cups of tea or coffee or snacks.
• Try to be mindful of leaving lights on when not occupying a room. We make our own energy and try to conserve whenever and wherever prudent to do so.
• Please use coasters under your drinks inside the cabin. Or use absorbent coozies on your cans of soda or beer.
  
• Don’t take food into your cabin to eat. Food and snacks should be consumed either topside or within the galley and/or saloon areas.
• Please treat our home with the respect you would your own home. Or if you don’t treat your own home with respect – treat ours like you would your mother’s home when she is watching.
• The interior of BeBe is luxurious and delicate.  Much of the interior is fine finished mahogany and can scratch.  Upholstery is nylon ultra suede...pretty tough, but can be permanently stained and/or soiled.  Bathroom sinks are fiberglass and can be cracked by knocking a razor against the sink, or dropping something into the sink.  Please be mindful of the interior because it is our home and we are particular about its appearance.  We like to keep it looking like new.

Finally, if you are unsure of something – please ask. We won’t be too hard on you if it’s a stupid question; although we may run you up the mast and let you hang for a while if you have a question that you don’t ask, hence committing a grievous infraction.