The most favorite adage of the cruising life is that it really means “repairing your boat in exotic locations“. We certainly have spent a few days repairing a few things on Tahina since we arrived in Fiji. Just a few items include: repairing a torn jib, replacing the zipper on our sail cover, fixing an electrical problem in one of the electric winches, and re-seated our boat’s AC power outlet. We also have been installing the new sunshades Karen has made for our cockpit.
But, once things get settled, we get to spend time doing lots of fun activities like hiking, swimming, snorkeling, diving, and just plain old sailing! But, you can only spend so many hours doing such physical activity and many sailors turn to reading as a good relaxing past time – especially during the hot hours of the day. In the past, we spent a lot of time trading books and would eagerly check out the local restaurants, chandleries, and marinas in a new anchorage to see what books were available for trade. But, the times have changed.
Books take up a lot of room and weigh a lot. Not only that, they are subject to getting wet and getting mold on them. We now find that more and more cruisers are using Kindles (or other e-readers). Karen and I each have an Amazon Kindle now. We really enjoy reading with them. We now can have far more books on board than in the past – thanks to a zero increase in weight per book, and no mold problems!
In addition to the e-book itself, you should get a cover with a light. The Kindle has no backlight, so you need light to read at night. LED lights last a long time with one battery, so its a worthwhile investment to get one. The newer covers from Amazon include a built-in light.
We also recommend a water proof bag that allows you to read the book in watery conditions, or just carry it safely to shore. The one we bought is also used to carry cameras or phones ashore on the dinghy:
