Something interesting from Hugh Howey, expected repercussions, and in the “what the hell did you expect” department…
Having a side hustle or three while cruising is no bad thing. Better yet, it gives you something to do and provides needful income streams. Back when we were on Loose Moose 2, my better half made courtesy flags while I did boatwork and cleaned bottoms. Which, with the ARC in town, paid the bills and topped up the cruising kitty.
While I detest cruising rallies in general, they do throw money around like drunken sailors so do have their uses.
Another cruiser down on his luck asked me If I had any ideas on how to make money and so I told him about a side hustle I’d considered. As it happens there was a Las Palmas fisherman’s coop that sold rope and fishing gear for cheap. One could buy rubber squid, hooks, and line for a pittance.
The next day he was set up by the marina making handlines with a lineup of ARC folk eager to give him money. Even after the ARC left, he did a brisk trade with real cruisers coming through. He sold enough handlines to provision and head off to the Caribbean with a healthy cruising kitty.
Like me, he left Las Palmas with a lot of handline components because one never knows when a little extra income is needful.
Which is why I always have a locker full of fishing gear. Wherever you go people need fishing gear. No need to be proactive.
I’ve recently noticed that used self-steering gear prices keep going up and new ones are akin to highway robbery. So the idea of stocking up on the materials to build gears would be no bad thing. Build one and have the makings of a couple more would go a long way towards keeping the budget afloat. My experience is having a spare dinghy or self-steering gear on your boat will have people asking if they’re for sale.
Personally, I like to build things. Improving self-steering gears is an exciting conundrum. Making them more affordable is a challenge that keeps it interesting.