From dog potty breaks to doing laundry, one sailor has offered an insight into some of the more extravagant aspects of life at sea.
Florida native Sierra Swezey lives on a 39-foot catamaran with her husband, Billy, and their dog, Jetty, and they’ve built a loyal social network through their water adventures.
But in a tiktok seriesSierra reveals some of the quirkier sides of life on a boat and, in one clip, addresses the “most frequently asked question” about how your dog goes to the bathroom.
He explains that they usually take their boat to shore every morning so Jetty can go for a walk and “do his business,” and they take the same excursion in the evenings.
However, he adds: “But in the rare case that we sail out to sea for days at a time, he will go to the bathroom in the [catamaran] trampoline and we simply wash it with soap and water.
Sierra Swezey lives on a 39-foot catamaran with her husband, Billy, and their dog, Jetty, and they have built a loyal social network through their water adventures.
Swezeys current boat is the fifth boat they have owned and lived on and they specialize in boat renovations. In a TikTok, Sierra gives viewers a tour of her modern catamaran
Sierra says they usually take their boat to shore every morning so Jetty can go out for a walk and ‘do his business,’ and they do the same excursion in the afternoons.
In another TikTok, Sierra shows how they recently got their first small washing machine and how it works.
She tells viewers as she walks through the process step by step: ‘I usually do it quickly to save as much water as possible.
‘Normally we wash clothes on the days we use the engines. Because the motors charge batteries and the water maker uses a lot of energy and the washing machine uses a lot of water.
“So we use both the watermaker and the washing machine at the same time as we use the engines.”
Once the clothes are ready, Sierra shows how they simply place the ship’s railings on the deck to dry.
While at sea, the sailor reveals in a TikTok how they often experience heavy downpours, but always strive to “make the most of the rain.”
In the clip, Sierra shows how they installed a rain catcher so they could fill their water tanks to “wash dishes and shower.”
During more than 10 years of sailing, the Swezeys have reached many places on the map. Most recently, they spent more than two months exploring the waters off the Bahamas.
Sierra shows the main living room (left), while the master bedroom features a queen-size bed that the couple can access from both sides (right).
It also demonstrates how heavy tropical rain also provides the perfect opportunity to clean the boat decks and also take a shower.
The Swezeys’ current boat is the fifth boat they have owned and lived on, and they specialize in boat renovations.
In a TikTok, Sierra gives viewers a tour of her modern catamaran.
The starboard hull shows a guest room, a functional kitchen, another guest room currently used to store their surfboards and a bathroom where the faucet doubles as an extendable shower to save space.
Returning upstairs, it shows the main lounge or sitting room “where the table is lowered to make a huge bed.”
The adventurer continues: ‘We also have a daybed that we sleep on during nights out.
‘[Then there is] a navigation desk where we also do all our editing and Jetty’s food and water [area] of course.’
Continuing her tour, Sierra ventures to the port hull, which she claims is her and Billy’s space.
She explains: ‘[Here] We have the main bathroom with a shower tray and electric cistern (toilet).
“Walking forward we have plenty of storage and then we get to our bedroom where we have a queen size bed that we can access from both sides.”
Sierra notes that “they have multiple breeze hatches and two fans,” which is important when boating in hot climates.
During more than 10 years of sailing, the Swezeys have reached many places on the map.
Its claims include Antigua, Bahamas, Barbuda, Canada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Martin and the United States Virgin Islands.
Most recently, they spent more than two months exploring the waters off the Bahamas.