It’s easy to list off a lot of bigger “essential” items we have aboard. Life wouldn’t be the same without our ARB fridge, for example, or the 45 lb Mantus anchor we call our “portable mooring”. The spreader lights we specified as part of the mast build.

But there are a number of smaller items that are used (and praised) almost every single day. They’re small enough that they have a place on any cruising boat - and small enough to be almost overlooked when you’re busy thinking about all you need for life aboard.

Non-slip mats. Bought as a roll at the local hardware store, these make life much better aboard. We have cut them into plate-sized pieces to stack between our dishes, keeping the clinking and slipping to almost nothing. There are pieces underneath the plants, ready to lay down under cutting boards.

A kindle. We have 2 aboard, though I’m really the only reader. Having the second one came in big handy recently when our kids visited and Bee hadn’t brought along theirs. We could easily go onto our Amazon account to download already-purchased books; I especially love checking e-books out of the library even when in remote anchorages. There’s not bookshelf space on board for the number of books I can tear through in a week but having an e-reader means I can read old favorites or discover new authors to my heart’s content.

Nalgene bottles, quart-sized. A new addition to life on board, these bottles mean we have a fighting chance of staying hydrated. Before we had the bright idea of getting these, we were drinking from regular sized glasses, not remembering to refill them and then washing them endlessly. This way, we each have a bottle of our own to drink from and they only need to be washed occasionally (since all we’re drinking from them is water.) We’re definitely getting more water in each day since these came aboard!

Turkish towels from Marmara Imports. The ad really nails it. Soft, absorbent, luxurious - they dry fast and take up almost no room. They really are perfect for life aboard! We’ve got 4 of them in different colors, meaning we can use them as our salt water towels and our after-shower towels and keep it all straight. That they take up so little space aboard means that 4 is not a challenge in terms of stowage; that they dry fast means they’re far less likely to mildew since they dry before that can happen. My friend Behan uses her towel to double as a scarf when she’s in the occasional colder climate too!

2 glass flasks. Actually repurposed maple syrup containers, we use these to keep an evening’s worth of rum cold. Calypso’s freezer-less existence means no ice is possible, but we still prefer our evening sundowners to be cold. Keeping both rum and mixer in the fridge is key. Rather than keeping a whole bottle of rum in the fridge, we decant a pint’s worth into the flask. This flask sits right against the plate but doesn’t take up a ton of space. There’s enough in that flask for 6 or more drinks, meaning that if we want a second sundowner, there’s enough cold rum to make that work. We make sure to refill the flask each evening so we’re always starting with sufficient cold rum. The second flask has been used variously as a second rum option or a place to stash the remainder of a can of juice.