Welding…Lots of Welding
Just a quick update on the boat. It’s not the most glamorous phase—just lots of welding. All good, important progress, but miles and miles of welding.
The hull and structural work are taking shape, and we’re now seeing more definition around the fresh, gray, and black water tanks, battery-bank locations, the hybrid-motor space in the engine room, and more. The electricians
from France were on site last week mapping out all the connections from propulsion to the living areas.
How We Plan to Use Nomadicat
While all that’s happening, Marilyn and I have been thinking about how the boat will actually be used once launched. Our assumption—still highly speculative until we’re living aboard—is about 100–120 days a year on the boat. That still leaves roughly 245 days in the boat’s “annual lifecycle.”
We’ve been imagining a mix of co-ownership/fractional ownership and chartering. In general, boats do better when they’re used—if managed properly—so we think there could be another 100 days of navigable time in the Med alone. That gets us to about 200 active days.
Most Mediterranean boats “lay up” between November and April—another ~150 days. These lay-up costs vary enormously depending on the marina and the services provided. One of the advantages of either chartering or co-ownership is offsetting some (or all) of these inevitable maintenance and storage expenses.
To qualify for charter status, Nomadicat will need to be registered and insured accordingly. That means additional rescue and safety equipment—honestly, a good idea anyway. We’ll also need professional crew for navigation, service, housekeeping, and maintenance…again, helpful whether or not they’re full-time. Learning how to access that help will be essential.
Then there’s the choice of joining a charter organization or generating business ourselves. I suspect it will be more the former. Nomadicat’s unique combination—hybrid propulsion, expedition style, aluminum build—seems to appeal to a different audience than the typical “booze-cruise” market found throughout the Med.
The Canary Islands as a Winter Base?
From the research we’ve done and conversations we’ve had with people who’ve been there, the Canary Islands (Spanish territory off the coast of Africa) seem like an appealing winter lay-up location. They’re far enough south to stay warm, and the charter business continues there through the winter.
Getting there and back can be an adventure in itself. Depending on where we end the Mediterranean season, we could route toward Gibraltar and cross to Morocco, stopping in places like Tangier or Casablanca.
The Canary Islands are also the starting point for the annual
ARC, the trans-Atlantic rally to the Caribbean. That means plenty of marinas, chandleries, excellent provisioning, and—reportedly—lively nightlife (always appealing). We may have to remind ourselves to head back to Mexico. And some day way in the future, we could even consider crossing the Atlantic ourselves given our range.
EU Visa Constraints
The EU appears ready to enforce the 90-days-in-180 rule in 2026. If Marilyn and I want to spend more time aboard in Europe, we’ll need to manage our days carefully.
Two main options:
- Spend time in non-EU countries—there are many around the Med, including Croatia, Albania, Tunisia, Morocco, Gibraltar, and others.
- Obtain a Seafarer’s Visa as crew of a charter vessel. Another reason chartering could be appealing: we could declare ourselves captain and first mate of our own vessel.
What Nomadicat Will Look Like
One other thing on my mind is Nomadicat’s exterior look. Our plan is to keep the aluminum mostly exposed but incorporate an acrylic vinyl wrap (similar to a sister ship from the same naval architects)
for a touch of color. This keeps maintenance easy and reduces heat—after being talked out of the deep blue hull I originally loved, which would have been scorching in the Med.
I thought I had an artist lined up to create the Nomadicat imagery for the wrap, but that seems to have fallen through. So I’m exploring new options. Here are a few visual ideas to start the creative process. If you know an artist or designer who might enjoy working on this, please let me know.
