Introduction

If you’re an aspiring sailor or have been dreaming about life at sea for years, this is for you! We’ll discuss some of the difficulties of living on a ship and then provide some tips that will help you feel more comfortable as a crew member.

Sleep can be hard to come by.

Sleeping in a bunk can be uncomfortable, especially if the ship is pitching and rolling. You might find it hard to fall asleep when you’re surrounded by so many people who are awake. If your job requires you to stay up at night, then your sleep schedule could be interrupted.

You sleep in a bunk or crew quarters.

You sleep in a bunk or crew quarters.

Bunks are usually stacked in tiers of two, three or four and can be quite narrow. Crew quarters are small rooms with your own bed and desk (if you’re lucky). Some crew quarters are private with an adjoining bathroom, while others have communal bathrooms that you share with other sailors. You may be assigned to a bunk or crew quarters based on rank.

You’ll be assigned chores and you have to keep them up.

A ship is like a small village, so you will be assigned chores. The captain and officers need to sleep, so they can’t be bothered with cleaning the cabins or doing the laundry. That’s your job!

Your list of chores might include scrubbing the deck, cleaning out the bilges (the lowest parts of a ship), washing clothes in salt water, making meals for everyone on board and serving them at the galley table—all while trying not fall overboard into shark-infested waters.

If this sounds like too much work for you then remember that sailors who refuse their duties are flogged by their superiors–or sometimes worse…

You might be seasick.

It is a common misconception that you will get seasick as soon as you step aboard a ship. While some people do, the majority do not experience this symptom until they have been on board for several days. Even then, it remains highly individualized: Some people are affected by even the slightest rolling motion of the sea, while others can be on board for weeks without a single episode.

An important thing to remember is that there are ways to treat your nausea and vomiting before it becomes debilitating—and even more effective remedies if it has already reached that point. There are also simple preventive measures you can take to help avoid getting sick in the first place: staying hydrated and eating well can make all the difference when combating seasickness!

You might have to procure your own food.

You might have to procure your own food.

On a ship, you can buy food in port. Or you can cook your own meals. Cooking on board is not always easy, since there are very few cooking appliances and no refrigerators or freezers available. Milk and eggs are limited to what the cooks have access to; other items must be purchased directly from the ship’s store at inflated prices.

There may not be much time for fun activities while on board.

There are not many activities on board. You’ll be busy with your duties, and you can’t leave the ship or go far from it. Even if you’re out at sea, there’s no reason to believe that you will have any time for fun activities besides what’s already planned.

You won’t be able to go swimming unless there is an emergency situation or someone falls overboard (and even then, it’s unlikely). You won’t be able to fish or go on a hike because there isn’t anything around other than water and land far away from sight—and if there were something nearby where people could walk around freely without being inside of a big metal box called a ship, why would they want to do anything but explore?

Life at sea can be hard, but it is rewarding and fulfilling for those who are passionate about ships and the ocean.

Life in the navy can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding and fulfilling. As a sailor you get to live and work on a ship, which is something many people dream of doing. You will be able to see the world from an unusual perspective. If you want to travel the world and experience new cultures, then this may be the job for you!

Conclusion

We hope that you have gained a better understanding of what it’s like to live on board a ship. There are many things to consider before making this decision but if you love the ocean and want to become a sailor, we wish you all the best!