Digital Nomad Tips

💻 Top Tech for Working on a Sailboat

Working as a digital nomad on a sailboat has many perks. The ability to move your office and home wherever the wind blows (sometimes very literally) is a fantastic feeling. However, it’s not without its challenges.

Particularly when balancing energy consumption with tech-hungry appliances or internet connectivity with seeking out that remote anchorage far from civilization.

In this article, I’ll share with you the strategies and technology we bought to do just that, which hopefully will be worthwhile if you ever decide to work remotely from a sailboat.

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📲 Local Data Sims

Iz using his phone on the sea whilst sailing, westcoast of Zakynthos — The west coast of Zakynthos, Greece

When planning to work from a sailboat, one of the first questions you’ll have to answer is how you will stay connected at sea. Luckily, picking up a local sim is viable if you aim to work from a boat as a digital nomad in the Mediterranean, like Lau and I.

The general rule is that as long as you’re only a few kilometres away from shore, you shouldn’t have any problems. However, this will depend greatly on your chosen local telecom provider and their coverage.

Check out this valuable resource to investigate the 3G, 4G and 5G networks of different providers in different locations. We used this in Greece and found it to be reasonably accurate.

COSMOTE

If you’re looking to base yourself in Greek waters, which if you’re a beginner sailor/nomad, we’d highly recommend due to the safe sailing grounds and robust internet connectivity, make sure to purchase a COSMOTE Mobile Internet Sim.

COSMOTE is one of the largest and oldest telcos in Greece, so we found it to have superior coverage to Vodafone, particularly around the South Ionian islands where we were based.

They also run great summer promotions, where you can get unlimited data with fast internet speeds for €25 for three months. Watch out for telephone providers who claim to offer the same when the internet speed is throttled after the first 10gbs. To purchase a data sim, you’ll need to walk into a COSMOTE store with your passport.

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One downside to being aware of this is their mobile app is currently only in Greek. So when topping up, make sure you have a friend’s phone handy with google translate downloaded in case you can’t read Greek – we certainly couldn’t.

🛜 Mobile Routers

Once you’re set up with a local sim, you need to figure out how to connect your laptop. The most straightforward approach would be to hotspot from your mobile...

However, in the long run, you risk damaging or destroying it due to overuse. Therefore, investing in a mobile router or finding an alternative to your mobile is a good idea. Below we have three options which we've used.

#1 HUAWEI Mobile WiFi 3s

https://techmaniacs.gr/cosmote-kalokairi-me-aperioristo-internet-opoy-kai-an-vriskesai-choris-stathero/ — Cosmote Huawei Mobilie WiFi 3s

One option is the HUAWEI Mobile WiFi 3s. This was the first mobile router we purchased as it was sold with the data sim from COSMOTE for an additional €50.

This router has a max upload speed of 150mbps, allows six devices to connect simultaneously, and has a battery that lasts 6 hours. It’s tiny, lightweight, and a great entry-level router if you’ve never owned one before and are looking to test one out on a shoestring budget.

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In reality, expect around 15-20mbps internet speed in Greece from this router; this was at least our personal experience with this router.

#2 Netgear Nighthawk M1 4G LTE

Now, if you’re looking for something more heavy-duty with high upload speed, then the Netgear Nighthawk M1 4G LTE mobile router is more up your alley. We graduated to this after Huawei.

This mobile router has a speed of up to 1GB, and it’s possible to connect up to 20 devices simultaneously. Regarding internet speed, we can confirm it’s a big jump up from Huawei at around 60 Mbps.

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One drawback is this device tends to overheat. One tip is to remove the battery and leave the casing off the back of the device, which isn’t needed to operate when it’s plugged in. Also, make sure to keep it out of direct sunlight.

#3 Ipad + Cellular (2017)

An alternative to hot-spotting from your mobile or purchasing a mobile router is hot-spotting from an iPad with cellular capabilities.

We found our old iPad from 2017 produced on par speed as the Netgear Nighthawk M1 without overheating like a mobile or the Netgear did.

We’re still testing this out but so far, so good. If there’s any deterioration, we’ll update this article.

UPDATE: Over time the speed has indeed dropped significantly with use to roughly on par with the HUAWEI Mobile router (15-20mpbs).

🔌 Inverter - Bestek 300W Power Inverter

An inverter is a crucial piece of tech if you plan to avoid mariners and work remotely from small isolated anchorages. A fellow digital nomad sailor recommended us the Bestek 300W power inverter.

This device converts 12v to 230v and enables you to charge devices you’re used to plugging in at home, which isn’t possible on a boat. We used this inverter for six months whilst working and living on Bella without any issues.

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When using an inverter with a laptop charger, we found it to consume incredible power from our boat batteries. We solved this by buying the portable battery below and charging this first, which we'd use to charge the laptop.

🔋 Portable Battery - Anker PowerCore III Elite 87W PD (USB-C) Power Bank

Enter the Anker PowerCore III Elite 87W PD, the strongest batteries (25,600mAh) you can purchase that airlines will allow you to fly with, which are strong enough to charge not only your mobile phone five times but also recharge your 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook pros via a USB-C charge.

We purchased the power banks specifically for the ability to charge our MacBooks so that we could reduce the strain on our boat batteries.

From our experience with two different MacBooks, expect one full charge of the power bank to recharge either a MacBook Pro 13-inch twice or 15-inch MacBook once before needing to be charged again.

Luckily, the portable battery can be charged with and without the Besek inverter I shared earlier, as they allow for a 12v charge. Also, when using the Besek inverter to recharge the Anker portable battery, we found it to be very light on the boat batteries.

This fact played an important role in managing our energy consumption and meant we could spend the entire work day from the boat if we desired. Our strategy was to leave the batteries overnight to charge on the 12v (expect it to take 9 hours).

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In the morning, one full charge of the portable batteries would mean only needing to use our boat batteries around midday. At midday, we’d charge up the power banks using the inverter, which would see us through until the end of the day.

💻 Laptop Stand with Built-in Fans - AJAZZ ANC160 Laptop Cooling Pad

Two Apple MacBook Pro laptops sitting on a wooden table. Two power banks and a fan. The laptops are sitting on laptop fans to keep their laptops cool. Digital nomads on the sea — AJAZZ ANC160 Laptop Cooling Pad

One thing we underestimated when starting our journey as digital nomads living aboard a sailboat was the impact heat would have on our laptops. However, as we moved into the summer months in Greece and the temperatures began to rise, reality quickly dawned on us.

After some stressful days of being unable to work productively, we realized the solution lay in purchasing the AJAZZ ANC160 Laptop Cooling Pad, a laptop stand with three fans running to cool down the device built for Gamers. It has a USB charging cable which we’d plug directly into our Anker portable batteries for power.

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To our great relief, the problem was resolved. A nice bonus was the ergonomics of the stand provided for a far more comfortable work experience than without it.

💦 Waterproof Bag - ITIWIT 20L Waterproof Bag

It’s not exactly tech, but it’s worth an honorary mention on this list, as, without it, you run a considerable chance of losing your tech to the sea – it’s an ITIWIT 20L waterproof bag from Decathlon.

From time to time, Lau and I will work from a cafe or restaurant on one of the islands we visit – mainly to change things up or wait for our washing.

We found the ITIWIT waterproof bag to be a great backpack that provides 100% waterproof protection from accidental submersion's in the water. We’ve also found it a great day bag due to its size, and for only €35,- we find it to be excellent value for money.

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🔥 Conclusion

In conclusion, this is a great time for a digital nomad who wants to live and work on the ocean.

While it is still possible to get by with a laptop and an internet connection, several tools and gadgets are now available to make the experience much more enjoyable and productive.

With the right technology, it is now possible to stay connected and productive and make a living whilst living at sea. Let us know on Instagram your digital nomad tech setup - @remotevagabond