Snailmail while cruising

Jan 25, 2011
2,436
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
now that i retired over a yr ago, we're going to go cruising for several months into the Broughtons and around somewhere...Question is what to do with US snailmail. The post Office will only hold it for so long and it all gets delivered. Dont really want to impose on the neighbors as they will be gone from time to time...
 

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,922
- - Bainbridge Island
If not a forwarding service, you could have the PO forward everything to a Mailboxes-R-Us or a UPS Store or something like that. They'll keep it forever and might be able to ship it to you.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,436
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Tell ya the truth, I'm not interested in a forwarding svc as i dont really want it during that time and wouldnt know where to ship it as we wouldnt have a set itinerary. But I'll check out those two. Tnx
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,907
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Every post office has general delivery, a way for them to receive mail for those without an address. If you have a PO Box to receive your mail that PO will forward your mail upon an online request to anywhere you wish. This is handy for important things like tax forms and renewing your document.
When you get to wherever you will stay a week or so, go into a PO and ask them for their general delivery address. You can also get a paper mail forwarding slip there instead of online, if you prefer.
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,970
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
As full time cruisers, the first thing we did was go paperless as much as possible. We are down to very very few pieces of mail.
Second was to sign up with St Brendens Isle mail forwarding service.
When they receive a piece of mail, they scan the envelope and send me that image as a pdf in an e-mail. I can then request they open and scan it. They will send me another pdf of the contents.
I can ask that they hold the mail for sending to me at my convenience, both opened and unopened mail.
Or I can tell them to shred open or unopened mail.
They will hold anything for as long as I wish. They wont scan books or magazines, just covers.

Working well for over 4 years
 
Jun 27, 2014
117
Jeanneau Moorings International 50 Everett
There is a service as described by gettinthere located at Shilshole marina in Seattle. I met the owner at the Seattle boat show last February. Sorry, I don't remember the business name, but will try to find it.
Of course, in the Broughtons, email access is very sketchy.
I live aboard in Everett, and have my mail delivered to a mail service that will hold and/or forward my mail as long as my account is valid. I just have them hold it while I'm cruising in summer. If/when I leave for Mexico I'll use the scanning service.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,436
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
UPS store will rent me a small mailbox for $18/mo with a $15 setup fee. We're down having all bills auto paid except one which we can prepay. The small mailbox wont be big enough to hold all the junk mail..kinda pisses me off that we 1) receive junk mail and 2) will have to pay someone to hold it for several months. I remembered there is a private mailbox service in Anacortes that we used when we lived aboard many moons ago. I need to talk them also. Wonder if the PO will forward for 3 mo...need to talk to them also. Personally, i dont care about seeing snail mail as long as the bills are paid......
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
What, you have no friends, either?
of course i do ...just in the past month i have seen more friends that are willing to go sailing with me than i ever thought possible ...you know the ones that were kind enough not to ever bother me when working on the boat and not pester me to see if i was doing it correctly..all kidding aside i have great friends