Us: "We're selling everything and moving onto a sailboat."
"Oh, cool. where will you keep it?"
I guess it's not illogical to think we're just going to use a boat as our house -- anchor down and live in one place. If I told them I'm moving aboard a pop-up camper, I doubt they'd say "oh, cool." There is something terribly romantic about living on a sailboat. However, I don't find it at all romantic to live aboard a stationary boat. In my mind that's the worst of all worlds. If I'm giving up the conveniences of land, I darn well want to have a new and spectacular backyard every day. So where will we keep it? On the move.
"For how long?"
We are making a lifestyle change, not taking a sabbatical. Some cruisers reach some cataclysmic point where they abandon cruising forever -- a storm, seasickness, an accident, a realization that they hate each other. Some cruisers stay out there indefinitely. We hope we're the latter. We don't know.
"Where will you go?"
We'll start coastal, Chesapeake, ICW, Florida. Hop to the Bahamas, travel through the Caribbean to hone our sailing skills. Then we don't know. Panama Canal? Maybe. Down the coast of South America? Maybe. Across to Bermuda? Part of the joy of doing this is that we don't have to know.
"What will you do with your house?"
That's easy. Sell it. Maybe not so easy to sell in this market, but the decision, I mean.
"How do you and Chip agree on what to do with your stuff?"
We're lucky. We agree on everything (except who cleans the grill).
"What about pirates?"
There are pirates. There are some areas where there are more than others, but there's also a good network of communication amongst cruisers about safe areas and dangerous ones. Theft is probably more likely. We'll take precautions. It's not on the worry list.
"Will you take a gun?"
Is it just me or does having a gun in a boat seem like a really bad idea? Bullet holes in boats: BAD. We plan to wield a knife against uncleaned fish.
"What about storms?"
I was talking to Anna, a seven-year-old, yesterday about living on a sailboat. She said the only thing she wouldn't like about living on a boat would be the storms. I was TOTALLY with her on that. Everyone dreads storms, but we sort of have a plan. This is it so far: first, we won't take chances. We'll wait for weather windows. We know we can't sail on a schedule, because that's how you get in trouble. Second, we'll stay out of the hurricane zone during hurricane season -- boat insurance requires that anyway. Hurricanes are mostly predictable. It's foolish to get in their way. Finally, it's inevitable to get in squalls and unexpected storms. We have to be prepared with the right equipment and knowledge to hunker down and weather it. Our first big storm will be terrifying. Maybe they all will be. It's funny though, all the good sailing stories are about storms. Perfect weather days don't make for good tales. "One time, the wind was, like, perfect, and we were, like sailing all day. It was SO cool."
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”-- Louisa May Alcott
“I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits.”-- Bernard Moitessier
p.s. -- Anna also said she's really glad she's not a fish. She and i must be soulmates.
TODAY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
--found a large enough box to ship the office chair -- to Indiana
--went to the eye doctor
--got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops in case one of us gets an eye infection
"Oh, cool. where will you keep it?"
I guess it's not illogical to think we're just going to use a boat as our house -- anchor down and live in one place. If I told them I'm moving aboard a pop-up camper, I doubt they'd say "oh, cool." There is something terribly romantic about living on a sailboat. However, I don't find it at all romantic to live aboard a stationary boat. In my mind that's the worst of all worlds. If I'm giving up the conveniences of land, I darn well want to have a new and spectacular backyard every day. So where will we keep it? On the move.
"For how long?"
We are making a lifestyle change, not taking a sabbatical. Some cruisers reach some cataclysmic point where they abandon cruising forever -- a storm, seasickness, an accident, a realization that they hate each other. Some cruisers stay out there indefinitely. We hope we're the latter. We don't know.
"Where will you go?"
We'll start coastal, Chesapeake, ICW, Florida. Hop to the Bahamas, travel through the Caribbean to hone our sailing skills. Then we don't know. Panama Canal? Maybe. Down the coast of South America? Maybe. Across to Bermuda? Part of the joy of doing this is that we don't have to know.
"What will you do with your house?"
That's easy. Sell it. Maybe not so easy to sell in this market, but the decision, I mean.
"How do you and Chip agree on what to do with your stuff?"
We're lucky. We agree on everything (except who cleans the grill).
"What about pirates?"
There are pirates. There are some areas where there are more than others, but there's also a good network of communication amongst cruisers about safe areas and dangerous ones. Theft is probably more likely. We'll take precautions. It's not on the worry list.
"Will you take a gun?"
Is it just me or does having a gun in a boat seem like a really bad idea? Bullet holes in boats: BAD. We plan to wield a knife against uncleaned fish.
"What about storms?"
I was talking to Anna, a seven-year-old, yesterday about living on a sailboat. She said the only thing she wouldn't like about living on a boat would be the storms. I was TOTALLY with her on that. Everyone dreads storms, but we sort of have a plan. This is it so far: first, we won't take chances. We'll wait for weather windows. We know we can't sail on a schedule, because that's how you get in trouble. Second, we'll stay out of the hurricane zone during hurricane season -- boat insurance requires that anyway. Hurricanes are mostly predictable. It's foolish to get in their way. Finally, it's inevitable to get in squalls and unexpected storms. We have to be prepared with the right equipment and knowledge to hunker down and weather it. Our first big storm will be terrifying. Maybe they all will be. It's funny though, all the good sailing stories are about storms. Perfect weather days don't make for good tales. "One time, the wind was, like, perfect, and we were, like sailing all day. It was SO cool."
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”-- Louisa May Alcott
“I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits.”-- Bernard Moitessier
p.s. -- Anna also said she's really glad she's not a fish. She and i must be soulmates.
TODAY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
--found a large enough box to ship the office chair -- to Indiana
--went to the eye doctor
--got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops in case one of us gets an eye infection
1 comment:
crap, I wish I had read this posting *before* I talked to you today!
regardless, it was good to catch up! even if I feel like a bit of a schlub!
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