Our beautiful boat!!!

I don't know what we're more happy about....to have a boat again, or to be out of the box!! I'm telling you, that box life was not for us, at all! There's a reason why I never took an interior picture of the place, {which is odd for me, because I usually document everything with photos} but this was one area of our life that we don't care to remember. They said when I rented it, that they don't usually recommend our cabin size for couples, because they go in talking and leave not speaking to each other. And though that wasn't the case for us {we're not your typical couple}, we are both extremely happy to be out of there!!!

Now, onto what you're really here for....pictures that you really want to see!!! :)

Remnants of the sunset and our boat, front & center!!

Can I just say how much I love our new to us boat!!! Ain't she a beauty?!? Okay, okay, more pictures.....

Hello there beautiful, walk-thru transom...no more crouching over the side to climb aboard!!

The salon area....

Six foot bigger may not seem that much to everyone, but when you live on a boat....6' makes a world of difference!!!! It's not just longer than our last one, she is also 2' wider! The floor plan is mostly the same as our last boat, but one noticeable difference is the two cabins, complete with real-live doors for actual privacy {when guests come visit}!!

Here's a peek into the aft cabin, where we sleep!

The head {bathroom}....it's so much bigger than our last one, you could spin around in there, if you wanted to....that would be weird, though!! 

The v-berth, where our guests will most likely be sleeping {yes, we'll remove the extra cushions first...probably}! Most of this is usually kept in the cockpit, but when it rains the v-berth becomes the storage area. Let's hope it doesn't rain when you're here visiting!! ;)

And speaking of noticeably different.... My new galley is much more spacious!!! I now have all galley items {food & dishes} actually in the galley, versus stowed in every nook & cranny like on our first Catalina! I didn't waste any time getting back to cooking either! I have been cooking every day & even as I am typing this, the boat is filling up with the aroma of banana bread baking in the oven....man, I've missed my "easy-bake oven"!!!

Friday, we moved the boat into the Marina. Saturday was spent going back & forth to get our things out of storage and by Tuesday we were completely unpacked....{all my cross country living & moving came in handy}! For the last two days I've been decorating & making it look and feel like a home!! We have now been on the boat for exactly a week and all it wants to do is rain, so no sailing just yet....I guess it's time for a movie marathon in a really clean & organized boat!!!

And just in case I missed anything, here's a shot of the floorplan....

After being homeless for two months, we are ecstatic to be back on a boat....our boat!!!!

So, what do you think?!

Living on a vacant boat

It is not fun living on a vacant boat. Why is our boat vacant, you ask? Well, we've sorta sold it!  As I'm sure you already know, we have been wanting a bigger boat for quite some time now. So, we  decided to put this one up for sale  before we buy the next boat so we don't end up with multiple payments.  Everyone told us our boat will sell pretty quickly.... We thought, maybe a month??  That's pretty quick considering our house sat on the market for over a year. Well,  it was on the market for about 10 hours and we already had a contract on it.  The survey was done yesterday, but here's the kicker, they wanted our boat to be completely empty when they did the survey. So, we started packing....

Thursday afternoon after I got off work, we finished packing and moved everything off the boat! We decided it was better to work after the sun went down, while it was a somewhat cooler than during the day and be insufferably miserable.... So, from about 10pm to 4am Friday morning we made trips back-and-forth from the boat to our cars and storage and then cleaned the boat until it was immaculate!!!

We haven't heard back from the broker about the survey.....so now we wait! We still get to sleep on our boat, but it's not as comfortable as it used to be. We have two blankets & our pillows, that's it! There's no pictures, no decor, no personalization that says this is our boat! No food & no dishes, no cooking or eating! We did plug the DVD player back up, so we can at least watch movies, but that is the scope of our life right now! If you thought we were living minimal before, you should see us now!!!

Sail for Sale

Trying to sell a boat, while living on it is a lot harder than selling your house, while still living there. Mainly, I think it's just because it is so much smaller than a house. Plus, there is no real hiding spots to toss something into when you have an unexpected showing...,because every nook and cranny already has something tucked into it. :)

While our boat isn't technically on the market, it is still being shown as if it were. Our broker showed it three times on Saturday {with good reviews} and they are showing it again today!!! Every time I clean it up for a showing, I take a one last look over everything to make sure I have everything staged & looking good and I get a little sad feeling, while simultaneously, feeling excited¡! 

I'm excited because I know how much our current boat has meant to us and I feel we will get that much more out of our next & bigger boat! But, then I'm sad because this is the boat that we started on and she has been so good to us!  She has been the perfect starter boat for us and I feel she will be a great boat for her new owner too, whoever that might be!

All bright & clean and looking so pretty!!!

I hope it sells quick so we can get back to being sailors & liveaboards, but on the other hand I'm not looking forward to being homeless either{since we haven't found our next boat, yet}...I'm hoping it works itself out and just has a domino effect and everything rolls into place perfectly! But since our life isn't a scene from a movie, our backup plan is to stay at an extended stay hotel or something. And while I think it would be sorta nice to have a bathtub again, for a brief time, hubs is not looking forward to a stay on land. I think he will forever be a boat dweller!!

 So, for any of you who were taking bets on when we would give up this boat life....we are not done yet, we are just moving towards a bigger boat!!

A porthole view

What's it like living on a boat, with it always moving? Does it make you sick, do you get seasick?

Well, seeing as we haven't actually been out in deep seas for longer than a few hours and 7 foot isn't considered "deep water", I have no idea if either of us do/will get seasick.

What I do know is, it can be quite peaceful.....when tied to the dock! 

Let me give you a brief glimpse into our world. Close your eyes {well, not if you're driving. but if you're driving, you shouldn't be reading this right now, anyways. It can wait until you get where you're going} Where were we? Oh yeah, close your eyes and just breathe. Try to imagine a light, swaying motion....actually, a hammock with a light breeze might be just the ticket to understanding what it's like for us on the boat! 

Now imagine doing all of your daily chores while standing in a hammock. That's life on a boat, always moving....and even more so when you're out sailing or at anchor! At least my balance is getting better....well, most of the time, anyways! :)

Ahh, this is the life!!!! :)

We were given a hammock for the sailboat but hubs has yet to hang it..... I think he's waiting for the next {bigger} boat, but I want my hammock put up! Maybe if I go out there with a hammer and nails he'll get scared and get the job done! ;)

Where have we been?

This last week, the crew of Irie {i.e. hubs and I} flew to the Bahamas to see our friends and fellow sailors, on s/v MiJoy!!! It is good to have friends in pretty places! :)

And oh, what a pretty place this is!!!!

We first met Mike & Joyce when we moved to Kemah and quickly became good friends, really more like family! 

It was so very nice of them to share their boat with us.....and yes, we still want to go cruising ourselves! 

We did so many fun, new & interesting things....I'll try and recap everything from the last ten days! 

Let's see, there was, 

• Ocean/transom showers

• Swimming, standing with stingrays

 

• Island hiking 

• Attended beach church with sandy toes 

• Explored a deserted island 

•{attempted to} blow a conch shell & picked up a few other shells, as well

•Played lots of beach volleyball 

•Slept on a trampoline {at least that's what it feels like when you're at anchor and there's strong winds}

•Sailed to Lee Stocking Island & back to Elizabeth Harbor

And saw some amazing sunsets

 And even a moonrise (I don't know why there's not moonrises & moonsets)

 

Yep! I'd say it's safe to say, we had an unbelievably incredible trip and can't wait to go back! Maybe our next visit will be on our own boat....that's the goal, anyways!

 

Who wants to come see us, when we're out there cruising the islands?

I live on a boat

Sometimes, I can't believe I actually live on a boat...and not just a boat, my boat?!? When you wake up in the morning, in that first instance, right before you open your eyes, for all I know I could be sleeping in our bed in our old house {after all, we did bring the memory foam topper onto the boat, so it does feel like our old bed, minus the odd v-berth shape} and then, I open my eyes and I'm on a sailboat....my sailboat!! It's insane, but in a good way! =}

Last night, hubs asked me if I ever thought we would actually live on a boat. My response? "No." It's not that I didn't want to, it's just something I thought would never pan out. People talk about the things they should do all the time, but all it is is talk. I think about having a cattle farm sometimes because of all the memories I have of my Papaw herding cattle. Do I really think that's going to happen one day? No. But then again, I never thought I would be living on a sailboat, so who knows? Someday, I might be calling the cows out to the pasture & hauling hay. 

What would be awesome, is if we bought

a small farming island. This I see is the best of both worlds!! We could anchor out & still live on our boat. I would take a dinghy ride to shore and tend to the cows! Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

And bonus, I would never have to worry about not having a good steak! You see, that is a major concern for me right now, because when we start sailing full time, it's going to be all seafood. And well, anyone who truly knows me, knows I'm a beef girl! Nothing from the sea, for me! I know, I know....the irony of it all is quite amusing!!!

On the other hand, I know there's swimming pigs in the Bahamas so at least, maybe I'll have some bacon? Other than that, I will be stocking up on a lot of beef jerky before we leave! ;) 

I know what I mean...

Like earlier today, when I said I need to look up the Lincoln MKZ online to see what the inside looks like. In my mind, I knew I meant the Catalina MK II, but we've had so many cars & trucks in the past, I guess my brain automatily went to vehicles. Joe just looked at me, but I know he knows what I mean, he just likes to point out when I say the wrong thing. 

Of course we are already looking for our next boat, but I think that's the norm for most boaters & live aboards! Besides, if you don't have a dream, are you really living? We not only dreamed a dream, we are some of the lucky few that get to live our dream and we're not turning back now! 

The original Captain Ron sailboat, here at our marina….

The Wanderer is currently docked at our marina and looking a lot like it did in the beginning of the movie, Captain Ron ….maybe even worse! 

A few close-up shots....

That boat is in need of some serious restoration, and I use the word, some very loosely!! :/

If you've never seen Captain Ron you should definitely watch it!! It's release date was 1992, so you'll most likely need to order it off Amazon{unless you've got an awesome, sailor friend you can borrow it from}. Seriously, funny movie Corny & old school? Yes, but funny nonetheless!! : )

Boat Project #1 - icebox to mini-fridge

When we bought Irie she was outfitted with an icebox in the galley. For those of you who think like me, this is not an old-fashioned name for a refrigerator, like something my Mamaw & Papaw would have said. Quite the opposite in fact! An icebox is, literally, a box that holds ice....and food/drinks. Anything you want to keep cold, not frozen, just cold....as long as you keep adding ice, that is. 

That is my galley. The red arrow is pointing to the location of said icebox, not easily reached as you may notice. After weeks of wasting money on ice and throwing out food and fussing {almost} every time I had to get something out of there....hubs decided we should buy a fridge. I, for one, did not oppose his decision. Now, we had to go with a mini fridge because well, our whole lifestyle has gone mini....mini house, mini storage, mini rooms, mini kitchen....you get the picture! We had only one place that we could make the fridge work, but we would have to remove these three drawers....that were currently holding dishes. 

I decided I wanted a fridge more than I wanted three drawers and that is what I got....thanks to a little room on a credit card! ....Here's hubs installing my darling, new, mini-fridge!! 

Of course, I didn't get pics of him actually cutting the whole bigger to make room for our new fridge, but that's probably because I was busy holding my nose from the horrible smells.....FYI - fiberglass stinks something awful when being sawed into. 

Here is an awkward shot of our newly installed fridge!!! Ain't she a beauty?!?! The only drawback I've noticed thus far, is, when your local grocery store has 1/2 gallon Blue Bell on sale for only $2.99 and your mini fridge has an even mini'er freezer.....it's times like that that make me miss having a freezer, but I suppose that's a whole other post & most likely, a whole other boat away. 

You maybe wondering where the dishes are being stored now that we took out the drawers. Turns out, that icebox is pretty handy for storing dishes! And, it holds way more than those three drawers, combined. I'd say that's a win-win!!

Who knew I'd miss our tiny boat?!?!

I am ready to see my hubs & get back on the boat! Visiting with family and meeting my 1-day-old niece was great & I'm so glad I got to go, but I miss life on the water with my man!  

A few observations from being back on land:

1.) I still bump my head, though not as much as on the boat, it does still happen 

2.) toilet flushing is way easier on land than on a boat

3.) surprisingly, being in a big house that's fully furnished & decorated didn't make me miss my "things" like I thought I would....which is good, since we sold all our "things" 

4.) daily tasks are easier on land, but I wouldn't trade my boat for it in a million years