We spent a significant amount of time on the boat in the last year and a half as kind of a trial run. There are some things about living on a boat that you have to find out by trial and error. It may sound glamorous but it's a lot like camping!
Baptism by fire, I say!
Things like, learning the former owner changed a fuel tank to a water tank but didn't change the little cap that says DIESEL on it. Ask one of my girls - diesel showers aren't much fun!
Or that the fuel gage on the dink is empty when it says 1/4 tank left! Thank God for Vessel Assist - which is like AAA for the water!
Or how about that someone in the past had linked all the fuel tanks together, and when a fuel line breaks, how to handle 800 gallons of diesel in the hull of the boat! Good times! Lol
And when you are out of water, even in the middle of a shower, make sure to have extra drinking water aboard at all times! Oh, or running out of propane for hot water, while showering is fun, too! Extra tanks at all times, thank you very much!
I've learned a lot in the last 2 weeks of being here, as well. Everything takes much more effort to accomplish - even the simplest of tasks. Boat neighbors help each other out whenever they see a need (I'm currently watching several men try to save a sailboat a couple of rows up, that the seals are determined to sink - and it's not even their boat!). We've needed help carrying many things, getting towed to shore, finding local places, fixing things, and lots of MacGyver kind of stuff for boats! I've learned how to operate an outboard motor and drive the dingy by myself without crashing it into the dock or boat anymore- huge progress there.
I've also learned that you triple check to make sure you have things such as keys, phones, trash, and whatever you need on shore, before you leave the boat. Never go empty handed - there's always something that needs to be taken off the boat!
Not having the luxury of laundry machines anymore, for the first time in over 20 years, is also a learning curve. What I once thought of as dirty, being worn only once, is rapidly changing. Having a 10yr old that likes to change her clothes at least 3 times a day, is going to take some serious reprogramming! Doing all of the laundry at once is a bit overwhelming, as well. But we are figuring it all out - just may take a little time. And when I go to visit family, I hope they don't mind if I ask to do a couple of loads!
I walk more here, than I have in years, and it feels good. I can't wait to get the bikes up and running, so I don't have to move the car from its precious parking spot. Everything is local here and I want to use the bikes to go grocery shopping, and to the farmers market. Winter isn't too bad for parking but summers, living in a tourist attraction, parking is non-existent! Also using muscles I haven't in years will take a bit of time to build up, and the bruises will be worth it, I think.
Not having a tv or cable, hasn't been that tough for us. I'm grieving not being able to watch my Steelers play, but think I'm handling it fairly well. The lack of Internet is going to need to be addressed fairly soon, I think. For now, hitting the library or the little cafe by the beach across the street with free wifi, will suffice.
There's a lot of changes we've had to make, let go of many things, but living at the beach is worth every bit of it. The sunrises & sunsets, the random things we see every day, seals, glowing worms and jellyfish at night, the baby seagulls on the next boat over, neighbors bringing lobsters by, seeing the fish people catch on the dock, the weather, hearing the surf pound at night, time spent with each other, better schools for our daughter, sailing and surfing lessons for her, paddle boarding, the world famous Wedge, the hope of one day being able to take the big boat wherever we want to, Catalina coming in so clear, there's just too much to possibly name.
I can't think of anywhere I'd rather live, than right here. I feel blessed to be here.
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