We now live on a boat! Over the Fourth of July long weekend, we finally, after YEARS of planning, moved on to Ohana, our 44-foot Beneteau Oceanis sailboat. Interestingly, the move itself went pretty smoothly. Lots of boxes, but we keep seeming to find more storage lockers to put things. We really did try to keep our belongings to a minimum for the trip, so that definitely helped. Also, our oldest daughter, Josie, is away at summer camp and while we miss her LOADS, it has been helpful to have her cabin as a storage zone for the moment.
It’s really great to be full-time on the boat now. I am still teaching summer school, so I do have an hour commute from Long Beach to Santa Monica, but it’s only for a few weeks. But the great thing is we are able to really devote time to getting the boat ready. And there are soooo many things to do! Aside from the obvious unpacking, we have many boat projects on the go. Some of the bigger ones are repairing the anchor windlass, getting new sails, some rigging fixes, replacing the boat name, and installing an arch. Soooo many things to do. We are trying hard to chip away at the list and prioritize what needs to be done today and what can wait a little bit. The windlass is the top priority and Jeff has been awesome troubleshooting the current windlass. I am also very impressed at his ability to fit into tiny spaces. 🙂
Eyes are on our trip to Canada in about a week and a half – and then our first big voyage to Channel Islands. I just got our landing permit today. Time is flying.
A lovely way to spend the 4th of July.