What do you get the girl who doesn’t have much, but wants even less? When Christmas comes around, what do you do when the only items on her wish list are more than five hundred dollars? Solar panels, self-steering, anchor chain… Perhaps a basket of soaps and lotions from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. All girls like that, right? Wrong. Not …
Winter To-Do List
Sailboats require a lot of work to maintain, upgrade, and keep in working condition. I think it’s fairly typical for a liveaboard sailor to spend only ten percent of their time on the boat actually sailing, and that figure might even be generous. The rest of the time is spent living, doing things such as sleeping and cooking. It …
The Satisfaction of Hauling Blocks
My mom made me promise not to use her real name if I decided to blog about an event that happened just a few days after Christmas. So, to keep her identity private, I will just call her Mom and leave her real name a mystery. Wink. My boat came with a trailer, which is as old (or as young) …
Turn Up The Heat
On night early this winter, I returned home to my sailboat, Daphne after a long busy day. A bit grouchy, I was eager to warm up my boat and spend a cozy evening with Dory, my cat. This experience of transitioning to life on a boat has shed a bright light on the things that I had once taken for …
Simpler Packing
I am amazed how many great people, and writers, I am meeting through the blogging world. Naomi, of Simpler Living writes on her blog tips and stories of living the simple life. You should check out her blog! She posts frequently, so be sure to bookmark it. Recently she asked that I do a “guest post” on her blog about …
Winter Preparations
This weekend I began the process of getting my boat ready for winter. First, with the help of a few friends, I lowered the mast and moved it off the boat. The next step was to put the cover on. I put a wood frame over the entire boat from bow to stern. It looked like ribs on a whale lying …
Dory the Cat
Several readers are curious about my cat’s name… Dory Rare Yes, my cat has a first and a last name but his namesake is not of salty origins. He was not named after the fish, nor is he named after the flat-bottom rowboat that fishermen in New England commonly used. Many people assume that because I am called to the …
Living The Dream
I am encouraged by all the posts, emails, and messages that I get from people who are inspired by what I am doing. “You’re living the dream,” they say. Yes, people romanticize it. “Oh, you live on a boat, how wonderful! To feel the wind in your hair and nothing but openness ahead” they say…”I could never do that!” But …