One Year Later

Well, we've been on this blogging adventure for exactly one year! Our first post was on April 9, 2012 and about a week later we had our first post about our boat search. BOY have we come a long way in a year! To think about how much we didn't really know when we first looked at 'High Hopes' to what we know now with 'Zephyr'...it's incredible and definitely something to be quite proud of. 

As we mentioned in our first post, this dream of boat living didn't just spring up last year, no, we'd been dreaming about this life long before that. Our first boat we ever even looked at was called 'Abode', a 1980, immaculate, 41' Morgan Out-Island. All of Jill's family, Jill & Tim all trucked up to Cummaquid on Cape Cod on Labor Day weekend 2010, 10 days short of Tim & Jill's wedding, to take a cruise and check out 'Abode'. 

We look like naturals even in 2010! 

The day was truly glorious! Jill's Dad and the owner, Steve, an old Tug Captain and all around pirate-esque type of guy, got along famously, talking boats, teak work & the Navy. Since we were 10 days from getting married our heads were somewhere else, not to mention Jill was still in grad school and our life wasn't at a place to be buying a boat...but as you can see from the five-mile smiles on our faces - we were enamored, the dream was sparked. 

And now, here we are a little more than 2 years later, boat owners, full-time liveaboards, on the cusp of our first New England summer. We've dissected A LOT of our boat, learned so, so much, have so, so much still to learn but we also realize that if we hadn't just made this leap we'd never have known. Sometimes you just have take a leap of faith and trust that though it may at times (like when it's 3 degrees in Maine on a boat) seem like you made a mistake it's all part of the journey. It's all stories you can tell. 

Happy Family Aboard Our Very Own Boat Zephyr

Life surprises me sometimes at how fast it really does move. I can tend to live in a day-by-day mentality, focusing on the short-term and never realize just how far we've truly come. It's important to reflect back on the accomplishments, screw ups, missteps and successes and celebrate them all because that is the beauty of being alive. As trite as it sounds, life is short, real short, and I think we need to celebrate every second we can and continue to evolve, challenge ourselves and the status quo, soak up what makes us truly happy, revel in simplicity, constantly learn new things and yes, sail uncharted waters (with a chartplotter, of course)! 

"The best way to feel the ocean is dive right into the waves..."
I found this video recently and couldn't think of something more fitting for our life's path...

"I don't want to say, 'I wish, I want to say, DAMN, that was awesome!'"

"You'll Learn"

I'd love to say the reason we haven't written in a while is because we've been too busy sailing the high seas but the reality is life has been VERY busy! Work commitments, family commitments, friends visits and a 32nd birthday for Jill have all been taking up our time. Not to mention life aboard as the temperature is dropping and the fall rainy season commences has been QUITE the learning lesson. The marina is thinning out around us, every day there's less and less boats and people. This past weekend was full of folks off loading their boats gear for winter storage - long faces of folks who are sad to see the season over. 

For us, it's just beginning. With the arrival of fall means the arrival of the need for heat aboard and with heat comes the dreaded word that is the bane of every liveaboard's existence - condensation. You may remember this concept from high school physics - when the air temperature outside is colder than the air temperature inside and heat rises and creates moisture it will create condensation also known as rain inside the cabin! Boiling water for pasta, moisture in the bilge, even Toby panting (which he does a lot since he's rather nervous when the boat sways) can add to the problem substantially. 

Now we'd been dealing with the dripping windows above our bed for a few weeks now (nothing like waking up to a cold drip on your face at 4am), naively thinking it was just wet at night and then it would dry out in the day once we opened up hatches - silly us! Because what does condensation cause when allowed to fester in closed spaces? MILDEW! This weekend as we were preparing the boat to go sailing on a GORGEOUSLY warm sunny Saturday we lifted our aft cabin mattress to find horrendous mildew stains, Jill's bottom pillow was 50% black with mildew, the walls around the window hatches had spores of mildew...it had attacked us! Granted it had rained for 6 days straight, we'd been forced to keep hatches closed and we were heating at night causing warm air AKA condensation. But still it wasn't good. We quickly realized this had to be dealt with and fast. Jill's allergies + a dank smell + just plain nasty = a Saturday spent bleaching, airing out, sunning, bleaching some more.

The contents of our bed laying out in the sun drying

These now appear in every corner of our boat

This is when we realized the rub of being liveaboards as opposed to just owning a recreational boat. If we had a house to go home to then upon realizing we had a mildew problem we'd say, "Well, let's go out for a sail and we'll deal with it later." And then happily we'd go sailing, come back in, work on it some then go home to our non-mildew bed and come back the next day and work on it some more. BUT as a liveaboard we don't have another 'non-mildew' bed to sleep on, we don't have a 'non-mildew' kitchen to cook in, what we have is all we got - a stinky, wet boat that has to be dried out and bleached. We must have spent $50 in quarters at the marina laundry washing and bleaching all the covers from the cushions and another who knows how much in buying "Damp Rid" buckets and bleach. 

We have been posting and reading the volume of opinions and tips on the message boards - as I said this is the bane of every live aboard's existence. The options range from completely gutting the boat to install insulation between the hull and the inside walls to setting off a "mold bomb" and vacating the vessel for days. 

What we have realized is that it is an intricate combination of insulation, moisture prevention AND ventilation. The boat needs to breathe! And like it or not it truly is a constant battle. Quick fixes like opening the companionway hatch when we cook and lifting up the mattress off the bed when we get up in the morning to more involved (read: expensive) things like installing a dehumidifier and mattress mats are now in the works. 

Bought this book today

Our mantra the last month (it was 1 month ago today that we arrived home to New Castle in our new home) has been, "You'll learn". We say it to each other as we rub the new egg on our head from bumping the passage way ceiling, neighbors say it us as we practice docking, we say it to Toby as he struggles up the companionway ladder. It truly has been our mantra. And this experience with the dreaded M-word is no different - we will learn! 

But there's something great about that - it seems like in modern adult life it's often rare that we are learning something new ALL THE TIME. Or rather we don't give ourselves the chance to do it, we don't allow ourselves the vulnerability to try something new, something we're not good at, something that we struggle at, something we could risk failing at. We are trained to master everything - our positions at work, our skills at home, our abilities in life. We don't often open ourselves up to failure but it's in inviting that vulnerability that we end up succeeding far more than if we hadn't. So Tim and I have really opened ourselves up here, we are very much living life with the "trial by error" mentality and hoping it doesn't result in disaster or frostbite! 

Any condensation tips? We are sponges right now - both literally & figuratively! 

Reasons Why Wednesday: She carried us through the storm

Reason Why #7: She carried us home safe

So here we sit aboard safely in a slip at the gorgeous Wentworth Marina, bellies full after a homemade dinner from the galley, Jimmy Buffett on the radio, glasses of red wine and another "project" in process. Last Saturday seems like a lifetime away but when we stop for a second and think about what we went through the fear still shudders through us. 

Lists, Lists & More Lists

So, flashback: we arrived in Portland last Friday afternoon with the biggest smiles our faces could contain and excitement abounding. We hit up the marine store with lists and longer lists to outfit our boat for the weekend's trip, picked up Jill's cousin Chris, our crew, at the Greyhound station, provisioned our galley and cracked the first boat drink aboard. 

Before stepping aboard our boat for the first time! 

First Boat Drink on our very own Boat - rum & diet with
Portland's Old Port in the background

After some delicious beers at Novare Res in Portland we made back to the boat for a good night's sleep to prep for the trip south in the morning. Around 4am the wind had picked up a lot and Tim went out to secure another line to the dock. At 7:30 Tim's parents and the last member of our crew, Tim's brother Andrew arrived to the docks. The sky was grey and the wind was strong. Fog had come down the Fore River and the outlet from Casco Bay to the Gulf of Maine was barely visible. It was cool and VERY breezy. We listened to the NOAA weather forecast over the VHF radio over coffee - "Small Craft Advisories" were issued for Casco Bay and Saco Bay but it sounded like Sunday was going to be worse so we made the decision to head out - we had the crew, the provisions and the excitement. 

Casting off the dock for the first time in our new boat!

As we left the Fore River and entered the Gulf of Maine we went into a fog bank. A huge cruise ship was appearing out of the fog. Eerily there was no other boat traffic heading out. The waves were choppy and the winds were blowing around 15 knots - perfect weather for sailing our boat. 

Cruise Ship appearing out of the Fog at the mouth of the Fore River

Skies were ominous... 

Portland Head Light in some light choppy waves

We raised the sails and were cruising between and 6-7 knots, already very impressed with how Zephyr handled in heavier winds and waves. The waves were starting to build. The forecast we'd listened to hours earlier had said it was 4-6 foot seas with 10-15 knot winds. At this point it was consistently 5-7 foot seas and the gusts were topping 15 knots. Spirits were high and our boat was handling the heavier seas masterfully. Plowing straight through those big rollers without being turned or tossed. We passed Kennebunkport, our original planned stop over. The Sunday forecast we'd heard hours before had made us think that the next day was going to be worse and so we decided to push on south and try and make Portsmouth by nightfall. Still there were no other boats out and channel 16 on the VHF was eerily quiet. This is when things started to turn... 

A video before things really picked up - Zephyr mastering the 7 footers!

First, our side shroud, one of the cables that holds up the mast lost its pin and disconnected. A screwdriver and some electrical tape was a good, quick fix. The waves built some more, now consistently above 7 feet. The winds were topping 18 knots. We still felt good about making Portsmouth by sunset. Then our mainsail ripped off the boom. It's a self-furling main so there is no "dropping the sail" it must be furled in. The furling didn't quite wrap tightly and we ended up having the sail rip back out slightly as the winds were now over 20 knots and the seas were hitting 9-10 feet. This was not good. We turned towards to shore hoping for a safe harbor in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine. Fear began to take over on the boat at this point. Waves were 10 feet, the boat was heeling at 60 degrees and as you sat on the high side you could look down from the crest of a wave at least 15 feet to the trough of the oncoming wave. Still, our boat rallied through, never letting her bow get buried or being tossed broadside to waves. She was simply amazing in those seas and winds. Her heavy displacement, lead keel and incredible build proved to us that she is capable of handling most anything Mother Ocean throws her way. 

Words cannot describe the calm and control that the helmsman, Cousin Chris, exhibited that afternoon. Among the huge waves and winds and whipping main sail Chris piloted the boat with a smile on his face and a demeanor that calmed the crew. As we approached Cape Neddick, York, Maine we received a cell phone call from Tim's parents who'd been following our trek south in their car. They'd run into a local sailor, Peter Hughes, who warned us not to anchor in Cape Neddick. In the waves and wind we'd end up dragging anchor right into the seawall. He urged us to continue on just a little further south to York Harbor. The thought of spending even another 5 minutes in the seas and wind was not something we'd wanted to do but we turned back out, rounded Nubble Point Lighthouse which had at least 75 onlookers who'd come down to watch the giant waves and made for the red nun marking the entrance to York Harbor. Tim's parents said the gasps and the "what are they doing out in these seas" cries from the onlookers at the lighthouse riddled them with fear as they watched our boat disappear behind 10 foot troughs of the waves. Peter Hughes assured them that we were OK and though we were getting tossed around a lot we were going to make it to safe harbor. I'm glad we didn't have to hear the gasps of fear, we had enough fear on board amongst ourselves. 

Chris masterfully guided us into the York River and up the channel and within 2 minutes and a few hundred yards it was dead calm. We truly understood the meaning of "safe harbor". We tied up to the fuel dock at York Harbor Marine and thanked God, Poseidon, Buddha, St. Brendan, the patron saint of Mariners, karma and whatever else we could think of for delivering us to safety. We especially thanked our boat, Zephyr. She was as strong as we could have ever imagined. Her issues with the sail and shroud were user error and a result of deferred maintenance, not something wrong with her. She took those waves and wind and carried us over and through it without once showing any sign of being overpowered. Mr. Perkins, her engine, exhausted himself to give us enough speed to plow over the waves rather than be crashed into by them. Our trust in Zephyr grew exponentially that day. 

Peter Hughes (thank you to the spirits above for connecting him to us that day) spent an hour helping us untangle the mess that had become the main sail. There are a few holes that were ripped, not bad considering that sail flapped in 35-45 knot winds. We'd expected there'd be strips of fabric left. Sailors say that every patch in a sail is a story. We certainly have a good story for the couple of patches we'll have to get. We cracked open the best tasting beers we've ever had, I cooked up homemade jambalaya and as a crew we relived the afternoon, the fear, the exhilaration, the craziness. We commended eachother and thanked God and those we love in heaven who watched over us that afternoon for keeping us safe despite our poor judgment in going out that day. We learned a lot! Small craft advisories = do not go out. Consistently increasing winds + waves = turn back. There are no safe harbors for our size boat between Kennebunkport and York. When there is forecasted waves from an offshore Hurricane = don't go out. CHECK EVERYTHING IN YOUR RIGGING BEFORE HEADING OUT!

Capt. Tim taking her home on Sunday

The next day was drastically different. Calm seas, light breeze and a short 1 1/2 hour sail south to our new home port at the Wentworth. We were so much more appreciative of the weather because of what we'd been through the day before. A harbor seal greeted as we approached the entrance to New Castle and monarch butterflies flew next to us as we turned towards home - It was a perfect moment. We were greeted by our families and friends who were cheers'ing and clapping as Tim came into the slip. We disembarked, hair matted, eyes dry, muscles sore from being so tense for so long the day before. We were different, we felt stronger and also so humbled by what we'd come through. We'd learned the inconsistent and powerful nature of Mother Ocean and the steadfast strength of our boat. We'd also learned a lot about ourselves, we'd cheated disaster, we'd rallied through with many surface bruises from being tossed around on deck but with a strength and trust in ourselves that can only be achieved when you conquer something like we did. 

Coming into Little Harbor on Sunday

 So now we have some fixing to do to our girl - sails to be patched, shrouds to be secured... but it feels like an honor to be able to fix this boat that did so much for us on Saturday. She got us home safe and now it's our duty to be sure she is at her best before we ever challenge her like that again. 

"Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting."

- Franciose LeGrande

Turmoil, Tumult & Elation

Turmoil: A state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation or commotion 

Tumult: A violent agitation of mind or feelings

Elation: Pathological euphoria 

Yup, that pretty much sums up the last week in the world of Jill, Tim and at times Toby. There's been so much going on it's hard to sleep, hard to catch your breath, hard not to want to hide under a pillow and wait for life to calm down. But that's not what this experience is all about - it's about rejoicing in the tumult, embracing the turmoil and soaking up the elation. 

Let's get the elation part out first - the boat is "good to go!". We heard from the broker and owner today that the 4 major things that we needed resolved in order to close on the boat are fixed and she is ready for us! Her shore power system was fully reviewed and verified in good order by a marine electrician this morning, her hot water pump is working to produce hot water, her VHF is in working order and the exhaust plug that blew during our sea trial is plugged once again (i.e. no more hole in the boat, no more water rushing into the engine compartment). The check from the bank for our boat loan is in the mail to us this afternoon arriving tomorrow and the closing is scheduled for Thursday. 

WE ARE ELATED!  

This news could not have come at a better time because since the sea trial last Tuesday we've been in moving and purging mode of our land life. This weekend we rented a U-Haul and packed up all of our furniture to give away to a friend of my mom's and we stored a few important/sentimental items at the Cape house. There's no more pictures on our walls, there's no table to eat at, there's no couch to lounge on, there's not even a shower curtain in the bathroom at our Duplex now. Our home life is in utter turmoil. 

As everything else was being packed & moved this
was the only box that remained

Leaving our stuff behind at the Cape House yesterday afternoon - our record player, our photos of friends and family, the wooden jewelry box that Tim made me our first Christmas together - was very emotional. Knowing that these things were no longer going to be in our daily lives was hard and at the time we hadn't received word that the boat was going to happen - talk about tumult, we were riddled with it the whole 3 hour ride home last night.

This weekend as were ridding our lives of our stuff for a boat that we didn't know if we owned yet we were a mix of emotions. It was hard to be alone because the "what if" thoughts would take over. Analysis Paralysis was running rampant. We sought out times with friends to remind ourselves that what we're doing is awesome, exciting and worth it. We had to be reinforced and our Cape friends delivered in such a big way - thank you to our families, Michelle and family, Catta, Kyle and the beauty that is Cape Cod for helping us during this tumultuous weekend, we needed it more than you'll ever know. 

So today we sit with a boat that's good to go, a check on its way, a crew at the ready to sail the boat with us from Portland to Portsmouth next weekend and our families planning to welcome us upon our arrival on Sunday. Our house is a mess, there's more moving and purging to be done but for now we're embracing the feeling of expectation and sheer excitement! 

Stay tuned...

Reasons Why Wednesday: The Rain Stopped

Reason Why #6: The Rain Stopped on Our Survey Day! 

Yesterday was a VERY big day in this journey of ours, we had our potential boat surveyed and we took her on a sea trial! When we set out from New Castle at 7am it was POURING BUCKETS, I mean torrential downpours as we made our way up I-95. We had our "foulies" on and had committed to a VERY wet day. We arrived at Centerboard Yacht Club in South Portland and our potential boat "Zephyr" was up on the boat moving 'hammock' ready to "splash in the water". She hasn't seen the water since last September. Inside we met the current owners, the broker, the boat mover and all the old men from the yacht club there to help the owner who is the Commodore. There was coffee, doughnuts and sailing stories being exchanged around the table - a very typical scene for a yacht club and one we could certainly see Timbo being a part of years from now. For us, we were too excited/nervous to eat! And, the rain kept pouring. 

Here the owner is below being sure she's didn't blow a hole!

The tender helped us maneuver her to the dock, she's a hefty girl! 

Then it was time to "Splash Her" - as in drop her in the water! 

We climbed aboard and prepared for the ride. It was quite a thrill and all the while the owners were showing us different things with the boat's systems, electronics, storage, etc. etc. etc. It was phenomenal to have them aboard, though also bittersweet because we could tell how hard it is for them to let her go. The gentleman who owned and loved this boat for the last 5 years suffered a debilitating accident last winter while cutting trees in his yard and he's now on crunches and unable to really do the moving and work needed to sail his boat. Though yesterday, he was a ROCKSTAR - climbing aboard on the ladder, crowding into the engine room, taking the helm to guide us in. I'm sure he was in a lot of pain last night but in his mind this might be last time he gets to ride aboard his old girl and he wasn't going to miss it! 

The surveyors arrived at 9am and spent the next 3 hours aboard doing their thing - inspecting every inch, every hose, every wire and connection and valve and spigot. As the hours ticked by the rain stopped, the clouds moved out from Portland and Casco Bay, it started to get warm and then THE SUN! 

At the inspection dock - with the SUN blazing! 

Tim learning more from Deb, the current owner!

We spent the time listening in on the surveyors work, learning more from the owners, the 'old men', the broker. At one point the broker said, "You've got combined over 150 years of boat knowledge here and we still all got our heads together to figure out this goddamn water pump! Welcome to boating!" 

The assistant surveyor who was in his mid-70s said to me, "You see, this is the beauty of an old boat - you're constantly having to figure something out, fix something, jury rig something. You're constantly presented with a challenge and solving it. It makes the beer at happy hour taste a lot sweeter when you have that sense of accomplishment."

About 12:30pm the surveyor announced it was time to "take her out, shake out her sails and see how she does!" So we all climbed aboard, cast off her lines and set out into Casco Bay in the sun. There were seals popping up their heads all throughout the Fore River - amazing! We did some tests of her engine (Mr. Perkins as the owner instructed us to call him because, "he deserves our respect":)), her steering under power, her turning capacity, we raised the sails and eventhough there was no wind she sure did look pretty with her sails flying! 

Heading up the Fore River

Casco Bay

Brand new sails - they so pretty!!!

Well, our potential (can't call her ours YET) boat did AMAZING in her survey and sea trial! STUPENDOUS! Mr. Perkins, an old diesel engine, started right up and did all the tests without even a hiccup! Keep in mind this is a 34 year old boat that has sat for a year - this we were told from the surveyor and broker is PHENOMENAL! The Surveyor gave us a summary but overall he said, "This is a real solid boat". We could tell he was impressed and from the horror stories we'd heard of similar age boats that have sat we were very excited! There is one major and few minor things that we need to see remedied before we can 'sign, seal, deliver' this boat and the broker is working on that now with the owner. 

This deal is becoming more and more real than we could ever imagine! We could not have asked for better results or better weather for this survey and sea trial. We are hokey and believe in karma, signs and astrology - The fact the sun came out for our sail was a sign. The fact that the owners and friends and surveyors (those in the know) were so unbelievably helpful, enthusiastic and genuinely happy and excited for us and our new chapter in our life is a sign. The fact that the results of the day were so good is a HUGE sign. 

We are beaming from ear to ear and that will help as we pack up the U-Haul this weekend in 90+ degrees with all of worldly belongings that we're keeping to move it to storage! Life is very interesting these days! 

There she is at the dock with Portland's waterfront in the background

Our future home looking her best in the SUNSHINE!

It's All Happening...

This fantastic scene from my most favorite movie Almost Famous pretty much sums up how Tim and I are feeling these days. It's all happening...

There's something about how William has Penny ask him again so that he can feel that exuberance and excitement flush through his body and he can smile that wide smile and respond again YES that gets me every time. That's us these days...asking one another again and again - "You really want to do this?" And every time the answer is more emphatic than the time before - absolutely, positively, for sure! 

So first things first - the big news -  OUR OFFER ON THE GULFSTAR WAS ACCEPTED!!!! We still can't believe it! In the next 2 weeks we'll have the survey and sea trial and the closing is scheduled for September 5th! We'll be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary on the 18th on board our very own boat!!!! 

Just finished signing this!

The last blog we'd written we were setting out for a week-long liveaboard sailing class and as we'd expected the class only put longer legs and more stamina on our dream. We ABSOLUTELY loved the cruising lifestyle. We took to it like a fish to water (pun intended). From the early morning swims off the stern in Prudence Island, to the morning delivery of pastries by boat in Block Island, to the soggy night in Newport, to the hours sailing downwind. We loved every single second. 

Anchored out in Dutch Harbor the first night 

Dutch Harbor, Narragansett Bay 

His 33rd Birthday at the helm - living the dream!

Navigating with binoculars on the bow

The "Foulies" are out for our approach into Newport Harbor

He's a natural 

Five Mile Smile 

Block Island - The Oar Bar, amazing sailing bar - note the dighys behind us

The Crew - Capt. Jen, John & Amanda - incredible people! 

Dinghy-ing back to the anchorage as the sun sets 

Aldo's Bakery - Delivery by boat! 

The view from our cockpit - Newport Harbor sunset 

Coast Guard Eagle arriving in Newport Harbor off our cockpit - the benefit of waterfront property! 

There wasn't a single aspect of life aboard that we didn't love or at least tolerate well. The week was a mix of flash flood warnings, pea soup fog, HOT sun, drizzle, gale force winds and sea breezes. Your life is led by the direction of the wind and we loved that. When else in modern life do you determine the track you take to somewhere based upon the direction of the wind and the time of the tides? That close connection to the natural world is something that I LOVED the most. Being "environmental" it was incredible to live and breath by the elements. We woke to damp sheets and knew there was fog outside. We rocked to sleep by waves and we knew the wind had picked up out of the west. We hung our towels to the lifelines when the sun came out and took them in when the dew set in. Water and energy conservation is a way of life aboard a boat. Everyone is mindful of the amount of water they use and no one ever leaves a light on in a room they've left. 

The time spent heeling over on a close reach sail with wind whipping your hair and your sails full is especially thrilling. Sailors call it "the groove". Sure, you're only maxing out at 7 knots but sailing isn't about getting anywhere fast, it's about the journey there. It's about fine tuning your sail trim to maximize your "wing". It's about hearing the waves splash in your wake rather than the hum of an engine. It's about letting nature propel you, not fossil fuels. You work in a team to trim your sails, sheet in your jib. The crew and the helmsman execute a finely orchestrated dance to propel your boat through the water. You steer by the compass and the predetermined navigation course that you'd laid out over breakfast. You make sandwiches in a small galley while you balance yourself as the boat heels. As you approach your port you find your navigational beacons shining through the fog or the rain. Once you've dropped anchor and it's set in the mud you coil up ropes, stow charts, bring up the beer cooler and the cheese and crackers. You jump off the stern for a swim rather than a shower. You grill steaks off the stern mounted grill. You sit in the cockpit with cold beer, sunburned skin and salty hair and watch the sun set, knowing you'll do it all again the next day! 

Here's a little taste of sailing on a close reach from below deck and you can see our floating home away from home for the last week: 

We came back and stepped on shore, got in our car to head back north to New Hampshire and immediately we felt a bit overwhelmed. The speed of the car, the fast paced nature of life on land, not knowing which direction the wind was coming from - we missed it immediately. We made the (horrendous) mistake of stopping at a mall to cool off on our way north - the VW bus doesn't have AC and she cools by air moving so when we're in Boston traffic on a 90+ day it's a recipe for disaster for her and us! Being in the mall, watching all the people buying all this stuff, the store windows full of so much stuff, the bags of stuff filling people arms. None of it interested us at all - we just wanted to go back to the ocean, back to the small, little boat that had all we ever needed to be extremely happy. It was in that moment, in the crowded food court, that we both knew we were going to call the broker in Maine and offer our top dollar for the Gulfstar. We loved that boat and now we knew we LOVED the life that boat will lead us to. 

So today we sit with a signed purchase and sale. We've let our landlords know that we'll be leaving The Dupe. We have begun to discuss what we'll sell, what we'll store and what we'll move aboard. It's all happening... 

Sailing Away - not in our own boat...YET!

What's life without a little up and down, back and forth, highs and lows? Since last weekend we've been on the crazy ride called - NEGOTIATION. From researching "comps" to pricing out known repairs to calling Dads, Brothers and friends we've gained a lot of knowledge and opinions on the ancient art of price negotiation. 

We put an offer in on the Gulfstar last Saturday. The broker didn't scoff but was honest in telling us that he didn't "think it would work" because the owners were already hoping for $20,000 more than he got them to list it at. The broker was right - on Monday morning the owners came back only lowering their asking price by $2,000...we were VERY far apart. We thought and talked and sought advice and more advice and TRIED to emotionally detach ourselves from the boat because no good negotiation comes from being emotionally invested. We claimed we were "over this boat", we proudly said, "there's many more boats in the sea", we convinced ourselves that we were "right at it". So we put in our "top" offer on Tuesday morning saying that we were willing to drop a deposit in the mail and sign on the line that day. 

The owners didn't budge. We were still pretty far apart. We made sure they had our phone number and were clear how motivated we are and then...we walked away. 

So today we sit and ever since we 'walked away' we feel like the "wind's been taken out of our sails" a bit...we are a little less excited, a little less nervous, the butterflies in our tummies have stopped fluttering, we're feeling like the kickoff to this dream which we thought was going to happen sooner than later is now going to happen later and that's left us with a bit of a defeated feeling. 

BUT all is not lost! Because this evening we are embarking on a BIG part of this dream - the Blue Water Sailing School Bareboat Charter class! Yup, that's right, tonight we are heading to Newport, RI and Sunday morning we leave on a Dufour Gib'Sea 43' sailboat and won't return to port until Friday! 

Our floating home for the next week!

We booked this class back in early March because as we started to put legs on this dream of ours we both felt like we could use some more training and confidence on sailing larger boats. We've both had a good deal of experience on smaller, day cruiser boats but nothing over say 30' and once you get up over 35' there's A LOT more to know. There's major electrical and mechanical systems, there's a lot more rigging to learn, there's a galley to learn, etc. This class was highly recommended to us because it's one of the only "live aboard" classes where you learn all the in's and out's of living aboard a cruising yacht. You learn provisioning, navigation for passage making, cooking, maintenance, etc.- you live, breath, sleep and eat sailing the whole week. At the end you get your bareboat charter license meaning that we can go down to the British Virgin Islands, rent a yacht and captain it for a week! It's a big step to the ultimate goal of getting our USCG Captain's License.We are both extremely excited! So the blog will be quiet for the next week while we get a taste of this dream of ours.

We half-joke that on our way back from Newport next Friday we'll be calling the Gulfstar broker and offering what they're asking! We have no doubt that this week will only solidify and reinvigorate our motivation for making this dream happen now and not later. But we've promised not to make any move on the Gulfstar until we return from this trip. 

Since we are heading to another seaside area we've also set up appointments to look at two other potential floating homes. We have to see what else is out there in order to truly feel like the Gulfstart is it. We'll be seeing a Hunter Legend 40 with the owner who's promised us a sail and a classic Cheoy Lee 40' Midshipman Ketch. The Hunter is a newer, production boat. The Cheoy Lee is classic with LOTS of teak, including her decks. We shall see...though our minds can't seem to let go of the Gulfstar... 

Hunter Legend 40' 

Cheoy Lee 40' Midshipman Ketch

So next week as we sit on board a 43' sailboat somewhere in Block Island Sound watching sunset or a sunrise with the water all around us I know clarity will come to us and we will know in our guts what our next move will be. 

As my absolute favorite Jimmy Buffett song says:

"...Alone on a midnight passage 

I can count the falling stars

While the Southern Cross and the satellites

They remind me of where we are

Spinning around in circles

Living it day to day

And still twenty four hours may be sixty good years

It's still not that long a stay.

We've gotta roll with the punches

Learn to play all of our hunches

Makin' the best of whatever comes your way

Forget that blind ambition 

And learn to trust your intuition

Plowin' straight ahead come what may

And there's a Cowboy in the Jungle..." 

                - Jimmy Buffett "Cowboy in the Jungle" 1978 

We may have found her!

So like I said last week, there is A LOT to update on! The biggest thing is that we may have found our floating home! A few weeks back we went up to Southern, Maine to check out a boat we'd found on Yacht World. A 1978 43' Gulfstar Mark II. She was just listed at the beginning of June and she meets everything on our top 10 "must have" list. She's bigger than we'd been looking at, a lot bigger, about 7' feet bigger. She's got the center cockpit and aft cabin we want and she's got the heavy displacement (think stability) and rugged craftsmenship that we like. She's a ketch rig which we like for heavy weather. She's in our price range AND she's local - only an hour or so north of Portsmouth! 

She's BEAUTIFUL, in great shape for her age, no visible water damage anywhere that you'd expect it, warm teak interior, brand new sails and a full cockpit enclosure (think warmth and safety). She's currently "on the hard" because her current owners bought her to be their floating, cruising home and did some work to get her ready to cruise and then last winter the owner suffered and accident and is now unable to climb on her. It's a sad tale but it also bodes well for us because the current owner is the commodore of the local yacht club so he's probably not going to buy a crappy boat!

Aren't her lines pretty? And we love the ketch rig. 

She's got a lot below the water line - stability! 

Galley with fridge & lots of natural light

Some good instruments at the helm

Relatively good size cockpit  with full enclosure

Checking out the windlass - note the full dodger enclosure. 

Warm teak interior which we love

2 leaves that open up - I will be recovering the white cushions, need cozier colors

Super long navigation station & fantastic headroom leading to the aft cabin

So, after seeing this boat which was next to perfect for us we got pretty serious about our next move. We went to have beers at Joe's Boathouse in South Portland - because you can't look at a boat and not have "debrief beers" after and there were all these locals sitting around having come in from their boats talking about their days and we thought, "this could be us, on THAT boat!" 

It's like we're at this moment where we either talk about doing this for another year or we make a move and move aboard before winter sets in. Are we rushing it? Maybe. But if we wait we are one year older, one year behind the Fall '14 departure plan, one more year of rent goes in someone else's pocket, one year of "learning" is lost. And we all know all the things that can come up in a year - there's expenses that happen, trips that must be taken, family and friends who need help, etc. There are a thousand things that can and will happen between now and next spring that could deter us from our plan. Not to mention this boat might be sold! We've done A LOT of learning and research in the past 5+ months since we started this journey and though we don't know it all or have all the answers we are accepting the fact that we might never have it all figured out. Inherent in this plan is uncertainty - will we survive January in New Hampshire in the middle of a river? How will Jill, Tim and Toby dog all fit into a small cabin of a sailboat without killing one another? Will we lose power when we try and run an electric heater and the microwave? Will we misjudge the current in the river and overshoot our dock? Where will we fit our record player :) We just have to be smart enough to minimize the amount of uncertainty and the severity of the ramifications of mistakes. This is truly living - accepting uncertainty, learning from mistakes and taking risks! I feel myself taking very deep breaths these days, my heart races sometimes when I think of all that is ahead for us and though that could be looked at as stress, I see it as being alive. Feeling my heart race, taking that deep breath, my mind racing with questions in the middle of the night - to me, that's the beauty of being alive and living life fully of embracing the uncertainty and exhilaration of our life right now. Without exhilaration - what's life?

So in the past month we've done all the myriad of things that have to happen to buy a floating home. Trust us there is SOOOOO much to get in order. It's not like you just write a check and then sail away. I keep telling myself that this (stressful) part of the journey will be a distant memory once we're aboard and sitting on deck with a cold beer and the sunset. 

So in the last month:
- we have secured a boat loan (aka mortgage) for the amount of the boat
- we did a lot of comparison shopping to be sure we have a secure idea of what we'll   offer

- we read the last marine survey done on the boat in 2009 - ALL GOOD!
- we got quotes on on the land survey, the launching, commissioning and sea trial
- we read countless blogs, forums, reviews and tutorials on the Gulfstars, on sea trials, on surveys, on boat - negotiating, on boat insurance, on marinas....

- we talked to trusted 'boat people' in our lives (thanks Doc Rynne & Dad!)
- we talked to the marina about rates to move in, parking and electricity
- we talked to Town Clerks in 2 different towns in 2 different states about registration, taxes and residency - (hello Kittery, Maine!)
- we got quotes on boat insurance
- we got tutorials and quotes on shrink wrapping for winter (stay tuned, this should be fun!)
- we planned out where we'll store stuff (thanks to our parents!)
- we had numerous moments of "holy sh*t what are we doing?!"
- we worked out our down payment and our drop dead highest offer
- we had drinks overlooking as many marinas and harbors as we could to keep up the inspiration and motivation
- we figured out the price difference from mooring to slip to compare for next summer (we are most definitely slip dwelling our first winter!)

-- Oh, and we still worked full time plus some, made 2 trips to Cape Cod for family reunions and work, 1 trip to the White Mountains for Farrell family fun, and all the other life stuff that goes on daily...WHEW!

(In all truthfulness, this all wouldn't/couldn't have happened without the amazingly organized and determined Tim at the helm -there's something so great about having a cost estimator for a husband -he gets it done, done well and done fast! He is phenomenal!)

Inspiration for all this stress! September 1 maybe???

It seems these days when Tim and I are together it's all boat all the time - we are constantly talking about the logistics, the plan, the move, the details. Every time I open up a closet in our house I have a small panic attack thinking, "oh my god, all this stuff has to find a place or be sold or thrown out!" But that part of the journey is a ways off, next up comes THE OFFER. We are heading up this Saturday at 5pm to look at her again, this time look in more crannies, lay in the bed to test out our sleeping arrangement, count closets and drawers - look at her with a much more discerning eye in terms of truly living on her in under 6 weeks! In our pockets we will have a down payment and an offer letter. If all checks out this second time we will submit our offer - HOLY COW!!! 

The next step will be for the broker to take the offer to the owner and there'll be negotiating but if we can come to deal then it's on to the marine survey...

So folks, STAY TUNED it's about to get real interesting around here....

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live." - Leo F. Buscaglia