We moved aboard last Wednesday! Everything we had been wanting, and fearing coming to fruition all at once.
Probably the hardest part is poor Sweet Pea. She does not like the companionway (stairs coming down into the boat)! She didn’t like getting on and off of the boat at first either, but now she is handling that like a pro. I’m hopeful that she will get the hang of the companion way too, and we are planning to make a couple of adjustments for her to try and make it easier.
I finished the v-berth sheets in the knick of time, and the girls got to spend their first night with them. They turned out to be easier then I had thought it would be. I mostly used this tutorial that my friend Amy recommended. It was a great jumping off place, but because the mattress really only has two corners and a point at the end with a couple of weird lumps in the middle I had to alter it some. I also customized some waterproof mattress pads for them, which I’m glad we did, because it has already come in handy! Having nice beds our first night was really great, and I’m so glad I prioritized it. It definitely made the boat feel more like home.
Our head (bathroom) is not working yet, but thankfully our slip is really close to the marina bathrooms, and the facilities here are super nice. It is still a pretty large pain to drag everyone to the bathroom whenever one of us has to go, but I definitely don't feel comfortable leaving Lorelei alone on the boat yet! The head is towards the top of our list though, and we are trying to decide if we just fix our existing toilet or put in a composting head. It is supposed to make holding tank regulations much simpler in other countries if you have a composting head.
Along with nice facilities, the people are also so welcoming. We didn't have to cook dinner our first night here. Our lovely neighbors two slips down made a big spaghetti dinner for us, and we all sat in the marina pavilion and ate and talked. The talk around the dock is that the place is about to be packed though. I guess this is a very popular destination for snow-bird cruisers. I'm hoping a few of them will have some kiddos.
I've also managed to turn on the stove and actually cook. Although, I really only heated water and poured couscous into it. That was a big fear I had had before moving on. Our galley (kitchen) is tiny! Even the little house (600 square feet) my dad and I lived in growing up had a larger kitchen. It will definitely be an adjustment, but I managed a couple of meals, and all is still well. I think the strangest part of the galley has to be the refrigerator! It is not what most people think of. Instead of shelves and pull out drawers, it is more of a hole in the counter, where you just drop your groceries willy-nilly. I'm really trying to figure out some sort of organizational system for it, but it is not coming to me. I did buy some mesh bags, so instead of throwing 4 yogurts down the hole, I can at least throw a bag of yogurts down the hole, and pull them all up at once.
We still have tons of work to do before we head off traveling, but we are in and fairly comfortable, and I think we can make this work!
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| our galley |
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| a view into the hole |
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| doing our first load of laundry at the marina |
