I watched a documentary last night about Tommy Caldwell, the rock climber. He seems happiest staring into the face of death, hanging thousands of feet in the air, in freezing weather, at 4:30 in the morning, while most people in the world are dragging bed cover up around up their head, for a little more warmth.
Some of the most memorable times in my life, involved being uncomfortable, doing some outside activity, and sometimes even risking life and limb. I admire those who are masters of self, who can command their bodies to ignore little discomforts in pursuit of life. :)
Like everything else there’s good and bad. But sometimes the little bit of bad is worth living or being in paradise. After owning a boat for about 17 years here are my wants. Most of them are for pure comfort but are super convenient as you get older.
1. A walk around bed. I have a king vberth. Making the bed is HARD. I absolutely despise pulling the sheets to wash them and then remaking the bed. It’s also harder to get into and out of than a walk around.
2. Full size fridge. I have the typical small fridge and when the grandkids are there it fills up to running over pretty quick.
3. The less wood on a boat the better. Ours is fiberglass with just the handrails on top, the rub rail, and a few things in the cockpit being wood. I wish it had none. Like I said I only do it about every 2 years but still....
4. A pressurized fresh water system. I hate having to hook up the hose Jane drag it back and then put it up just to fill our 100 gallon tank.
5. A large holding tank or 1 for each head. My tank is only 25 gallons and my nephew is working on moving the tank into a different space that can handle larger.
Get used to doing ‘boat yoga’. Every time you need to do something on the boat you have to twist into unnatural positions. Loll. I’ve bought all kinds of specialty tools from Harbor Freight that only work for 1 thing. But it makes doing that job easier.
I love boat life! Nothing better than getting up in the morning and having my coffee in the cockpit, looking at the water, and listening to the sea lions bark.
I can confirm that one of my most favorite memories is when you have motored your sailboat out of the channel into open waters, raised the sails, trimmed them perfectly to catch the wind and then turned the engine OFF. You are gliding through the water. It’s peaceful and if you are REAL lucky, a pod of dolphins swim in your bow wake and look up at you as you wave to them. Nothin’ like it!