We moved aboard the 45' sailboat and continued to work full time for six years. The boat was docked at a marina in St. Pete. We did retire in 1999 and we cruised for two years, going to the Bahamas twice and all the way around the west coast of Florida, up through the keys, including Key West. On the way back from the Bahamas, we decided that sailing was too darn s-l-o-w, so we put the boat up for sale. It sold in 2001 and we bought a new 42' trawler (motorboat). We sailed it around Florida, even went through the Okeechobee Waterway twice (a lock system straight through the middle of the state). Back to the Bahamas (twice) and all the way up to Daytona and down to Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Miami. LOVED, loved, loved it!
On the trawler we had a generator that could run the two air conditioners, we had a full size refrigerator/freezer with ice maker, three-burner stove with a convection/microwave oven, large stainless steel sink, two queen bed staterooms each with its own head (walk-in shower, toilet and sink), a living room with stereo surround sound and satellite TV (32" LCD) and even a dinette that seated four. Best of all - it had a washer/dryer! We had a great fully-enclosed flybridge with all the navigation toys including self-steering. Even though it was a trawler, we could cruise at 14 knots. It was a GREAT home and vacation place all in one - we never had to pack!
Believe it or not, my hubby has a seasickness problem, but unless we got caught in a bad storm, he really didn't have it much. We learned to schedule crossings when the weather was settled and, on many of the trips, we stayed close to shore so the rolling wasn't bad. We HAVE had our share of rotten weather - and you SWEAR you will NEVER go out on a boat again - but you get into a slip, take a shower, have a cold one or three and you know that it was all momentary insanity talking. The good times FAR outweighed the bad ones. And, like life, the bad times made the good times all the much better and at least you got experience for the next bad time. :o)
We met many people that said how much they had always wanted to do what we did, and I would tell them, "Do it! What's the worst thing that could happen? You do it and you hate it, sell the boat and go back to a house, at least you could say you tried it. And if you love it, then think of what you would have missed had you never tried it!". I know y'all have young kids, so maybe cruising isn't the best for you right now, but you can always take a sailing class and fly to an island resort and charter a sailboat for a week or two. You can even have several couples go in on one together and it can be very reasonable that way. By all means, TRY IT. The scopolamine patches on the market work GREAT for seasickness.
As to us still having the boat, sad to say we sold it in 2006 and bought a house in Charlotte. We're dirtdwellers now. My Mom lives with us - she was displaced after Katrina - and my back problems just did not work well with living on a boat anymore but we are both okay with that. I am SO glad we did it - it had always been a dream of my husband's and I will treasure the times we had, the things we saw, the friends we made - all of it. It is a great way to live!
Thanks for sharing that. I live in the Charlotte area, too. My husband and some kids sail at Lake Norman, while I do dishes and laundry and diapers and stuff. His friend from church used to race sailboats; he says you can see him in the “Jimmy Buffett Live in Anguilla” video, if you know where to look.
Our baby is only 6 months old, so I’ll be housebound for many years to come, but I love hearing about people’s having real adventures!