Mar 13, 2018

Today was Tuesday.

Today I hauled water.

3 trips. 21 gallons per trip. 40 pounds per jug. I often think to myself "I used to pay to go to a gym"

It takes 3.8 trips to fill one of our internal water tanks (80 gallons each).  The port water tank is now completely full. I was thrilled when it overflowed.

Mar 5, 2018

Boca Grande Key

A quick sail to Boca Grande Key. Just 15 miles away. A welcome change from long distances. We thought we'd be alone, but found 15 boats instead.

Mar 1, 2018

Key West to Marathon

We had a WONDERFUL time in Marco Island. My Grandma lives within walking distance of the bay where we anchored. We weren't sure what to expect from Grandma. People have lives, and they can't always put them on hold just because we come to town.

Jan 27, 2018

4 Things I HATE About Living on a Boat

There are a lot of reasons I love living on a boat, and I often focus on the pros of the lifestyle. But like everything in life, there are pros and cons. Here are the ones that irk me the most:

Clearwater to Marco Island - 150 miles

It was weird leaving Clearwater. We never felt super at home there, but it had become familiar all the same.

We made friends, most notably with "Greenheart" who Hobie calls "Greenheart Dragon Slayer". We watched movies in the park, saw street performers, and I'll always remember when my dad flew in to visit us.

Jan 13, 2018

Sailing to the Florida Keys

Tomorrow is our last day in Clearwater Beach.

The weather over the last 48 hours has been cold and wet, and yet we've managed to make it to the playground both days.

For the most part, the boat is ready to go and I've been super laid back about the upcoming passage. We have a GREAT looking weather window,  No thunderstorms forecast with 10-15 knots of wind out of the North East, waves 2-3. This is our forecast every day next week.

I need to look over the engines tomorrow. I probably should have already done this, but the weather has been crappy. If there is anything wrong, I'll have to get it fixed tomorrow or delay departure.

We've pretty well provisioned up, but we'll make a run to the grocery store tomorrow to top up. We also need to fill up water and fuel and empty our holding tanks.

Our route from Clearwater to Key West is about 215 miles and should take us around 41 hours to complete.

If we get tired or the weather turns we have several options for stopping along the way.

I have high hopes for a nice relaxing passage with my family. And fingers crossed for seeing dolphins!



Jan 10, 2018

Cruising With Kids: Not Having A Yard

We were fortunate to live in the Midwest where space is plentiful, and most anyone who wants to live in a house with a yard can do so. 

It came in handy to be able to send our kids out the back door to play in the yard while we cooked dinner or cleaned the house.

Jan 4, 2018

Cruising With Kids: Dealing With Limited Space

We hear it all the time: "It must be hard living in such a small space with kids! How can you do it?"

I'm not sure about anyone else's kids, but when it comes to mine, whether we are in a 2,000SF house or an 800SF boat, our kids are where we are.